Writing a book is one thing. Getting it published is another. And people who pull off the former beautifully often flop at the latter.

For those of you who’d love to see your literary masterpiece get the widespread distribution it deserves, how can you maximize your chances? Let’s ask someone who’s done it.

You may have seen comedian-turned-author Ian Coburn in the comment section on my blog. His first book, God is a Woman: Dating Disasters is available in bookstores and on Amazon. His second book, Choice – The Meaning of Life: How to Have More and Better Choices in Business, Relationships, Government and Life, is temporarily available for free online.

Over the next two posts, Ian will tell us about his adventures in publishing, and the advice he has for aspiring authors.

Ian:

First, I just wanna thank you for taking the interest in interviewing me about publishing; I’m flattered and happy to offer any insight I can. Hopefully it will prove helpful.

Hunter:

When God is a Woman: Dating Disasters came out, you got hit with a sudden wave of fame. What was that like?

Ian:

Unexpected. In many ways. I didn’t have a blog until after I wrote the book and it seemed like only I, my family, and two friends knew about it . . . none of whom actually read it. Yet, suddenly, a month into the book’s official release, I started getting emails asking dating questions from as far away as Norway and South Africa—I live in Chicago—and it jumped in sales on Amazon. I didn’t even know there was an Amazon.co.uk and when I checked it out, I was surprised to see the book selling there well, too.

How the hell did people hear about it? Sure, I was working hard to write articles for sites and doing interviews, but a lot of ‘em hadn’t even come out yet. And things kept growing. I discovered that in addition to my own efforts to spread the word, bloggers and these people called “pick-up artists” (pua’s)—whom I had never heard of before—were blogging and writing about it. They compared it to other books and liked it a lot because it was different than anything else out there. At the same time, women loved it because they got to read about a guy making an ass of himself as well as gain insight into the male mind. What woman doesn’t want those things? (Lifetime actually hired me to answer women’s questions on their site for a year under a column entitled “Ask A Guy” after they checked out the book; another surprise.) I became what I affectionately call “Internet Friends” with some of these people and because I answered each and every email eventually, I got even more word of mouth. The review on Legal Pub especially comes to mind; again, someone I had never heard of previously. I also owe a lot to reviews on Amazon, where it got good word of mouth, too.

It was also very different. I was a comedian from basically 18-30. I was used to getting responses in laughter and applause. I met fans after the shows in-person, immediately. I had only face-to-face encounters and lots of ‘em. Suddenly I was getting emails and nothing face-to-face. It’s weird for a people-person like me to realize that the Internet was this huge social dynamic. You can learn about and contact people you might otherwise never have met. Prior to releasing the book, I had never used the Internet for social purposes beyond emailing the various sports teams I captain weekly game times. Other people were using it to date, get jobs, make friends, find roommates, plan trips . . . Wow, did I have a lot to learn! Mostly, the wave was flattering and fulfilling, as people thanked me for writing a book that helped them while making them laugh.

Hunter:

These days, there are more publishing options than there were in the past.

For your first book, you went with a small publisher and got it into bookstores. For your second book, you currently have it freely available online with a suggested $10 donation. My first novel is freely available online and supported by ads. Tim Brownson and John Strelecky sell their book on their website, and reinvest 90% of the proceeds in printing copies for those who can’t afford them. And companies such as CreateSpace and Lulu let anyone self-publish their book.

How does someone decide which method Is best for them?

Ian:

Ha! As you know, I am big on answering what I call the Basic Life Concept Questions, BLC’s for short. The questions are:

What do you need? What’s important to you? What are your responsibilities? What are your limitations? What I love about the BLC’s is that you’re not limited to just applying them to your whole life; you can also apply them to any aspect of your life. Redecorating your kitchen? What do you need in your kitchen? What’s important to you in your kitchen? I apply them to all my big projects, including my books. I advise other authors to do the same.

For my first book, it was important for me to have control over content to “keep it real” and to see it on bookstore shelves. I wanted to see my name on a book at Barnes & Noble and other stores. That was big. (Not many people realize it but few books actually get shelved. What you see at a bookstore is only a small percentage of the number of books actually published.) For my latest book, it was no longer important for me to see the book on bookstore shelves. It is important for me to get a big publisher, though, because I had to focus too much on publishing issues with my first book. For example, each week I sent B&N and Borders a letter updating my media appearances and reviews. This is why they finally shelved the book. I shouldn’t have had to do that. It’s also important for me to get the information in the book out to as many people as possible; I am eager to help others achieve their goals and the tangible system I teach is a great vehicle for achieving your goals. So I put the book online as a free ebook, asking for donations, to help spread the word and build an audience; hence, I am in the position to reach people and garner interest from a big publisher.

