Win At The Publishing Game

Several years ago at a small writer's conference in the Phoenix area, I had the opportunity to meet Fern Reiss. After talking for a few minutes, neither one of us had plans for lunch so we ate together. From those first moments, I appreciated her knowledge about the publishing world. In fact, at this event with limited attendance, Reiss had a packed room of participants for her publishing seminar. I didn't really understand the reasons until much later when I read The Publishing Game, Publish A Book in 30 Days! She knows publishing inside and out. Why because she's had a starred review of her books in Publishers Weekly and sold her book to chains and other details which I have not done in publishing--at least at the time of this writing.

At first, I wondered about her book title, The Publishing Game yet it makes sense. To play a game and win, you have to have a plan and a strategy. It's also true in publishing where to be published and sell loads of books at a profit, you need a strategy. And if you want to self-publish, then the odds are really against you having success because of the publishing system. There are numerous examples of poorly created self-published books. Retailers have had poor experiences with reordering and the business aspects with these books. Readers (including me) have had terrible experiences with poorly created self-published books. The publishing system is geared toward traditional publishing with recognized publishers, normal ordering techniques, etc. Where do you go to learn the system?

There are many different ways to learn this system. You could take a course such as at Stanford Publishing with great expense. Do check out their free video clips with great information about publishing issues in their blog. Or I'm suggesting you study The Publishing Game and study every page of it.

Here's what I will tell you about Reiss's book: many people want to self-publish a book but fail to learn the publishing business from the inside out BEFORE they take the plunge. They end up with a garage full of products which they can't sell. Don't go down that path. Instead purchase The Publishing Game, Publish A Book in 30 Days! And then follow each of the steps in this well-crafted book.

On the surface you may smile at the name of the publisher, Peanut Butter and Jelly Press. Yes that is the name of Fern Reiss's company but she knows the rules and holds nothing back in this book. With straight-forward information and solid resources, Reiss guides the reader to producing an excellent book which will be accepted in the traditional channels.

Why would any reader following this advice achieve such acceptance when most traditional sales channels like bookstores don't want to have anything to do with self-published books? Because Reiss takes readers through the rigorous process of traditional publishing with resources for editing and proofreading along with the details about how to get your book reviewed and considered in the bookstore channels and book club markets. This author knows her stuff--because she has successfully published using this methodology.

Reiss has served the whole publishing community with this title because she encourages every would-be author to pursue excellence in each aspect of the publishing process. Whether you are a seasoned author or brand-new to publishing, you can gain from the detailed information in this book. I recommend it.