Lesson 17: The Final Step: Publishing Your Work

Objective:

• To know the reasons why writers publish their work
• To understand the different ways on how to publish your work
• To know the problems and benefits that can be encountered when publishing a story

Quick Navigation through the Lesson 17:

• Publishing
• Why You Should Publish
• How You can Publish your Work
• Benefits of Self Publishing
• Problems faced when Publishing Your Work

Publishing

Publishing a story or a piece of work means that the writer is ready to share their work to the world. Publishing is the production and distribution of one’s work for the general public to consume. Publishing helps an author and their stories to be recognized, it can be for better or for worse it all depends on the people who will consume or take it in.

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Why You Should Publish

• It is a fast way to reach the top

By writing for newspapers, magazines etc. you can quickly gain experience and get your work out there for the people to read. Publishing your work with the help of different types of medium you can quickly be recognized and make your way to the top.

• A lot of opportunities arise

You can tap into movies, music videos, TV interviews etc. if you get your work out there. When you publish your work and other people see it, it could be a stepping stone for you to a lot of possible opportunities.

• You get paid for your work

When you publish your work you get paid for it. It would be a worthwhile experience for you as a writer when you get paid to do what you love.

• You don’t need to be an English major to do so

Even if you have little writing experience or no degree related to writing, as long as you write good, informative and compelling stories and pieces you can get a chance to be published. You do not need to be extremely smart or to have an IQ that the normal person can’t reach to be able to publish something.

• A Sense of Fulfillment

It is every writers dream to get their work recognized and loved someday. If you get your work published the chances of that happening is greater than not. When you get your work published there is a sense of fulfillment because you created something that is going to be enjoyed by the public and the world hopefully throughout the ages.

 [WpProQuiz 98]

How You can Publish your Work

• Get an agent

Agents can help you get your work to different and many publishing houses. They are the ones who know how the publishing process goes and are able to give you results with your goal.

• Submit your best work

Being published is a career milestone for a writer and they do not just submit mediocre work to be successful.  To be a published writer you must submit your best work to publishers, by doing so you are giving them a reason to want to publish you.

• Go through the publishing packages offered to you

Different writers have different needs that suit their publishing needs. It is important for you to choose a publishing package that you think will work well with your story. Publishing houses give you a variety of packages to choose from.

• Have Control

You as the writer still own your book so you have control on what should be changed, how things should be printed out, what the cover will be etc. Keep that control to get your vision across perfectly.

• Try to be patient

Getting a story published does not come overnight you will have to wait until the publishing house finishes up your book. Just be patient and pray that your book will come out exactly the way you imagined it to be. As they say patience is a virtue, keep waiting and in the end your dreams of getting published will finally come true

• Self publish

If you think that going through publishing houses and agents is too troublesome for you then try to self publish. Self publishing your story will teach you the ways of how to publish your story on your own making it easier for you in the future when you want to publish more books. Plus it will cost less and most of the profits will go to you.

 [WpProQuiz 99]

Benefits of Self Publishing

• You can get your book finished and released faster

By self publishing your story, you will not need to go through the traditional processes of publishing. It saves you time because you become your own agent, editor etc.

• You learn the ropes

When you self publish your story you get to learn what happens through the publishing process. You can teach yourself these skills so that when you want to publish your next book you can just do it yourself smoothly and hassle free.

• You get to personally share your story

By self publishing you now can share your story to the public. You become part of the whole process of disseminating your book to the audience making sure that your book reaches the public.

• You get more of the profit

When you self publish, your cost of spending lessens and your profit increases.

• You have freedom

Self publishing your story gives you the freedom to be your own boss. You do not have to listen to others impositions on how your book should look like, what should be changed etc. Your book is yours and you have control on how you will share it with the public.

Problems faced when Publishing Your Work

• You grow tired of all the work

Some writers do not get published because they grow tired of doing the work and going though all the long processes involved when publishing a book. You must always remember, no pain no gain. You are going to have to work and work hard at that if you want to get your story published.

• You are not open to feedback

Some writers are just too hard headed and won’t listen to what others say. Not all critique and feedback are bad and hurtful, most are good advices it gives you ways on how you can improve your story. You should try to listen and be open about critique as much as possible it helps your story.

• Your story isn’t ready

Some stories do not get published because agents and publishing houses do not think that it is written well enough or has reached its full potential. Try to make your story the best it can be because when a work is at its best other people see it.

• Your idea has already been done

Works do not get published because the writers’ story has already been done by another. That is why it is very important for you to write a story that is distinct so that you and your story will be different from what most writers do. Try to be “you”, unique, original and one of a kind incorporate that in your story.

• Agents try to change your idea

Writers have a hard time getting their work published when their agents want to change a lot of things in their pieces. You must always try to get your vision across. If your agent and editors cannot accept that then look for others that will help you or you can always try to self publish.

[WpProQuiz 100]

In summary, you now have learned what publishing is and how to publish a story. You now understand the different problems that you can face as well as the benefits that you can reap when you try to get your story published. Publishing is the final hurdle you will go through to finish your book and after that you can finally share your work to the world.

After all these lessons, we now head on to the last and final chapter which is the conclusion. You will now be able to grasp what this module is trying to teach you from start to finish. The conclusion will tell you what you should have understood when you went through this module, a compilation of learning’s and insights if you will.