The founder of Belt Publishing demystifies the publishing process, offering some insider how-to advice for aspiring authors. This slim but insightful guide offers concrete, witty advice and information to authors, prospective authors, and those curious about the publishing industry's inner workings. The chapters are chock full of important advice and information, including: · How advances and royalties really work · The surprising methods that actually move books off the shelves · The art of pitching to agents · The differences between Big Five and independent presses · The ins and outs of distribution, direct sales, and selling through Amazon Written by an industry veteran who's been on both the writing and publishing side, So You Want to Publish a Book? is a refreshing, no-nonsense, and transparent guide to how books get made and sold. For readers and writers looking for a straightforward guide for publishing, promoting, and selling their work. "A compact, practical manual . . . a wealth of information usually only available to insiders." —The Times Literary Supplement