Author with “rock solid positive attitude”

In response to this weekend’s Money & Career piece on how authors are getting books published through print-on-demand services, Saurabh Chowdhry, 30, in Bayside wrote to say:

“I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999 during only
my first year of medical school. I ultimately withdrew and have recently
started writing a book telling how I am beating this disease with a rock
solid positive attitude. I have written many pages thus far but would like
to speak with someone in the publishing industry about how to go further
with my book.”

I suggest you start by reading a basic book on how to get published from the  “Idiots” or “Dummies” lines. You’ll find that, in a nutshell, you’ll have to submit a book proposal to agents, who, if they think your book has merit, will then link you up with publishers.

You might start your search for an agent with the Multiple Sclerosis Society, New York City chapter, which sponsors the annual Books for a Better Life award, where just such titles get honored. People at the Society may get requests from other authors writing about MS and have a tips list as to how to proceed.

You also can identify books that have been published that are in a similar genre as yours. Check the author’s “to whom I’m thankful page” for mention of his/her literary agent and then go ahead and send that person your proposal.

So – is the self-publishing, print-on-demand route sounding more appealing? It’s a big job to write a book, but it’s a bigger one to get it published the traditional way. That’s why so many people these days are taking the do-it-yourself approach. They can bypass the gatekeepers and get their message into readers’ hands, assuming they’ve written a book of some worth and they have an excellent plan for marketing it.

What’s more, there’s nothing like a hot-selling, self-published book to get those hard-to-reach agents and publishers chasing after you!