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The Insider's Guide to Book Publishing Success
The publishing industry is changing rapidly, and there are more options for authors than ever before. Should you find an agent and search for a traditional publishing deal or consider self-publishing? Should you print hardcover copies or opt for an ebook-only launch? Should you hire a publicist? This easy-to-read, nuts-and-bolts guide covers everything from what to look for in a contract to how many copies to print.
Some of the topics covered are choosing a publishing strategy, the editorial process, design, printing, sales and distribution, marketing and publicity.
Some of the topics covered are choosing a publishing strategy, the editorial process, design, printing, sales and distribution, marketing and publicity.
- GenresWritingNonfiction
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 14, 2013
134 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 20, 2025
I initially thought this book might be out-of-date to read, however I am glad I read it anyway! There were all kinds of suggestions for steps of how-to get a book published. Having worked in publishing previously, I was already familiar with many of the steps shared. There was a lot of good references and checklists which I found helpful. The book is a quick read, and one that can be a good reference later as I work on an ongoing publishing project.
May 22, 2021
I like that the book was short. While I would have liked him to go into more details, it is nice to have a small handbook for direction. The publishing/marketing timelines are great! There is just enough information to not necessarily be a one-stop-shop but direction on what to research next for your own publishing journey.
April 10, 2013
Unfortunately, at no point in the text did I feel a connection with this book.
At times, it had the generic feel of Wikipedia, with the exception of the ending, which included some real-life success stories.
THE INSIDER’S GUIDE TO PUBLISHING SUCCESS has a lot of breadth, but not much depth, and too much dry information without any concrete suggestions.
Who was this book written for? That was the first question that popped into my mind.
Authors? Aspiring publishers? A combination of both?
The book states that the term “independent publisher” has many different interpretations but only describes one, and that is of it being a small press.
When I think of indie publishing, I think of POD and eBooks, however only a small section in this book is dedicated to each of these.
At some point, I finally started to realize that the book is basically about creating a small press company based on old-school traditional publishing methods.
No matter what publishing method one chooses, effectively using social media networking and blogging to build a platform is vital. While these topics are briefly addressed in the marketing section, they are not front and center as I believe they should be. Indeed, many of the marketing strategies mentioned are outdated, expensive, and worst of all, ineffective.
THE INSIDER’S GUIDE TO PUBLISHING SUCCESS covers a lot of ground. Some of the information was completely new to me, and that’s saying a lot considering how many books I’ve read on the subject of publishing. The problem is most of the book caters to those people only interested in created a small press.
If you are considering publishing through a major publishing house, you might be better off spending your time and money on a book about how to find a literary agent.
If you want to publish independently using POD, then give this book a miss. There are plenty of great books on the subject.
If you are interested in independent publishing through your own small press company, then this is definitely the book for you.
I only caught one typo in the whole text, and all in all, the writing, layout, and cover seemed adequately professional to demonstrate that the authors can walk the talk.
That said, it wasn’t until I’d finished the book that I knew who the target reader was supposed to be, and that reader certainly wasn’t me.
At times, it had the generic feel of Wikipedia, with the exception of the ending, which included some real-life success stories.
THE INSIDER’S GUIDE TO PUBLISHING SUCCESS has a lot of breadth, but not much depth, and too much dry information without any concrete suggestions.
Who was this book written for? That was the first question that popped into my mind.
Authors? Aspiring publishers? A combination of both?
The book states that the term “independent publisher” has many different interpretations but only describes one, and that is of it being a small press.
When I think of indie publishing, I think of POD and eBooks, however only a small section in this book is dedicated to each of these.
At some point, I finally started to realize that the book is basically about creating a small press company based on old-school traditional publishing methods.
No matter what publishing method one chooses, effectively using social media networking and blogging to build a platform is vital. While these topics are briefly addressed in the marketing section, they are not front and center as I believe they should be. Indeed, many of the marketing strategies mentioned are outdated, expensive, and worst of all, ineffective.
THE INSIDER’S GUIDE TO PUBLISHING SUCCESS covers a lot of ground. Some of the information was completely new to me, and that’s saying a lot considering how many books I’ve read on the subject of publishing. The problem is most of the book caters to those people only interested in created a small press.
If you are considering publishing through a major publishing house, you might be better off spending your time and money on a book about how to find a literary agent.
If you want to publish independently using POD, then give this book a miss. There are plenty of great books on the subject.
If you are interested in independent publishing through your own small press company, then this is definitely the book for you.
I only caught one typo in the whole text, and all in all, the writing, layout, and cover seemed adequately professional to demonstrate that the authors can walk the talk.
