Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Writing And Self Publishing FBI Books

By Jaclyn Hurley


There are millions of people who find thrillers, mysteries, and crime novels fascinating. There are also many people who love to watch police dramas and documentaries about crimes, solved and unsolved. They are often very interested in law enforcement and criminal justice techniques.

If these things interest you, and you are a writer, why not try writing FBI books or other crime stories? Crime writing often follows a formula, so it can be easier to produce than other kinds of writing. If you are already interested in the subject matter involved, you may have a head start in coming up with material for your books.

Many crime writers, and especially mystery writers, develop a series based around a particular main character or a couple of characters. This can help to keep you writing, because it makes the exposition of the books easier. You already know your main character's personality, his or her job, and the setting. You just need to come up with a different specific case for each book.

Another idea is to use real-life stories and adapt them to make them fictional. This technique is used constantly in Law & Order and all of its spinoff shows. Using a true story will give you a basic framework for the plot line of the case in your novel. Be sure to change around the details, however, because there are legal issues involved with using a real story if it is not altered enough to make it truly fictional.

Writing is only the first step in becoming an established author. The second step is publishing your work. With all of the changes in the publishing industry in the past several years, there are some new ways to go about this.

Traditionally, writers sent query letters to many different publishing companies and awaited responses. They were usually then asked for a sample chapter, and if that was well received, they might be signed on and given an advance. Writers also often worked with literary agents who helped them through this process. This traditional way of publishing is still in practice, but is less common than it once was.

These days, many authors choose to self-publish their work. When you self-publish in print, you have to be willing to lay out some money. You may design your own books and handle the printing yourself, but you will still have to pay for materials. Some authors also choose to self publish through a company that will handle the printing and design. This might cost more, but it will save some time and hassle, especially if design and printing are not your forte.

Finally, you could self-publish digitally. In many instances, such as publishing to Amazon Kindle, this is completely free of charge. You simply upload your work, and charge a small fee for it. It can take awhile before the sales build up to any significant profit, but since you are not putting any money out in the first place, this can be worthwhile and lucrative.




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