I’m currently knee-deep in writing the manuscript for Think Like a Rockstar (should be 40% done by the end of the week!), and I’ve had a few people and friends that are considering writing a book ask me about the experience. I’m not gonna comment too much on the actual writing process, since I’m still going through that, but I wanted to talk to y’all about the steps you’ll need to take to get your book published (and we are assuming this is a business/marketing/social media book):
1 – Figure out what you want to write about. This sounds very easy, but it’s not. You need to figure out what book YOU were meant to write. The book that no one else could write. Four years ago I was approached by an editor to write a book on marketing on YouTube. Remember this was 2008, and there were very few social media books at the time. I was really excited at the prospect of having my own book for about 5 mins, till I realized that I wasn’t really interested in writing a book about marketing on YouTube. And I also didn’t want to tour the country speaking on the topic. I was pitched on a couple of other book ideas over the next couple of years, but I finally decided that Think Like a Rockstar was the only book I wanted to write.
2 – Figure out why your book is unique and fills a market need. Once you figure out the topic of your book, you’re then going to realize that your book’s already been written several times. You need to figure out what you bring to the table that hasn’t been discussed before. For me, there’s plenty of books on why companies should connect with brand advocates and evangelists. The ‘Rockstar’ analogy helped me differentiate Think Like a Rockstar, but even that didn’t make the book completely unique, as there’s been a few other books written on what companies can learn about branding and marketing from the music industry. I had to go deeper, and when I release the full outline of the book in a few weeks, you’ll see why Think Like a Rockstar is different. But the point is, you’ll need to figure out what your ‘hook’ is. What are you going to bring to the table that’s unique, but that will still have value for your readers?
3 – Find 3-5 books that you think are similar to your idea. For each book, you need to explain what your book offers that the competing title misses. And try your best to pick newer titles. If you propose that your book idea will be competing against 5 books that were all written in the mid 1990s, that tells the publisher that your idea is dead, otherwise someone would have written about it in the past 15 years!
4 – You need to create an outline and table of contents for your book. This is where it starts to get serious, and we find out if you really want to write a book, or if you are just toying with the idea. This will be a lot of work, but you’ll have to show this to a potential publisher, plus it will make the writing process much easier once you have a gameplan to follow.
5 – Write the first 1-3 chapters. This is another good test to prepare you for the process. If you can hand a publisher a solid proposal for the book that includes 1-3 solidly-written chapters, you’re making an excellent case for why your book needs to be published. And writing those chapters will give you a great idea of how long it will take you to write the entire book. For example, if it takes you 3 months to write the first chapter, that could be a big red flag.
6 – Create a proposal for the book. Thankfully, you’ve already done a lot of this by simply completing the first 5 steps. You’ll need to tell publishers who the market is for this book, why YOU are the person to write it, what it’s about, competing titles, etc. You’ll also need to include the table of contents and any of the chapters you have written. Also, you’ll need to explain to the publisher how you will market the book. This is where you want to mention any speaking you will be doing on this topic over the next year, as well as your online profile, your following.
7 – Having a killer idea trumps your online presence every single time. When I started talking to publishers about writing Think Like a Rockstar, I assumed that my ‘online footprint’ would be a big plus for me. It wasn’t. Most of the publishers I and my agent talked to had no idea who I was, in fact most of the rejection letters we got started ‘We think Mark has a great idea, but…’ If your idea is great and publishers think it will sell, that’s far more important than how many Twitter followers you have, so don’t think you need X number of followers/friends before you can talk to a publisher.
8 – Figure out if you need a literary agent, or want to go it alone. I’ve been talking to publishers about Think Like a Rockstar since 2010. For the first year, I didn’t have an agent, then I realized that I was spinning my wheels and needed to get one. There’s only a few publishers whose editors are actively trying to connect with potential writers in this space. If you can get a suitable deal with one of them, fine. I could not, and decided to go with an agent.
There’s a couple of obvious differences in going with an agent. First, you’ll have to pay an agent, typically a cut of any money you get from the book, including your advance, royalties, etc. The huge immediate benefit is that you get access to several dozen publishers and these are publishers that the agent works with regularly. The agent can also look over any contract you are offered, and help you with the terms. As you might can guess, I’m pretty happy with my agent (Linda Langton), and you can learn more about her here.
9 – If you go with an agent, you will likely get a LOT more rejection letters. This makes sense, if your proposal is going out to 30 publishers, expect to hear ‘No’ a lot. For me, while a bit disappointing, this was also a big help. Because most of the publishers would explain WHY they turned down the book. Maybe they didn’t think the book covered something that it actually did, or maybe they didn’t understand the actual focus of your book. As long as they explain WHY they are saying no, that gives you something to work with when you send it off to the next publisher.