That said, it wasn’t until I’d finished the book that I knew who the target reader was supposed to be, and that reader certainly wasn’t me.
January 12, 2014
I have loved reading as far back as I can remember. And I first began writing short-stories in middle school not because it was assigned work but because I was inspired by my favorite authors to tell my own stories - to be a writer. And so I have spent my whole life writing, desktop publishing, submitting stories for publication, writing for company newsletters and local papers.
So I was very pleased when I was chosen to receive a free copy of The Insider’s Guide to Book Publishing Success in a GoodReads Giveaway. It came as a small paperback book with a brisk, high-contrast cover, and a hundred-and-fifty-eight pages of smallish print on bright white paper.
The Insiders Guide. Publishing Success. I couldn’t believe my luck to have won a book I could so readily use. Finally, that illusive inside secret, that nugget of knowledge, that one thing that had kept me from Publishing Success was in this little paperback that I held in my hands. I could not wait to see what inside information it had in store for me.
Unfortunately, The Insider’s Guide to Book Publishing Success suffers from the all too-common publishing malady of “misleadingly mistitled tripe”. Had this diminutive paperback been titled “Dummies Guide to Book Publishing”, or perhaps “A Quick High-Level Walkthrough of Book Publishing Basics” or maybe even, “How Books are Born: My First Book Report”, then I wouldn’t be sitting here rubbing my temples and preparing to spew bad karma.
But even from a basic overview standpoint, The Insider’s Guide to Book Publishing falls miserably flat. Truly relevant industry information is given the same cursory observation as such useless details as what the Barnes & Noble retail chain prefers on their inbound shipping labels. And in the book’s very first example of Book Publishing Success it cites Rich Dad Poor Dad’s Robert Kiyosaki, with bullet point advice such as “Create Controversy” and “Be Ready for Oprah’s Call”.
The Insider’s Guide to Book Publishing Success by Eric Kampmann and Margot Atwell is a great example of a book written solely for the purpose of getting a book published. It covers nothing new, and everything that it does cover has been discussed better, more thoroughly, and more constructively somewhere else.
So I was very pleased when I was chosen to receive a free copy of The Insider’s Guide to Book Publishing Success in a GoodReads Giveaway. It came as a small paperback book with a brisk, high-contrast cover, and a hundred-and-fifty-eight pages of smallish print on bright white paper.
The Insiders Guide. Publishing Success. I couldn’t believe my luck to have won a book I could so readily use. Finally, that illusive inside secret, that nugget of knowledge, that one thing that had kept me from Publishing Success was in this little paperback that I held in my hands. I could not wait to see what inside information it had in store for me.
Unfortunately, The Insider’s Guide to Book Publishing Success suffers from the all too-common publishing malady of “misleadingly mistitled tripe”. Had this diminutive paperback been titled “Dummies Guide to Book Publishing”, or perhaps “A Quick High-Level Walkthrough of Book Publishing Basics” or maybe even, “How Books are Born: My First Book Report”, then I wouldn’t be sitting here rubbing my temples and preparing to spew bad karma.
But even from a basic overview standpoint, The Insider’s Guide to Book Publishing falls miserably flat. Truly relevant industry information is given the same cursory observation as such useless details as what the Barnes & Noble retail chain prefers on their inbound shipping labels. And in the book’s very first example of Book Publishing Success it cites Rich Dad Poor Dad’s Robert Kiyosaki, with bullet point advice such as “Create Controversy” and “Be Ready for Oprah’s Call”.
The Insider’s Guide to Book Publishing Success by Eric Kampmann and Margot Atwell is a great example of a book written solely for the purpose of getting a book published. It covers nothing new, and everything that it does cover has been discussed better, more thoroughly, and more constructively somewhere else.
March 9, 2013
“The Insider's Guide To Book Publishing Success” by Eric Kampmann and Margot Atwell is a good little guide on the basics of publishing. I don't know if it's an “insider's guide” as much as a brief overview of what goes into book publishing. It's also more about traditional publishing, or traditional type self-publishing, and not so much about things like print-on-demand and eBook publishing. (These are mentioned, but they are not the book's focus.)
There is a general publishing overview, information on making your manuscript the best it can be, production elements such as printing, and such, options regarding sales and distribution, some marketing and PR advice, a brief description of various rights, tips for financing independent publishing, and four success stories and some good advice to be learned from them.