One thing that drives me nutso, especially in fields like the arts or publishing, is that experts always assume that every artist or author or comedian or musician or whoever has the same priorities and are in the same position to go after them; thus, their advice tends to be narrow and incomplete. You’ll be much better off if you identify what your specific priorities are, and what position you’re in to go after them, from the start, before you think about publishing. Then go after the appropriate publisher.

Hunter:

If someone wants to go with a traditional publisher, how do they find and approach them?

Ian:

All right, against all better judgment, I’m going to share a huge secret with you. It goes against better judgment because I know there are people reading this who are thinking, “I am a great writer. I should be treated like a great writer by all,” and because of this attitude they do everything half-past. These people always piss in the pond for the rest of us. So I’ll preempt my answer by telling everyone out there reading this not to send anything to any agent or publisher, using the approach I’m about to share, until you’ve had a professional editor check your work over. I don’t mean your friends; I don’t mean bloggers; I don’t mean an English teacher you know. I mean a professional editor. Or, alternatively, until you have a foundation.

When I say foundation, I mean you’ve already been published by someone big, or have a successful book, or have published numerous articles for which you’ve been paid, or have a large blog following, or are an A-list talent, and such. (If you are a prostitute who slept with a president or an infamous drug dealer, that is not enough. You still need an editor to reach out using this method; however, a big publisher will probably contact you before you even think about writing a book.) If an editor says your work isn’t ready, follow the traditional advice you get in Writer’s Market and other such places. I mean it. If you just start following what I’m about to share, sending in outlines you wrote on napkins while drunk with your friends, your delusional butt is going to ruin this approach for everyone. You’ll literally kill it.

Forget all the advice you get outside being professional and polished. All you need to know is this: In the back of almost every book authors write “Acknowledgements.” They name their agent. They name their editors and publishers. Google those names to see where these people are currently working. Still at Crown? HarperCollins? With the same agency? If you can find the email pattern at a publisher, like HarperCollins, email the person. As long as you have credibility, they will respond and typically request what you offer to send them. If you can’t determine their email, send them a letter addressed specifically to them at the publisher or agency for which they work. Again, as long as you have credibility, you will hear from them.

I’ve gotten key personnel at publishing houses across the board (small to huge) to read my pitches using this method and they have all responded with feedback, including the much welcomed constructive criticism. Which reminds me, if you don’t want to receive criticism, another sign you are not ready to consider publishing, don’t use this method. You’ll piss off whoever you contact when you reply to their feedback by telling them they don’t know what they’re talking about, arguing for your content, etc.

Hunter:

What are some common mistakes that first time authors make, or red flags that they should watch out for?

Ian:

Oops, I kind of answered this in the previous question. (I tend to do that a lot.) Lack of humility. Thinking you’re the bomb keeps you from finding tools to measure your ability. How do you know you’re stuff is good? Really?

My first manuscript was a fiction, sci-fi thriller called IP. My friends told me it rocked, except for one who told me it was “painful;” he couldn’t finish it no matter how hard he tried. I entered it into a couple contests to gauge my ability. I didn’t place. I left it on the shelf for a while and re-read it months later. My friend was right; it was painful. The manuscript sucked.

When I started to write screenplays, I entered contests for feedback and to measure my ability. I had no idea whether or not my stuff was good because it was a new medium for me. The feedback let me know I was on the right track. I won a contest and that got me a lot of attention, landing me my first manager.

Being humble kept me from sending IP to publishers and screenplays to producers before I had properly measured both them and my abilities. When writers aren’t humble they ignore all feedback and don’t bother with having their stuff measured. Remember, it’s much easier to open doors that are unlocked than it is to open ones that have been slammed in your face or to cross bridges that you burned by being premature. It’s great—and a necessity—to be enthusiastic and tenacious; just don’t be cocky.

Watch out for publishers or agents who want money from you in any way, shape or form. If you choose to publish via a POD publisher, don’t go with any that charge you more than cost for your book. You will need to send free copies to tons of places for reviews and possible media attention. Why should you pay 30% less than retail, well over cost, for those copies? A POD who charges authors extra money doesn’t believe in their authors or their products. They aren’t truly interested in selling your book to people; they’re interested in selling it to you!

[Come back tomorrow for the rest of the publishing interview...what publishers are looking for, marketing, selling a book before writing it, and leveraging internet fame.]

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