• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

EveryWriter

A New Community of Writers

  • Home
  • Reading
    • Blog
    • On Writing
    • Interviews
    • Famous Authors
    • Stories
    • Poetry
  • Writing
    • Writing Tips
    • Writing Inspiration
    • Playground
    • Writing Prompts
  • Publishing
    • Publishing Tips
    • Literary Magazines
    • Book Publishers
  • Promotions
    • Book Promotions
    • Promoting Tips
    • Classifieds
    • Newsletter
  • Submit
    • Submit
    • Privacy Policy

admin

About admin

Richard Edwards is a writer and an educator and the owner editor of Every Writer. Follow him on Twitter, and check out our Submissions page.

Top 11 Science Fiction Short Stories Everyone Should Read

April 27, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Below are the top 11 science fiction short stories everyone should read, but here are a few things to remember about this list before I get hate mail. First, I could not get this list under 11. I tried to get it to 10, but it was impossible! So it stands at 11. Second, no author is on the list more than once. Asimov and Clark dominate many lists; we all know we can read their works to find great science fiction. I am treating this list like someone who has just shown up and wants to learn more about science fiction stories. These stories do that. Third, Nightfall is missing from this list. Asimov’s story Nightfall is widely regarded as the greatest short story of all time. Most people know this, and a quick Google search will reveal this to anyone. I included the slightly lesser known The Last Question. The fantastic story exemplifies a type of science fiction you don’t get to see or read every day.

1 “The Last Question” By Isaac Asimov (Science Fiction Quarterly, 1956)

With AI being one of the most talked about technologies today, possibly the last intellectual frontier for humankind, this story should be first. Everyone knows AI, everyone knows our questions about it, and Asimov’s take here is as fresh as the day it was written. It is a must-read. The story is very short. You can easily find the audio on YouTube. 

2 “The Sentinel” by Arthur C. Clarke (1951)

The story would influence the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Still in the news today, we are debating the existence of extraterrestrials, and this story asks some critical questions. It, too, is brief, and anyone wanting to know something about science fiction should be familiar with it. 

3 “To Serve Man” by Damon Knight. (1950, Galaxy Science Fiction)

If you ask a group of people today (let’s say on social media) what might happen if aliens come to Earth, many in the group are sure to shout out, “It’s a cookbook!” This story is one of the most famous of all time, thanks to its development into a 1962 episode of the Twilight Zone. The story and the episode differ but come to the same conclusion. If a 70-year-old story still pops into people’s minds today, it has to be one of the greats. The story itself is well crafted and a great read. 

4 “The Fly” by George Langelaan (1957, Playboy) 

Yes, back then, some people read Playboy for the articles. The Fly has been made into 100 different versions. Two movies and a Simpsons episode have brought this story into the public consciousness, but it’s more than that. A new technology we all want, teleporting, and what can go wrong? Everyone loves that story, and it’s influenced countless other stories. 

5 “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury

Does time travel exist? Can it be done? Will we someday go back to our pasts and then to our future? Bradbury does what he is masterful with this story; he makes it seem like an everyday thing. You’ve seen this story repeated over and over again in different forms. Seeing the spark of so much we already conjecture about is a must-read. 

6 “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson (1970)

I’m counting this one as science fiction because it has a box with a button. Every person has heard this philosophical question, if you had a button you could push that would give you $100,000, but someone would die, would you push it? It’s so famous; you should know the origin of this question. This story sees it play out. 

7 “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut (1961, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction)

Everyone is equal; the government makes it that way. It is science fiction satire in the way only Vonnegut could write it. It is a haunting story that tells us to be careful about what you wish for. Though the story isn’t as famous as others, tv shows and movies have replicated it. It’s a question you get to in our modern society if you push things too far. 

8 We can remember it for Whole Sale Philip K. Dick (1966, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction)

No science fiction list is complete without Philip K. Dick. He is a giant among sci-fi writers as prolific as Asimov. We Can Remember It for Whole Sale was made into several movies, the main ones being Total Recall and Total Recall the remake. If you ever ask what would happen if they could change our memories, you’ve wondered about this story. It has a great setting and characters and is a must-read. 