This is a small book, not large in size or page count. And while it doesn't go into the nitty-gritty of how to do things, it does give a very good overview of what goes on with publishing that a person can use as a road map in this industry. The timeline for marketing and PR can definitely help people organize for successful book publishing.
If you are familiar with book publishing, you'll know a lot of the things this book identifies. However, if you are just starting out, this book would be a good read to get you familiar with everything you need to know, and you could then seek out the additional information you need for certain areas. If you are looking for a self-publishing guide that will help you with print-on-demand publishers or kindle and eBook publishing, this book won't help you much in those areas and you should seek out different resources.
Bottom line, this is a good little book that overviews the publishing process.
There is a general publishing overview, information on making your manuscript the best it can be, production elements such as printing, and such, options regarding sales and distribution, some marketing and PR advice, a brief description of various rights, tips for financing independent publishing, and four success stories and some good advice to be learned from them.
This is a small book, not large in size or page count. And while it doesn't go into the nitty-gritty of how to do things, it does give a very good overview of what goes on with publishing that a person can use as a road map in this industry. The timeline for marketing and PR can definitely help people organize for successful book publishing.
If you are familiar with book publishing, you'll know a lot of the things this book identifies. However, if you are just starting out, this book would be a good read to get you familiar with everything you need to know, and you could then seek out the additional information you need for certain areas. If you are looking for a self-publishing guide that will help you with print-on-demand publishers or kindle and eBook publishing, this book won't help you much in those areas and you should seek out different resources.
Bottom line, this is a good little book that overviews the publishing process.
April 27, 2013
At 155 pages, 27 of which are dedicated to someone else's success stories on making it in the big time, this guide on publishing can hardly be called expansive however it does cover the basics and brings someone considering writing a book some food for thought. As a recently self-published author myself it does help by giving the writer an idea of what type of questions to go over with their publisher, and publisher's marketing staff and gives food to the thought of what is ahead in getting the book to sell at a top performance level. I would have liked to read more about the one question soon to be first-time authors ask of me, and I asked of others, how do I find an agent, because lets face it, without them most writers just can't even get to the publisher. The book did address, quite well, how the indie publisher is surging ahead in today's market and they seem to put more focus on that chapter in the publishing world than that of agent searching, perhaps rightly so. I enjoyed reading this and reminding myself of what lays ahead with my next novel looming; it can be a little over-whelming and the guide sure does help refocus on what to remember to do next
June 24, 2013
Kampmann, Eric and Margot Atwell. "The Insider's Guide to Book Publishing Success." NY: Beaufort Books, 2012.
Kampmann presents timelines, facts, and resources in clear, concise, organized manner. It is not a book you would read for entertainment. It walks you through each step of the publishing process. Including giving a time frame of what should be done when. His concern for detail is evident even in advising how to select the page quality for your book---and when it should be done to cause least expense. He has done an excellent job at telling it like it is.
It becomes overwhelming because that is what the process is--if looked in detail with all that is involved. But the steps he provides breaks it down to allow small bites that can be chewed.
The references to further answer problems or consult with specialists in each field were indispensable.
It is a book that I would recommend for authors beginning their writing career---and even for those just contemplating publishing their works on their own.
December 28, 2015
A concise collection of useful information for those seeking more knowledge about the process of publishing. A good place to start - an overview is provided for most aspects involved in publishing, be it online or traditional - the guide does not provide answers to more specific questions. Still, it is a great starting point for an individual without previous knowledge or who is looking for the right questions to ask. This should be one of the first stops for authors unfamiliar with publishing but is best used to find areas where the author needs to research further or discover a part of publishing the author had not considered (upon which, the former half of the statement applies).
January 7, 2014
If you ever wondered what is takes to publish a book, then this is the book for you! It gives you the all the steps from beginning to end, and you will see that publishing a book as not as easy as you may think.
December 30, 2014
Interesting read for all authors and focuses primarily on the publishing part and how to distribute. It would be most useful if you were going to have the books printed by a small press or yourself, not POD or ebook as your primary.
March 13, 2014
This book offers some great information, but it is more of a broad overview than anything else. It wasn't as helpful as I had hoped.
June 9, 2014
Very informative. A must read for anyone planning or writing a book.
June 30, 2014
I found this book very informative. I wasn’t expecting it to be too concise and to go too in-depth but it gave me lots to think about.
July 6, 2014
I thought this book read like a glossary of publishing terms. It left me longing for details, and I didn't find it so useful, except for clarifying the terms, of course.
May 9, 2015
It was okay. Not very in depth and mostly just an overview of a few topics. There were some good ideas and tips which is why I ended up still giving it 3 stars.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews