Why Everyone is Talking About Publishizer.com

Why Everyone is Talking About Publishizer.com Every author dreams of getting published and Publishizer.com helps make that dream a reality through its unique crowdfunding platform. And the formula is surprisingly simple: Submit a proposal on the Publishizer platform, sell pre-order copies with the use of the sites promotion tools, and then attract the interest of publishers interested in signing a publishing deal.The Publishizer processWrite a proposalThe Publishizer process begins with a proposal, which according to the website, is free and takes 60 seconds to complete- no manuscript required. To see how easy the process truly is, I signed up using my Facebook account (one of many sign-up options available) and was immediately taken to a page that asked for the title of my book, and its category.If you choose a title that has already been used in the platform, youll be notified of this. If you choose a unique title, youre immediately assigned a web address on the Publishizer platform that incorporates that title. Upon choosing a category (I chose Business for a trial run), youre informed of how many publishers involved with Publishizer are looking for manuscripts within that category. Then, you simply click on the Create Proposal button to be taken to the proposal template.Publishizer.com offers an online proposal templateThe template asks again for a working title, along with a subtitle (which is optional). Youre then asked to note the subcategory within the category you chose. You must then submit the word count of your completed manuscript. The template suggests that the average novel is around 50,000 words, while the average non-fiction word count falls between 50,000 to 100,000 words.The next section requests the level of completion of your manuscript at the current point in time. This section notes that if you are submitting a fiction title, its important to have a complete or almost-complete manuscript. However, if your proposal is for a non-fiction title, the site notes that you dont need to submi t a finished manuscript. According to Publishizer, 90% of non-fiction titles are accepted by publishers at the proposal stage, before the book is ever written! So if you have a great idea for a non-fiction book and have done your research on the topic, you really have nothing to lose by pitching it through the sites proposal process.Next, you need to write a hook for your book in 30 words or less. This blurb will be displayed when readers share your book on Facebook and other social media platforms, as well as the elevator pitch given to publishers who might be interested in publishing your book. This part is especially important, so be sure to spend a lot of time working through the perfect pitch.Following these initial bits of information about your book, the proposal process includes information about you, the author, along with a link to your author website. You must then write a 250 to 350-word blurb on the following: synopsis, outline, author bio, your books intended audience, how you intend to promote your work, the competition youve found, a sample of your writing, and a video promoting yourself and your book. The site notes that the video part is especially important, since you are selling yourself as an author and expert as much as you are selling your writing. Publishers also like to see that you are personable, marketable, and able to do your own outreach to gain an audience for your writing. These qualities help tremendously in marketing a book.Obviously, this information takes more than 60 seconds to complete, but the website provides helpful tips along the way for each section of the proposal. The template provided is standard to what Ive seen in other resources for submitting proposals to publishers and will require time, effort and research (particularly for the competition and audience sections) if participating authors expect to get the attention of traditional publishers. However, everything included in the Publishizer proposal template wil l also be a part of submitting a traditional proposal to publishers when marketing your work, so you need to do the legwork for each section regardless.As for the sample of writing, the website notes that this sample does not need to be a sample of the book, particularly if it is a non-fiction manuscript that has not been completed (or even begun). However, it would be my guess that publishers want to see a sample of the actual book being proposed in order to get a glimpse of the writers talent. For example, you wouldnt want to submit a proposal for a non-fiction book on how to open your own music instruction business, along with a sample of writing from your college creative writing course.Get exposure to publishersThis next step is where Publishizer really shines and is (in my opinion) an excellent resource for both published and newbie writers. Once your proposal is completed, Publishizer will send it out to publishers in a weekly round-up for 30 days. This type of exposure is es pecially valuable for writers who are unsure of the process of querying publishers or submitting proposals the traditional way and could offer established writers more options to choose from to get the best publishing deal. Additionally, the site advertises various promotional tools that can be used to help authors attract attention from the right publishers.Unlock a direct pitchPublishizer then provides the platform and shopping cart to sell pre-ordered copies of your book and unlock a direct pitch to the inboxes of traditional advance-paying publishers. Depending on your level of pre-orders, you could receive an offer from a traditional publisher, independent publisher, hybrid publisher, or service publisher (or a combination of types). The differences between these types of publishers are explained below.Sign a publishing dealFinally, the last step in the Publishizer process is to respond to the publishers who are interested in working with you to publish your book. If this seems overwhelming to you as a new author, the site offers guidance and support to each of its enrolled authors throughout this process. In my opinion, this guidance alone is extremely valuable- particularly for writers who have never been through the process of submitting manuscript proposals.Types of publishersThe Publishizer site offers the following descriptions of the types of publishers who participate on the platform.Traditional publishersTraditional publishers pay author advances, with royalties that tend to be at 10-20% of sales. This type of publisher is generally the most preferred type for most writers, and the site seems to suggest that with the right number of pre-orders- the likelihood is high that youll gain traditional publishers attention.Independent publishersIndependent publishers may or may not pay author advances; however, they tend to offer the most hands-on support, and offer the most author-friendly deal, at 15-50% of book sales.Hybrid publishersHybrid publishers may or may not charge authors for publishing the pre-orders. They tend to be flexible and the fastest to bring your book to market. Royalties range from 50-70% of final sales.Service publishersService publishers charge upfront costs to publish your book to meet the pre-sales you have acquired. They offer the highest level of control and ownership, since authors keep 100% royalties.Free author toolsPublishizer also offers several free author tools to help increase the number of pre-sales and attract the attention of publishers. These include:Step-by-step book proposal builderProposal hostingAuthor video to help you stand outA pre-order campaignTraffic stats, custom tracking links, and email invites for marketingPayment processing (credit card, debit card or PayPal in any currency)Proposal pitch to targeted publishersPublisher trackingLinks to sell via AmazonPromotion in their monthly newsletter (for trending campaigns)Guidance and help setting up your book campaign pageEmail campaig n text and strategies for launchThe Publishizer blogIn addition to the multiple free author tools the Publishizer platform offers, the sites blog is chock full of helpful information for authors. The most recent post, 3 Reasons a Manuscript Critique is Worth Every Penny, is written by a former Author Services manager at Amazon and discusses why serious authors should seek professional pre-publishing feedback and pay careful attention to what that feedback tells them.The Publishizer blog provides great advice for authorsOther blog topics include:How to Write a Book Pitch That Gets Noticed -  Not IgnoredHow To Get 1,000 New Book Subscribers In 30 DaysLabor of Love: Maggie Way on Romance and WritingI Wish Online Platforms Could Sell Your Book For YouHow to talk to book publishersHow to sell your book16,871 book subscribers in 10 minutesCan indie authors tame the marketing beast without breaking the bank?Overall, I found the blog articles to be highly informative and useful for authors at various stages of the writing and publishing process, particularly indie authors interested in building their audience through email campaigns and author pages.