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The Newbie's Guide to Publishing
Are you a writer?This book was written for you.It doesn't matter if you're just getting your ears wet and learning your craft, or if you're a seasoned pro with an extensive backlist. The Newbie's Guide to Publishing contains all of the information you need to understand the writing business and maximize your sales and success.There's over 370,000 words of writing advice, tips, tricks, and observations. That's more than 1100 pages. It's the biggest book on writing and publishing ever put together, featuring hundreds of essays on the following - More than forty essays, covering everything you need to know to craft fiction.BREAKING IN - Over forty essays on how to find an agent and sell your writing. PUBLISHING - More than twenty essays about the publishing business, and how it works.PROMOTION - Over fifty essays on marketing, advertising, and self-promotion.TOURING - Extensive, in-depth details on how to do book tours and signings.INTERNET - Dozens of essays on how writers can effectively use the world wide web.EBOOKS - Speculation and real-life examples of digital publishing, the Kindle, print on demand, and self-publishing.MOTIVATION - Over fifty essays guaranteed to enlighten and inspire your writing efforts.Plus many, many more.It also includes a foreword and several bonus essays by bestselling author Barry Eisler.About the AuthorJ.A. Konrath has written dozens of novels and hundreds of short stories. His work has been published in over a dozen countries, and there are millions of copies of his fiction in print.His blog, A Newbie's Guide to Publishing, has been named one of Writer's Digest Magazine's Best Web Sites. In a 12 month period, he sold over 35,000 self-published ebooks on Amazon Kindle.He's been featured in Writer's Digest, Forbes, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Publisher's Weekly, Book Page, Entertainment Weekly, and The Huffington Post. Konrath is known as the hardest working author in the business, having toured more than 1200 bookstores. He's done successful blog tours, sent over 7000 letters to libraries, and has been flown all across the country to speak on the topics of publishing, marketing, ebooks, and self-promotion. Under the pen name Jack Kilborn, he wrote the horror novels Afraid, Trapped, Endurance, and Draculas. The Jack Daniels thriller series has houndreds of thousands of books in print around the world. The latest is Shaken, published by AmazonEncore.
- GenresWritingNonfiction
1895 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 18, 2010
33 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Konrath
198 books3,013 followersJoe Konrath has written over twenty novels in the Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels thriller series. They do not have to be read chronologically to be enjoyed, but the order is: Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, Dirty Martini, Shot of Tequila, Fuzzy Navel, Cherry Bomb, Dead On My Feet, Serial Killers Uncut (with Blake Crouch), Shaken, Stirred (with Blake Crouch), Dying Breath, Everybody Dies, Rum Runner, Last Call, White Russian, Shot Girl, Chaser, Old Fashioned, Bite Force, and Witch Brew. More coming soon.
Wow, that's a lot of Jack.
If you like your thrillers on the dark side, check out the Konrath Dark Thriller Collective, which includes the books The List, Origin, Afraid, Trapped, Endurance, Haunted House, Webcam, Disturb, What Happened To Lori, The Nine, Second Coming, and Close Your Eyes.
Joe also wrote the Stop A Murder mystery puzzle series, where you become the sleuth and solve brain teasers to try and catch a killer.
He also wrote the sci-fi trilogy, Timecaster, Timecaster Supersymmetry, and Timecaster Steampunk. Even if you don't think you like sci-fi, give them a try. They feature Joe's well-known characters from his other series, and are insane.
With Ann Voss Peterson he wrote the Codename: Chandler thrillers, including Flee, Spree, Three, Hit, Exposed, Naughty, Fix (with F. Paul Wilson), Rescue, and Free.
And, finally, he writes erotica under the pen name Melinda DuChamp, also with Ann Voss Peterson. Those books are probably too spicy for you, so only the brave and bold should seek them out.
Joe writes a lot. You should probably read everything.
You can visit Joe and sign up for his newsletter at www.JAKonrath.com/mailing-list.php
Wow, that's a lot of Jack.
If you like your thrillers on the dark side, check out the Konrath Dark Thriller Collective, which includes the books The List, Origin, Afraid, Trapped, Endurance, Haunted House, Webcam, Disturb, What Happened To Lori, The Nine, Second Coming, and Close Your Eyes.
Joe also wrote the Stop A Murder mystery puzzle series, where you become the sleuth and solve brain teasers to try and catch a killer.
He also wrote the sci-fi trilogy, Timecaster, Timecaster Supersymmetry, and Timecaster Steampunk. Even if you don't think you like sci-fi, give them a try. They feature Joe's well-known characters from his other series, and are insane.
