Looking for insight about authoring, editing and publishing a book

[j-bird]

OK - I realize this is a really odd thing to ask, but you never know. I need some help with authoring, editing and getting a book published. I'm not the author....my daughter is. She has a 35,000 word manuscript she has written detailing her battle with a chronic pain disease. She doesn't expect to be rich and famous from it, but want to help others with this condition as there is very little out there from a patient perspective. I am simply looking for some direction and maybe some leads on how to make this become a reality. We have a diverse group here and I figured - they can't help....if I don't ask!

 

[bwoods11]

Amazing, good luck with the book. Sorry to hear that. There is a local guy in my hometown that writes and publishes books on Amazon. You could check to see if someone on their staff can help with some direction?

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I've had intentions of writing a short book filled with pictures on my families history with trout fishing in The Driftless. Just another one of those things that I'll never get around to actually doing.

Hope you get some good feedback on this. Writing can be great therapy. If it doesn't help her all that much maybe she can find the satisfaction in it helping soomeone else out. Good luck.

 

[SD51555]

James Altucher has written extensively on how to self publish. There are tools out there that make it a reality for someone willing to try. Software exists much like microsoft word that will format a book for you, and I believe you can create your own author page on amazon. The marketplace has probably opened up even more than that since I looked into it.

https://jamesaltucher.com/2013/07/how-to-self-publish-bestseller/

 

[wiscwhip]

I will do some inquiring with my wife's aunt. Her husband had a rare form of cancer that gave him 6 to 8 months to live and over the course of the 9+ years he fought it off, he wrote 2(or was it 3?) books on the subject and essentially became the poster boy for that specific cancer group. She may have some insight, I will let you know what I find out.

 

[Red Picqua]

OK - I realize this is a really odd thing to ask, but you never know. I need some help with authoring, editing and getting a book published. I'm not the author....my daughter is. She has a 35,000 page manuscript she has written detailing her battle with a chronic pain disease. She doesn't expect to be rich and famous from it, but want to help others with this condition as there is very little out there from a patient perspective. I am simply looking for some direction and maybe some leads on how to make this become a reality. We have a diverse group here and I figured - they can't help....if I don't ask!

35,000 pages???????????????? WOW. That is incredible. I can tell you that would take a long time to edit. What a incredible accomplishment. 35K pages of material. wow.

 

[j-bird]

35,000 pages???????????????? WOW. That is incredible. I can tell you that would take a long time to edit. What a incredible accomplishment. 35K pages of material. wow.

Oops.....sorry - i'll fix that....35,000 words.....not pages.

 

[Red Picqua]

HAHHAH ok.. still an impressive feat.

 

[rocksnstumps]

My brother had this itch he had to scratch about writing and publishing a book. Talked about it for a number of years. So yes, there are companies out there that are fine with you footing the bill for the costs and they don't care about making money from your sales. So I know it cost him in the thousands of dollars by the time he was done. Got editing done, cover art, paper copies printed, Library of Congress Catalog Number assigned, pretty much the whole process. Don't think he has made much $$ at all but he had to do his thing and I'm sure my habitat habit and tree planting has cost me more over the years. As someone else mentioned you can enter in an author profile on Amazon and it's still for sale out there I would guess. E-book out there too if you want it.

Publisher
Wise Ink Creative Publishing outta Minneapolis MN. I'm sure there are others but my brother lives over that way.

 

[FarmerDan]

I'm not a published author and my advice is free, so.....
I find the subject fascinating and have explored some options. Today, the possibilities seem endless especially if you are willing to pay for the expertise of a professional editor and publisher. You pay them to get the book into recognizable form. Then, you get to buy a pallet of books which you can give away, sell, or do with as you wish. I'm sure Amazon would be glad to put the final form into their list of sellers. They would be glad to take a large percentage of the sales to defray their costs - first.

Is there an association dedicated to helping those suffering like your daughter. They might have publishing interest / assistance.

I'm sure you know the name Steve Bartylla....or you might even know him personally. He can tell you of the trials and tribulations of book publishing.

Search Google for Book publishers. Talk to a couple of them. They are always on the prowl.

Podcasts are very popular, too.

Good luck!

 

[yoderjac]

OK - I realize this is a really odd thing to ask, but you never know. I need some help with authoring, editing and getting a book published. I'm not the author....my daughter is. She has a 35,000 word manuscript she has written detailing her battle with a chronic pain disease. She doesn't expect to be rich and famous from it, but want to help others with this condition as there is very little out there from a patient perspective. I am simply looking for some direction and maybe some leads on how to make this become a reality. We have a diverse group here and I figured - they can't help....if I don't ask!

For something like that where she is just looking to share her experience rather than make big money, I'd consider self-publishing an ebook. Amazon makes it easy to self-publish an ebook and sell it in their store. When I retire, I'll probably do this myself. Once it is on ebay, I'd simply have here share the link with friends through social media. If she is a little more serious, she can build a small web site and share the first chapter there for free.

The only thing missing here is the editing. Depending on her capabilities, she may want o self-edit or find a friend who is an English major (plenty of them around) who can help her edit it as a favor.

