Thousands upon thousands of people want careers as writers. And then there are the millions of "average" citizens who have stories they want to tell and subjects they want to write about. Some are professionals (doctors and lawyers, educators and scientists, journalists and psychologists); others are dreamers, students, book club members-but all want to become one of the more than 100,000 authors whose books are published each year in the U.S. and Canada.

Written by experts with thirteen books between them as well as many years’ experience as a literary agent (Eckstut) and a book doctor (Sterry), this nuts-and-bolts guide demystifies every step of the publishing process: how to come up with a blockbuster title, create a selling proposal, find the right agent, understand a book contract, develop marketing and publicity savvy, and, if necessary, self-publish. There’s new information on how to build up a following (and even publish a book) online; the importance of a search-engine-friendly title; producing a video book trailer; and e-book pricing and royalties.

Includes interviews with hundreds of publishing insiders and authors, including Seth Godin, Neil Gaiman, Amy Bloom, Margaret Atwood, Larry Kirshbaum, Leonard Lopate, plus agents, editors, and booksellers; sidebars featuring real-life publishing success stories; sample proposals, query letters, and a feature-rich website and community for authors.

This is the first all-in-one book that tells them everything they need to know to not only publish a book... but to get people to buy it!