With Ann Voss Peterson he wrote the Codename: Chandler thrillers, including Flee, Spree, Three, Hit, Exposed, Naughty, Fix (with F. Paul Wilson), Rescue, and Free.
And, finally, he writes erotica under the pen name Melinda DuChamp, also with Ann Voss Peterson. Those books are probably too spicy for you, so only the brave and bold should seek them out.
Joe writes a lot. You should probably read everything.
You can visit Joe and sign up for his newsletter at www.JAKonrath.com/mailing-list.php
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 4, 2014
Hands down, this is the best $2.99 I've spent for my writing career. If you're a writer seeking to either self-publish or get a contract from a publisher, you should read this book. If you're already published, you should read this book. If $2.99 is too rich for your blood, he even offers a pdf version for free on his website. For all the good information I've gotten from his blog, I chose to, and was happy to, part with the money.
For the uninitiated, Joe Konrath is one of those self-publishing success stories. He was also traditionally published, so he knows both sides. He freely shares his experiences and what he's learned through his blog. He's outspoken, opinionated, and controversial. He's also a smart, funny guy with a lot of experience under his belt. You could do worse than to listen to what he has to say.
This book is a collection of his early blog posts. It's massive. There is a lot of information in here, and it's good. He talks about the rejections and how he landed his agent and initial publishing contract. He talks about book tours and promotion. We get to share with him the experience of his first book coming out and those first steps into self-publishing. It's interesting to watch as time goes by and how his opinions changed as this monumental shift in publishing began to unfold.
Everything's not perfect here. Some material is repeated in slightly different forms. There are some spelling and grammar errors, although I didn't have any trouble reading through them. Those are minor quibbles though and should not dissuade you from getting this book. Whichever publishing route you're pursuing, there's valuable info here for you. And it's nice to see both sides, the good and the bad. If you care about your writing career, you owe it to yourself to have a look at this tome.
For the uninitiated, Joe Konrath is one of those self-publishing success stories. He was also traditionally published, so he knows both sides. He freely shares his experiences and what he's learned through his blog. He's outspoken, opinionated, and controversial. He's also a smart, funny guy with a lot of experience under his belt. You could do worse than to listen to what he has to say.
This book is a collection of his early blog posts. It's massive. There is a lot of information in here, and it's good. He talks about the rejections and how he landed his agent and initial publishing contract. He talks about book tours and promotion. We get to share with him the experience of his first book coming out and those first steps into self-publishing. It's interesting to watch as time goes by and how his opinions changed as this monumental shift in publishing began to unfold.
Everything's not perfect here. Some material is repeated in slightly different forms. There are some spelling and grammar errors, although I didn't have any trouble reading through them. Those are minor quibbles though and should not dissuade you from getting this book. Whichever publishing route you're pursuing, there's valuable info here for you. And it's nice to see both sides, the good and the bad. If you care about your writing career, you owe it to yourself to have a look at this tome.
November 27, 2010
I loved The Newbie's Guide to Publishing. Konrath collected his blog posts from the last five years and put them in here. It was a monster of a read, clocking in over 300,000 words. While I think it's essential for any newbie writer to read it, I think any writer could learn from it. That said, there were a few problems with this book.
I don't know how much work was done into making this as a book. There were quite a few typos in it. There weren't that many but there was enough for it to be distracting. The biggest problem was the fact that the book repeated itself in parts. I read info about something only to read it again a few pages later.
Technical issues aside, another problem is at times Newbie's Guide feels like Konrath is showing off or bragging. Read as posts every week or few days, it wouldn't seem that way but here it does. While the underlying theme of it, is still useful, some of the info is outdated. When was the last time you logged into Myspace? Lastly, there were a lot of sections which I started to skip because I didn't find them helpful and a bit of an info dump or bragging. For example, the listing of every book store and how much stock was signed, the newsletters, and the sayings of the motivation section.
With all the problems of The Newbie's Guide, there's so much information in it people should still read it.
I don't know how much work was done into making this as a book. There were quite a few typos in it. There weren't that many but there was enough for it to be distracting. The biggest problem was the fact that the book repeated itself in parts. I read info about something only to read it again a few pages later.
Technical issues aside, another problem is at times Newbie's Guide feels like Konrath is showing off or bragging. Read as posts every week or few days, it wouldn't seem that way but here it does. While the underlying theme of it, is still useful, some of the info is outdated. When was the last time you logged into Myspace? Lastly, there were a lot of sections which I started to skip because I didn't find them helpful and a bit of an info dump or bragging. For example, the listing of every book store and how much stock was signed, the newsletters, and the sayings of the motivation section.
