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Anne Trubek
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So You Want to Publish a Book? Paperback – July 28, 2020

by Anne Trubek (Author)
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In So You Want to Publish a Book?, Anne Trubek, founder of Belt Publishing, demystifies the publishing process.

This insightful guide offers concrete, witty advice and information to authors, prospective authors, and those curious about the inner workings of the industry. Learn the differences between Big Five and independent presses, and how advances and royalties really work. Discover the surprising methods that actually move books off the shelves. Develop the lingo to make editors swoon, and challenge yourself to find the errors intentionally embedded in the text!

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  1. Print length
    160 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Belt Publishing
  4. Publication date
    July 28, 2020
  5. Reading age
    16 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    5 x 0.5 x 7 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1948742667
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1948742665
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A wonderfully candid, down-to earth description of how a nonfiction book moves from query letter to point of sale.―Ron Charles, Washington Post Book World

A breezy, accessible guide to book-lovers of all stripes, from aspiring authors to small presses and production newbies. ... A surprisingly comprehensive (and surprisingly funny) overview of a complicated topic.―Publishing Trendsetter

This nuts-and-bolts guide to publishing aims to draw the curtain on the publishing industry, defining terms and processes that are generally only known to insiders. Author Anne Trubek founded her own press, Belt Publishing, six years ago, and this guidebook makes an argument for the importance of small presses to writers and readers.―The Millions, Holiday Gift Guide for Writers

“A compact, practical manual [that offers] a wealth of information usually only available to insiders.―Irina Dumitrescu, Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

Anne Trubek is the founder and publisher of Belt Publishing, and writes the popular newsletter Notes From a Small Press. She is the author of The History and Uncertain Future of Handwriting and A Skeptic's Guide to Writers' Houses, and the editor of Voices from the Rust Belt, The Cleveland Neighborhood Guidebook, and Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology. She lives in Cleveland.

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About the author

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Anne Trubek

Anne Trubek

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Anne Trubek is founder and publisher of Belt Publishing, and author and editor of several books.

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
27 global ratings
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5 out of 5 stars
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Engrossing. I couldn’t put it down. I really neat behind-the-scenes look at the publishing industry.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • SensuousGourmet
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening
    Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2020
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Anne Trubek lays it all out for you. The mysterious world of publishing. How does it work? Publishing is often the end goal for many writers when it's really just the beginning of another journey. How many books will an author sell? Will the publisher drop you if you can't earn out your advance? Is it better to forgo a big advance and go with a smaller press? What is the differences between these publishers? So many of us can't remember who published who, and can't list the Big Five Publishers, let alone list the virtues of independent publishers. This book helps you make more informed decisions while whetting your curiosity. Recommend to all readers and writers.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • John Jennings
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic and concise overview of the publishing process
    Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I wish I had found this book a year ago. I just published my first book with a hybrid publisher a few months ago. Having this book would have helped me evaluate my publishing options better and guide my expectations. I learned a lot that will be useful as I embark on my next book.
    Helpful
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  • Paul Schnebelen
    4.0 out of 5 stars How Does A Book Go From Idea to Bookstore?
    Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2025
    Format: Kindle
    There are a lot of guides on the art of writing or how to write a book (my favorite is still Stephen King’s “On Writing”). But there aren’t many guides to the process that publishers, distributors and bookstores go though to get a book published, that understanding that process is as important as writing the book. That’s where Anne Trubek, the head of a small publisher of non-fiction books, a former academic, and a published author, comes in.

    “So You Want To Publish A Book?” discusses the process that gets books put together, published, distributed and sold. It’s also a guide to the business of publishing, discussing the “Big 5” publishing companies that produce the vast majority of the books you see at the bookstore and Amazon, the scores of independent publishers that provide debuting writers and writers of niche topics their shot at publishing books, as well as how the financial side of the business works ( for example, most titles are generally money losers for publishers, but the 20% of books published a year and successful titles from publishers’ back catalogs pay for those losses and keep big publishers in business). It talks about the folks who take the manuscript and create the book you read, and what part they play, such as editors and graphic artists. Last but not least, Anne advocates for the little publishing houses as the ones who are the future of the publishing industry, and how their perspective on publishing is different from the Big 5 as well as why the perspective is important.

    “So You Want To Publish A Book?” is a quick read, but an interesting one - I never really understood the process of publishing from the publisher’s perspective, and Anne’s writing style takes a topic that could easily become one that gets bogged deep in the weeds of minutiae and provides a perspective that’s accessible to the average reader and the aspiring author.

    About the only thing detracting from Anne’s book is that it was written just after the COVID pandemic occurred; at the time, it was clear that COVID would impact the publishing industry, but it wasn’t clear how - I wish that Anne would update the book to fill in that part of the story. Anne’s publishing company was also bought out a couple of years ago by Arcadia Publishing (that’s the company that puts out all those paperbacks full of historical photos of communities nationwide); since media consolidation is a major issue for book publishers as well as other forms of media, it’d be interesting to hear more about the impact of consolidation on what gets published as well as the business as a whole.
    Recommended for folks interested in knowing more about the process of how books get produced; I have to wonder how long this book will remain available, though, given that Anne shares what she and many others in the industry think of the negative impact Amazon’s effective monopoly as a distributor and bookseller has had on the industry. Recommended!
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  • Saxclarinet
    5.0 out of 5 stars Independent Publisher’s Insight on the Book Business
    Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2020
    Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseEarly Reviewer Rewards(What's this?)
    Anne Trubek of Cleveland’s Belt Publishing states there aren’t many books on the nut and bolts (ems and ens?) of the publishing process. Her book delivers. I was charmed by her casual, frank voice. I’m a writer and didn’t think the specifics of how a book is made from manuscript to bookshelf would be this engaging and useful.

    By the way, I also learned that buying this book and other Belt books directly from beltpublishing.com rather than Amazon helps support this independent publisher.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • CM
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very accessible read
    Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2020
    Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseEarly Reviewer Rewards(What's this?)
    If you’re looking for a better understanding of the publishing world without insider jargon, this is the book. Easy to read and easier to follow, this book offers plenty of practical information useful to writers, editors, and/or publishers.
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  • Laura Strachan
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great inside look at publishing
    Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseEarly Reviewer Rewards(What's this?)
    As someone who has experienced publishing from both sides, Anne Trubek is just the person to pull back the curtain on how the industry works. Great information for writer and publishing aspirant.
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  • natreads
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great overview of publishing
    Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Too many books cover writing, Anne covers the publishing industry and the realities within. Highly recommend for those wanting to get an overview and for writers. Her newsletter is also great!
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  • SK
    4.0 out of 5 stars GIFT
    Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    IT WAS A GIFT. IT IS WHAT WAS ORDERED.
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