Paul B. Brown - Publishing Confidential: The Insider’s Guide to What It Really Takes to Land a Nonfiction Book Deal

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10501-Publishing Confidential 12/9/03 11:12 AM Page iMore advance praise for Publishing Confidential:If you really want to publishnot just writea nonfiction book, thenstudy and follow what Paul B. Brown has to say. He is a seasoned pro whowill unveil the intricacies of the publishing process and give you prag-matic and proven strategies for getting your book to the market it deserves.Trust me on this; hes played a central role getting my books published!James M. Citrin, coauthor of Lessons from the Top andThe Five Patterns of Extraordinary Careers; author of ZoomA funny, realistic view of the publishing process and a must-read for any-one who thinks he has a book in him. I wish all my clients would read this!Debra Kass Orenstein, literary property attorneyYoure better off not knowing what goes on inside a fine restaurantskitchenor a publishers office. But if you must peer into the pressure-filled, overheated world of books (and remember that there are no healthinspectors here), youll find no better guide than Paul B. Brown. Heknows how the sausages are made.Marion K. Maneker, publishing columnist for New York MagazinePaul B. Browns book will be an enormous help to new authors (andsome more experienced ones) whowhether they know it or notneedto understand the inner workings of the nonfiction book business inorder to position their projects appropriately. The industry is full of darkpathways, and this book will help writers avoid the obstacles and navi-gate their way into print.Agent Brian DeFiore, DeFiore and CompanyThe chapter on marketing alone is worth your next raise. PublishingConfidential is a must-read for any executive who wants to get a bookpublished.Paul Fargis, Publisher, The Stonesong Press

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10501-Publishing Confidential 12/9/03 11:12 AM Page iiPaul B. Browns book, Publishing Confidential, is the Straight TalkExpress of the publishing world. To paraphrase Roy Blounts (admittedlybizarre) maxim Camels are easy, comedy is hard, Brown offers: Writ-ing is easy, getting published is hard. But it will be a lot less hard if youread this book. If you want to increase your odds of being published, buythis book.Alex Beam, columnist, The Boston Globe,and author of Gracefully InsaneIn the real world, there are two kinds of writers: starving artists andsuccessful business people. If you aspire to the latter, this books for you.Browns approach is bottom-line oriented, actionable, and effective.Read and prosper!Frank Armstrong, President, Investor Solutions Inc.,and author of The Informed InvestorAs a literary agent I can confirm the fact that if every author would sim-ply read and heed Paul B. Browns Chapter Five (Creating the Proposal)and follow his methodology for preparing their own material, there wouldbe many more authors in print today. That one chapter alone is worth theprice of admission to the remainder of Browns excellent how to guidefor anyone interested in how publishing really works.Stan Wakefield, President, SMW Productions, Inc.Brown knows the authoring process from so many angles that he some-how manages to make publishing seem straightforward. Not to mentionpossible. What hes written isnt just for anyone whos ever wanted towrite a book, its for anyone whos ever read a book and wondered howit got made. Brown pulls back the curtain. Now you can see the wizardfor yourself and laugh along the way. This guy is funny. It was the Greekswho first worried about presenting humor and gravity combinedbutthen, they hadnt read Brown. I have. So should you.Michael S. Hopkins, novelist and Editor-at-Large, Inc. magazine

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10501-Publishing Confidential 12/9/03 11:12 AM Page iiiPublishingConfidential

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10501-Publishing Confidential 12/9/03 11:12 AM Page ivOther books by Paul B. Brown (to show that he may have a clue):Citizen Investor: How One Word Can Fund Your Retirement (with PhilDow). RBC Dain Rauscher, 2004.The Map of Innovation: Creating Something out of Nothing (with KevinOConnor). Crown Business, 2003.Zoom: How 12 Exceptional Companies Are Navigating the Road to theNext Economy (with James M. Citrin). Doubleday, 2001.Lessons from the Top: The Search for Americas Best Business Leaders(with Thomas J. Neff and James M. Citrin). Doubleday, 1999.The Enneagram Advantage: Putting the 9 Personality Types to Work inthe Office (with Helen Palmer). Harmony Books, 1998.Leading People: Transforming Business from the Inside Out (withRobert H. Rosen). Viking, 1996.The Corporate Coach: How to Build a Team of Loyal Customers andHappy Employees (with James B. Miller). St. Martins, 1993.Grow Rich Slowly: The Merrill Lynch Guide to Retirement Planning (withDon Underwood). Viking, 1993.My Season on the Brink: A Fathers Seven Weeks As a Little LeagueManager. St. Martins, 1992.Customers for Life: How to Turn That One-Time Buyer into a LifetimeCustomer (with Carl Sewell). Doubleday, 1990.Marketing Masters: Lessons in the Art of Marketing from Those Who DoIt Best. Harper & Row, 1988.Sweat Equity: What It Really Takes to Build Americas Best SmallCompaniesBy the Guys Who Did It (with Geoffrey N. Smith). Simonand Schuster, 1986.

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10501-Publishing Confidential 12/9/03 11:12 AM Page vPublishingConfidentialThe Insiders Guide toWhat It Really Takes toLand a Nonfiction Book DealPaul B. Brownwith illustrations by Britton Payneand snide editorial comments byEllen Kadin, AMACOM BooksAmerican Management AssociationNew York Atlanta Brussels Chicago Mexico City San FranciscoShanghai Tokyo Toronto Washington, D.C.

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10501-Publishing Confidential 12/9/03 11:12 AM Page viSpecial discounts on bulk quantities of AMACOM books areavailable to corporations, professional associations, and otherorganizations. For details, contact Special Sales Department,AMACOM, a division of American Management Association,1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.Tel.: 212-903-8316. Fax: 212-903-8083.Web site: www.amacombooks.orgThis publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritativeinformation in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with theunderstanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal,accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or otherexpert assistance is required, the services of a competent professionalperson should be sought.Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataBrown, Paul B.Publishing confidential : the insiders guide to what it reallytakes to land a nonfiction book deal / Paul B. Brown ; withillustrations by Britton Payne ; and snide editorial comments byEllen Kadin.p.cm.Includes index.ISBN 08144722651. AuthorshipMarketing. 2. Book proposals. I. Title.PN161.B77 2004070.5'2dc2220030199632004 Paul B. BrownAll rights reserved.Printed in the United States of America.Illustrations 2004 Britton PayneThis publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, withoutthe prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of AmericanManagement Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.Printing number10987654321

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10501-Publishing Confidential 12/9/03 11:12 AM Page viiFor Ali,Because I really wouldnt lastten minutes without you.

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