Seeking Publisher - Here we go again

My first novel "The Sun Singer" went to iUniverse because mainstream publishers wanted me to change the age of the protagonist from a teenager to an adult.

However, print-on-demand fiction still has very little chance of meaningful sales within a world where mainstream houses are the only ones who command the attention of reviewers, bookstores and the press.

Now that my new novel is about ready to be sent out to publishers, I'm thinking: here we go again...sample chapters...outlines...query letters...waiting around for replies.

I see one small publisher that looks like a perfect fit in terms of the kind of work they focus on. However, I'm concerned about their ability to really promote the book. Stay tuned...

Malcolm

Hi, Malcolm:

I'm currently going through the same process, dividing my efforts between landing an agent and finding a publisher. In my naivete I got rather burned with the publication of my first novel, In Darkness Bound. I ended up with an outfit that does practically zip when it comes to promoting the books they print. I've had to do all the marketing stuff myself, something I'm not well suited for and for which I really don't have the financial means to do properly. I think what bothers me most is that my publisher never got my book into brick-and-mortar stores. Sure it's widely available online, but many new authors make most of their sales through the impulse buy: Someone sees your book on the shelf, is intrigued by the cover, reads the blurb, maybe scans a few pages and decides to buy. There's not much likelihood of that happening online. Not when a chance encounter with a novel like mine would probably entail browsing through dozens upon dozens -- and quite likely hundreds -- of pages of listings.

Anyway, I wish you sincere luck in your search for a new publisher. As for me, it's back to typing out letters and assembling packages to send out to agents and the like. (And people think the hard part is writing the book. If only they knew.)

-Lindsay Brambles, Ottawa, 2008

www.freewebs.com/lindsaybrambles

Funnily enough, I did find a publisher for my first novel, One World, a few years back when it was entitled Sheep in Wolf's Clothing. The plan was to print 400 books first to check everything was in order before going for a print run of 10,000 books. That was the plan. When the first 400 books were printed it became clear to me that the publisher and I were not going to get along. Not only did I hate the cover design but there were even pages missing in some copies. When the publisher refused to change the cover design we parted company.

I've gone the PoD route now but that was a decision I made because I felt I could do a better job than that publisher, not only of producing a quality book but also in long term marketing strategies.

When you find a publisher try to be as involved as possible with the cover design because without a good one no book is going anywhere. Don't believe me about the book cover? Well, take a look at this!

I love that cover.

Good covers are a must, I agree, and must reflect the genre inside the book to be picked up by distributors.

I work for a small press and am learning a lot. I'm also published by small publishers and one mid-size library publisher.

While it is true that with small publishers you have to help promote the book, you will find that it isn't all plain sailing with large publishers either. Large publishers expect you to promote, too. Also with large publishers your book isn't in bookstore as much as you think, and if they are, they aren't on shelves for long.

I knwo a lot of authors who are with large publishers, and the stress on them to provide great novels regularly is immense.

To be successful and remain with a large publisher, you must sell out your first print run, or get very close to it. If not, your second book will have a smaller print run, which will reach less people. If your second book doesn't do well, you'll be dropped by the publisher.
The big publishers expect you to sell more with each book, that can only happen if you prmote well.

So whether you are published with a small or large publisher, be prepared to promote.
What a like about being with small press is that the book is always available.

Not all small presses are good though, some are terrible.
However, not all small presses are a vanity press. It is important to not mix the two when talking about small publishers.
There are many small publishers who have no fees, good distribution and excellent editing and cover designs.

Good luck in your search.

Doesn't matter who you publish with, you're going to have to promote your own work. True, some publishers won't get your book into brick and mortar stores, but then again, most of them are much easier for you to actually have a chance of seeing your book in print at all.

If you have years to go through the "seek an agent, write query letters, submit to a publisher and get rejected then repeat method" then by all means go for it. If not, look into one of the POD publishers who don't charge anything and will get your book in the on line stores like Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Please remember that yes, some new authors do get picked up by a major publisher, but the vast majority of them do not. If you don't get any bites from a major in a couple of years, consider another route.

Don't limit yourself by shutting out any option, and remember that everything worth while is worth working for. If that means promoting your own work, then ask yourself if your book is worth promoting. If you are confident that it is, then you shouldn't have a problem doing it.

Here is something else to consider. Since One World became available on Amazon 3 weeks ago I've been approached by a Norwegian outfit wondering if I was interested in writing a book to accompany a documentary on an operation involving a WW2 submarine sunk off the coast of Norway. Then last night I had another initial enquiry wondering if I was interested in another short term writing opportunity, again in the Norwegian sector.

