"I hate to write. I love having written." That quote from Dorothy Parker summarizes sure this labor of love for me. One thing is certain, writing my book was not a easy undertaking. Writer's block, the discipline of writing, sometimes specialized writing in the dark because my best ideas always seemed to come just before falling asleep or hours of the morning are all, thankfully, behind me now.

Finally, my manuscript was completed. I knew, because not even consider rewriting or editing – not a chapter, verse or dialogue. I was done! It is difficult to explain the sense of pride of the committee's vision one for paper and watch it grow into a finished book. However, there was no time to dwell on our laurels. What should he do next? How can I get my writing of the manuscript of a book published?

The first thing I did was my job to copyright. I could put the copyright symbol in the manuscript and the law protects the creative work automatically. However the official registration with the Copyright Office U.S. Washington DC gives me the advantage of having a public register of the copyright claim in the case of an infringement suit. It also protects my work for my heirs, some seventy years after death. The rate of writing this book was $ 45 – money he considers well spent.

Then hired a professional editor. Even if I were English majors or my best friend taught, there are styles of writing that go beyond typos, grammar errors or redundancy. The books are published by professional a style of context to the established format, punctuation, quotations, quotes, etc, and only a professional editor can help me with this. To keep an eye on the costs that hired a publishing service that takes the floor. It was much easier to prove that the cost per word compared to a publishing service that charges per hour.

Now he was ready to select an editor. I learned that in order to submit the manuscript to traditional publishers, who had to see the publication of the writer's market. It is the source where, when, how and who sell what you have written. After some research, I decided to go with a traditional publisher, for several reasons: (1), would probably have to hire a literary agent, as most publishers do not even look at my work without it. (2) Most traditional publishers work in months of 18 production cycle, which means he would never see my work in book form at least a year or more. (Edition 3) The rejection letters that comes before anyone publisher decides my work is paying off – need I say more? Y (4) copyright of the publishers of performance between 5-15% after sales, manufacturing costs, etc. Now, of course, if my book becomes a bestseller that 15% would be fine. However, I wanted to go over 5 to 15% on gains from the sale of my book.

This led me to the publishing options of the research itself. What I found was:

(1) Local Printer – Offset process would be too costly. I have a friend who tried to publish a children's book this way. She found that the price would have each book of over $ 100 just to break even!

(2) Print on Demand (POD) – Pays royalties a writer of 1-1.5%

– I get paid ($$$) advance and again when each book sold – was to receive one or two copies of my book for ($$$) – Property rights are held by POD for a specific period – Examples: Lulu, Xlibris, iUniverse

This is the way to go if you just wanted to see my work in print or wanted to leave a legacy for my family. I also learned that it would be wrong to omit the editorial service before using a POD – the manuscript is edited, reviewed or controlled spell error typographical. In other words, what you send is what you get back in book form.

(3) Book Packager – print independent contractor all phases of book

-Number of prints books I wanted at a reasonable cost. Quality professional library. Property rights are for me, all proceeds from sales belongs to me. -Examples: BooksJustBooks.com, blurb.com

The book was the packer option I chose. This process is very hands – which I like. I was involved in every aspect, from choosing the type of source for the design and finally the cover art – I selected my own sources. The final product reflects my vision in my book.

Self-publishing satisfied my desire to see my work in print in a timely manner. The new technology that uses laser printing and the possibility of using editing software that offers all the words quick response. In just a couple of months I had professional quality books delivered to my door. I was completely satisfied and impressed with the final product.

Early in the process who requested an ISBN (International Standard Book Number). This number identifies the title of the book and for me as the editor for marketing purposes. The ISBN is absolutely necessary to sell to bookstores, the place with distributors, wholesalers and libraries nationally and internationally.

I went a step further and requested an LCCN (Library of Congress Catalog Number) to record and cataloging my title in the Catalog Library Collection headquartered in Washington DC.

And there you have it, step by step process of how I have published, when you need a timeout. You can read a book excerpt on my website.

Barbara Mitchell is a Doctor of Clinical Hypnotherapy. Certified Stress Management Consultant and Certified Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). She is the author of, When You Need a Timeout, a book about how to create the ultimate stress-free getaway one relaxing day at a time. Dr. Barbara Mitchell and her husband who is a Reiki Master, have a private consultant practice in Piscataway, New Jersey. She is a member of ABH, IMDHA, IACT, ABNLP and TLTA. You can read an excerpt from her book at http://www.thecalmingbreath.com and visit her blog, Stress Free Moments, http://thecalmingbreath.blogspot.com for tips and techniques for managing stress every day.

Confessions of a Contractor – Book Promo

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