Google the phrase “more unique” and you will likely encounter some 74,000,000 incorrect, from my point-of-view, uses of the word unique. Unique is an absolute term. It describes something that has no equal, no peer. Like, “The Earth is unique among the planets we know.”

I always felt completely secure in that point of view. I knew, absolutely, that a description of being unique can’t be compared among nouns. Sort of like pregnant can’t be relative. You are or you ain’t.

Oh yes, I stood my ground, until I checked an online dictionary and found this!

1. existing as the only one or as the sole example; single; solitary in type or characteristics: a unique copy of an ancient manuscript. (Ok, works for me.)
2. having no like or equal; unparalleled; incomparable: Bach was unique in his handling of counterpoint. (Yep. Good.)
3. limited to a single outcome or result; without alternative possibilities: Certain types of problems have unique solutions. (I’m nodding righteously. Damned straight.)
4. not typical; unusual: She has a very unique smile. (Say whuuuut?!?!?!)

Even J.D. Salinger and Merriam Webster stand against me – “We were fairly unique, the sixty of us, in that there wasn’t one good mixer in the bunch “— J. D. Salinger.

I concede, though I will forever maintain one can’t be slightly pregnant. Never again will I whine about those dolts who don’t realize you can’t be a little unique. You can. And I am.

Read more:
Grammar police: Comparative adjectives
Grammar Day from grammar police
Grammar police – future conditional

the answers aren’t simple and money changes hands, lots of money no matter which way a writer or author decides to go. One set of constant rules has to do with making your book the best it can be. Write your book. Read your book. Have your book professionally edited. Proof your book. Read it again. when it’s professional and perfect consider the following:

Agents are expensive. Is it worth giving them a cut of my book?

If you pay an agent, it means you made money. You pay an agent a percentage of your earnings on the book. The chances of you selling a book to a major house on your own are slim, but if you have a well-developed platform, it can be done. I’d advise looking at smaller houses who specialize in your topic if you can’t bring yourself to share revenues with an agent.

Non-fiction is easier to sell than fiction, by far. You will average royalties of $1-$2 per copy sold through a traditional publisher. You will do a lot of marketing yourself, with help and mentoring from the publisher. You will learn a lot for dealing with your next book.

Should I self publish? Isn’t is cheaper?

Self publishing has come a long way. But be sure you will want to drive around to speaking gigs, signings, appearances and so forth on your dime, with a trunk full of books to sell at the back of the room. There is no getting away from marketing. Self-pub books DO get reviews these days, if they are outstanding, professionally crafted books.

There are 190 million books published in the U.S. each year. Books that sell are often professionally edited, well-written, and marketed effectively. Do a market study to determine what books are out there LIKE yours. Decide how they are like yours and why yours fills a gap. If there are none like yours, it maybe because there is no market for them or maybe no one has put the idea together the way you have. You must know the market place.

Self publishing will cost you money. Publishing a book costs. No way around it, anyone tells you different, they’re math is wrong. Before you sign anything or spend anything, do your homework and be sure you know exactly what the contract requires of you. Consider ebook publishing as well, but again, know what you are getting into.

How do I know what’s the right thing to do?

Trust experts. Don’t throw yourself to the wolves and go running off in unexplored directions unless you have unlimited funds and more time than I do. Talk to other authors and writers about what experts they trust. Read social media sites and see what the experts are saying. Find out who edited, agented, or published a book similar to yours and research that person or entity.

If you need an expert, I’m an experienced editor, author manager, author consultant, and ghost. I work on a flat fee. My name never appears on your work. When I do an evaluation and recommendation, I evaluate for the strength of your project – for the gold in it. I don’t grind it to shreds and tell you what’s wrong with it. We will look at what’s right with it, together. Then we’ll explore the options open to you and how to make the most success of your book project.

More:

Best writing coach and author manager I know

What is an author platform anyway?

1. A portable (read: small ) tape recorder if your budget is stressed. These cost less than $25 and can be bought with a telephone connector. Tell your subject you’re taping the conversation so that you’re sure to report their points accurately.
2. Digital recorder if you want to spend the money. It never runs out of tape – most record for a couple of hours, anyway. No hissing.
3. Headphones – invest in a quality pair of telephone compatible headphones. You’ll save all kinds of body aches that come from leaning your head over to pin the phone onto your shoulder. Try several brands – I like Plantronics - until you find one that sounds good on both ends of the conversation. Call your friends to test it out. Return it to the store if you have any sound-quality issues and try another. You don’t have to spend hundreds here – about $20 to $25 bucks gets pretty good quality.
4. Computer or netbook. This is what I work with. I use my laptop and have taught myself to type very quickly, almost as fast as normal people speak. I seldom miss anything – typing while listening to my sources. If I do miss, I just ask them to go back and repeat what they were saying.
5. Pencil and paper – some writers swear by this ageless method. Use a hands free or headset and just take notes.
6. Hands free phone, otherwise known as speaker phone (most people don’t like to have a conversation with one of these, they echo like the Grand Canyon) but there are writers who pull it off.
7. Call Corder software with a free trial version. Very robust and full featured. One button recording right to your hard drive. Worth a try.
8. A phone service that doesn’t charge you for long distance calls. Lots of busy experts will “forget” to return phone calls. If you phone them, you have a better chance of success. Choices include Skype or all inclusive long distance like an AT&T land line for about $40 a month or cellular service with free long distance, from about $29.

Learn to type while people speak – you can create shorthand of your own to reduce the number of characters you have to type. Some established writers hire a transcriptionist, but for me, going over a long transcript that I didn’t set up would be difficult, since I wouldn’t remember where in the conversation key facts came out.