This is a book which will tell you all you need to
know about traditional publishing.
Publishing is a business which goes back over 500
years, and if you’re going to succeed as a writer you need to know how the
business has developed and changed over that time. Otherwise you can make
serious mistakes, with long-lasting effects.
The aims of this book are therefore as follows:
(i) To provide you with a short history of
publishing, from the beginning of the trade in the late fifteenth century to
the present day;
(ii) To enable you to understand how likely – or
unlikely – it is that you will be able to interest a traditional publisher in
your work;
(iii) To enable you make informed and realistic
decisions on what sort of books to write, and how much time and effort you
might sensibly devote to that work;
(iv) And, finally, to show you that there are now more ways
than one to make your work available to the reading public.
A Writer’s Guide to Traditional
Publishing is the fifth in
Michael Allen’s series of practical, down-to-earth guides for writers; the
previous ones deal with emotion, viewpoint, style, and success. This one will
be most relevant to those who write fiction, whether short stories or novels –
but non-fiction writers will also find it useful.
Michael Allen’s first novel was published over fifty
years ago (1963). He is the author of numerous other novels and short stories
(some written under pen-names) which have variously been published in hardback,
paperback, and ebook editions, in the UK, USA, France and Denmark. He has also
run two small publishing companies.
