James Joyce

James Joyce’s Ulysses was judged obscene and rejected by several publishers. John le Carre: John le Carre’s first novel, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, was passed along because le Carre “hasn’t got any future.” Agatha Christie: Agatha Christie had to wait four years for her first book to be published. source https://www.onlinecollege.org/2010/05/17/50-iconic-writers-who-were-repeatedly-rejected/

So You are retired, you have written your piece, had it edited, beta read, and sent it to all family members, what do you do to get it published?

First think, why would anyone buy your book? “Fly-fishing” by J R Hartley may have been a wonderful expert analysis, but is there a market? Can a publisher really anticipate making a return on the investment? OK, you are Richard Osman or Elon Musk. Of course you are going to sell. But really, a Cambodian murder mystery by an ex bog cleaner salesman?

You could write to publishers and agents and get a book deal (I see pigs flying by the window).

You could learn all the tricks of the internet and get it self-published, but maybe not if you have spent your life surrounded by competent people who would have done that sort of stuff for you.

So you come to my conclusion and cheat. You still have to write, edit, re-write, find people to read it, listen, re-write, re-learn English grammar (no it’s not the same as writing a long e-mail), then rinse and repeat. Before you send your manuscript to a vanity publisher who will do all the heavy lifting of the publishing stuff for you. For a modest fee. But at least you get a book published, listed on Amazon and in a state you can market it. Don’t expect them to do anymore than advise on marketing.

You will still be an author. Good luck.

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