These opportunities wouldn't have arisen if I hadn't gone the PoD route and got the book out there.

Though I am a long time songwriter and no stranger to being published, my first novel was published only two years ago.

I will be 67 years old in May, and I felt I just didn't have the time to go through the old standard route to publishing. I've very glad I didn't, because I know that I would have missed a lot of good opportunities and would not have met some of the really great people that I've met in the last two years. My second book was published almost a year after the first one, and I now have over 40 short stories published in various places, and had I went the traditional route, I'd still be sitting at my desk sorting out the rejection notices. I'm sorry, that's just not for me. No my books aren't in brick and mortar stores, but they are available on line to any one that wants to find them. I've had to do a lot of my own promotion, but that's all right, as I believe in my work, and don't mind doing what I can to get others to take a look at it.

I can face reality enough to know that had I waited for a major publisher to offer me a contract, there's a good chance I'd still be waiting, and none of the people who have enjoyed my books or stories would have done so.

There are a lot of opportunities in publishing, so long as you don't close your mind to all of the options. I'm certainly glad I didn't.

Hi Don, I'm looking forward to getting offers from publishing houses so I can send out a few rejection slips. Oh, and I'll use one of their form templates when I do it. Revenge will be sweet

Have you ever got that right George. I'm a firm believer that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and I'll join you in the rejection slip sending out one of these days.

I've been sending out query letters for my second novel since September last year. I've had a few rejections, but now find myself in the position where not only do I have a New York Agent interested in the book, but also an e-book publisher. I still say it's well worth pursing the traditional route, but don't follow the "how to books" advice and only submit to one publisher at a time, but rather do as many authors do, and submit to ten!

Yes it is Jenny. You know there's a but coming don't you? LOL! Okay here it comes: it is worth going the traditional route but only if you do your homework and submit to agents and publsihers who accept unsolicited work that fits their list. Otherwise you will end up with a stack of rejections.

As far as romance novels go, 50% of paperbacks sold are romance novels. Consequently, agents and publishers are always on the lookout for fresh, new voices. Conversely, many agents and most publishers refuse submissions from children's fiction writers -- which is why it seems so odd that, although J K Rowling's first Potter story was turned down umpteen times, she did manage to sign up with an agent before the book was finally accepted by Bloomsbury.

This is what a New York agent/writer, Donald Maass said in an interview by Michael Neff:

Quote :

Unit sales of Science Fiction have declined dramatically over the last ten years. Fantasy has been more popular. Romance and women's fiction continues to command half or more of the paperback market, though its mix has changed greatly. Mysteries and thrillers remain popular and ever-changing, too. In all, though, I would say that in every category it is harder to win an audience and easier to be dropped by publishers. Only great storytellers last more than a few books.

In the same interview he gave this answer:

Quote :

NEFF: Let me get back on track. It's well known that the number of major publishing houses inclined to take a chance on new writers is dwindling. Given that current successful authors were the first novelists of yesterday, where does corporate publishing imagine the authors of tomorrow will come from if they're unwilling to let them in the door today? Are they planning to clone?

MAASS: Well, I disagree with your premise. It is not more difficult to sell first fiction today than it ever has been. What is more difficult is to sell a third or fourth novel. Unless an author today finds a sizeable audience very quickly, they will be washed out—and, thanks to computerized inventory tracking by bookstore chains, washed out without hope of a second chance with a new publisher. You have to start good and get better, fast. That is why we do so much advance editorial work with our clients, and why I wrote WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL: to show authors how to write novels that feel larger and deeper; novels that have a greater impact and thus generate greater word-of-mouth.

You can read the rest of the interview here:

http://www.webdelsol.com/Algonkian/interview-dmaass.htm

Good luck with the New York agent. You have my 100% support and all my fingers and toes are crossed for you. I also know that, if you do succeed, it will be down to hard work and you will deserve it!

~Shelagh

Jenny wrote:

I still say it's well worth pursing the traditional route

I don't think anyone would say not to follow the old established ways if that is what you want to do, and if you are willing to spend the time it may take for you to get published via that route. Some people will ultimately succeed taking that direction, and no one ever knows which letter may be the one that opens the door for you. By all means do what your heart and mind tell you to do.