9 “I, Robot” by Eando Binder (1939 issue of Amazing Stories)

So no, this isn’t the I, Robot with the 3 laws. That is a collection of stories by Issac Asimov named for this short story. The story that has the 3 laws in it is “Little Lost Robot” (1947) (novelette), but this story greatly influenced Asimov. The story matches somewhat with the I, Robot (2004 movie). It’s a great story that captures the idea that not all artificial intelligence wants to rule the world. 

10 “The Cold Equations” by Tom Godwin (1954, Astounding Magazine)

This story is one of my all-time favorites. It was made into several tv shows and movies. The story is basically about a stowaway who gets herself into a bad situation. This story has a coldness that is like the coldness of science and technology. In the end, it’s just about the numbers. It is a must-read. 

11 “Examination Day” by Henry Slesar (1958, Playboy)

Are you too smart for your own good? This story has the creepiness of a horror film but all the tech of science fiction. It, too, was an episode in the 1980s run of The Twilight Zone. It is less famous than other stories on this list, BUT many similar movies don’t give credit. They may be different enough not to have to, but a film like Idiocracy (2006) certainly plays on all the same thoughts and fears. The story deserves more credit and more attention; it is a must-read. 

We have other science fiction and writing articles, please check the rest of our site. This article will also appear in our upcoming print issue. Get our latest issue here. 

Filed Under: Writing Inspiration

Top 10 Science Fiction Movies (by Script)

April 16, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Top 10 Science Fiction Movies (by Script)

So here is my list of the Top 10 Science Fiction Movies by Script. There are a lot of amazing Science Fiction movies out there. These, I think have the best writing, best dialogue, and best character development. If you haven’t seen these movies, I highly recommend them.

1 2001 by Writers: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke

Based on the 1964 Novel of the same name by Arthur C. Clarke. Kubrick was a genius. There is no doubt about this. 2001 A Space Odyssey is a masterpiece of visuals, plot, dialogue, and everything. The characters are well down. The entire script is terrific. It has both great character arcs and a message about humankind. The striking symbolism at the beginning, and the star baby, are all fantastic movie tropes at that point. The movie influenced all space movies to come.

2 The Terminator Writers: James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, William Wisher

Created out of the fevered dream of James Cameron’s The Terminator is still surging through the internet after almost 40 years. Anytime you get into a discussion online about AI, you’ll find someone will bring up Skynet. The movie and the storyline are iconic. Cameron worked on a meager budget and created a film that has stood the test of time. Again the commentary on humans is very telling. The characters, dialogue setting, and script work so well. It’s a fantastic movie.

3 Blade Runner Writers: Hampton Fancher, David Webb Peoples, Philip K. Dick

Based on Phil K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep…

Probably one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time, Blade Runner set the standard for visuals in science fiction films. It even surpasses Star Wars in its setting and effects. With the storyline of androids being alive or not and the ending of final empathy, the movie is an outstanding piece of filmmaking.

4 Alien Writers Dan O’Bannon, Ronald Shusett

Dan O’Bannon needs to get the credit he deserves. He also wrote Total Recall and Return of the Living Dead. With the characters, setting, plot, and theme, the movie is a tight script. Characters and conflicts are tightly constructed and presented to the audience. The film is a thrill ride at the same time as being a clever piece of exciting writing. There are plenty of plot twists here, and O’Bannon manages to make them all questions at the heart of modern science fiction.

 

5 The Martian Writers Drew Godd and Andy Weir

Based on Andy Weir’s serialized novels about a man stranded on Mars, I don’t think anyone would have guessed he would be such a smash hit. The movie captures so much of the novel, making what could be very dull movements exciting or even triumphant. Matt Damon does a great job in this movie, but the script pulls him through by keeping the action going when there isn’t any action. This movie could have been like Castaway, but it does not. It’s an intense piece of movie-making that keeps the drama and suspense going from the beginning until the end.

