Write That Book Already!: The Tough Love You Need To Get Published Now Read Free Page B

you to beef them up, so you do. Then she asks for major cuts in word count, so that your manuscript will conform to a required design template. Many of these cuts make good sense— and will make for a stronger book. You get rid of some redundancies and the weaker jokes, but there are a few suggested cuts you simply don’t want to make. This is an instance where choosing your battles will stand you in good stead. If you’ve been a good sport about making changes that weren’t crucial to you, you’ll have more credibility when you stand up for the passages you feel are essential, like the passage where you quote John Belushi saying “I owe it all to little chocolate donuts.” Who wouldn’t fight for keeping that in their book?
YOU CAN’T MAKE A SILK PURSE FROM A SOW’S EAR
    Getting back to all that selling—the publisher needs to start with good materials. The first and most important matter is a shipshape manuscript, or a good proposal if you are writing nonfiction (including at least part of a well-written manuscript). Next, research the market for your book. Don’t take this task lightly—it will benefit everyone to know what else is out there. This research will tell you what’s selling now or recently that is similar, and how your book is unique—if it is.
    Don’t be afraid to face the fact that someone else may have already successfully done what you are attempting to do. This may mean you need to rethink your idea, or even throw it out. It also may mean that there is a huge market for your kind of book, in which case you are planning to jump on the bandwagon and aren’t that concerned with originality. Perhaps you can tweak your idea just enough to say, “See, this is new and different!” even though it really isn’t all that unique. Putting a new spin on a comfortably familiar idea is something that is done all the time. Originality is a complex concept and we are not going to attempt to wrestle it to the ground here. Suffice it to say, each book is a different case. At times it seems as if there is nothing new under the sun, so don’t worry about it, just invent a better mousetrap (and, if you correctly guess the number of clichés in this paragraph, our hats are off to you). From another perspective: each book and author is unique, and you don’t need to try too hard to be the first, the only, and so on—you already are an original. Just keep your mind open to what the world needs and watch for your niche.
Tough Love from the Author Enablers
     
Do you want to be a published author, or did you really just write this book for yourself or your own private audience? Now’s the time to decide, because once you engage an agent and sell to a publisher your book isn’t solely yours anymore. ‹«
     
    Your editor works with you on your manuscript changes, and then springs another surprise: the sales reps don’t think the title How to Play will be easy to sell to their accounts, and they want to change the title to something you aren’t sure works. At this point, it might be prudent to get your agent involved, so she can act as the “bad cop” and insist that more thinking go into the title question, or title/subtitle question if your book is nonfiction—remembering, of course, that your contract likely stipulates that the publisher does indeed have the right to change the title and design the cover as well, not to mention change your name if they don’t like it. No, just kidding about the name thing. We have never heard of a publisher ever insisting on such an outrageous demand. Suggesting, maybe, even strongly. Perhaps misspelling your name on the book jacket by mistake. But never actually telling you to change your name. Really. Who would do such a thing? Hollywood, maybe, but not a book publisher.
    A compromise is finally reached, and How to Play has become How to Play the Harmonica: and Other Life Lessons . There’s a lot less har- monica and inspiration, a lot more humor. The cover is