What I am saying is that the vast majority of authors will never get signed that way, and I don't think it is wise to close yourself to all options. I simply did not want to devote what may be several years of my life in that pursuit, and then not get signed and find out that all of that time has been wasted.

There are some would be authors who will tell you they are proud of their large stack of rejections, because they know it is helping them learn to be a better writer. I would think that at some point in time, after the fifty or hundred rejections they say they have gotten, some of those people would just face the fact that they can't write very good, and find something more suitable to their talents. Maybe they'd be a good basket weaver, or model car builder or something. If you have a hundred rejections then you are just blowing smoke in your own face if you keep pitching the same piece of work. The stories are many about the authors who got turned down time after time and then became one of them most famous and wealthy of them all, but I suspect most of those stories are made up, much as our parents always had to walk miles to school and they were all uphill. It sounds much better, and it helps perpetuate the myth that it can happen for anyone if they keep telling about how much they were rejected, but I think the fact that might be that there are countless more who have gone that same route, gathered tons of rejection s and are still waiting for that one magic moment.

It is the correct path for some, no doubt, and I congratulate all of those who persevere and finally make it. I still say, however, to give yourself some kind of time line, and if a major contract isn't offered you in that time, consider another way of publishing.

I also think going the Ebook route might be a good idea, and I know it is much easier to find an ebook publisher willing to take a chance than it is a traditional publisher. The investment in so much less that they can afford to make more offers.

Whichever way you choose, let me say that just to have completed a manuscript is an accomplishment, one that most people will never achieve, and I offer my respect regardless of what method of publishing you may decide upon.

This is an absolutely fascinating thread

I've had an agent. Supposedly a high flier too. Loved my work! Couldn't praise it highly enough. Sent it out to half a dozen of the biggest publishing houses and got half a dozen rejections and then told me to dump my book and write something else. Oh yeah? I dumped her instead. Mind you, 3 of those rejections were border line, along the lines of, oh if only I didn't have so many thrillers on my desk right now (Orion), and, can't understand why our reader told us to reject this one . . .

I'm now on my third and hopefully last agent. I write for the UK market (historical saga-type historicals) and I always wanted a UK agent, which I finally got.

When I first started out I didn't know that much about the industry and signed a contract with one really bad agent, who has since retired. I then signed with an American agent, who was new and knew less about the industry than I did. I also realised that an American agent won't help me sell to UK publishers.

What I've learnt over the last ten years is a lot. A few of the main things are;
Editors work with agents they know. So submit to agents who deal with the work you write, and to editors who publish what you write. So many times I've seen writers submit their romance work to agents who deal with fantasy or horror, etc. Do your research.

Never pay an agent upfront. Agents get paid when they have sold your work, not before. When your royalty cheque comes through the agent will deduct his % from it.

Don't waste time submitting one at a time. Even if they say they won't accept multiple submissions, do it. Otherwise you'll be old and grey before anything happens. (I'm an acquisitions editor for Enspiren Press, so I know it happens)

Slush piles are truly large, and fewer people are being picked from them. If you write romance, and aim for the USA romance market, try to enter some of the romance competitions whose judges are editors from publishers. I know of many authors who got their start via the contest route.

Lastly, never give up. Which ever route you take to have your book published is fine, just make sure you do your research first.

Oh, and don't forget to learn about promoting - for when you do become published, as you'll be doing a lot of it. )

It's not an easy task, getting your manuscript read.

First, you have to get past the initial reader. If the words don't jump off the pages and click with this reader, then your book is on the slush pile. Okay, so you've made it this far, what about the editor, did he/she like it?

You may get a request for the full manuscript, if this happens you're in for a chance. But it's still not that easy.

Your manuscript will be on the conference table with another eight or so books. Only one person in that room is fighting for your book, so they have to be passionate about it.

Sadly, only one or two manuscripts will be chosen. Doesn't give us much of a chance does it?

Most agents rejection letter state that they only take on one or two new authors on every year.

Even with these odds, I'm still determined to find an agent for Lawless Justice, an urban thriller about a female vigilante bikers gang. It's new, and it's edgy.

I've been down the SP route, and it's hard work. Especially when you live in a tiny village on an island in Greece.

However, In Times of Violence has been very successful and has had some good press buzz.

The follow up to I.T.O.V, HUNTRESS, will also be SP. For the simple reason my readers demand another book and the traditional process takes too long.

Give me an agent and there will be no stopping me!

