Ever wondered what it takes to publish a book? Becoming an editor gave me a little more insight into how the industry works, but I wanted more! I was invited to attend a workshop presented by Hagen Engler on Getting books published.
Hagen is an author, editor, writer, band member and all-around cool dude. He’s published about 10-12 books using self-publishing methods and established publishing houses. When I asked Hagen what his favourite form of publishing was, his reply was “All of them”. In other words, his self-published books led to his books being published by established publishing houses and other opportunities.
According to Hagen, there are four things you need to get a physical book published:
• An ISBN number from the National Library – Once you’ve written your book, you can contact the National Library for an ISBN number. They will give it to you for free.
• A bar code – Once you have your ISBN number, you can purchase a bar code.
• An affordable and reputable printer – Try and do as much research as possible about your printer. Ensure they do good quality work and that they don’t overcharge you.
• And according to Hagen, last, but not least, you need a car boot – To sell all those wonderful books of yours, of course!
I learned a lot from the session with Hagen, but most of all I learned not to confine authors to one medium of publishing. If the story works in one medium, why not publish it in another? If the print version was a success, then publish it as an e-book or a video or a blog.
So, to all the wonderful authors out there – let your stories shine! And don’t limit yourself to just one publishing medium.
Hagen is an author, editor, writer, band member and all-around cool dude. He’s published about 10-12 books using self-publishing methods and established publishing houses. When I asked Hagen what his favourite form of publishing was, his reply was “All of them”. In other words, his self-published books led to his books being published by established publishing houses and other opportunities.
According to Hagen, there are four things you need to get a physical book published:
• An ISBN number from the National Library – Once you’ve written your book, you can contact the National Library for an ISBN number. They will give it to you for free.
• A bar code – Once you have your ISBN number, you can purchase a bar code.
• An affordable and reputable printer – Try and do as much research as possible about your printer. Ensure they do good quality work and that they don’t overcharge you.
• And according to Hagen, last, but not least, you need a car boot – To sell all those wonderful books of yours, of course!
I learned a lot from the session with Hagen, but most of all I learned not to confine authors to one medium of publishing. If the story works in one medium, why not publish it in another? If the print version was a success, then publish it as an e-book or a video or a blog.
So, to all the wonderful authors out there – let your stories shine! And don’t limit yourself to just one publishing medium.
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