Thanks,

jack

 

[H20fwler]

Great project j-bird, good for her!

 

[j-bird]

I'm not a published author and my advice is free, so.....
I find the subject fascinating and have explored some options. Today, the possibilities seem endless especially if you are willing to pay for the expertise of a professional editor and publisher. You pay them to get the book into recognizable form. Then, you get to buy a pallet of books which you can give away, sell, or do with as you wish. I'm sure Amazon would be glad to put the final form into their list of sellers. They would be glad to take a large percentage of the sales to defray their costs - first.

Is there an association dedicated to helping those suffering like your daughter. They might have publishing interest / assistance.

I'm sure you know the name Steve Bartylla....or you might even know him personally. He can tell you of the trials and tribulations of book publishing.

Search Google for Book publishers. Talk to a couple of them. They are always on the prowl.

Podcasts are very popular, too.

Good luck!

I don;t know Steve personally but I consider him and internet friend. He was one of those I first thought of..... I never considered the idea of an organization helping fund the project. Right now professional editing seems to be in the area of about $1,500......which is a lot of money for a 16 y/o. Thanks for the info.

 

[FarmerDan]

Right now professional editing seems to be in the area of about $1,500......which is a lot of money for a 16 y/o. Thanks for the info.

Start a GoFundMe. I'm sure there are a lot of folks here who would consider helping....

 

[j-bird]

Start a GoFundMe. I'm sure there are a lot of folks here who would consider helping....

We will look into the GoFundMe thing.

As supportive as the folks here are.....and I appreciate all the help that is here. I refuse to go down that road of asking for monetary support/donations here. If we had some sort of fund raising event for the shooting sports or a conservation effort then maybe.....but not something like this. It's a personal thing on my part......not against anyone here.

 

[FarmerDan]

We will look into the GoFundMe thing.

As supportive as the folks here are.....and I appreciate all the help that is here. I refuse to go down that road of asking for monetary support/donations here. If we had some sort of fund raising event for the shooting sports or a conservation effort then maybe.....but not something like this. It's a personal thing on my part......not against anyone here.

And I appreciate your independence. But, maybe, it isn't about you. Maybe this is a teaching moment. The lesson is the amount of effort it takes to raise funding -- capital -- to do anything worthwhile. Few of us have pockets deep enough to do the good we wish to do. I, too, have a great idea, but I'm going to need to turn to others for financing -- be at a bank, a loan shark, or GoFundMe. GoFundMe is voluntary. If the project is a bad idea you won't get any funding. But, I see an extremely worthwhile project that needs legs. So, what do we teach a 16-year-old with enough ambition to write 35-thousand words with a theme aimed at helping others cope with an experience your daughter knows only too well.

This is something that can help untold hundreds or thousands of others just like her. She is a model to hold up to others. The means of payback is already established. It's called goodwill. Should the book make money, then she (and you?) have a decision to make about what to do with the proceeds. Give it back to the forum to help defray expenses. This is where it started. Someone, out of the goodness of their hearts and out of their pockets established this forum for us. We don't ask how it's funded. We just use it.

Should there be a return on the investment, use it to do more good. And, I know, there are other means of generating the required expense money. But, keep an open mind, because I for one, wish to support what I perceive to be a a herculean effort by someone I don't know, but who's father gives generously and freely to the rest of us. Let us return the favor - somehow.

 

[j-bird]

And I appreciate your independence. But, maybe, it isn't about you. Maybe this is a teaching moment. The lesson is the amount of effort it takes to raise funding -- capital -- to do anything worthwhile. Few of us have pockets deep enough to do the good we wish to do. I, too, have a great idea, but I'm going to need to turn to others for financing -- be at a bank, a loan shark, or GoFundMe. GoFundMe is voluntary. If the project is a bad idea you won't get any funding. But, I see an extremely worthwhile project that needs legs. So, what do we teach a 16-year-old with enough ambition to write 35-thousand words with a theme aimed at helping others cope with an experience your daughter knows only too well.

This is something that can help untold hundreds or thousands of others just like her. She is a model to hold up to others. The means of payback is already established. It's called goodwill. Should the book make money, then she (and you?) have a decision to make about what to do with the proceeds. Give it back to the forum to help defray expenses. This is where it started. Someone, out of the goodness of their hearts and out of their pockets established this forum for us. We don't ask how it's funded. We just use it.

Should there be a return on the investment, use it to do more good. And, I know, there are other means of generating the required expense money. But, keep an open mind, because I for one, wish to support what I perceive to be a a herculean effort by someone I don't know, but who's father gives generously and freely to the rest of us. Let us return the favor - somehow.

After seeing your perspective....I'll consider it....but no promises.

Thank you for the words as well....

 

[Telemark]

Consider publishing it in blog format. I know people who have published books and people with monetized blogs. The blogs make more money and can actually become a full or part-time job.

With a book, the story ends on the last page. With a blog, she can keep posting new content and continue telling her story.

Or she could do both. Self-publish the book and start a blog that picks up where the book leaves off, for example. Then she could continue to tell her story and have multiple revenue streams.

As others have mentioned, Gofundme is a good way to raise the money needed to publish the book and geta website built.