6 The Matrix Writers Lilly WachowskiLana Wachowski

The Matrix was an Original work by the Wachowskis, but it was said Gibsons’ Neuromancer heavily influenced them; The Matrix is a science fiction movie that changed all films. I know the visual effects changed movies, but when you watch this movie again, there are so many inventive ideas and scenes. Neo was taking instruction on a cell phone to his being pulled into the outside world, so many original ideas have almost become a cliche, but at the time of the movie, they were completely new. Are we living in a simulation? If we are, I hope it’s the Matrix.

7 Inception Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan is a genius. His original scripts were all Memento, The Dark Knight Trilogy, The Prestige, Dunkirk, Interstellar, and Tenet. Interstellar and The Prestige could be on this list if it weren’t for how great Inception is. The movie is all sci-fi, even though so little of it shows up in the film. The characters, conflict, plot, original concept, and everything about the movie are original, feel fresh, and suck you in. You couldn’t ask for a better movie script to guide you through all the unsanded background scenes.

8 Contact Writers James V. Hart, Michael Goldenberg, Carl Sagan

Based on Carl Sagan’s 1985 novel of the same name, Contact speaks to some truth about humanity that many sci-fi scripts miss. We can’t travel faster than light to go and meet others in the universe; maybe they will have to come to us. It also puts us uniquely positioned to measure our Faith with Science. This script has a lot going on, and it’s all masterful. Some people watch this movie once and walk away, but give it a second chance, and you’ll see a lot more going on here than once it first appears on the screen. Faith in god. Faith in Science and the fundamental question of Faith in humanity.

9 Dune Writers Frank Herbert, David Lynch

Dune 1984/2021/2023

Dune the novel is hailed as one of the greatest pieces of Science fiction of all time. Star Wars famously stole many of its more “intellectual” ideas from it. Odd that Spice is a drug in both universes. Anyway, the story from the 1984 movie is a beautiful epic film with great characters and a great storyline. The movie diverges from the book a lot, but those invented ads capture some of the feelings of the original work. I’m also including the 2021 version in this. The movie sticks to the book more closely, but they’ve done a fantastic job. The script is thick with

10 Total Recall Writers Philip K. Dick, Ronald Shusett, Dan O’Bannon

Dan O’Bannon once again writes a masterful script that twists and turns until the unexpected ending. The characters are well-developed, and the movie keeps you guessing about what’s real and not real. Even after you finish the film, you may wonder if you know the story’s reality. There are some cheesy lines for Arnold in the movie, but honestly, that shows more skill on O’Bannon’s part. It’s a great script, and the movie sucks you in from beginning to end.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Should I Self Publish My Book?

April 8, 2023 by admin 2 Comments

Should I Self Publish My Book? 

If you are thinking about self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, you may also struggle with the question, Should I self publish my book? So in this article, I will focus on the benefits and pitfalls of self-publishing and why it might be a good or bad option for publishing. 

It would be best if you kept your options open. If you have taken the time to write your book, you should take every avenue possible to make it a success. The steps to getting your novel that I recommend are to try to get an agent first. Shop your book for a while; if you don’t get an agent, then self-publish your book. 

What am I giving up if I self-publish

If you go it alone and self-publish, there are things you will have to do that a publisher would traditionally do for you. Small, medium, and large publishers generally offer editing, formatting, and cover services. So those things you will have to do on your own. Also, you will be giving up a little bit of prestige. There is still some prestige in getting published with a traditional publisher. It will make little difference in sales, but some people still put stock in this. Many people do not. 

Should I self publish my book: steps to self-publishing 

1 Editing your book

Editing is the most challenging part of self-publishing. There are two kinds of edits, and the first one is monumental. 

