Write It & Publish It: A Publishing Guide

By Zelda Lockhart

Should I self-publish? How do I look for an agent? Do I need a book proposal? How do I find an illustrator? Let me demystify it for you in this comprehensive guide to what is necessary to finish your book project, build your platform, and pursue traditional publishing or self-publishing.

I have more than 30 years of publishin

• Language: English
• Publisher: LaVenson Press
• Release date: Jan 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9780978910280

Zelda Lockhart

Zelda Lockhart is the author of Fifth Born, Cold Running Creek, and Fifth Born II: The Hundredth Turtle. Her fiction, poetry, and essays appear in several anthologies including Chautauqua and Obsidian II. She holds a PhD in Expressive Art Therapies, an MA in Literature, and a certificate from the New York Film Academy. She lives in North Carolina.

Book preview

Introduction

Many of us start the journey to get our work published without anyone to answer our questions. In my 30 years of being a published writer I have experience with being published by major presses such as Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins, through small presses, as well as in journals and magazines. I have also self-published several titles. I have served as a judge for countless literary prizes. In other words, I’ve seen it all and have fallen in many holes and seen other folks do the same. This book is my way of trying to impart what I know to you so that you can avoid falling in some of those familiar holes. I am grateful for the other writers in my life who have helped me to avoid certain obstacles. I hope this eBook helps you on your publishing journey.

I believe that we haven’t finished our work until it has reached its audience. So, let’s dive in and start the journey. 

First, before we get started, know that this booklet assumes a couple of things:

You have written some short works, short stories, essays, or a poetry collection or two.

You have perhaps written a full-length work like a novel, memoir or full-length book of poems.

You have had readers and editors for these works.

You have published at least one work previously (if not, there are instructions for doing so in parts one and two).

As the industry continues to change, I will continue to revise this eBook. I have been teaching the workshop The Publishing Intensive which this book accompanies since 2006. The booklet has been in commission, being revised each year to keep up with industry changes and to accommodate for the additions that writers like you have called for. Feel free to be in touch and offer your feedback on how I can continue to hone this booklet.

Thanks so much for taking this journey.

– Zelda Lockhart, PhD

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www.zeldalockhart.com

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Part One

Some Basic Terms & Finishing Your Writing

Some Basic Terms

There are a couple of terms used in the literary world that have more than one meaning.

Agent: In this booklet, agent is used in two ways. Agent, as defined in the glossary of my book The Soul of the Full-Length Manuscript to mean a person, place, or thing that helps you out in this world,