Well I'm only 16 but I'm planning to write this book about the greatest rock and roll albums of all time and i wanna get it published. I have nooo idea where to start. Do I just write? Or do I need to contact someone first? And should I buy any books about the process? Help would be great...Thanks!!!!! =)
All Answers To QuestionsAnswer 1
You should start by doing some hugely in depth research.
I'm talking right back to the start of music itself.
You might also want to survery people after you have completed your research as to what they like.
Read a heap of books on the same subject
Talk to people from the music industry
(This is all before you start writing)
It's a lot of work!
Good luck :) Answer 2
As with anything, do as much research about it as possible. You will need someone's help to edit it, and publish it. Call around to bookstore or libraries and ask them. Good luck. Answer 3
Write an outline, or a table of contents. Like most tasks, this one can be divvied up into manageable pieces -- but you have to identify the pieces. Answer 4
If you have no idea where to begin, then you might want to rethink this project. Here is the straight story. Legitimate publishing is VERY VERY difficult to get into, and their supply of manuscripts is far more than the demand. By legitimate, I mean the publishers who pay YOU for your work, NOT the cheesy on line sites and vanity presses that abound out there! Those are simply a waste of time and appeal only to your vanity and your wallet! Let me ask you, do you know ANYTHING about music? About rock and roll? If not, stop now. Write only about what you know and with which you are already VERY familiar. As for contacting an agent, you are a minor and minors cannot enter into contracts with agents or anyone else. Agents are VERY selective about whom they take as clients and unless you can show that you have experience, know-how, knowledge of craft, and superior grammar and writing skills (and knowledge of subject matter), I would say your chances are almost nil for getting an agent. I suggest you rethink this and perhaps start out a bit lower on the ladder, i.e., how about writing for the school newspaper. Most people who write books and get them published, began by doing this or something similar.
You have a long way to go before you can even hope to have a book published. I urge you to stay away from the on line publishing sites and vanity presses. By the way, most answers you get here on Yahoo will be totally incorrect. Most people here have little or NO idea what the world of legitimate publishing is all about. It's a business like any other, and it's VERY, VERY demanding! Good luck! Answer 5
First you research other books that are similar to your idea, so you can make yours different and unique, exploring some facet of the topic that previous books have not.
Then you research your topic. Do background reading. Conduct interviews with experts. You need to be able to support anything that you write in your book.
Then you write. As before, your book needs to differ somehow from others on the same subject, otherwise why would anyone buy it?
Then you edit. If you're not a great editor, pay a professional. Agents aren't going to bother reading something that's full of typos and grammar errors.
Then you find an agent. Use a resource like Writer's Market or Preditors & Editors to help you find agents who represent non-fiction books on your topic. Publishing houses rarely read unsolicited manuscripts that don't come from a legitimate agent. Sending your manuscript directly to a publisher almost ensures that it will end up in the trash, unread.
Taking these steps won't guarantee that your book will be published, but they will give you the best possible chance. Good luck. << GO BACK to questions
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