As some of you know I have a book coming out in May 2016.
(Update: The book has been released! Hustle Away Debt is available at Amazon and at Barnes & Nobles!)
Just a couple weeks ago I submitted the final draft to my publisher.
Not surprisingly, many people have asked me the past few months how I got a book deal.
Many people like the idea of writing a book. They don’t know where to start, though, and many would prefer to have a publisher than go the self-publishing route.
If I hadn’t worked with a publisher I would not have written a book. As far as I was concerned getting a book deal was a necessary first step for me and really a prerequisite to writing a book.
Today I’ll share how I got a book deal and how you can too.
How I got a Book Deal
This past Summer I spent many hours studying for, and then taking, the GMAT. I then applied to a part-time MBA program, signed up for classes, and even studied and took a waiver exam.
In August a sales rep for a publisher emailed me asking if I had ever thought about writing a book to go along with my blog. I told her that it’s something I’m interested in. We then proceeded to have a call with both her and the SVP of sales.
During that call it was decided I would pitch a book idea to them. This included writing an introduction and table of contents for the book. I took this a step further and wrote (and rewrote) the introduction numerous times as well as wrote a detailed outline of what the book would entail.
After submitting my pitch the publisher decided they wanted to move forward with the book. And that’s how I got a book deal.
Tips for Getting a Book Deal
There were many things I learned going through the process of getting a book deal. Here are a few of the things I would suggest people do if they want to get a book deal.
Start a Blog
If you want a book deal the absolute best thing you can do right now is start a blog.
Without a blog I would never have been given an offer to write a book.
My blog is the sole reason a publisher is wiling to work with me. Without it a publisher would have never reached out to me, nor would they have been interested in my pitch. They like the fact that I have an established website/platform to sell the book, a solid brand, and a social media presence.
The bigger your online presence, especially in the form of a blog, the easier it is to sell a publisher on your suggested book. With that being said make sure you start a blog in a niche that is related to your book. A publisher would be much less likely to give me a book deal if my pitch was about something unrelated to my blog niche.
Having a blog also gives you practice with writing on a regular basis. Many people I talk to who do not blog find the idea of writing a book daunting. Bloggers are used to writing on a regular if not daily basis, and this makes it much easier for them to conceptualize what sort of time commitment and effort is needed to write a book.
Read my post on how to quickly and easily start a blog.
Know What You Bring to the Table
It’s important to know what you bring to the table and what you don’t bring to the table. Over the past couple of years I have shifted my blog to focus on the millennial demographic, specifically the college grad and 20-something demographic. Beyond that I have put a huge emphasis on increasing income over virtually any other personal finance topic.
My book’s target demographic aligns with my site’s target demographic. Pointing this out in my pitch and explaining how these synergies would exist showed the publisher that I “get” the marketing/sales aspect of the process and I’m thinking ahead to who will be buying and reading the book.
I also made sure that the publisher was aware that I have plans on plowing thousands of dollars into my blog over the next few months. A full redesign is in the works and I have plans laid out of how I plan to grow my blog over the next five months. This shows that I’m serious about making my brand as valuable as possible, which is a good sign for them as they are essentially signing up to co-brand with me.
Finally I made it clear that even though I am a first-time author, I am willing to put in whatever efforts necessary to make the book a success. If that means spending hours each night working on marketing efforts, doing interviews, and whatever else I can do, I’ll do it.
Remember, the goal here is to minimize the risk for the publisher.
Be Flexible
If you’ve been writing for a while or you started a blog in the past you know how important it is to be flexible. Especially with blogging where revenues can vary quite a bit from month-to-month, or a topic idea may come to mind last minute, or a big request with a tight deadline could come up, it’s important to always be as flexible as possible. Writing a book is no different.
As I said earlier, I was all set to start my MBA this Fall. The book deal came up right before the semester started (which I now view as a blessing), and I knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity. Was it ideal timing? No. But you have to prioritize opportunities.
I was also given a tight turnaround time, approximately three months. I had to be flexible because I knew the publisher was taking a gamble on me as a first-time author.
Don’t Be Afraid to Pitch to Publishers
I waited until a publisher reached out to me before pitching a book. I think this helped motivate me because my thought immediately went to oh, they WANT me to write a book? I better make this pitch as good as I possibly can. I didn’t want to blow the pitch because it had a higher likelihood of any other pitch to be successful since they were the ones asking me.
You don’t have to wait, though. If you have an established blog and brand there is no reason you can’t put together a pitch and reach out to publishers directly. I would highly recommend this route if you are anxious to get your first book out there and already have a concept of what it would be, who it would be targeted at, etc.
I think it’s also important to always have a pitch ready. I got on the phone with a sales rep and the Senior Vice President of marketing for a publisher to learn about their process. If I was smart I would have prepared a pitch for that meeting. I wasn’t smart.
