This is advice for people who write stories, articles or anything and want to sell their work. As a writer, you are a creative person, whether expressing yourself in fiction or teaching nonfiction. It is easy to become passionate about this work, perhaps even necessary. You want your work to be widely read, and that’s great.

But beware. There are people out there, relatively few perhaps, but they are out there, who will try to capitalize on your passion to get published. That’s why every new writer should thank veteran author James McDonald for the armor he’s given us to protect us.

It’s called Yog’s Law, and it’s absolutely the first rule to understand if you’re considering turning your writing into a business by seeking publication. It simply says:

The money flows to the writer.

You just need to remember that, and you’ll know that the following scenarios are wrong:

• Vanity Press asks for money to publish his book
• Agents who offer to promote your book to publishers for an initial fee
• Publishers who charge for services before publication

Yog’s law says that as long as publishers take their fees from the sales of your book, that’s fine, but if someone starts asking you to pay upfront, stay away. This is a useful rule of thumb, but of course it’s still possible to enter into a publishing contract that’s a bad deal for you, even if you get an advance or royalty deal. Start-up costs may also be acceptable if you choose to self-publish.

Yog’s Law was designed to help new writers not be deceived by people offering to publish their work for a fee. Back then, self-publishing a book was considered almost a risky and dubious venture, although it was only possible to lose money, rather than someone actively cheating you. These days, technology has advanced to the point where independent publishing of a book, article, or story is cheap or even free in the following ways:

• blog
• E-Newsletter Articles!
• PDF eBook
• Kindle eBook (.mobi) or other reader (eg epub)
• Print on Demand (POD) like Amazon’s CreateSpace

Today it is very easy for anyone to publish. The real trick is not if you have a book, but if someone is reading it. The most important thing for any storyteller or teacher, and always has been the most important thing, is to have an audience.

The traditional edition also ensured a certain level of quality, both in terms of style and content. So it’s also critical that if you’re going it alone, you look to make your book the best it can be. And this is where the application of Yog’s Law gets complicated. Here are things you could legitimately pay upfront for if you decide to self-publish:

• edition
• cover art
• Professional design and layout
• Printing and production costs

Despite the changing nature of the industry, I always recommend keeping Yog’s Law in mind, especially if you are just starting out in business. Remember that if you are a new writer, you probably still need time to hone, develop and learn your craft and you should look into freely available ways to promote your work before you go ahead and spend money doing your work. there. This is all part of making your job the best it can be, and it takes time, effort, and education, just like any other trade. Meanwhile you can learn the business. There are many ways to achieve many things for free, if you know what’s out there.