More self-published books are being printed each year. I know when I work with people through my Christian Communicator Manuscript Critique Service and they are considering self-publishing, the first question I ask them is: Is this book going to sell well in Christian stores, or are you going to be your own best market? If a person has a wonderful speaking platform and is writing their own personal experience story, they will probably sell a lot of books at their speaking engagements. Their own personal experience story would not sell well in bookstores, because no one would know who they are. For example: If they are speaking to 1000 people, and 1/10 of the audience buys books, they have sold 100 books on that occasion.

Unfortunately many people want to self-publish just to get their book out. They don’t stop and think: Who really wants to buy this book? Nor do they consider where they might store 2000-5000 books! Books take up a lot of room!

And as far as editing goes, many of the self-publishing companies do not require or offer editing. There are exceptions such as WinePress that do offer editing for a fee. And if a person is going to self-publish, it is vital to get the book edited!

Bottom line: If you’re going to self-publish, get your book edited by a professional and make sure you have a market to buy your product.

When I was teaching a class on interviewing, I came up with 10 general questions to ask. I’ll list them below, but keep in mind you would never ask all these questions during an interview. You would just pick and choose a couple to add to the list you have already compiled after studying the person you are interviewing. Also keep in mind that some of these may be threatening, so make sure the person will be willing to answer them.

1. Do you have any special words you live by?
2. Was there a time in your life when you felt closest to God?
3. Was there a time when you felt God was far away?
4. When did God dramatically answer prayer in your life?
5. When did you feel most challenged?
6. Is there an incident in your live that could benefit others?
7. Have you ever been afraid?
8. When was the most special time in your life?
9. Have you ever experienced failure?
10. What is the most vivid memory in your past?

These questions are guidelines. Do not use all of them in one interview. The important thing to remember in an interview is to dive in, search through the oysters, and pluck out the pearl that will make an exciting story.

A query letter is very important, particularly if the editor does not know you. If the letter doesn’t grab the editor, he won’t read on or ask for more.

When I teach a basic article writing class, this is what I say the query letter should include:

1. Why are you qualified to write this article?
2. What is it about (told in one paragraph)?
3. Who is your audience and why will they be interested?
4. Why will this book be appropriate for this particular publication?

For books, the cover letter is every bit as important as a query letter, so it should be able to stand alone. If a publishing house is considering your book, most of the committee will not get beyond reading the cover letter.

The Cover/Query Letter should basically answer four questions:
1. Why are you qualified to write this book?
2. What is it about (told in one paragraph)?
3. Who is your audience?
4. Why will this book be marketable?

If your article or book topic calls for statistics, they should be included in your cover letter also.

What is the difference between a compilation and an anthology?

I think of an anthology as a collection of literary works such as poems, essays, songs, etc.

A compilation, on the other hand, is usually a collection of stories that are somehow related. The Chicken Soup books are an excellent example of this, with each being on a different subject. I wrote a series of compilation books for Broadman and Holman (now B&H Publishing Group). They were Rest Stops for Single Moms, Rest Stops for Busy Moms, and Rest Stops for Teachers. Those contributing were each paid $25, were given a free book, and could buy the books for a discount if they had a ministry. And as Nan mentioned, contributing to these is an excellent way to build some publishing credits.

Many trade books today includes stories about different people who’ve been affected by the issue involved. In my last three books, I’ve included other people’s stories (usually about 30). Personally I think this adds to the credibility of the book. For example, in Too Soon to Say Goodbye, we have stories about people who have lost a loved one to suicide and also stories by people who have been suicidal. We hope that anyone who is dealing with this issue can find themselves in this book and find hope and healing. Although the publisher does not have the funds to pay for these stories, we do give the authors credit, whether under their own name or pseudonym. Also they get a free book and can buy the books at a discount for their own book tables at speaking events. And as was mentioned before, it gives them a publishing credit.

I have also contributed stories to many of my friends’ books, and although I have not been paid for this, people sometimes read one of my stories and track me down. Often they have had a similar experience and just want to talk to me. I think this is an important part of ministry.

I, too, get most of my stories from the various loops I’m on and from writers I have known over the years. Sometimes they write their stories well, sometimes they don’t… I think it’s vital to do a good editing job on all the stories. This can be touchy if you’re dealing with sensitive material. We have had to drop stories we had planned to use because the people wouldn’t go along with our editing.

In my book, A Special Kind of Love: For Those Who Love Children with Special Needs, many of the stories were written by parents who had children with special needs. Most of these were not writers, but they often had gripping stories. It took longer to rewrite the stories than it would have to create new ones, but I think it’s important to keep the stories real and to cover all the aspects of the subject you are dealing with. I often spend more time editing other people’s stories within my book than I do writing my own material. But as I said before, I think the diverse stories strengthen each book.

