Customer Reviews

The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: How to Write It, Sell It, and Market It . . . Successfully

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From the authors of Putting Your Passion Into Print comes the newest must-have how-to guide about becoming an author. The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published takes you through the steps of how to become an author, providing indispensable advice for those who have not yet been published and do not know the ins and outs of the industry. It has chapters dealing with such topics as how to get an agent, how to deal with a less than cooperative publisher, marketing your book with or without a large publicity budget, and how to take advantage of recent advances in print on demand publishing. Of course there is much more.

The style is welcoming and makes you excited to try and get a book published since so many other guides can be a bit on the dry side. With a mixture of sobering fact and enlightening humor, authors David Henry Sterry and Arielle Eckstut talk about their own experiences as writers, sharing stories of triumph mixed in with those of horror. They talk about such different things as what happens when your book design is less than flattering, or how to parlay a novel aimed for adults into a connection for selling a young adult one. In addition there are anecdotes from other successful writers to help illustrate the main points of the book.

The book has been updated to deal with the revolution in social networking and self-publishing that has taken place in the past few years. Few other guides have been written for the age of search optimization. Writers will learn how to improve their use of Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and a host of other resources. If you want to be published in either the traditional way or using new avenues, this book will help you and will demonstrate how traditional and new forms of publicity can compliment one another.

All you NaNoWriMo writers should definitely check this book out once the dust has settled and you are wondering what to do with your finished manuscripts in January!

I bought the earlier version of this book, "Putting Your Passion into Print," five years ago after attending a workshop by this husband-and-wife/agent-and-author team. The workshop convinced me that these two knew their stuff and their book would be an enjoyable read. At the time, all I had was an idea for a book and a few pages of notes. Eckstut and Sterry's advice guided me through the process of crafting a proposal, finding the perfect agent for my book, and working productively with the editors and publicity people at my publishing house. My book, "See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers," came out last June and it was one of the happiest days of my life.

I cannot emphasize enough how well this book prepared me for the path to getting published. It prepared me for the inevitable ups and downs (even with the best advice in the world, bringing a book into the world is difficult) but it kept me from having to learn about the publishing world through frustrating trial and error. It also provided much-needed encouragement through some initial rejections.

Now that my book is published (did I mention my book got published?) I've run into many people wanting to know how the whole thing works, and I always refer them to this book.

I am now working on a new project and bought "The Essential Guide" to to help me adjust to recent changes in the publishing industry. From what I've read so far, there is enough updated and new material to make the purchase worth it even though I read "Putting Your Passion Into Print."

I realize I'm bucking the crowd on this, but then the authors are very influential people with a lot of followers so maybe that has something to do with why the reviews are so glowing here on Amazon. And maybe not. Maybe it's just that I'm not finding it that helpful to my particular situation. I have been using the Kindle version of this book for the last several weeks as a guide for self-publishing my memoir after several months of trying to go the traditional agent route without success. I think this book may be more useful to the very few people new to getting published who are successful going that route. There certainly isn't much about self-publishing beyond a lot of generalities, anecdotes, and rah-rah enthusiasm. For example, not a single self-publishing service seems to be mentioned. I was hoping for a detailed comparison. I don't think this is really a guide so much as a lot of pieces of the puzzle but little explanation of how the writer can use them. Nothing on how to select a self-publishing service although it does cover the self-publishing scene and elements. The Table of Contents is not that helpful at finding things because the authors like to use cute names for chapters and sub-chapters so it is sometimes hard to find what you need. Social networking and marketing are described at general levels but never at the detailed level that would help a novice get into it. No blueprint. Yes I already know about Facebook and Twitter and I can sign up and do the basics without their help, but what about beyond the basics. How do you design a successful Facebook page for your book or where's the link to how to do that? What are hash marks and how do you utilize them in Twitter? Blogging is discussed, but no comparison or even mention of the major blogging services much less how to design your blog page. Anecdotes may be interesting, but they never seem to be useful for my particular situation.

This is probably a very good book for people really new to writing and publishing who want to know what the scene is like nowadays. If you are already somewhat knowledgeable about this world, as I am, you won't find much you can use to make decisions and take concrete steps. I really don't think this is a guide as it claims to be as much as a review of the publishing scene. Maybe the topic is just too large to fit in a single book, but I was hoping for much more useful information and not just an amusing read.

This is hands down one of the best purchases I have ever made!!! It is just as the title promises--an ESSENTIAL GUIDE!! I have not been able to put the book down and refer to it for even the smallest of questions. No matter what you want to know, they've got it covered. Now, I'm actually excited about the process of publishing!!! I feel like I was totally lost and was just given a map!!! To say I highly recommend this book is an understatement! It's a MUST!

To many people, book publishing seems easy. Have a great idea then sit down and write your manuscript, send it to a publisher and have a bestseller. Poof!

The real story is quite different and full of small decisions which can make a big difference whether you achieve the dream or turn it into a nightmare, never-to-be-done-again experience. Every writer needs experienced guidance through the process. THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED is packed with insight and wisdom from two experienced voices in publishing.

Avoid the many pitfalls of book publishing where the smallest decision can make a huge difference. For this comprehensive title, agent-at-large for the Levine Greenberg Agency Arielle Eckstut mixes her experiences with her husband, David Sterry. Their personal stories about publishing are combined with experiences from others in the publishing community.

The book is divided into three sections: Setting Up Shop, Taking Care of Business, and Getting the Word Out. The first section examines areas like finding the right idea, social networking and platform building, whether you need a literary agent or not, the submission process and taking action from rejection. The second portion examines how to make a publishing deal, practical concerns for writing the book, working with a publisher and finally whether to go the self-publishing route. The final section is an area where many writers are lacking: marketing and publicity and the fine art of selling to places like libraries, bookstores and unexpected places.