With all the problems of The Newbie's Guide, there's so much information in it people should still read it.
May 10, 2011
Information from a well-researched viewpoint,
A fascinating compendium of time-stamped book marketing knowledge, this guide is quite literally Joe's blog entries from the last few years gathered into one informative form. It's enlightening to see the progression of Joe's thoughts about authors, books, and their connection to the old Publishing Industry versus the new digital medium. As an author who has worked in markets all over the world, and as a novelist who has kicked around the halls of New York for quite a few years, I can say that Joe gets it. He more than gets it. At times I suspect that he has found a crystal ball that can see into our literary future. I highly encourage authors of every stripe to spend some time within the mind of a man who has spent the last few years focused like a laser on how writers can best survive and thrive in the fading paper- and growing e-book markets.The Santa Shop
A fascinating compendium of time-stamped book marketing knowledge, this guide is quite literally Joe's blog entries from the last few years gathered into one informative form. It's enlightening to see the progression of Joe's thoughts about authors, books, and their connection to the old Publishing Industry versus the new digital medium. As an author who has worked in markets all over the world, and as a novelist who has kicked around the halls of New York for quite a few years, I can say that Joe gets it. He more than gets it. At times I suspect that he has found a crystal ball that can see into our literary future. I highly encourage authors of every stripe to spend some time within the mind of a man who has spent the last few years focused like a laser on how writers can best survive and thrive in the fading paper- and growing e-book markets.The Santa Shop
August 18, 2011
As a writer, trying to get published, I highly recommend reading this e-book. I probably found myself reading and re-reading certain sections a number of times and memorising some of his quotes. As Joe clearly states, he has written what has worked for him; it is simply a matter of trying these methods for yourself. Learning from his mistakes and sharing those, along with his path to success, is invaluable to new authors.
This book is a compilation of his blog entries and you will find that he has therefore doubled up on certain topics, which can make it a bit confusing at times. Nevertheless, a lot of his advice is common sense, and by reading his blog when you've finished, he is clearly someone who knows what is happening within the publishing industry.
This book has given me the kick in the pants I deserve with my own writing. I owe this guy a beer or two and something tells me he won't complain. :)
This book is a compilation of his blog entries and you will find that he has therefore doubled up on certain topics, which can make it a bit confusing at times. Nevertheless, a lot of his advice is common sense, and by reading his blog when you've finished, he is clearly someone who knows what is happening within the publishing industry.
This book has given me the kick in the pants I deserve with my own writing. I owe this guy a beer or two and something tells me he won't complain. :)
January 9, 2013
I appreciated the journey, but not every avenue he took. The final section was drudgery as much of it was regurgitated, poorly written, or trite. I also respect the pioneer spirit for which Konrath is famous. However, sometimes his ego is as large as Rush Limbaugh. Confidence is an aspiring trait. Smugness and self-righteousness is not.
If you are considering self-publishing, or are just a writer and curious, this tome can be instructive, inspirational, and at times witty. Konrath's humor waxes from droll to dirty, but his wit is as fine-edged as a sickle. The thing that I liked most about this book was that it contained as much about the craft and business of writing as it did the finer details of self-publishing. In terms of self-publishing, the material answered more of the "Why?" of self-publishing (the moral, ethical, financial, and cerebral reasons) than the "How?" (formatting, cover art, editing, marketing, etc.).
If you are considering self-publishing, or are just a writer and curious, this tome can be instructive, inspirational, and at times witty. Konrath's humor waxes from droll to dirty, but his wit is as fine-edged as a sickle. The thing that I liked most about this book was that it contained as much about the craft and business of writing as it did the finer details of self-publishing. In terms of self-publishing, the material answered more of the "Why?" of self-publishing (the moral, ethical, financial, and cerebral reasons) than the "How?" (formatting, cover art, editing, marketing, etc.).
February 16, 2016
I don't always agree with what Joe Konrath says - I find he comes across as more of a chancer than a writer; almost like a snakeoil salesman in the old west. However there is no hiding the fact that his blog is indispensable for anyone interested in the modern publishing industry. And I have read one or two of his books and he certainly knows how to tell a story. It's just a pity that he seems to have an axe to grind with traditional publishing, and this is clear with many of the articles contained within this book. Still you pays your money and you takes your choice and there are some great articles contained within the electronic covers.
This book collects together the best articles from his blog and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the mechanics of modern publishing.