1a. Content editing

If you self-publish, you will need to content edit your work. You can’t do this yourself, and it isn’t easy to find a seasoned editor. It takes a lot of skill and understanding, and objective perspective, so you will need to run your book through rounds of beta readers to review and give you comments on your work. It would be best to have feedback, so you will need to find people willing to read your work and give you notes. It is a must. You want dozens of readers to provide notes on your book so you know what is working and what is not. 

After you get these notes, you must decide what you need to keep and what you need to throw out. It is why several rounds are essential. If you get the same notes repeatedly, you know you have to make changes. 

1b. Proofing

Proofing is not editing. It’s just checking the manuscript for mistakes. Most editors you hire can do this. They will make sure your grammar, spelling, and everything like that is good. You should probably use an AI editor first. Editors can be expensive, so you want to have as few passing at the end as you can. 

3. Cover and artwork

You will have to find someone to do your artwork for your book. Paying someone to do this will make your book look more professional in the long run unless you are a graphic designer. Covers of books are what sell books these days. So make sure to take advantage of this part. Make sure you love the book cover and that it represents the work. 

4. Pick your platform

Now you must pick the platform you want to publish your work on. There are a few. Amazon is usually the one that everyone likes these days but do your research. Depending on the subject, your book may do better on Barns and Novel or IngramSpark. Just make do your research, and ask other authors for their opinions. 

5. Formatting and uploading

The platform will dictate your formatting. You will need to format and then upload your work. It is a process, and you have to be careful nothing happens unintended to your work when you make the changes. 

6. Pricing

You will have to set a price for your book. Again you have to do your research.

7. Marketing

Marketing is critical to sales, of course. Does it matter if you write a book and no one reads it? So you will have to do your marketing to your book out there. It would be best if you had a target audience. I talk about marketing your book in other articles, so I’ll stay brief here, but there are all kinds of marketing, social, real world, and newspaper; it’s complete and takes a lot of work. You will need to do research and a lot of leg work. 

7. Sales goals 

You will have to put your business hat on here. If you have someone in your life to help with this, great. If not, it is more research. You will need to set targets and goals for selling your book. It’s not easy to do for someone with no sales experience, but with research, anything is possible. 

There is a comprehensive neverending list of the thankless jobs of self-publishing a book. It is much more complicated than it looks when you first approach it, but please consider these things first. Many authors leap before they look, then play a game of correction and catch up the whole time. 

Right now, you might tell yourself you don’t care about people reading your book; you want it in print. It’s a trap. Each step here is a necessity you will come to if you self-publish your book. The list above isn’t suggestions. They are what will happen as you go along. Each step will demand more and more from you. If you do these things first, you’ll retain the freshness of your work. You don’t want to set a target audience four months after the book comes out. You don’t want to set target sales goals a year too late. At first, you might only care about being in print, but then you’ll want people to read it, then you’ll want to make money for your hard work, and so on. These things are the natural steps in this process. Plan them out first.

All those steps above are what great publishers used to do for authors, and small book publishers still do many of them for the author; that’s why shopping your book to agents first is still worth the effort. 

All this being said, the hard work, the fact that traditional publishers do a lot for you, and all of that, self-publishing is still a good option if you can’t get your book out there other ways. Many people took the self-publishing route and ended up making it. Sometimes lightning strikes and your dreams turn out, but every single author who has ever been successful at self-publishing was savvy about this process. 

 

Note on this article

I wrote an article on this about 15 years ago. This article is an “update” of that article, but it is a complete rewrite. Things have changed so much since that time almost nothing in that article applies today. 

To stay up to date on our site and get extra content, please sign up for our mailing list. I am also writing a series on my decision to self-publish my work. You can read it here soon.

