There is one thing above all others that every author should be clear about. It is the answer to the question: Why do you want to have your book published? What is your reason for wanting to become a published author?
You should ask yourself, “What do I hope to get out of this?” In other words, “What is your goal?
There are many reasons why people want to be published. For some, it’s all about the money — they want to sell as many books as possible and hope to “make it big” in the book business. Akin to this is the desire to become well-known. These authors see other well-known authors and want to become well-known, too! For many, making money and becoming “famous” is only part of the equation, if at all, as their goal is focused on something else. Maybe it’s about helping others or preserving their family history—leaving a legacy. For some, like many novelists, it’s about artistic expression or exercising their craft. It can be a kind of spiritual quest for some people, too.
But it is crucial to know, deep down, why you want to travel this road. It’s essential for several reasons, not the least of which is in deciding what publishing company you want to work with.
The “big” houses—McMillan, Harper Collins, Random House, Hatchett, and Simon and Schuster—are only interested in the “all about the money” part. They’re only going to be interested in your book IF they have no doubt it will make them lots of money. The truth is, they don’t care about your legacy or how many people your book may be able to help. They don’t care about your creative expression or whether you fulfill your dream of becoming a published author. Simply put, they don’t care about anything except the profit margin, should they sign you.
Prospective authors ask us, “What has been your most successful book?” That’s easy for us to answer because we’ve had so many, like the author who wrote a book to honor his wife after more than five decades of marriage and the four-volume set of books that contain the first-hand accounts of nearly 150 Vietnam pilots—books that are history preserved because one man felt it necessary to record those pilots’ stories over a twenty year period.
So, what’s your goal? What is your reason? Sure, here at ALIVE we are in business just like the big guys, but it’s not all about the money to us. Your reason is our reason, and your goals are our goals. Sometimes it’s about the money — but for most authors, there’s more to it than that.
Think about this. Then connect with us, and we will discuss what’s important to you.