I found this comment posted on an interesting blog:

Quote :

I just sent off a 15-year-old manuscript for a mystery/romance genre book that I haven't really tried to get published. I sent it to PublishAmerica (yeah I know the pitfalls and criticisms) and I may not get or sign a contract. But, this book deserves to be published. There's market for it among women romance readers I have no doubt. Is it still best to find an agent and go for the romance publishers? This book, though I will write more smaller books, is my potential nest egg. Thanks for any advice.

My heart sank when I read "This book ... is my potential nest egg."

You can find the rest of the blog here:

http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2005/04/self_publishing.html

Tim O'Reilly discusses the changes brought about by self-publishing in Self Publishing Changes All the Rules?

It is well worth reading!

~Shelagh

You're right, Shelagh, that was interesting. I am of the opinion that ebooks, and the little reader thingys that make reading them so convenient and portable are worth shooting at. It just makes sense to me, especially with so many clamoring to 'save the trees'. Having done the 'mass transit' thing for many years, I know you can only read so many papers and carry so many books with you. With the readers one could take numerous 'books' along for a ride, without being weighted down with cumbersome baggage. What a great idea, and perhaps one whose time has come?

Hi Linzi,

I knew going in that a POD publisher wasn't going to do anything to promote my book. So, I'm not going that route again.

While the book might not have been promoted much if it had been published by, say, HarperCollins, it would have had a competitive price, would have been reviewed by newspaper and other reviewers, and would have been more likely to be placed in a bookstore. POD books fail on all of those counts.

Malcolm

Georgie,

Your first trip out with your first publisher was definitely not optimal. I might have gone straight to POD after that kind of "luck."

How are you getting around the challenges of selling POD fiction in a world where it's not respected?

* Most bookstores won't stock it
* Most reviewers won't review it
* Most customers don't like the higher retail price

So far, in the vastness of the internet, I've found it exceptionally difficult to attract prospective readers to blogs and websites, much less gamble $19.95 on the book.

How do you get around such things?

Malcolm

Anne,

I don't mind promoting my book. With a small traditional press, I would at least be doing it on a level playing field because I wouldn't have all of the disadvantages and bad press about POD to contend with.

Large houses might, one day, smell the roses (coffee or whatever). Most of their books fail. Instead of fixing that problem, they try to make everything with celebrity stuff and BIG BOOKS.

Large or small, I would expect the press who publishes my next novel to send out at least a hundred (it should be three times that) review copies, news releases, and to at least take a stab at setting up a few interviews. If they don't do this with their resources, they can't expect an author to do it with zero financial resources and zero contacts.

I think you're right, though, in that small might be better.

Malcolm

Hi Karina,

Best of luck finding an agent. I'd rather have somebody in my court from the beginning rather than having my book sit on that table with little support.

What I'm always curious about is the high number of books that get published every year that, while I like them a lot, seem to be the very kind that nobody would publish.

That is, they are "literary" fiction and read nothing like, say, a John Grisham book or a Stephen King book. Many of these novels are several hundred thousand words long when, according to most gurus, it's very difficult to get anyone interested in anything much over 100,000.

It's a puzzlement.

Malcolm

Hi Malcolm, I was in Sales and Sales Management for a while. Reached Area Sales Manager, had my butt in a shiny black lowered Mercedes with sports box, spoilers and alloys and enjoyed wearing expensive suits.

The more I learned about people and products and why folks buy things and customer loyalty and all that stuff, the more convinced I became that all marketing is basically a bunch of bollocks. I found that the best business came from referrals, period. I even built up a Sales office that survived entirely on referral business. We were the envy of every other company in the city and our monthly advertising budget was less than £100.

It is my experience that if you sell good quality kit that you would buy yourself, provide a service and after sales support you would expect yourself and genuinely care about your customers, word of mouth will eventually produce enough referred leads that marketing becomes no longer necessary. Word gets around quickly. Companies that make second rate produce, offer mediocre service and poor after sales support need to spend millions every year to attract enough new business to remain in business. Word of mouth doesn't work for them. Funnily enough these companies don't believe in word of mouth and that's why me and the British Sales industry no longer see eye to eye on very much.

Bearing this in mind, I figured that if my book was good enough, it would sell by word of mouth once folks started reading it. I'm doing my own marketing to get it kickstarted. The book has only been available for 3 weeks so it's early days yet but I really do believe that word of mouth is that powerful it can take a PoD book, if it's good enough, and make it a bestseller.

Of course, if my book isn't good enough, then I don't deserve to have a bestseller, whether I find a publisher or not. Did all that make sense? Pwobably not.