Filed Under: Publishing Your Writing, Self Publishing

Nine Ways to Cure Writer’s Book for Novelists

April 7, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Nine Ways to Cure Writer’s Book for Novelist

Nine Ways to Cure Writer’s Book for Novelists

by Ayrton Avery

If you plan on writing even a short novel, expect to get stuck on it at least once. However, writer’s block can become a serious issue that takes time, patience, and determination to overcome. Don’t use it as an excuse to give up on your project! The ideas I have listed before may not be a perfect solution, but I always go through these nine tips in order when I’m facing a severe spell of writer’s block. Here are Nine Ways to Cure Writer’s Book for Novelists

1 List out and organize your ideas

Strangely enough, having a surplus of amazing ideas can cause writer’s block if you don’t know which one to start with. You don’t have to begin by writing clear, beautiful prose. I often start new stories with a list of barely complete sentences showcasing events and ideas. Once you have such a list, filling in the gaps and making clean, pretty paragraphs is easy.

2 Draw or act out the last scene you wrote

This is a technique I always use. If you are familiar with drama, even just thinking about your book in terms of “center-stage” and entrances and exits reduces any problem of writer’s block to, “what would happen next in a play?” If you are more of an art person, and perhaps your writing is more descriptive, try drawing everything you’ve just described. A sketch will do. You will immediately see all the gaps. Now go back into your text and fill in those gaps. It’s a well-tested technique that works infallibly.

3 Read what you have already written

This helps you get reacquainted with your style, make sure your plot is smooth, and get to know all the gaps in your text. Don’t forget to edit while you’re reading. And if you note any ideas you have for future scenes in the margins, as I do, read those too. They may be helpful in the scene you’re currently stuck on.

4 Try handwriting

Getting away from the keyboard and the screen also gets you away from distractions and brings you closer to your words.

5 Try journaling or writing something else

If you have been focusing on your book for too long, it may be time for you to ramble and get out on paper the ideas that are distracting you. Also, all your juice might have run out for this book, and it may be time for you to rejuvenate on something smaller, like a short story or a poem.

6 Read

Yes, you cannot be a writer without being a reader! Try reading something related to your book. For example, if one of your characters is psychologically unbalanced, try reading a nonfiction book about the behaviors of imbalanced people in this way. However, turning to your favorite fiction author will also be a plus.

7 Take a break from literature

Yes, stop reading, stop writing, stop even thinking about writing. Go outside for a day. Go to a concert. Anywhere where you may find inspiration. Remember: inspiration is found in unexpected places.

8 Change your writing space

Try writing at a different time. Some people instantly cure their writer’s block by writing at night or in complete darkness. You may prefer to write in an empty room or want your office to be well-decorated. Try different things out!

Also, try using a different writing app: thousands are out there. You may find Microsoft Word too uninspiring. Or you may prefer a minimalist word professor, even a plain text editor. Sometimes writer’s block shows you something in your writing setup is not quite right.

9 Go on a complete detox

If you have gotten this far on the list, it’s probably time for a complete detox. Quit social media. Reduce your circle of friends to two. Read only the longest and most challenging books. Remove yourself from all activities that do not sharpen the mind. Once the ordeal ends, you may find inspiration coming out of the sheer void.

Leave a comment below to get in touch with the author. Please also consider signing up for our newsletter and if you want more from our site, please check out our blog.

Filed Under: Articles On Writing

How to Publish a Book: A complete guide

April 7, 2023 by admin 6 Comments

How to publish a book:

A complete guide and in-depth look at all the options

How do I publish a book?

Quick Answer: There are 4 options today: 1. Traditional publisher 2. Small Publisher 3. Vanity Publisher 4. For self-publishing, this guide takes an in-depth look at all the options.

In today’s world, choice is everything. If you try to publish a book and publisher’s door closes, a publishing window will open, but there are vast differences in publishing options in the 21st century. Should you self-publish your book? Should you hold out for a traditional publisher? Writers have been asking these questions for 100 years. Walt Whitman self-published The Leaves of Grass, but is self-publishing still a good idea today? This article will examine the most popular publishing options and discuss the pros and cons.
The Agent and the Traditional Large and Medium publisher.

Information: When should I publish with a traditional publisher?

