Welcome to our section on book publishing. Here you will find information about publishing a book, including query letters, agents, book titles, pen names, and more. This section also provides book publisher resources and information about book marketing and self-publishing.

There are two main ways to publish a book. It can be published for you the traditional way through a small press or a major publishing house. The other method is to publish it yourself, which is known as self-publishing. Both publishing methods can include one or more of the different formats books are sold in today, such as hardcover, paperback, print-on-demand, ebooks and audio books.

How to Choose a Publisher?
Whether you are publishing your book through a small publisher or planning to self-publish a book there are certain things you want to look for. Our article "Choosing a Publisher" lays out some of the many things to look for when you choose a publisher for your book.

Query Letters
A query letter is a short one-page letter used to try and interest a literary agent in your book. Find out more about them and tips for writing them.

Marketing Plan

Before you publish a book it is important to have a plan for how to market your book. A great marketing plan may even make a publisher more interested if they think it will help boost sales, especially if they are a smaller publisher with fewer resources. The announcement of a new book is a very useful promotion tool but you can't call your book a new book forever.

This is why you need to be ready to go before you publish the book yourself or before it is released by your publisher. You want to capitalize on the fact that your book is new and while the release of the book is still newsworthy. Jennifer Hollowell explains some of the many promotional efforts you can make ahead of time in her article about developing a pre-publication marketing plan.

Book Publishing Resources

Below are more resources about getting your book published and promoting your book.

Book Publishing News
Keep up with the latest book publishing industry news.

Literary Agents Submission Guidelines
Submission guidelines for some literary agencies open to submissions. You will typically have to send a query letter to a specific agent.

Book Publisher Submission Guidelines
Submission guidelines for some publisher imprints and small book publishers seeking manuscripts.

Pen Names
Information about pen names and why authors use them.

Self-publishing
Information about self-publishing your book including articles, interviews and links to self publishers.

Book Promotion
There are many ways to promote a book including book signings, online marketing, social media and more. Our book promotion section contains articles and resources to get you started.

Book Title Generators
Learn about the importance of having a good title and discover some tools online that will automatically generate titles for you.

Book Publisher Directory
A list of book publishing including genre publishers.

How to Publish a Chapbook at Home
A chapbook is a small collection of poems or short stories. Learn how to print one.

ACX
Learn about Audible's ACX, an audiobook marketplace connecting authors and producers

Creating Book Covers
The cover of your book is a crucial marketing component. Find out more about the process.

Paperback Writer by The Beatles
Find out how Paul McCartney came up with the song "Paperback Writer" that is written like a query letter.

Epublishing Overview
An introduction to ebooks, print-on-demand, e-ink and more.

Literary Agent Resources
Find links to articles, literary agent databases and more.