THE AUTHOR TRAINING MANUAL • DEVELOP MARKETABLE IDEAS • CRAFT BOOKS THAT SELL • BECOME THE AUTHOR PUBLISHERS WANT • SELF-PUBLISH EFFECTIVELY NINA AMIR Foreword by JAMES SCOTT BELL WritersDigest.com Cincinnati, Ohio DEDICATION To every aspiring and published author who wants to turn a vision of writing and publishing successful books into a reality. PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR TRAINING MANUAL “The Author Training Manual is a must-read for writers who aspire to publish and for published authors who want to publish more successfully. Successful publishing requires more than great writing. It requires a mindset backed by smart strategy and execution. Nina Amir’s The Author Training Manual delivers the secrets to successful authorship.” — Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords “Nina Amir’s ideas on Author Attitudes are exactly what all authors need to know and what authors who yearn for greater success need to hear.” — Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series “The Author Training Manual lifts the fog of confusion around getting published and illuminates the need for every nonfiction and fiction writer to create a plan, keep on track, navigate all publishing options, tackle promotion, open possibilities for sales and, plain and simple, succeed as an author. This is the book I’ve been waiting for to recommend to all editing clients and writers.” — Elizabeth Lyon, author of Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write “Whether you are getting ready to break in—or almost ready to break out—this book is your essential manual for becoming the market-ready partner publishers seek. I am one of the agents who met this author when she herself was in author training; now we’re all clamoring to be included in her books!” training; now we’re all clamoring to be included in her books!” — Katharine Sands, literary agent and author of Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye “Nina Amir’s The Author Training Manual will be of help to any writer, fiction or nonfiction. It’s easy to follow and inspiring.” — Elizabeth Pomada, literary agent, Larsen/Pomada Literary Agents “One of the most important things authors can do for themselves is to prepare to become published and to succeed in this role, which takes more than just writing a good book. It takes a solid plan. If you want the tools to succeed no matter what or how you plan to publish, this is the book you want to read.” — Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., adjunct professor NYU, and author of Red Hot Internet Publicity “Nina Amir’s The Author Training Manual will save fiction and nonfiction writers decades of fumbling their way to publication. Her book is a sharp, supportive guide to give any writer all the tools to become a confident, savvy author in an ever-changing publishing landscape.” — Jordan E. Roseneld, author of Make a Scene, Write Free, and Forged in Grace “Nina Amir’s The Author Training Manual is more than, well, a manual: Beyond telling you the ins and outs of writing and publishing a book, it helps you hone your Author Attitude to ensure success on all levels. Any serious author needs to have this book on her shelf.” — Linda Formichelli, author of Write Your Way Out of the Rat Race … And Step Into a Career You Love “Finally a book that offers indie publishers a tool for becoming savvy business people. Fiction and nonfiction authors alike will benefit from The Author Training Manual, which shows them how to create a business plan for a book that can succeed in the marketplace. A good idea is great; a marketable one is better.” — Jim Kukral, author of Attention! This Book Will Make You Money and founder of The Author Marketing Club “From descriptive step-by-step instructions on how to write a book that will sell for almost any genre to the specifics of what’s in a book proposal and why you need one even if you choose to self-publish, this book chunks down the writing process and the publishing industry into actionable steps any author will have no problem taking. … So many authors jump into self-publishing not realizing all that goes into running a publishing company and marketing a book that sells. By following Nina’s advice, authors will be well on their way to success and leaving their self-published competition in the dust. And I guarantee you’ll never see the word, “WOOT!” quite the same way!” — Kristen Eckstein, publishing consultant and author of more than 35 books, including the Author’s Quick Guide series “In The Author Training Manual, Nina Amir distills the essence of what it means to be a successful author and delivers it with intelligence, grace, and tough love. Every author would do well to have a copy.” — Peter Beren, literary agent and co-author of The Writers Legal Companion “If you are serious about getting published, you will stand out from your competition by using all of the resources at your disposal to set yourself apart in the most positive way. Nina Amir’s approach taps into your natural creativity and applies it to the important business considerations that will help get your book in the marketplace.” — Sheree Bykofsky, Literary Agent and co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published, 5th Edition “Nina Amir is on the leading edge of book publishing, and in The Author Training Manual she provides authors with the tools—and even more important, the thinking behind them—that every author will need to be successful today. This up-to-date manual should be in every author’s toolbox. Highly recommended.” — Joel Friedlander, author of A Self-Publisher’s Companion CONTENTS Foreword by James Scott Bell Introduction MANUAL Author Attitude: The Essential Characteristic Necessary for Publishing Success How to Begin: Evaluate Yourself and Your Book for Success Step #1: Develop an “Author Attitude” and Plan Your Success Step #2: Know What Your Book Is About and Why Someone Would Want to Read (Buy) It Step #3: Analyze How Many People Really Might Buy Your Book Step #4: Compare the Competition andDiscover If Your Idea Is Unique and Necessary Step #5: Examine the Structure of Your Book Step #6: Decide If Your Book’s Content Matches Your Initial Vision Step #7: Discover Ways to Brand Yourself and Earn More Money Step #8: Weigh Whether You Are the Best Person to Write This Book … Now Step #9: Gauge If You Make a Good Publishing Partner or Indie Publisher The Final Steps: From Aspiring to Published Author SAMPLES Sample #1 Sample #2 Sample #3 Sample #4 TRAINING EXERCISES Step #1 Step #2 Step #3 Step #4 Step #5 Step #6 Step #7 Step #8 Step #9 Copyright