10 – Don’t expect to get rich from writing a book. You’ll likely get an advance of $5,000-$10,000 if a publisher accepts your book. Remember this is an ADVANCE, which means you’ll have to pay this money back to the publisher.
EDIT: I should have been more clear here, your advance is against the money you will make from royalties on the book. So if your publisher gives you a $5,000 advance, you have to pay that back first from your royalties. Which means you won’t get any royalty payments until you’ve covered your $5,000 advance. If you never sell enough to cover your advance, then you don’t get any royalty payments. But either way, you keep the $5,000 advance. Thanks to Andrew and Don for the clarifications.
So in closing, if you are serious about writing a book and getting a publisher’s attention, absolutely kill the first 6 steps. If you can hand a publisher a well-organized and written proposal detailing what the book is, who will buy it, and with 1-3 well-written chapters, you’re in great shape.
{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }
Good summary, Mark.
As the author of another “rock star” book, I think you’ve nailed the steps pretty well. I’d only amend the last one to point out that advances aren’t necessarily paid back in the way it sounds. It’s correct that an author won’t earn any royalties until the publisher has earned back the advance it paid, but if that doesn’t happen (the book doesn’t sell enough), the publisher won’t come after the author for the balance of the advance.
I look forward to hearing more about your book. If both of ours are complementary, maybe we can cross-promote somehow.
Andrew that’s a good clarification on the advance, it’s yours to keep. But that’s another reason why publishers aren’t wanting to pay out any more than they have to.
Also, you don’t have to take an advance. You could forego the advance and use that as a bargaining chip to possibly get a higher royalty percentage.
And a good clarification in return! I did that, in fact, the last trade book deal I got. I knew the publisher (now defunct) was never going to do anything for an audio or ebook format, so I bargained to keep all rights beyond paperback.
So, it’s a great thing for authors to keep in mind — everything is negotiable. And with advances getting smaller (and even non-existent), it’s more important than ever for authors to understand all the points of a publishing agreement that can be negotiated. In general, unless an author is known and/or has excellent representation in an agent, the publisher will try to gain as much as possible at first. So don’t be shy about asking for things in your favor, instead of just accepting the first deal offered.
Mark,
As the author of 32 books, I can say with some authority that you provide a fairly good outline on how to get published. A few quibbles. First, an advance must be repaid, but typically only from the royalties earned on the book. Like an attorney who takes a case on contingency, publishers only get deduct their fee if successful in selling enough book to generate sufficient royalties to repay the advance.
Second, you usually have to give away your first book, although there are exception. If you have a well-known agent and the right topic, plus the expertise, you can get significantly more than a $10K advance. For example, my first trade book was auctioned to Random House by my literary agent, John Brockman, for about $250K.
Which brings me to my final point. Once you are a proven quantity, you should always have your agent bargain for an advance that equals about the amount you expect to earn off the book. Book publishing is tricky and risky business, to say the least. The publisher takes a big chance, investing money in editing, production, distribution and marketing, while the author invests their time (a lot of it!) and ideas. Since royalties typically range 10 to 15 percent, the publisher walks away the the lion’s share of the profits (and expenses). A successful book will sell around 40K copies, So your agent should negotiate an advance that reflects what royalties would be paid on a successful book. In other words, always get your money up front, if for no other reason than you often will need it to live on while writing the book.
You inspire me to go forward
Mack, thank you for this blog post! It’s a topic I’ve been very interested in. I’ve had fits of stops and starts in writing a book about Starbucks, and wondered how to do it. I haven’t done anything like create a proposal or write an outline or table of contents. And I too was (until I read your article) lulled into thinking that having an online presence would help! That’s so annoying to get “Dear Mark” letters!
I can’t wait to see a copy of your finished book. I will buy a copy gladly!
Mack Collier, the word ” here’s” is a contraction of the two words, here and is. Since the subject of the your sentence is things, which is plural, you should have used “here are” not “here’s”. But hey, maybe grammatically incorrect sentence structure is part of “getting your book published”.
Gil this is where having a good editor pays off. Maybe one day you can find a way to explain how unnecessarily being an asshat in comments like this has paid off for you
thanks Mack. spot on bud.. I know you know.. people always try and steal from you.. emotionally.. with passive aggressive crap like the “gil” comment.. this person must be an educator.. not of the real world.. great comment!!
