This book aims to make successful publications happen--anticipating how an as yet unpublished author might feel at various stages and coaches them through the best and worst. The book provides easy-to-follow strategies that actually get results. Among the 20 steps to success in the book are the following: the three "magic first steps" an author must take now to claim success later on; the "real" differences between self-publishing and selling to a publisher; clever methods for finding an effective title for a book; the formula for writing proposals that get read...and then bought; a deliberate method for finding the right agent; the six biggest hidden heartbreaks in publishers' contracts and how to avoid them; the range of royalty advances and how much can be expected; seven minimum requirements for a six-figure advance; and a step-by-step method for planning a "blockbuster" promotion. A sample book proposal is included, as is a list of resources. (NKA)