Getting Your Book Published for Dummies

"This book is the clearest map to book publishing you'll find."
--Scott Adams, creator, Dilbert Find out how to draft attention-getting proposals and queries
"A must read for any aspiring professional writer."
--Peter Maas, author, Underboss and The Terrible Hours
Consider this friendly guide your tour of the publishing industry - from understanding the business and its players to the art of negotiating advances, options, and rights. Take advantage of industry insider Sarah Parsons Zackheim's decades of experience and find out how to refine your book idea, submit winning queries, get an agent, and more!
Praise for Getting Your Book Published For Dummies(R)
"Dig your well before you're thirsty, and before you write your first book, don't just read Getting Your Book Published For Dummies . . . study it!."
- Harvey Mackay, author of Swim with the Sharks: Without Being Eaten Alive
"An excellent common-sense guide filled with inspiring anecdotes."
-- Vicky Bijur, President, AAR, Association of Authors' Representatives, Inc.
Discover how to:

• Choose a book idea
• Get inspired to write
• Find a market for your work
• Choose a publisher
• Act as your own agent
• Negotiate your contract
• Self-publish your book on the Web

Introduction. About This Book. How to Use This Book. How This Book is Organized. Part I: Getting Started. Part II: Knocking on the Publisher's Door. Part III: Preparing the Package: Book Proposals and Query. Letters That Sell. Part IV: Taking it Public: A Strategic Approach to Placing Your Book. Part V: Home at Last! Negotiation and Contract. Part VI: After the Deal Is Done. Part VII: The Part of Tens. Icons Used in This Book. Where to Go from Here. Part I: Getting Started. Chapter 1: The Idea. It's the Heart of Your Book. Chapter 2: Evaluating Your Idea. Chapter 3: Refining Your Idea: The Realities of Writing. Chapter 4: Categorically Speaking. Part II: Knocking on the Publisher's Door. Chapter 5: How a Book Gets Bought. Chapter 6: The Right Submission Strategy for You Approaching a Publisher. Part III: Preparing the Package: Book Proposals and Query Letters That Sell. Chapter 7: Query Letters That Get Attention. Chapter 8: Preparing Submission Materials That Sell. Part IV: Taking It Public: A Strategic Approach to Placing Your Book. Chapter 9: Battle-Tested Submission Tactics. Chapter 10: How to Choose a Publisher. Chapter 11: Acting as Your Own Agent. Chapter 12: Going the Agent Route. Chapter 13: Publishing Outside of the Box. Part V: Home at Last! Negotiation and Contract. Chapter 14: The Offer. Chapter 15: The Negotiation. Chapter 16: The Contract. Part VI: After the Deal Is Done. Chapter 17: Know the Players. Chapter 18: Creating the Actual Book. Chapter 19: Selling Your Book. Chapter 20: Publication and Beyond. Part VII: The Part of Tens. Chapter 21: Ten Excuses Publishers Give for Turning Down Book Proposals. Chapter 22: Ten Clauses to Watch in Your Contract. Chapter 23: Ten Common Errors in Dealing with an Agent and/or Editor. Chapter 24: Ten Top-Selling Books of All Time. Index. Book Registration Information.