Finding a Publisher for my Book

Work Teaching English in Taiwan
1

This may be in the wrong category, but I figured this is the closest to what I was looking for.

I’m currently beginning to look for a publisher for a book I’m writing. It’s a conversational English book that aims to avoid robotic textbook questions and answers that don’t really happen in real-life conversations. It’s written in such a way that it could be equally usable in a classroom setting or as a framework for individual or language-exchange study.

I contacted Pearson-Longman giving them a sample chapter/unit which they liked but informed me that they would be focusing on test textbooks this year, though still holding out the possibility of working together in the future. Having completed most of the sections I’m planning for the first book, I would like to start looking for a publisher who is interested in the book. Does anyone know the names or websites/contact information of any publishers in Taiwan or even elsewhere that might be interested? Websearches are not proving readily rewarding in this regard.

Also, I’m new to this publishing game, so any suggestions concerning negotiating a book contract would be very appreciated. Thanks!

Buttercup 2

:cactus:

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[quote=“tastybrain”]This may be in the wrong category, but I figured this is the closest to what I was looking for.

I’m currently beginning to look for a publisher for a book I’m writing. It’s a conversational English book that aims to avoid robotic textbook questions and answers that don’t really happen in real-life conversations. It’s written in such a way that it could be equally usable in a classroom setting or as a framework for individual or language-exchange study.

I contacted Pearson-Longman giving them a sample chapter/unit which they liked but informed me that they would be focusing on test textbooks this year, though still holding out the possibility of working together in the future. Having completed most of the sections I’m planning for the first book, I would like to start looking for a publisher who is interested in the book. Does anyone know the names or websites/contact information of any publishers in Taiwan or even elsewhere that might be interested? Websearches are not proving readily rewarding in this regard.

Also, I’m new to this publishing game, so any suggestions concerning negotiating a book contract would be very appreciated. Thanks![/quote]

My :2cents:

I hereby suppose that this material you wrote is for the local Taiwanese market. Hence, I give my opinion based on previous experience in the local publishing/educational market.

Even though conversation is such an important skill for daily life, it is totally neglected in a test-focused environment of the average local classroom. The books that sell do not help kids prepare for the tests, but rather save time for teachers who must give daily, weekly and monthly tests to the kids.

The school director, rather than the teacher, decides what to buy, bulk, for all the different classes. The schools have 35 to 45 kids in each class, and no time -if any- is given only to conversation.

If you market the book to buxibans that have more time and less students, these will probably just copy the book and not buy from you/publisher anymore. It can work individually, but sales will be low.

You need to focus in one of the test taking skills, like listening, and choose a test as a guideline, such as GEPT or the BC. Your book then is marketed as a “helper” for those taking the test. Even though they claim that tests will go away and whatever, tests are ingrained in daily curriculum and it will take an Act of God to change this SOP. Kids here must have tests daily or parents protest.

You need to work on some level issues -how to determine?- and format -maybe as CAL? I mean, you have already done your work and have it as a kernel. Now it needs to be turned into a product.

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I know at least five extremely talented people who have written English textbooks without a commission. None have been published. I suggest you try a vanity press and then try selling them door to door around the buxibans.
Try selling it to big companies if you like but you’ll be wasting your time and effort. They don’t need it and don’t want it.

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I agree with the others here. It is very difficult to get a book published in the world of ESL/EFL/ELT, for the reasons already mentioned.

I can recommend an excellent book on getting a book published (covers everything from book proposals to contracts to self-publishing). It’s called Putting Your Passion Into Print by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry. I found it so helpful, I have already bought two copies.

My first book, The Creative Classroom, was published a couple of years ago by Lynx Publishing out of Canada. It was a lucky break, especially since it was a teacher’s resource book, which typically sell far worse than student’s books. However, they’re not interested in my second book, so I might end up self-publishing it. Anyway, you might try them. Their website is www.lynxpublishing.com

Other ESL/EFL publishers include Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Helbling Languages, and Delta Publishing. In Taiwan, Caves Books, Crane Publishing, and Bookman Books all publish some ESL/EFL titles.

Self-publishing is another option (read up on it in Putting Your Passion Into Print). I know a teacher who paid $300 U.S. to get an ESL conversation book published by Booksurge, and was making a profit within just a few months.

Also, Alex Case over at the TEFL.NET website has a good article on getting published:

http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/articles/elt-publishing/publishing-tips/

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[quote=“tatterdemalion”]

http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/articles/elt-publishing/publishing-tips/[/quote]

Good article. CV-building is the key. You need a ‘name’; to be a fairly well-known teacher with a lot of academic snaps and a known specialisation. The editor commisions, outlines and designs the series, individual writers are hired by the editor to write different components for flat fees. They are supervised at every stage. It’s not like a literary publishing house where the author has ownership over a project and it doesn’t follow the model where you get ‘discovered’, as a literary writer would.

Anyway, good luck with your project. Please don’t get the idea that I’m disrespecting your writing, or saying you have no chance. It depends whether your goal is to write for a major ELT publisher, or to get this book published as to what advice you take.

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You should print out some choice pages and go give them away somewhere that English students hang out. Don’t forget to put your name and phone number at the bottom. If the book really is any good a few people might notice and give you a call. If a lot notice you might even be able to avoid all the posh publisher types and do something worthwhile.

I was asked to help someone prepare for the TOEFL speaking section the other day and the book from Cambridge recommended that when you do the test you should focus on what you mean to say rather than on the mechanics of how you say it. It then went directly into a discussion of how you could lend variety to your speech by framing things in the passive. Rather than saying, for example, that Hochiro hit the ball you might instead say that the ball was hit by Hochiro.

I kid you fucking not. Cambridge.

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Could have been better. The tips were good but there were only nine of them. Why not make it an even ten? Nine is one less.

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Could have been better. The tips were good but there were only nine of them. Why not make it an even ten? Nine is one less.[/quote]

Ten is a stupid number.

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I agree. It should be seven or eleven. The first isssue of my interactive pinyin comic book series for example is seven chapters. The second issue will be eleven and the third will be three. The fourth will be four times eleven divided by seven which is of course six. Six is a significant number in western societies becuse six is the number of inches in the average penis. Penis length is very important in western societies and this should be covered in the early chapters.

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The most successful types of books in terms of sales are marketed to elementary schools for the teaching of English but these books must conform to the “education” departments strict criteria. It would be beneficial to understand the criteria set forth by the government before heading out on a book project to be marketed to Taiwan for Taiwan. It would be wise to follow the government’s code if you wish to have a marketable book, otherwise you may only be able to market to smaller non uniform schools or individuals of course, but the numbers are in the masses. Bare in mind though that parents put their kids in schools generally to expect better grades by government standards, so again your books must bare that in mind.

This was advice given by the most successful writer of children’s materials in Taiwan. Not me of course.
It is a tough market in Taiwan for book material and even if you have a good book, it still has to be marketed by a publisher, which again is not an easy thing to do.

And by the way, the government are known to change their criteria every six months depending upon elections and public opinion. And changes of ideologies and concepts and so forth. During the time which the DPP were last elected many of Taiwan’s publishers went straight out of business as the government would change its rules on educational standards faster than any publishers could rewrite and reprint and distribute books, which created giant mountains of unusable, unsellable material. My best advice would be to just work for a publisher.

Depending on your experience and talent PM me with a CV if you are interested.

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[quote=“tastybrain”]This may be in the wrong category, but I figured this is the closest to what I was looking for.

I’m currently beginning to look for a publisher for a book I’m writing. [/quote]

Here’s one, found on the first google search which begins:

cavesbooks.com.tw/files/webp … /page1.htm

[quote]Thank you for your interest in publishing materials with Caves Books.

In order for Caves to review the publishing potential of your book, please include the following items:[/quote]

As one who has never written let alone been published, I’m no expert. But I’d hazard a guess you’re always better starting with a local company.

If you sign a local-only contract - the company only gets rights to publish in Taiwan - and bigger companies take notice, you would be able to sign with them.

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Thanks all for the input.

The book is not aimed at a buxiban/high-school or lower level. Intermediate to Advanced levels would benefit most from it. Imagine the typical group classes taught at Dave’s. Having taught these sorts of classes at a number of different schools in different countries, I know the value of what I’m producing as a teacher and as a language student as well. I am concerned with whether I’ll be able to find an interested publisher, however. If I’m unable to find one, I have not ruled out self-publishing, but that’s my last resort when all else fails.

Has anyone gone through the process of actually sealing a book contract? What could I expect from the whole process? Or if you could simply direct me to a book or website(s) with good information. I’m particularly interested in information that would apply to the process in Taiwan.
What should I expect in terms of retaining publishing rights in other parts of the world, compensation and the like?

Again, thanks for all the suggestions and words of wisdom.

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Publishers aren’t that hard to find, are we? Why not spend an hour or so at your local bookstore jotting down names to Google? That’ll also give you a sense of who is more likely to publish the kind of book that you’re planning to write (as well as the general quality of each publisher’s wares). If you’re interested to see what mass-market English books are selling now, check the bestseller list and the new bestseller list at books.com.tw. (Also a good way to discover more publishers.)

For my company, overseas publishing rights are totally negotiable, though most writers are happy to let us handle that on their behalf.

To be honest, we don’t publish many of the unsolicited proposals that we receive, but we’re always glad to get them and always provide some feedback. And occasionally we do publish them, so hang in there. If you think you might want to go with a local mass-market publisher, feel free to PM me.

15

BUMP

As I mentioned in my earlier post on this thread, self-publishing is another possibility. My second book, Provoking Thought, was published last week through Booksurge. (You can look over a book preview here if you’re curious.) If publishers are not interested in your book, and you’re willing to make the effort to promote the book yourself, this might be the way to go. There’s no remote possibility that my book will become a best-seller (even by ESL standards), but I’m happy with the results.

A good article on the pros and cons of self-publishing is Self-Publishing a Book: 25 Things You Need to Know by David Carnoy.

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Looks great. Just in time for my Xmas Amazon package.

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Tempo Gain wrote: [quote]Looks great. Just in time for my Xmas Amazon package.[/quote]

Fantastic! Now if I can just get Global Village to order a bunch for all their language school branches…

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Good luck! I for one always looking for activities like those.

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publishersglobal.com/directo … -of=Taiwan

I am in the process of trying to get a book published at the minute, too. This website has a few publishers on it, but as someone else said the best way is to just go to the bookstore and look for books that are similar to the one you are writing and contact those companies. That is where I had most success (and by success, I mean that they at least responded to my query letter).

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GOD no! They don’t want their customers to think! :astonished: That would be SO bad for business!