From the ground up, the prospect of publishing anything, such that people can read your book or purchase your novel, is daunting. We hear about literary success from the established and the vindicated, and place ourselves below their means or ability: we are the eyes to be skimming their countless pages. But publishing a piece of literature, whether it is a pamphlet, autobiography, or creative fiction piece, doesn’t require genius, and moreover, it doesn’t require capital or dependence upon a network.

It’s easy to be a published author. Semantics aside, anyone with an internet connection and a word processor can become an author in their own right. The process begins with writing.

Writing Literature

I thoroughly believe that writing doesn’t require an idea, and that many people can write pages without expressing any corporeal idea – you may know some of these people, and I fear I am one at times. However, writing is better seen as a steady discipline than an art, should you desire to write and publish within a satisfying time frame.

A writer commits their mind to the goal ahead (publishing), whose first sub-part is the creation of a piece to publish. Writing doesn’t require inspiration, and most writing lives on without it. The Muse, or whomever you envision as your motivating character, isn’t your concern. When you decide to write, it is best to harbor three basic opinions:

First, an hour spent writing scrap is better than an hour spent arguing the first sentence. Second, most of whatever what you write will be deleted and replaced with a much better revision after careful consideration. Third, commercially-published authors have tedious editors who scour their work for errors. Thus, writing comes with the knowledge that what is written is not final – writing is only trivial until it becomes productive, and nothing signals productive writing.

As a note, actively reading promotes writing; as you read, you gather what you do and do not like in a piece, and you can develop literary skills (sentence structure, grammar, spelling, tone, plot, character development, etc.). Every piece of literature, though not equally, is an example to be learnt from.

Publishing Literature

After several revisions and hours of self-editing, it’s literature. Whatever a professional author can say about standards, or class, or experience, is unrelated. How your literature is absorbed is your decision; persistent work, talent, or luck, decide how much it can be absorbed by a readership. In the publishing phase, considerations include: formatting (line spacing, page thickness, size), cover design, interior design, intellectual property rights, etc.

Self-Publishing

For those interested in having kin read their work, and are uninterested in becoming novel or famous, self-publishing is the route. This method provides personal satisfaction and is realistic to the writer. There are a myriad of services to perform the same function, but Kindle Direct Publishing (formerly, CreateSpace) is costless, plain, and respectful of the author’s work. If you are reading an opinionative article about how to publish without money or a literary agent, I suspect you’re not looking for a page on the innerworkings of each online publishing service. Kindle Direct Publishing offers a direct link to the Amazon store – the most popular online market – and allows you to set the price of your piece (with respect to a minimum price for material costs). In few steps, articulated by copious self-published authors online, you can submit your work and have it available to purchase within two days.

To secure your intellectual rights, you must register for a copyright claim with the United States government (copyright.gov). As of April 2018, a copyright claim amounted to $65.

Traditional, or “House” Publishing

For those interested in beginning a serious career with literature, begin with self-publishing or extensive practice. Traditional publishing requires capital, and further, it requires time, patience, and maturity. Typically, a writer chooses to be traditionally published when they have money to spend, or they want to produce a respectable work and have it succeed commercially (self-published works are no less respectable, though capital investments in a decent editor can aid the piece).

Associating with a publishing house, such as Random House, Signet Press, and Bantam Books, usually requires a solicited query. A writer, working with a literary agent (whose listings can be found online, sometimes for a nominal fee), prepares and submits a solicited package for the publishing house’s consideration: repetition and persistence follows.

Traditional publishing houses consider all aspects of a piece before it is published.

Standards and Expectations

No one can hope, and become, a legendary writer. The proportion of aspiring writers to published writers is astounding, and most will never gather critical acclaim. Without being romantic, and writers have the ability, writing isn’t fair – the world isn’t fair. Self-publishing provides a working base for men, women, teenagers, or whomever feels motivated to share their writing.

The product is the writer’s responsibility, within their ability and experience. Hope fails to seat anyone in the house of success; you must have discipline, and a modest outlook, to succeed in your own right. Your commitment, along with the necessary optimism, is within your control, and popularity is something else entirely. If you write to inform or entertain, consider it done. If you write to be novel or wealthy, consider the costs.