Writing and Publishing Your Story

Everyone has a story to tell

         Some write  their history for the benefit of their family – to share their experiences.

         A few famous people, write up their stories to make money, or to justify some action they may have taken while in office.

         Before you start to write you need to research and do your homework.

         Very few authors can make a satisfactory income from writing – if you self publish it’s often difficult to break even.

         Some famous people share their stories with professional  writers and thus share their profits.

         A famous author once told me, “Any fool can write a book and have it printed – that’s the easy bit. It’s the distribution, the publicity and the selling that’s hard.”

         To give some credibility to this blog I will share my own story. I have written 26 books. Eighty-seven  editions have been published by 31 publishers in 18 countries in 11 languages.

         According to WorldCat. org. on 7/2/23 my books are held in 1,556 libraries.

A Handful of Tips to help you publish your story

 * Collecting information and writing

         Start collecting accurate information from your letters and diaries. Check your facts online.

         Write your timeline. When and where were your born, schooled, and worked? Have you a family?

         If you start writing your life from A to Z you are in trouble. You will write too much and may never finish it.

         To make your writing interesting try jotting down some of your anecdotes. Pretending you are telling a friend, or a family member, some of  your adventures.     

         What were your highlights, lowlights and some of your lessons learned?

         Write these down. Keep them brief and polish them.  Next, put your ‘yarns’ into the sequence set out in your timeline.

* Editing

         When you have added to any gaps in your story and polished your anecdotes, get a professional journalist or an editor to look over your manuscript.

         You might even submit your manuscript to a publisher if you are not publishing it yourself, and you believe your story is commercial. You may need to submit your manuscript to several publishers.

* Designing

         If self-publishing you now need to submit your manuscript to the best designer you can find.

         I owe a great debt to my Australian designer, Milton Andrews, Square Peg Design, Hobart.  He was the ‘best’.

         Often a good printer can arrange the services of a designer. Many employ their own designer.

* Printing

         Get a few printing quotes – at least three.

         It’s usually cheaper to print in an Asian country such as Hong Kong or China but there are many hidden costs involved, such as shipping and delivery.

         I find a local printer better. They will deliver to your door and are much easier to deal with any last-minute corrections you may need.  A small mistake can kill the credibility of your book – take care!

         On one of my books, I had not detected a spelling mistake on the spine of the cover. One letter was missing. Our distributor refused to sell it and insisted I reprint the book – a costly mistake.

* Distribution and selling

         I found it much easier to employ a publisher to do this for you as they usually have people ‘on the road’ visiting bookshops and libraries. Both are now diminishing in numbers.

         Keep writing for the sake of your family. Share the lesson you have learned.

Geoffrey Moss(mossassociates.co.nz)

“Write to express NOT to impress.”

         For those in need see our FREE BOOK ” NO JOB! WHAT NOW?”  

For an example of this blog see our other FREE book “Rolling On – Work Adventures in Many Lands” it’s available from mossassociates.co.nz