Have a topic and outline for your book ready to go. You never know when you will have the opportunity to pitch to a publisher and it could happen quickly. Your odds of landing a book deal go up dramatically the more serious the publisher thinks you are about writing and selling a book. If you have something ready to go the second they reach out to you they will know you are serious about your book.
If you want to get a book deal, the best thing you can do is start a blog. I can’t stress this enough. I honestly believe that if you don’t have an online presence you have little to no chance of getting a book deal. Publishers are willing to gamble on new authors, but they want their bets to be as safe as possible. People who have an online presence are much safer bets than those who do not.
Self-publishing has become an increasingly popular choice, especially for new authors, so it would be unfortunate for me to wrap up this post without mentioning it. Self-publishing has it’s place, but I think it should be more of a last resort than a first option. Working with a publisher has been a huge advantage for me because I barely had time or capacity to write a book, let alone do all the work for sales, design, editing, marketing, and everything else that goes into a book.
Most people who are writing their first book are not full-time authors. Writing the book won’t be your full-time job. With that in mind it makes sense to try to get a book deal instead of self-publish. You will have more time to work on the writing of the book and are much more likely to follow through with actually finishing a book. If it doesn’t work out with a publisher you can always go the self-publishing route so you have nothing to lose by first reaching out to publishers.
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Hopefully me sharing how I got a book deal provided some insights into the process. If you have any specific questions please do not hesitate to leave them in the comments below or reach out to me via email.
Check out some of the other posts I’ve written about how to build a following through blogging:
Have you written a book? If not, is writing a book a goal of yours? Why or why not?
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Congratulations, DC! That’s so exciting that you’ve submitted the final draft! And how cool that your blog has brought you such an amazing opportunity.
These seem like very useful tips — I’m not in a place right now where I’m trying to get a book deal, but I will bookmark this page in case that’s ever the case. :)
I am SO glad you wrote this! I am going to stash it away under my reading / writing file (aka on my pinterest board lol). And congratulations again!!
Congrats DC! Thanks for the tips and best of luck with the book.
Thanks for the background DC and congrats again on the book! I’d love to write a book, though our focus is on growing our business even more so likely wouldn’t be happening in the near term. That being said, it’s amazing what kind of opportunities are out there – and, you’re right, so much of them come from starting a blog and putting in the time/work to get it off the ground.
Congrats on this great opportunity! I was wondering why we hadn’t heard about your MBA plans, so this makes sense. And thanks for sharing how it came about. I’ve always wondered about the inner workings of that world.
Wow, congrats on the book deal! It seems that blogging does bring a lot of opportunities. I know that it’s a lot easier to self-publish these days with Amazon…but like you mentioned, it’s a lot easier when you have the backing of a publisher to guide you and help you with marketing and the other things that comes with writing a book.
Congrats again DC! I’m telling you that even if your blog is not the #1 money maker, it leads to other amazing opportunities! I know so many bloggers who have gotten book deals, speaking gigs, national TV appearances, etc. just because they wrote a blog!
Very cool. Congratulations on getting a book published. That’s a huge accomplishment. I have absolutely no desire to write a book, but I am a huge supporter of those who are able to get that done.
Congrats again, DC! I can’t wait for your book to be released! I don’t think people realize how many opportunity blogging can provide but it is amazing. Even just on a local level, I get stopped at stores and asked if I’m Shannon from The Heavy Purse, which is weird and nice! :) Let me know how I can help support you and your book this Spring!
Congrats DC! Starting a blog can lead to so much :)
theYachtless Thanks so much! Yes, it’s exciting to have the final draft done and to be able to focus more on the marketing aspect of the book. I’m both excited and nervous for it to come out!
Financegirl Thanks! And glad you found this post useful. It’s nice having it written up because it’s an easy place to send people who ask how I got the book deal.
DebtDiscipline Thanks so much! I’m glad you found the tips useful.
FrugalRules Thanks John! Yes there is always a challenge with prioritizing things. Thankfully I was able to have Erin and Kristi write more the past few months so I could devote my free time to the book instead of writing blog posts. I think that’s one challenge full-time writers have is that they don’t want to write all day and then have to write in their free time as well.
pretendtobepoor Thanks! Yes the MBA had to take a back seat : ) But I am actually starting the MBA in January so it’ll be nice to finally get started at that as well.
Andrew LivingRichCheaply Thanks! Yeah I think it’s ideal to go with a publisher and I don’t think I’d go the self-publishing route unless I REALLY wanted to write a book and multiple publishers rejected me.
Beachbudget Thanks! I am totally on the same page with you on that. Your blog does not have to make insane money (or even a “lot” of money) for some great opportunities to come out of it.
Eyesonthedollar Thanks Kim! It was no small feat and it took a lot of planning to actually get it done in such a short time frame.
