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    The Naked Author: Exposing the Myths of Publishing
    The Naked Author: Exposing the Myths of Publishing
    The Naked Author: Exposing the Myths of Publishing
    Ebook101 pages1 hour

    The Naked Author: Exposing the Myths of Publishing

    By Kat Smith

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    Reviews:

    Smith’s The Naked Author is a complete wealth of information covering every aspect of the book publishing business. If anyone is thinking about or attempting to publish a book and needs direction, this is the book that must be on the table next to the computer. Smith has a vast knowledge and her book is chock-full of ideas, tips and hints for the novice and established writer alike. The Extensive resource information contained in The Naked Author makes any other book on publishing unnecessary. This is the only book you need to break into the field of publishing.

    Writers Digest - 16th Annual International Self Published Book Awards

    Anyone who has been involved in publishing for any length of time knows how important a good cover is to the success of his or her book. Here’s a book that provides an excellent example. This cover will get your attention!

    The second thing that impresses me about this book is the volume of resources offered throughout... Nearly half of this book focuses on resources such as agents, distributors and such. She even tells you how to contact the program directors ... She lists over 50 book reviewers and includes nearly 40 pages of contacts for events for authors—book festivals and so forth.

    Along with each grouping of resources, Smith offers the nitty-gritty, as well. Yes, she tells you how to approach and work with an agent and publishers, how to write a query letter, tips for preparing a book proposal and even guidelines for promoting your book.

    I like this book because it is straightforward, reader-friendly and seems to be fairly complete. Smith even delves into territory where few authors venture—the legalities of authorship and publishing. She gives a brief, yet comprehensive explanation of copyright and trademark, for example...

    Patricia Fry, President of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) www.spawn.org and the author of 28 books.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKat Smith
    Release dateMar 16, 2011
    ISBN9781452470795
    The Naked Author: Exposing the Myths of Publishing
    Author

    Kat Smith

    Katherine “Kat” Smith is formerly a co-host of a four year, syndicated morning radio program with ABC Radio Networks, Inc. Her Wednesday one hour show, A Woman’s Point of View, focused on relationships.Recently certified as a relationship coach Kat also created and manufactures a communication game for couples. She is native of New Orleans, who learned early that life is not fair, it’s just life. One of twelve siblings from ten fathers, Kat was born to a mother who’s own confusion with love created damaging patterns that she and her sisters repeated in their own relationships. Now she speaks to help women who cannot articulate or communicate their experiences with topics that concentrate on love and life enrichment, clarity of message in both career or personal relationships and recovery.Kat is the author of several books including Romantic Retreats in Texas, Seeds From Mama’s Garden and programs such as Love Perspective and Marketing Your Book & You, that support healthy emotional living along with self/book promotion.

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      Book preview

      The Naked Author - Kat Smith

      Chapter Six - Editors

      Chapter Seven - Publishers

      Chapter Eight - Distributors & Wholesalers

      Chapter Nine – Reviewers

      Chapter Ten - Bookstores

      Chapter Eleven - Book Clubs

      Chapter Twelve - Libraries 70

      Resources & References 76

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

      I give thanks to the higher power for my talents and abilities to share these words with you.

      Thanks to Debbie Lewis, Ann Fields, Pari Danian and Tom Hudak who have been my biggest supports and motivators.

      This book is dedicated to anyone who believes they have

      a story to tell.

      Chapter One - IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE WRITER

      Writers are a very different breed. We tend to work in isolation yet think on a grand scale. That is why the Lord blessed us with the talent to put words together and entertain others with our wild imaginations. After all, there was a need for someone to research, write, transcribe and pontificate the earth’s first stories. That person had to own that work as if it was his own. So God blew the breath of life into the lungs of a long handed writer who labored to tell the greatest story on earth. And so it is.

      Well, that is not exactly what happened, or was it? Anyhow, we writers sometimes think we know it all, but we are vulnerable in that self righteous point of view. Nevertheless we must arm ourselves with vast knowledge in order to effectively present ourselves as authors; i.e. authorities in any given topic or story.

      To save face of me and my brothers and sisters of the ink, I give this peace offering. The Naked Author is a guide to helping writers and authors alike to understand the process of publishing and who does what in the industry so that we may better assess from who we will get what assistance during the process of getting our best selling books into print.

      Chapter Two - THE BUSINESS OF AUTHORSHIP

      Many individuals are sadly misguided as to where the responsibility for publishing success lies. Agents accuse authors of being self-centered and arrogant and in turn authors accuse agents of arrogance and insensitivity. Expectations are vast and misdirected in this hurry up and wait industry.

      As an author, it seems unjust to say that the person to whom we entrust our prized possession may not be responsible for making us, or our book, successful. Don’t take it personally, it is only business. It is their livelihood. They are in it for the money. The bottom line is that we are all in it for the money. I know you’re probably saying that you have a passion for the written word and a love for the art and the creativity of it all; however, the business of publishing is to make money.

      Educating yourself about the process of publishing is very important. Authors, as creators of the product, should take themselves and their careers a lot more seriously when it comes to understanding publishing as a business. This does not suggest developing any negative personal characteristics. It is simply a recommendation that in a viable business, the goal is to understand the products or services that you promote and sell. Business depends on your ability to handle the marketing and promotions side of publishing.

      First things first; let’s start by asking; Do you know where you are planning to go with your career? What do you want to accomplish as a writer or author? What do you expect from yourself? Any potentially successful business should start with a plan. To become a successful author, I recommend you plan your career in the same manner. In a proposal, you address some of the same points that are included in a business or marketing plan. Agents who represent nonfiction ask for proposals to jump start the author’s thinking as to how they plan to market themselves, so why not see the bigger picture?

      Expounding on the above, an author should create a plan for his or her career. With the help of web sites like http://www.inc.com by Inc Magazine and http://asbdc.ualr.edu/ operated by the Arkansas Small Business Development Center (ASBDC) and the 's web site at www.onlinewbc.gov, tons of information on how to create a workable business plan is at our fingertips.

      A business plan serves as an action plan. It is your outline or road map and a valuable sales tool toward a successful career. Looking seriously at the direction you wish to proceed with your career and evaluating the outlook will help you determine whether or not you want to devote full-time hours to writing or stay with a present employer and work on your craft part-time. Because the process of getting published can take approximately two years, the latter option is one many authors chose in order to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. Don’t foolishly quit your job unless you have

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