• If your book is marketable
• If your book appeals to a large audience

1. Traditional Publisher

A traditional book publisher is a book publisher that buys the rights from an author and then publishes and promotes the author and their book. When people dream of being an author, this is the option they are dreaming of. The publisher believes in your book and puts their editors, money, and promotional staff behind it and you. Stephen King, John Grissom, and Tom Clancy all publish with traditional publishers. Mostly, we are talking about large and medium size publishing houses. The Big Five and many of their subsidiaries fall in this classification.

You Will need an agent!

You need to know some things about publishing with a large or medium size publisher. Competition for traditional publishing is fierce. Many publishers have less than a 1% acceptance rate and do not take unsolicited works. If they take unsolicited works, generally, it’s almost only possible to get published with these companies with an agent. It’s an ugly truth of the publishing world.

Get an Agent

Getting an agent is an entirely different process. If you are going to get an agent, please do your research. There are lots of sharks in these waters. Do not let them charge you to read or edit your work. They should shop your work for large and medium publishers, but do not let them scam you. Find publishers who represent reputable authors. You can even contact other authors who the Agent represents as a reference before you sign anything!

Editors will change your book

So one of the major complaints of people who go with large traditional publishers is how much editors change their work. In many cases, you are assigned an editor who sits in edits with you for months before your book is published. We are not talking about spell-checking; we are talking about large-scale changes, adding characters, and taking out or adding scenes. Many authors say their books are much different, even unrecognizable from their beginnings. So keep this in mind. If you publish with these publishers, they will shape your work for what they will be a success. This means they want to give it the best chance of doing well.

Marketing and placement is everything

So the real secret of being a success in the literary world, or publishing world, is generally marketing and placement. Writing good works is a big part, but large and medium publishing houses have publicity machines behind them. They get you book tours and send you out even on the local news, do press releases, and ensure your books are featured on that table when you walk into bookstores. If they don’t do this, many times, the book fails.

Just because you get a deal doesn’t mean you’ve made it

Marketing (in most cases) helps books be a success. Without marketing, many authors see their books sit on shelves and gather dust. Your book is stuck if the publishers aren’t behind your work and don’t get a good initial response.

Filled with rewards

If publishing with a traditional large or medium book publisher goes well, it can be all you dreamed of. Yes, they send limos. Yes, they give you an advance. Yes, they spend time with you getting your book right. There may be drawbacks to some of this kind of traditional publishing, BUT for the most part, many of your heroes have gone this way!

It’s difficult to know when to say when

So with the rewards of publishing with a traditional publisher being so great, why would you ever go any other way? Why would you self-publish? Why would you go with a small publisher? We will address these questions, but knowing when to say when is challenging. Many old-school writers feel you should shop your first book to agents. While you are doing this, write your second book and then your 3rd, the theory is that you’ll eventually be published, and all the past works that did not publish will be published when you have established your name. This is an old-school way of looking at it, but it doesn’t mean it is wrong. If you only want to publish with a traditional publisher.

Examples of large and medium books publishers:

The Big Five

  • Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group/Macmillan.
  • Hachette (publisher)
  • Harpercollins
  • Penguin Random House
  • Simon & Schuster.

 

What is a small publishers? When should I go with a small publishers?

When do you publish with a small book publisher?

  • When you are writing works that appeal to a small audience (academic literature, for instance)
  • When you are publishing poetry (not always, but much of the time)
  • When you are publishing short stories (not always, but much of the time)
  • When your book does not sell, and you hope to republish it with a more prominent publisher (last resort)

2. The Small Book publisher

Small book publishers have been around as long as large and medium book publishers. They are still traditional publishers. Small publishers still take your book, edit it, and sell it. The big difference is that they are small.
To understand what I mean by small publishers, think of it this way. Generally, small publishers will print between 200-1000 copies of a book. Then they will sell it to a small audience. In the old days, that was it. Those books would have a simple and limited print run. Today, they can be printed on demand. More and more small book publishers have gone in this direction.
Literary writers, like university professors or poets, often publish with small publishers. Many small book publishers are university presses, and sometimes they serve the community of professors who live by the mantra publish or perish. Some of these publishers feed this system but also publish unique and high-quality works that often wouldn’t get published otherwise.
Other small publishers are independent publishers trying to make money from small and print-on-demand print runs. Sometimes these publishers are attached to independent bookstores; other times, they are just dedicated authors and editors putting forward an effort to bring great literature into the world.