I read this book from cover to cover. While I've been in publishing over 20 years, I often found myself nodding in agreement and learning new insights in this book. I highly recommend it for the new and inexperienced author but also for the much-published author because they can find valuable insights in these pages.

Barely a week goes by when we don't get an e-mail enquiring as to where or how an aspiring author can get an agent or somehow hook into the publishing business. It turns out, the old saw that `everyone has a book in them' is not too far from the truth, at least according to these authors. Well, problem solved.

In what began as a quest to publish and sell copies of their own books (book doctor David's on baseball legend, Satchel Paige, and literary agent Arielle's niche book on Jane Austin), this publishing focused couple stumbled upon nearly every pitfall of the small time author world. Proposals, rejection, marketing and lack of enthusiasm, all reared their head in an attempt to thwart their mission. In fact, they had so much experience, as well as the experience of colleagues and clients, that five years ago they successfully published the first version of this book, "Putting Your Passion into Print."

But now, half a decade later, book publishing has transmogrified into a digital new world order. Some opportunities have faded (newspaper reviews) while others are on the rise (the blogosphere), books are available in a multitude of new formats and self-publishing is available to all, yet through it all, the mystery remains.

So just how does one successfully get a book published (and to sell through, of course)? Well, if you can't find it in these 480 pages, it's not to be found. The two authors have assembled a compendium of everything you need to think about to have the best shot at winning this game. From figuring out the right idea, to focusing your pitch, landing an agent, negotiating contracts, getting paid, meeting deadlines and then, of course, the relentless job of how to promote, promote, promote! (Check out their Facebook page for pix of their recent book tour from PA to CA.) The book reveals a myriad of examples, lessons and advice, from both the authors and other experts (Neil Gaiman, Seth Godin, Dan Ariely, etc.) on what to do, what not to do and how to balance your expectations with the realities you will face. This updated (and retitled for optimal SEO) version also features the latest tips for reaching the connected universe through social marketing and SEO (again) as well.

The book has been described as a `must-have' for every aspiring writer and with the down-to-earth writing style Eckstut and Sterry bring to their work, (not to mention those FB photos) "The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published" turns out to be a fun read as well.

No more e-mails please.

I thought I'd read every book there was to read about getting a book published. Unfortunately, I could've skipped them all and just read this. What a fantastic book; a readable, doable, how-to that will keep you laughing and perhaps crying (ie. the "platform" section) all the way through. David and Arielle are wonderful instructors and their Pitchapalooza is an amazing event which every writer should attend, even if they have to travel a bit. Buy this!

When I finally decided, "This will be the year I write that novel," I went straight to the reference section of the bookstore, looking for direction. There were shelves and shelves of guides, promising publication success, and I felt lost before even taking my first step on this journey. I wasted my money and strained my back on a few monstrous volumes which were difficult to navigate. Then I saw an ad for a local bookstore event called "Pitchapalooza" hosted by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, authors of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published. This turned out to be more than I could have ever expected. Not only is their Guide a perfect all-in-one, user-friendly manual, but it's the personal voices of the authors which come through that makes you feel like they really do care about your journey to authorship. Eckstut and Sterry are experienced professionals in the industry, but they are also extremely accessible in that they have traveled across the country offering valuable feedback, from practical to profound, to thousands of aspiring authors. Writers know that our pastime and profession can often be a lonely, isolating one, but after reading this book and meeting the authors, I know just where to turn for indispensable insight and trusted advice.

I just finished reading The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published. Arielle and David's book was extremely helpful for me, as a writer, to understand the process of getting my book published and marketed successfully. While I have long hesitated to use social media, Arielle and David wrote the chapter in such a non-threatening, entertaining way that I now see the value in using social media to find a community of readers who might be interested in my writing and who can then help me to be a more successful writer. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter and the many anecdotes motivated me to read on. The one about Fred Astaire is my favorite. Even in parts of the book that might seem dry (contract agreements, for example), David and Arielle included real stories from their own experience or from the lives of people they knew, making the reading easier to comprehend. As I continue to write, I am going to keep this Guide by my computer to refer back to and for inspiration. I have already recommended it to members of my writers' group, as well as friends I know are interested in getting their work published.

When I opened Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry's book The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, I was struck by the H.G. Wells quote, "Nothing leads so straight to futility as literary ambitions without systematic knowledge." "How true and what a great use of language," I thought. I wanted to be privy to this knowledge, but my fear was that this was going to be a bumpy and banal road. To my surprise, Eckstut and Sterry pulled me into the publishing world with humor, a ton of useful information, and a relatable style of writing. The tone is anything but dry. Instead, it is written in a conversational style that immediately put me as ease. For example, just the inclusion of "oh so" in the following sentence changes the mood of the reading experience: "While we were oh so attached to the poetry of Putting Your Passion into Print, we had to face the fact that the title wasn't search-friendly, which meant that our book wasn't finding its readers (or vice versa)." I can imagine the two authors saying this, it's as if they are speaking to me directly. But, even more important, the sentence conveys vital information. First, as an author, you have to be open to change. This might mean changing a title or sentence that you cherish. Second, the publishing business is now dependent upon electronic media. If your title isn't search-friendly, then it probably won't do well. Third, the readers make the book. If you are interested in publishing your book, then you must want an audience. Therefore, you need to find a way to reach that audience and the search engine is one significant means of achieving this goal. The authors go on to explain the electronic shift in the publishing world. They provide information and tips about how to utilize new media and social networking. But, what makes this book a must-have is the depth of knowledge they bring to the entire process of writing and publishing.