And that brings us to another topic. I think it is vital to allow the people to read the edited stories before they go to press. It is just as important to get a signed release from them to protect yourself whether you’re publisher wants one or not. If you decide includes stories of others in your book, I’ll be happy to send you my signed release for you to use as a guide.

I mentioned that if you contribute to compilation books, you can usually purchase them at a discount. I know I did this with Chicken Soup for the Christian Woman’s Soul, and I sold quite a few of those on my book table.

And if you’re writing a compilation book, here’s something to keep in mind. In my “Rest Stops Series,” a number of the contributors were my AWSA sisters and CLASS speakers. Some of them requested books to sell at their book tables, and some of them have far more speaking engagements than I do and speak to many more people. Thus they were able to increase the sales of the book.

The publishers of my more recent trade books also allowed those who had stories included to buy copies at a 50% discount to sell on their book tables.

I think contributing stories to other people’s books and having them contribute to yours is a win-win all the way around.

If you are signing a contract or a release for a compilation book, be sure to specify that you are only giving them “one-time rights.” This frees you up to sell the same story elsewhere, and is especially important since the book may not come out for a year or two.

Regarding the proposal, I suggest you divide your compilation book into chapters, with each chapter dealing with a different aspect of your topic. This would be the same as for a regular trade book. If you do it this way, your proposal would be the same. It’s important that the stories you choose all have a common theme for each chapter. They need to be tightly written and not too long. I would try to keep them 600-1,000 words. If you are using other people’s stories, they may require a great deal of editing.

In compilation books, as has been mentioned, usually the authors’ bios are included. These may be at the end of the stories or at the end of the book. We put them at the end of the book for the “Rest Stop” series. In my trade books dealing with issues, I have the stories set apart, with a title for each and the author’s name under the title. Bios are not included. Because I’m dealing with sensitive issues, often the name given is a pseudonym, and the names in the story are changed also. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to protect the people you are writing about. You don’t want to hurt them in any way. Nor do you want people contributing to your book to hurt others.

Even when publishers do not ask you to get permission for the stories, I would get them anyway to protect yourself. This is true even if they were written under pseudonyms. And I always show the stories to the person who wrote it before it goes to press. Like Cec said, this sometimes opens up a can of worms, but it’s better to do so before it is set in concrete. I certainly don’t want any lawsuits. The biggest problem I’ve had is when I have suggested people use pseudonyms, and they refused. And when it comes out in print, they or their family members are upset.

And sometimes people who are writing under pseudonyms still want certain little insignificant facts in there. This happened a lot in our suicide book. My attitude was to let them have the little insignificant things they wanted. I work them in so the words still flowed. Most of the contributors were dealing with a heavy burden already.

There is an exception to this rule of getting permissions. I know when I have written negative stories, and I have changed an event or place so the person involved would not know, I don’t get permission. I just changed it slightly so that they will not recognize themselves if they happen to read it. I try to do this sparingly though.

We ask people to sign for the life of the book. One friend did a compilation with the one-time rights statement and when the book went into a second printing, one of his writers insisted on a second payment. My friend caved in rather than fight over it.

Sometimes I even write my own stories under a pseudonym if family members would be upset, but I try not to do this very often. I like to write under my own name.

At a recent conference, I was told that E-books and POD still only control about 5% of the market. I think they will increase in time, but not quickly. Focus on the Family is offering one of my books as a POD. However those ordering it don’t realize that Focus has run out of books. When they order a book, Focus will just print it.

As an author, I want my books out there any form they can get the word out. And although I feel sorry for my local Christian bookstore, I buy very few books there. Amazon and Christian books.com have such better rates. However I do buy Christian junk (i.e. cards, calendars, nick-knacks, jewelry, etc.) at my local Christian LifeWay Store. Anything that isn’t a book, I classify as Christian junk. I used to be concerned at how many shelves Christian stores were filled with things besides books, but then I got to know some of the bookstore buyers and owners and realized this is the only way they can survive. Three Christian stores near me have gone out of business. Let’s try to help the rest survive.

However, I do not think the printed book is in danger. I will never curl up with my computer, or any other electronic device, and relax by the fire. There is nothing like reading a good book.

I do agree that in many areas Christian book’s lag behind secular books, but I’d like to say a word in defense of the Christian market. I’ve been in this business for 30 years, and the Christian books today far surpass those of 20 years ago, especially in the area of fiction. Personally I write in the area of nonfiction, and I have been thrilled the publishers finally realize that Christians have the same problems that the secular world has. Plus, they are willing to publish books on these subjects. My latest books have been dealing with children with special needs, verbal abuse, suicide, and now hopefully stress. Granted, there are a number of secular books written on most of these subjects, and they are usually written by psychologists or family therapists. I always read secular books on the subjects I am writing on. They give excellent advice in most cases, but they are lacking the spiritual element. They come across cold and clinical. Without Christ in our lives, we have no hope.