I will like to know what must I do to write a book, I will like u to help me write a book about my life. I suffered long many year in my life because of my uncle who took every thing in me before my father passed and even after my father passed away. So please can u help me write a book so that the hole world could know how and who my uncle is please I beg you please
Hey timbane.. scroll UP.. there are 10 ways that Mack explains for you.. good luck.. and just start!..
Thanks for the info. Any thoughts on self-publishing or print-on-demand sites?
Thanks. Now time to get to work….
Hi im so interested in writing a book.
This has been my dream for many years…..im just now starting nail these steps down….:-) Thx for the info.Im presently taking classes to help me in my language arts skills, I have none!!! lol…But i do have a dream and the determination to continue…any advice or direction would be great….
Thank you so much I’m getting started
Hi Mark,
This is great information! Thanks. Writing for mainstream sounds a bit difficult and/or challenging and I can guess writing for Christian market even more so. Have any agent friends you could recommend?
Hi Mack,
Oops! Sorry – should be Mack not Mark
I want to write a tell all book about my life n all Da pain i have been through so i can help people thats going r went through the same thing i did know that there is peace somewhere n u can find happiness but i know keepn it real n telln it all would really hurt the people i love the most n Da long run…plus if i speak upon certain members of my family can i get sued? Im jus curious if i should gon on with my dream n not worry about wat ppl thinks cuz i know the book i want to write would sell big time n i know so for a fact i know wats it hit Hollywood i would b a millionaire
@Kindra You should definitely start by looking in to using the English language properly. cuz and da are not words.
And remember the artcile cleary states do not expect to become rich with your first book.
What’s an ‘artcile’? ‘cleary’?
Now first off i came on here to talk to mark not cb so im not a dumb person really a A honoroll student n school iow Da n r n everything else i spell incorrect iz not words i am typg from a cell phone so i short slang to type faster i know how to spell im smarter than wat u so dnt judge me n u dnt even know me! Dats wat u get for thinkn u know n dnt have a clue
Kindra, you should write your whole book that way. That’s the ticket to a best-seller.
@kindra — It may feel from your perspective that how you type (and why) doesn’t matter, but it does. First off, this is a business and art of *words*… the way you use them matters. And until you are famous, no one can tell for sure whether you are illiterate or just texting. Which brings me to my second point… when you’re seeking out help from others, don’t make it hard on them to help you. To put it bluntly, it’s a pain in the ass to try to read what you wrote. After the first few words, I don’t even want to bother. Instead of doing what’s most convenient for you, think about your audience (on here, that’s the rest of us) — do what’s best for *them*. And that means, in this case, typing in reasonably correct English. That’s shows respect. If this is too much of a hassle while on your phone, then wait to comment until you’re back on a computer. The biggest lesson you can ever learn for success in publishing is to make life easier for those around you — not the other way around. Make it easy for people to help you, and they will. Good luck with your book idea!
Hey timbane.. scroll UP.. there are 10 ways that Mack explains for you.. good luck.. and just start!..
Now yall r takin it to far i am writing a comment not the damn book yall act like im not hearing way yall so called advice is i know wen its time to write a book how to use proper language im not stupid i jus said i txt
my cellphone so i comment wit a slang bcuz its quicker typing for me now i never said o would write dis way wen i write a book i know wat i can do this is a comment dat i made to mark to ask if i should do sumn way different dan wat u guys r making this to b i dnt have to keep explainin a dimb situation i know how to spell damn wat iz wrong wit u ppl yall jus
Da let pick on Kindra day n days not koo cuz i know wat i know n dis iz not my book once again this is called a damn comment so kepp ya tjoughts to yourself im only askn mark if he thinks i should write a tell it sll
my comment dat i asked mark was never answered anyway so yall worked around wat thr hell i asked for n Da beginning
Kindra I think the point others here are trying to make is that HOW you write is huge when it comes to a book. And it’s one thing to say that you are using slang on a phone and when it comes time to write a book you will write in a different way, but it’s hard to make that change. I know, cause when I went into writing my book I thought ‘oh I know I can’t write the same way as I do on my blog, I can change’, but my editor had to really work with me to change a lot of things that I didn’t realize I was doing.
The point is, when you use slang, it becomes a distraction to the value of your ideas. We read your original comment, which is where you were asking if you should write a book, and all we can think is ‘no, you should stop using slang’.
Maybe it would be easier on you if you waited until you were at your computer to leave blog comments? I don’t see how you do it, I hate having to try to peck out anything on my phone.
@kindra — I guess I wasn’t clear. No one on here can help you until you type a coherent question that we can understand. If it takes you an extra minute to type properly, then do it. Otherwise, no one can help you. And the person you’re referring to is Mack… not Mark.
