Want to See Your Grief Book in Print? Self-Publishing May be the Answer

Until four members of my family died in 2007 grief resources weren’t on my radar screen. But multiple losses changed the focus of my work and I began writing grief recovery articles and books. As I learned at The Compassionate Friends conferences, I’m in the company of hundreds of bereaved authors – maybe thousands.

Everyone experiences grief, so it’s logical to think the demand for grief resources would be high. It isn’t. Grief is considered a “hard sell” in the general publishing industry. Your manuscript may have already been rejected, not just once, but several times. This is where self-publishers can help. Some companies are self-publishers, while others are hybrid companies that do part of the work and ask you to do the rest.

Before you sign with a self-publisher you need to do your homework.

Research self-publishers. Many self-publishing companies have sprung up in this sagging economy. Go on the Internet and look for self-publishers in your state or adjoining states. Find out their locations, their services, and the cost of these services. The publisher’s contract should be posted on the website. Read it carefully.

Learn about the company. Is it a purely print publisher, print on demand publisher, electronic publisher, or combination of the three?  Today, print on demand is a hot trend with published and non-published authors alike. Do not contact a publisher until you know more about it.

How much are you willing to spend? Determine a base figure, and then allocate extra money for surprises, including rising publishing costs. Just so you know, a word file has to be specially formatted for electronic publishing and this costs extra. CreateSpace (Amazon) for example, charges by the word.

Create a marketing plan. Many print publishers are asking their authors to write personal marketing plans. Creating a realistic, workable, affordable plan can take weeks. Estimate how much your marketing plan will cost. Add this total to the publishing cost.

Write an “elevator speech.” An elevator speech is a quick summary, something you might say to another person in an elevator. You should be able to summarize your book in two or three sentences. Print out the summary and use it when you email and call publishers.

Learn how to write a query letter. This is probably one of the hardest writing tasks you will ever have. Since editors are busy people, keep your letter as short as possible by bulleting points. End with a punch line that gets and retains the editor’s attention.

Start a file. Keep a list of all of the publishers you contact, the contact dates, and the replies you receive. Today, most self-publishers accept email inquiries. I print out my emails, my replies, and keep them in a manila folder.

The best thing you can do to get your book published is to believe in yourself. Rejections will come and you can learn something from each one. I’ve learned a lot from editors and followed their advice. My publishing philosophy: Blessed are the plodders, for they shall be published!