“Publish and be damned”

is a quote attributed to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, on hearing that the courtesan Harriette Wilson was threatening to publish her memoirs and his letters, and also the name of a publishing fair held in London that takes its name directly from the quote.

Book publishing has always been with us, from monks in their cloisters, slaving away by candlelight to work on copies of the bible and other religious tracts, all beautifully written and illustrated, to the early printing press, producing news-sheets and radical pamphlets, to the machines that now turn out thousands of books and magazines each week.

The most basic of self publishing skills, would be writing to the letters page of a newspaper or magazine, or an actual article to be included in a periodical of your choice. But for the more ambitious, who have maybe had an idea for a story or something in the non fiction line that you would like to share with others, it has probably never been easier.

To get your manuscript seen and then published, means not just supplying a story with a beginning, a middle and an ending, but to actually learn how to write and format your manuscript, so that’s its appearance will at least let you get your foot in the door.

Once you have completed your manuscript and are satisfied with the results, the options available on how to publish are overwhelming.

Do you want to self publish or go through a traditional publisher?

If you want to get published in the uk both options are available.  There is a great deal of information to help you with this on the internet, there are publishing houses dedicated to the work of fledgling writers, with all the support in place from the books conception to the final product.

If you wish to self publish and many successful writers have done so, having a supporting author services partner can reduce the cost and iron out the complexities and help you with things from cover design to distribution, making sure your book is promoted to the market you have written for.

For more help and advice on how to get your book published click on the link below as have a look at our step by step guide to self publishing.