Does everyone feel they have a book inside them?
i’d love to write about my 46 years and simply because its what people keep telling me i should do but i’m just concerned about how to write it.
I feel i should just start at my earliest memory and finish at 46. Does this make sense?
Many thanks
sean
Sean,
My publishing expertise is not in memoirs, but I know a publishing coach who specializes in them. So, from him, my understanding is that it’s typically *not* best to structure your story from birth to now (unless there’s a compelling reason to do so). Rather, it’s best to structure the story to unfold as the best *story* it can be. This might mean starting with a traumatic event that just occurred two years ago — or a major accomplishment that happened ten years ago — and then working out from there. It may mean focusing on your father, as perhaps a defining figure of who you are, and your relationship with him. It could be that your story is told as a series of flashbacks that occur while you are narrating an extensive trip you took through Asia. I could go on, but I think you get the idea — structure your narrative in such a way as to grab the reader and really tell a *story*, not simply present a chronological history of your life. Lead with your best material, then weave together a tale of your life that illustrates and conveys a universal human theme of some kind that the reader can relate to and learn from.
Think of it as like going on a first date. Your goal is to attract your date and, if you like the person, secure another date. Well, you would reveal yourself to that person through starting with the more interesting aspects of your life, right? You wouldn’t lead with “Well, I was born in a small Indiana town in 1966….” Structuring and writing a memoir is kinda the same concept.
I’ve also heard, by the way, that it’s not usually a good idea to call your book a memoir unless you are well known. It can come across as pretentious, and memoirs of “unknown” people typically don’t sell well. Better to simply give it a reader-grabbing and relevant title and then reveal it to be a true story either in the subtitle or promotional copy.
Lastly, assuming your opening question wasn’t rhetorical, most surveys I’ve seen that ask the same question reveal 80-85% of people aspire to write a book. So, not quite everyone, but a large percentage.
~Andrew
Andrew,
I’ve struggled with this exact challenge and so have yet to write anything down and begin this journey. My goal is to chronicle my life, mainly for my son, but hopefully to help and inspire other people. I wasn’t sure where to begin, like Sean, and did contemplate starting with a ‘bang’ to reel people in to keep reading….glad to hear I was on the right path. Makes perfect sense.
This was very helpful. Thanks a bunch.
Hey Sean.. I understand perfectly!.. my three daughters and grandchildren are always on me to tell my “our” story.. for posterity .. I have had a couple of friends, whom I trust, to take a look at some outlines.. they say the same thing.. LOL I know that the book would sell. .to my relatives! LOL and that is about it.. We all have awesome stories, however, there is a select, and small, audience.. unless there is something glaringly important.. or just crazy .. when I read others stories from my generation. .I hear my life too.. .. go for it! one never knows… and you will stop saying “someday”.. LOL enjoy my friend..
This is great stuff. Been sitting on book ideas for at least a decade. Time to get focused!
i am trying to write a book but i cant put discriptive writing in, i have trouble explaining details and surroundings what the characters are seeing and feeling. i can see it in my head but its putting it to words thats hard. If you can help with ways to do this i would be very grateful ty
I really want to publish a book but I really need the publishers to email my anderson county student email but they wont what do I
I really want to publish a book but I really need the publishers to email my anderson county student email but they wont what do I do I really want some one to answer me I will be sooooooooooooooooooooo greatful for an answer
i have the idea of my book almost done now is this good enough for a publisher to look at??
Great tips! I also suggest adding a step between 8 and 9–if you decide you want to seek representation, it’s worth taking the time to put your manuscript’s best foot forward by having it professionally edited first. We’ll call this step 8.5! Seek out an editor before submitting your MS to agents or publishers for review, and the odds of getting noticed go *way* up. It’s worth the time and the investment if you’re truly serious about writing. If anyone is interested, my services are affordable, quality, and timely. Email me or visit my website, and we can get started on your project!
my name as you know is christopher delgado i too green up in the entertainment industry. so thank you. i will be a first timer writing. its about life growing up break dancing for money to support my family, later working for mtv. however, my story comes from mucho more during my experienes. Life… took over… i would love your help… thank you.
Hi I’m currently contemplating writing, I’m 18 years old and writing hasn’t been something I’ve always wanted to do I enjoyed it in school and that was about it neither is it i see myself doing in the future but I’m going to start writing as a hobby but I want to structure correctly and if my end product is something I really like and other people might enjoy I’ll consider it on more serious note, genre’s what I’m interested in plotting about are crime thriller,sci-fi, romance, and generally anything that interest me the problem is I d t where to start like basics of writing if anyone can give tips and anything you might I need to know please share them the article is very helpful in some matters for me, Thanks kind regards.