In each of my books, I gather stories from about 30 people who have experienced the issue I’m dealing with. Let’s take for example my book on suicide I just finished doing the galleys for, Too Soon to Say Goodbye. It includes heart-wrenching stories of people who lost loved ones to suicide and other stories, mostly under pseudonyms, written by those who are able to climb out of a very dark place. My co-author, Jeenie Gordon, is a family therapist, and she offers hope and suggestions for those dealing with the same issues our contributors are. I don’t think you find this in secular books.
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Various publishing houses approach the editorial function differently. Yet, the main job of all editors is to find good manuscripts, develop them, and then sell these manuscripts to the in-house departments. With the help of Len Goss, I revised my $5 packet on How to Submit a Book Proposal. In the packet, Len suggested four basic steps that he uses in reaching the publishing decision. He has given me permission to share these here with you.

1. Evaluation: The editor who receives the proposal is going to ask some hard questions about it. Does it fit squarely within the general publishing parameters of the publishing house? Does it fall within the mission statement? Is the topic timely? Is the topic significant? Is the manuscript’s readability level about right? Is it well written? Is the structure of the project coherent? Does the manuscript or the book idea stimulate thought and inquiry? Is it generally usable for courses in the typical curriculum? If so, which courses and at what level? Is this an economically viable book? Will it attract a reading audience?

2. Review: What usually happens when an editor’s initial response is favorable is that he or she will ask for the opinions of colleagues in the publishing house. In many cases, the material is sent to outside reviewers who are asked to read and evaluate the manuscript. The outside reviewers are chosen for their expertise in the subject matter of the manuscript. Sometimes manuscripts are sent to several reviewers, all in the attempt to determine the strength and weaknesses of the author’s position or presentation. When the editor receives all the reviews, he or she must then weigh them and decide whether to reject the project or move it to the next stage, which in most cases means taking it to the publications board at the publishing house.

3. Decision: If things look positive from the editor’s perspective, the project then goes to the publications board. This committee usually includes all the editors, the people from marketing, the sales team, various business managers, the publisher, and so on. The editor presents a summary of the manuscript to this group, and also present things like the author’s credentials, a summary of the critical reviews, his own evaluation, and a summary of the financial projections. Financial projections are done on all books. They include projected sales figures, an estimated cost for producing the book, and an analysis of projected cost versus projected sales.

4. Contract: If most of the members of the publications board see the project in a positive light, then the standard “rich and famous” contract is offered to the author.

All editors have this in common according to Len: They are paid to process words into communication packages. They achieve this by getting the right idea together with the right author. It may be the author’s idea or the editor’s. But ultimately the rubber meets the road when the right idea gets into the hands of the right author. When this mix is achieved, the publishing house has a winning book.

Susan Titus Osborn is the author of 29 books. Join her six-session e-mail course and work personally with her to obtain valuable instruction and personal mentoring. E-mail: Susanosb@AOL.com. Write: 3133 Puente Street, Fullerton CA 92835.

One of the main questions I am often asked is: Exactly what is an editor looking for? Following are five things editors have told me that they look for in articles and stories.

1. Sharp Focus. An article should stay on target. In a previous column we talked about developing a good focus sentence. Make sure that your theme is developed throughout the piece and that you don’t stray from your focus. If your article rambles or deviates on a tangent, it will be rejected.

2. Clean Copy. An article should contain no errors. Magazine editors are extremely busy and are always working on tight deadlines. They don’t have time to rewrite your manuscripts. Make sure you have crafted each article as smoothly as you are capable and that you have checked the spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word usage for errors.

3. Appropriateness. An article should be appropriate to the readership of the magazine. Study the demographics of each magazine and take-home paper you are considering sending your manuscript to so you can get to know the audience. If you are writing an article on time management, your slant for parents of young children would be different than your slant for teens. Editors say that the number one reason they reject manuscripts is that the subject matter is inappropriate for their publication.

4. Pizzazz. An article should have pizzazz. Write on subjects you feel passionately about, and your emotions will come through in your writing. You must care about your subject for your reader to get enthused. You need to hold the reader’s attention for the article to be worthy of publication.

5. Reader Involvement. An article should involve the reader. Editors want to print articles that directly impact their readers. When a person finishes reading your article, will it move him to action or make him want to change his life in some way? Try to find a way to make the reader play an active role in your article.

Susan Titus Osborn has authored 29 books. This column, also published in The Christian Communicator magazine, is taken from Chapter 20 of her book titled JUST WRITE! An Essential Guide to Launching Your Writing Career. To order an autographed copy of this writers’ resource, send $12 to: 3133 Puente Street, Fullerton CA 92835 or e-mail: susanosb@aol.com.