ShannonRyan Thanks Shannon! That’s so awesome that you get noticed when you are out and about and I agree that there is so many “unknown” opportunities that can come out of blogging. Thanks too for offering to support me in Spring, I definitely appreciate it!
deardebt Thanks! I am a huge advocate of blogging because of the opportunities that can come out of it. You never know where it will take you.
So exciting DC! Can’t wait to see your book.
Congrats again! I have thought about writing a book. I think mine would be a short, but comprehensive text book for high school age students about things they don’t but should be learning in school around personal finance. I’ll have to file this one away for a while.
Congrats on the book deal! Great advice here. I went the self-publishing route myself, and while it was quick, it’s challenging to separate yourself from the crowd (especially with eBooks).
If interested, you can check out my book here: http://www.amazon.com/Your-Roaring-Twenties-Paycheck-Paycheck-ebook/dp/B01053NET0
Hey this is sweet DC! I can’t wait to download a pirated pdf…just kidding!
Congrats! I don’t have the wherewithal for a book. I barely keep up with my blog, and I don’t really have the attention span for the concerted effort it’d take to write a book.
At some point, I may kind of collect my old posts into a book and try to smooth it out into a more book-y format. But I don’t know where I’d find the time.
Make sure you put us on your book tour! We’d love to have you on the podcast when it’s out.
SenseofCents Thanks Michelle! Glad you are excited.
ferventfinance Thanks! And your book is an excellent idea! It would have a massive target demographic, too, and is much needed.
yourroaring20s Thanks! I think there is a time and a place for self-publishing and it can definitely be nice to “own” your book 100% since you essentially get 100% of the revenue, but you make a good point about standing out. A publisher will do some of the heavy lifting there, which is another advantage of looking for a publisher first.
Mark@BareBudgetGuy Haha I hope you truly are kidding, Mark!
AbigailP I think you are selling yourself short. I’ve seen you blog week-after-week and I think you totally could write a book.
AverageJoeMoney Thanks Joe! I appreciate the offer and I will absolutely be taking you up on it!
DC @ Young Adult Money AverageJoeMoney Wow you’re big now DC :)! STB is probably my favourite podcast, @ least in reference to moeny ;).. Looking forward to hearing you on the show
Hey DC!
I’ll definitely buy your book bro, hit me up if you want me to assist in any way and I’ll be sure to post a review for you as well :)
What’s your book going to be on anyway? From memory I get the feeling it’s about personal finance?
Smashing it out man, you’ll be able to take that long awaited trip down under now ;) haha
mycareercrusade DC @ Young Adult Money AverageJoeMoney Thanks man! And I agree, it’s by far the best money podcast out there.
mycareercrusade Hey Jef thanks so much for the kind words and offering to help! Means a lot to me.
It’s about paying down debt, targeted at college grads with student loans as well as others with debt. And yes, I need to make my way to Australia!
I’ve heard everyone from illustrators to programmers to pf bloggers say that blogging about their field/subject opened up doors and careers. Sure I’ll buy your book. I bought J.D. Roth’s book back when he was on the “Get Rich Slowly” blog, and I bought Jason Fieber’s book when he was running his blog “Dividend Mantra” so I have no issue supporting my favorite bloggers.
I run two blogs and run social media accounts for both. I have a twitter account for my other blog and on that twitter account I have about 1220 followers and due to that platform, other doors have opened, like there’s this company called Influenster and they send out free products to people that have a platform, you’re supposed to review the products and blog about them and do a mandatory survey.
When I started. I didn’t know how to gain followers, how to promote, and over time I’ve learned that its about trial and error, but most of all a lot of it is about tenacity. I can’t tell you how many blogs have come and gone. 90% of people in the blogosphere quit. It’s easy to start blogging but its difficult to stay motivated, and blogging just like anything else requires commitment. No one really holds your hand.
It’s not like working for a company, where you work with your team, and you get feedback, and you get help at how to improve. It’s one of the most difficult things I’ve done and I’m going to give it until December 2017 for my pf blog. I think what held me back was treating it as a hobby, a popular blogger said to treat it like a job you love and not a hobby. So that’s what I’m going to do in 2016.
Huge congrats, DC!!! Can’t wait to read it. :-)
Starting a blog is a pretty much rockstar way to do anything :)
Thanks for writing this! I like how you mentioned to have a pitch ready and not be afraid of publishers. I would like to publish a book one day but I’m waiting around for the perfect idea as I want it to come naturally and not be forced and I’m also a little terrified of publishers :) Can’t wait for your book to come out!
EverydayMoxie Thanks for the awesome comment! I think you are right when you say it comes down to tenacity. No one is “making” you blog, and most people don’t feel much of an impact when they stop blogging (besides having a lot more free time haha). I would actually argue that closer to 99.9% of bloggers quit, especially if we are talking about a long period of time (i.e. 10 years).