Hi! I am 14 years old and have loved literature my entire life. Ever since I was little, I’ve been recording stories that I make up in notebooks. In several grades, I have written short stories that always end up 15 or so pages long. For this reason I have decided to try and write a novel. I started it this afternoon and have almost completed a chapter.
My question is, do you think I’m too young? My inspiration to start writing now comes from Christopher Paolini, who started writing when he was 15. I feel that I have many ideas to bring to the world of literature.
Also, I’m not ready to tell my family that I am writing a book. Is there anyone online that I could send the first chapter to so they could tell me if I’m any good?
Thanks for any feed back,
Beth
Hi Beth! I love that you are already so invested in writing!
First I would never tell you that you are too young to be writing! Second, as for if your writing is ‘any good’, it could be that your writing isn’t good enough to be published now, but that you are far ahead of where you should be for your age.
If I were you, I would keep working on your book, because I think most agents or publishers would like to see at least 3 chapters if you are writing a non-fiction work. Plus, that will make it easier to convince publishers that you are serious about this novel.
I would do that, then I personally would suggest you show it to your parents and ask them what they think. Good luck Beth!
Thanks so much for the feedback!
My book is a fiction book-fantasy actually. That isn’t, however, the only thing I intend to write. When I’m older I might write a book about my life. I’ve lived in three different provinces, as well as one overseas country. I am collecting some interesting stories in a journal (of sorts) so I never forget them.
As for my parents, I’m sure they would support me. The problem is that I’m an extreme introvert and find it difficult to share my passions with other people. Once I get far enough along I’ll show them, but it could be a while. I could send it to my sister, a journalist, who is also writing a children’s fantasy novel.
I’ve got some ideas and I’m starting on the second chapter today.
Wish me luck!
I believe I hsve a unique story and if you help me get a deal I will give you a small percentage.
Can I send a publisher a handwritten book? or does it have to be typed? thanks
Hi I’m only 16 an I love writting…. I have wanted to be able to get ideas from my own head but I don’t real want to steal from something I didn’t know another author had…. I just needed some pin points on how to be able not to steal something that an author that I have never reads idea…
I also was wondering on how you would find someone to publish or look over your book to make sure it’s a good book or you need touch up here and there….
Thanks so much (;
Hi,
It’s ‘Here are 10 things…’ instead of ‘Here’s 10 things…’ (meaning ‘Here is 10 things…’).
Do you see the difference?
Good day.
Thanks James, I let my editor catch stuff like this
Hi Mack ,
Thanks for sharing your ideas.
I actually want to write a book on a computer language . My question is can i earn the same way as someone would have earned by writing a book on life events . This is going to be a computer language book , the audience is limited and I am sure the entire audience will love it .
Ok that was just the question . I just wanted to know how the earning works from writing the book . Even if I dont earn from the book , I will write the book to gain popularity and to share my knowledge on the subject. Is this idea worth enough to write a book on compute language ?
Well guys , today is the first day when I typed ‘ writing a book on computer language’ in google and I came to know about this website . The idea of writing a book was already there in me . I am making myself perfect on the Language . It may take 3 or 4 years from now . But I am searching ” How to do it” from now….
Waiting for some wonderful ideas.
Thanks
Hi Suvana! As for what you can earn from writing computer language books, Kathy Sierra, who wrote my book’s foreword, has written the most successful series of books in the history of O’Reilly Media, and her books are on Java and programming. One book, Head First Java is EIGHT years old and its current sales rank on Amazon is 2, 079, which is incredible. Kathy’s books have more than 2 million copies in print.
So the answer is yes, if you write a book that is VALUABLE TO YOUR READERS, then you can make big money. The key is the focus. Too many authors write a book focused on building their reputation and their career. The problem with this approach is that it often isn’t what the reader wants. The reader wants you to give them a tool that will help them….say in your case become a better programmer.
If you write a book that’s obsessed with helping the reader become a better computer programmer, then your book has a much better chance than if you write a book on computer programming with the hope that it will let you start speaking more.
Always focus on what’s best for the reader. That’s how you increase your chances of making money.
I want to write a book on a sensitive topic…it involves my marriage to a man in the military…whom I am divorcing…because he likes men, and was abusive…I figured I would do a memoir?! I want a co-author or ghostwriter? What is the difference and where can I find this help? I have so much to say but not sure because it is all still so jumbled in my head and I am suffering from PTSD. I contacted a local small author and she left me with no help. Do I need to get ahold of a publishing company and ask them?
Hey there! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this post to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!