This book collects together the best articles from his blog and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the mechanics of modern publishing.
February 18, 2011
Want to be a writer? Well then, read this book.
Actually book isn't the right term. It is really an amalgamation of Joe Konrath's blog posts sorted into categories. That means you have to ignore some of the typos and keep some of the post dates in mind. Generally though this is a fantastic book filled with great tips and advice.
Now are you a Konrath e-book convert? If you aren't you may be converted before you finish. If you are traditional publishing all the way then you may find this book a tad annoying. Either way this book still has great advice for the perils and pitfalls that a new author can face.
Actually book isn't the right term. It is really an amalgamation of Joe Konrath's blog posts sorted into categories. That means you have to ignore some of the typos and keep some of the post dates in mind. Generally though this is a fantastic book filled with great tips and advice.
Now are you a Konrath e-book convert? If you aren't you may be converted before you finish. If you are traditional publishing all the way then you may find this book a tad annoying. Either way this book still has great advice for the perils and pitfalls that a new author can face.
December 13, 2010
There was a lot of helpful advice in this book, but I can definitely tell that is a compilation of blog posts. There were several times with anecdotes and advice were repeated, which gave me reading deja vu. There was also a lot that wasn't applicable to me since it dealt with more advanced post-published topics. All in all though, it was a good read and I picked up some good tips, hopefully I can learn from Konrath's experience and avoid some mistakes.
March 31, 2011
This book is amazing!
It's loaded with helpful information that any writer would need. My favorite is the outline technique used to help manage the writing of a book. He even gave a full outline as an example from his book "Bloody Mary."
There are a few typos, and I started to mark it down a bit for that. However, he gave so much helpful information (the outline technique is worth the price itself) that it still deserved 5 stars.
-Lillian
It's loaded with helpful information that any writer would need. My favorite is the outline technique used to help manage the writing of a book. He even gave a full outline as an example from his book "Bloody Mary."
There are a few typos, and I started to mark it down a bit for that. However, he gave so much helpful information (the outline technique is worth the price itself) that it still deserved 5 stars.
-Lillian
July 13, 2011
This book contains a lot of useful advice for ANYONE who wants to publish their book, whether through traditional means or through self-publishing. This book chronicles J.A. Konrath's journey from a traditionally published writer to his delving into Independent Publishing. The only reason I have this 4 stars instead of 5 is because the entire book is basically his online blog in e-book format.
March 31, 2012
Like the bible, big long, dull, repetitive and filled with gems.
Konrath spells out the writing and publishing game from all angels like no one else. The book is taken from his blog and dumped en-mass. There is a lot to wade through, but if you are serious about writing then I believe this is a must read.
Konrath spells out the writing and publishing game from all angels like no one else. The book is taken from his blog and dumped en-mass. There is a lot to wade through, but if you are serious about writing then I believe this is a must read.
July 10, 2011
The articles contained in this ebook are wonderful. I haven't read them all. However, I've read several. Every now and then when I need a break from researching or writing, I read articles from this book to gain a better understanding of the book industry.
July 15, 2013
First thoughts: Long, repetitive and sloppily edited. Second thoughts: an interesting, personal take on the publishing business. If you want to be Salman Rushdie or Jonathan Franzen and sell books, this is probably not for you. If you want to sell books, this might be for you.
June 30, 2010
Konrath tells it honestly and openly about how to write a book and sell it. Comprehensive at over 1300 pages. A compendium of his popular blog, a must read for all budding novelists.
December 28, 2011
Quite helpful, simply an organized version of his blog tips but worthy of book form.
June 4, 2011
So far this is an enjoyable book. It offers good advice for new authors like myself.
Read
August 16, 2011viele gute Ideen um eBooks selbst zu erstellen und zu veröffentlichen
March 30, 2012
Excellent advice on going the self-publishing route.
~Ken Baumbach, author of Mayageddon 2012 and The Heretics' Power
~Ken Baumbach, author of Mayageddon 2012 and The Heretics' Power
May 24, 2021
Good info for new writers, esp. re: ebooks!
December 28, 2012
Good information. I will definitely come back to this book for reference at the various stages if/when I every go to publish a book.
Read
July 24, 2013Overall, good content. Some repetition, but that's probably unavoidable given he was forming a book from 5 years' worth of blog conversations.
July 24, 2017
This ebook is nothing but a collection of blog posts. The author hasn't even edited the ebook. Gave up after about 1/4 of the way through. Wish I could give this a negative star rating.
Read
May 19, 2016Good start for this self-published type.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews