Why You Need To Take A Publishing Course

After you finish the first draft of your novel, the next thing on your mind would be how to get a publisher to have it on their list of fast selling titles. But few writers are aware of the fact that most publishing executives, I mean the book editors, book marketers, reviewers and publicists were once writers who later found their voices in the works of other writers. I will highlight in this article five reasons you need to take a publishing course:

1) You can learn some new tricks

Publishing has so many tricks and intrigues, most especially for those who will be interested in mastering one of its numerous units. For instance, you can make more money selling individual territorial rights with or without your local publisher. How? You need to take a course in rights and contracts. Who knows, the next Laura Bradford might just be you. Most publishers have had to employ the services of a foreign rights agent to handle the complexities of rights sales and permissions.

2) Earn an extra income

Even if you are a University lecturer or fully funded writer, you can make an extra income understanding the business of publishing. Academic publishing is always left in the hands of Publishing Executives, while University Dons complain of low royalty from their works. You might not necessarily start a publishing firm, but understanding the business side of the Academics will afford you more opportunity to optimize your income flow.

3) Save Your Editor The Major Headaches

If you are a writer and it is your dream to win some major accolades for your works, then it is recommended you take a course in book editing. For example, taking a course in publishing will afford you the opportunity to see the creative work as a human skeleton and how to effectively fix in the parts to make a beautiful human body.

4) Learn How To Make a Bestseller

Most writers always assume the publishers have a magic wand that turns a book into a bestseller. Yes, they do. But not in all cases. Understanding how the book business works will afford you the wisdom of deliberately writing books that will sell no matter the season. We call them – the book of all seasons! You will learn how to churn out books that will make you and your publishers smile to the bank every now and then.

5) Learn How To Use Pictures To Decorate Your Words

Writers underestimate the power of visuals, because they assume the power in the word is Almighty and cannot be shared. Taking a course in publishing will expose you to how publishers employ design skills to make the book more appealing to the ever buying readers.

As you pen your next draft, you will consciously write words and be able to mentally picture the right visuals that will sell the book to its audience.

Wale Makinde is the Programmes Officer of The Publishing Academy, a newly established publishing school based in Ibadan. To register for a publishing course in The Publishing Academy, visit http://www.publishingacademy.org