The Business of Publishing is Your Oyster
Publishing opportunities for prose in all its forms have never been greater. We’ll talk about the ones I’ve used personally and the ones I’m aware of, and answer questions you might have about the various types of publishing, if you like.
The main thing to understand is that if you want to write and publish something other than what your law practice requires in the course of client representation, now is the time.
New York publishing companies continue to dominate the bookstore shelves. This is a multi-billion dollar business. Most unpublished writers think of New York publishing as their best first choice. Difficulty breaking into that market is well publicized. Yes, it’s competitive. What business of any value is not? But breaking in isn’t impossible. Writers break in every day.
Smaller independent presses are another multi-billion dollar segment of the publishing world, and often are more profitable. Most unpublished writers are not aware of small presses. Locating and approaching them requires a bit of savvy.
Online publishing has become so mainstream that all the traditional publishers, large and small, have embraced it. Big name authors are using online publishing in strategic ways to increase their readership. Audio, electronic, and even video publishing is now widely utilized. Traditional publishers troll both online and self-published work looking for materials to buy and publish in hard copy formats. Self-publishing, once stigmatized as “vanity press” has turned the corner on respectability.
Materials published online are routinely referenced in mainstream media and accepted for reprint in books and magazines. Original online content is a source of both steady employment and freelance income for many writers. Opportunity is expanding faster than we can report it to you.
This means that your work can be published if you so desire. There’s no time like the present. What’s holding you back?