Thanks again for stopping by and leaving such a thoughtful comment.
Laurie TheFrugalFarmer Thanks Laurie!
stefanieoconnel Haha that’s a great quote ;)
Chonce I think you’re smart to wait for the right idea. Since you’ve already determined that you want to write a book I’m sure the idea will come at some point. It can be intimidating reaching out to publishers since they obviously reject a lot of ideas, but it can’t hurt to reach out!
I can’t wait to read your book when it comes out DC!!! I’ve loved following your progress of working on it through Facebook. I wrote my book last year and having the blog was a HUGE selling point for my publisher in selecting my book to publish. I still sell books through my blog.
blonde_finance Thanks Shannon! I’m glad my Facebook updates have been interesting and not annoying ;) It’s been a nice place to talk about it as I wanted to wait to announce it on here until I had the final copy submitted. Also happy to hear you had a similar experience as me with a publisher looking positively on the fact that you have a blog. I think having a blog is absolutely key.
Congrats on your book. I can’t wait to check it out.
Congratulations!! My daughter is graduating college then, and I plan to buy her your book.
Dude, you know I’ll buy your book.
Congratulations to you! It’s a HUGE accomplishment. And the culmination of the hard work and fortitude you put into building YAM. Very impressive.
LizzyIngalls Thanks! That’s awesome! I hope it makes for a great graduation gift!
Jason @ The Butler Journal Thanks Jason!
Laura Beth @ How To Get Rich Slowly Thanks so much Laura Beth! I really appreciate the kind words.
Great job finishing your book.
I started drafting a book of my own, but it still needs a lot of work. The plan was to publish it as an e-book. I bet that having a publisher with deadlines really helped you stay on task.
Harmony@CreatingMyKaleidoscope Without the deadline I am 100% sure I would still be writing it. I would encourage you to consider reaching out to a publisher before going the self-publishing route. It might motivate you to get the final draft done much faster than if you were self-publishing.
congrats on the up coming book…I am so excited for you. Like I have always said, I think you are a great example for our young adults and old ones too. This is a major accomplishment and I can’t wait to read it.
Somehow I completely missed this post! Congrats DC! I’m excited to hear more about it.
Hannah UnplannedFinance Thanks Hannah! I really appreciate it!
Petrish @ Debt Free Martini Thanks so much Petrish! I will definitely get you a signed copy haha
Hi DC!! How are you?! HUGE congrats are in order for submitting your final draft!!! That’s awesome! And just in time for you to relax over the holidays :) :)
This post was extremely helpful. I’m actually writing a short book on blogging that I’m releasing on Jan 12. However, I will say that not having a publisher makes me view it a lot less seriously than if I were working with someone. I’m kind of just testing the waters on this, and then hope to pitch publishers (like you suggested) over the coming months.
Yay for a site redesign!! Always exciting!! I gotta say – you’re killing it and I’m so happy to be following along!!! Wishing you the best of luck! (And I will absolutely be purchasing your book!!)
Sarah Brooks Hi Sarah – thanks so much for the kind words and the support! It’s so great you are releasing a book in January! I will definitely buy a copy. I would definitely recommend pitching it to publishers because they can help you get more sales than you otherwise would, plus get you in bookstores, etc.
Sounds good just had my first book published self published hard hard road marketing going to be harderaining
Good luck
I can appreciate your advice but I don’t agree that the only way you can get a book published is if you have a blog. You were blessed enough to have such luck but some people are talented enough with writing that they don’t need blogs. I don’t find it encouraging for you to say things in this nature if you aren’t 100% sure about what it takes to really get a book published. Instead, you should only say what you have experienced, not what’s essential for people to do to get their book published. Honestly, It’s kind of discouraging.
Thanks for sharing your opinion! First of all, I do not think getting published has to do with talent. You can be the most talented writer in the world and you may never get your transcript in front of a publisher. My point is this: If you REALLY want to publish a book, start a blog. Bloggers are very safe bets for publishers because they have an established following that they can sell their book to. Worst case scenario the blogger will break even, but there is a ton of upside for the publisher if the book takes off.
I also am really curious why this is discouraging to you? I don’t like to assume things but with most people who I give this advice to who are react negatively typically do not want to put in the work of actually getting a blog established.
That’s amazing! Congratulations and good tips.
I have written 4 books, one of which I have self-published on my blog. However, working full time hours has landed me with the inability to update the blog, and do the marketing though I would much rather have my writing be my primary source of income.
I am glad to have found your website. :)
Thanks for your kind words! I can totally understand your lack of time, which is why I am hesitant to commit to writing a second book. Everything that goes into it – especially beyond the writing – can take a lot out of you!