Beware of Predators

Still yet other publishers, in the darkest and sadly someone prominent publishing universe, are predators hunting sheep. They do not trust the author’s work; they only trust in making money off an author beaten up by rejection. They charge for various services, intending never to sell a single book. To avoid these lions waiting in the tall grass, follow these simple rules:

  1. Never pay to publish with a traditional or small publisher
  2. Never pay for editing
  3. Never pay for publicity
  4. Never pay anything; if they believe in your work, they will pay for everything!

Try, Try, Try, Try

If you have shopped your book around to large and medium publishers, and there are no takers, you have 2 choices. You can put the book in a drawer and wait or start shopping with small publishers. If you wait, you, of course, should start writing another book right away. If you become a published author, you can shop that to a publisher as your 3rd book. If you go with a small publisher, honestly, by the time you make it to your 3rd book, you can republish it with your mega publisher (make sure you don’t sell away all your rights)!
Small publishers are a great second option for a novel. Indy presses, many times, have their books picked up and republished by large publishing houses, especially if the book does well. You should only expect a little hoopla or fanfare if published with a small publisher.

Marketing and distribution

The small and indie presses usually have little marketing. You may have to do this yourself. Marketing is everything in publishing. People read what they hear is good. Large publishers get their books in newspapers, online, and at the front of bookstores. You won’t have this machine helping you. You will make little money, and many will likely not read your book. You should know that every once in a while, none of this holds, and the author succeeds all on their own (more about this later).

3. The Vanity Publisher

The idea behind a vanity publisher is straightforward; you pay them to print your book. You pay them for editing, rewriting, and other services. Vanity publishers have been around for a very long time. By most accounts, the late 1800s saw the advent of this type of publishing, though vanity publishing probably began much earlier.
Vanity publishing was the only way to publish a book if all publishers turned you down from, let’s say, the 1850s until the invention of print-on-demand technology in the 1990s (well, this is when the technology became cheap enough for people to use). At that time, we see a split between Vanity publishers and self-publishing. Until the 1990s, Vanity publishing and self-publishing were the same thing.

How did it work?

People paid publishers to publish a sizable print run of your books. They ordered 1,000 copies. They get a discounted rate on these books but pay for them. In exchange for the discount rate of publishing, the publisher kept some or all of the rights to your book. They might market your book, sell it, and split some of the earnings with you. Sometimes you pay for services.
Publishing has become so complicated now that this model has dozens of versions. Generally, vanity publishers existed in the past to offset the cost of printing and production of your book. Still, with print on demand, there is the only reason for a vanity publisher if they will market your book for you, but this is very rare.
When we talk about authors of the past self-publishing, honestly, most were using vanity publishers. Authors like Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, Zane Grey, Upton Sinclair, Edgar Allan Poe, Rudyard Kipling, Walt Whitman, and Carl Sandburg all published with either vanity or self-publisher (depending on how you split the hairs).

Marketing?

You will be marketing your book. Generally you, and you alone.

4. Self-Publishing

Twenty years ago, self-publishing (print on demand or buying a print run yourself) was, to be blunt, a joke. A few books became famous after self-publishing, but they were generally featured on infomercials. Self-publishing was the funeral pyre for books that were never published. You could pay for a print run, but honestly, you would spend days, weeks, or months driving them around in the back of your car, trying to sell them to get your money back (See John Grisham). There were more viable solutions to becoming a successful author. It was also costly.
Today, everything has changed. Some best-sellers are self-published books. Self-published books outsell traditional Big Five Publishers. Why? Print on Demand (POD) and online platforms like Amazon. POD technology has come down so far in cost that for 5-10,000$ you can buy our machines. Why would you want to when places like Amazon are happy to publish your book for you as long as you share in the profits? Generally, these days, you have some excellent pricing options too.
In the old days of 1901-1992, you had to spend a lot of money upfront to get publishers to self-publish your book. You did everything yourself in this process. You had the cover, you did the layout, and you did everything. You would pay the publisher 1000s of dollars for a print run of your books. When finished, they were your books. You sold them, you marketed them, and you didn’t owe anything to the publishers.

Beware of Sheep in Wolves Publishing

So as with any publishing venture, DO YOUR RESEARCH! With self-publishing, it’s easiest for most writers to stick to the big 2 self-publishers. First, you have Amazon Kindle, of course. This is an excellent platform. It uses Amazon’s platform, and promoting your book is generally straightforward. There is also Smashwords. It’s easy to publish a book on either platform, and you know both platforms are not working to defraud you.

What is self-publishing?

Self-publishing today is very simple. You write the book. You upload your book. You list your book on a large marketplace site like Amazon; if you sell any copies, the publishers split the cost. If you set your price at $10, Amazon may take $5. It’s all worked out upfront, but people are doing it every day, and it is by far the most popular form of publishing.

Make sure you know what you are getting into. You should not have a contract or a time expectation if you are self-publishing. It’s best to go with one of the large and well-known self-publishing platforms, like Smashwords or Amazon, to be safe. If you go with a different platform, make sure you do your research.

Who does the marketing?

You do all your own marketing.

A few thoughts

The first and most crucial publishing rule is always: DO YOUR RESEARCH. There are countless scams out there. Since the advent of the printing press, people have been scammed by phony publishers. It’s terrible but very real. Scam publishers will take your money, promise you the world, and leave you with nothing. It is if you’ve found something too good to be true. Every Writer is happy to help. You can contact us with your questions at eds [at]everywritersresource.com. You can also check out the Book publisher’s listing. Some of them have reviews. Please comment below; we are always happy to hear from you and wish you the best in publishing your work. For more information on publishing, please check out our Traditional VS Self-publishing guide. 

You can get more information on publishing and writing in our newsletter. If you sign up you get our digital magazine free. 

Filed Under: Publishing Your Writing

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 164
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Buy Our Print Magazine


Buy the issue!

Below are the top 11 science fiction short stories everyone should read, but here are a few things to remember about this list before I get hate mail. First,

Search

Writing Prompt

science fiction writing prompt

50 Fantastic Science Fiction Writing Prompts Here are 50 fantastic writing prompts that will get you writing sci-fi. If you use one of prompts to write a story, we’d love to read it! Send it to us.  In a future society where humans have achieved immortality, a rebel group arises seeking the right to die. […]

Contests

 2023 50-Word Science Fiction Story Contest

Join our 2023 50-Word Science Fiction Story Get in Our Issues Contest!

2023 50 Word Horror Story We Miss Halloween Contest

  Welcome to our 2023 50 Word Horror Story We Miss Halloween Contest. Everyone wishes they had 2 Halloweens, but no one will listen. Being that I’m missing Halloween, I need horror stories and lots of them. So post your 50-word horror stories in the comments below. The winner gets free promos on our site, […]

Betcha’ Can’t Haiku 2023 Contest

Welcome to our Betcha’ Can’t Haiku 2023 Contest. We are looking for the best Haiku we have ever read! It can be on any topic or written in any style. We want to read your haikus. We are double-dog daring you to write a haiku, even write 5 haiku and leave them in the comments […]

Menu

  • Home
  • Publishing
    • Indy Book Publishers
    • Literary Magazines
  • Writing Lab
    • Articles On Writing
    • Writing Prompts
  • About Us
    • About Us
  • Submissions
  • Social
    • Activity
    • Profile
    • Notifications
    • Messages
    • Forums
    • Settings
    • Log Out
    • Log In
    • Register

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT