Publishing Books About Cancer Patients: A Comprehensive Guide

Authoring a published book is one of the more rewarding and challenging experiences you can accomplish, and knowing the general ins and outs of the process can help you to avoid common mistakes and pitfalls. When publishing a book about specific individuals such as cancer patients, there are some considerations that you should keep in mind to safeguard your work from potential lawsuits in addition to increasing its odds of making it to the bookstore.

Instructions

• 1

  Consult with a local IP (intellectual property) attorney about obtaining the right to the individuals' stories that will be featured in your book. You will likely need each individual to sign a waiver of rights or a rights transfer form to avoid the threat of a lawsuit down the line. Expect to offer the featured individuals either an upfront sum of money or a percentage of total profits for this -- few people are willing to sell their story for free. Do not make the mistake of doing this without an attorney's advice, lest you wind up in the courtroom down the line facing one or more lawsuits.

• 2

  Consider obtaining an agent to facilitate the smooth marketing of your book to publishers. An agent will help you to avoid making some of the mistakes commonly made by first time authors, along with knowing which publishing companies to approach (and how to approach them). Research your agent in depth before signing, contacting several of their other clients as well to discover whether the agent's "style" will mesh well with your own.

• 3

  Shop around for a suitable publisher. Normally, publishers specialize in certain markets, so there is no point in sending your manuscript for a book about cancer patients to a publisher that deals with fantasy literature. Send a sample chapter along with a cover letter detailing the salient points about your project and be prepared to hear the word "no" quite a few times before finding someone willing to take a chance. Remain vigilant.