Hi! I'm a fairly 'green' writer when it comes to actually aiming to get published (though I've written small pieces here and there for years now) and frankly, I just can't find any good/reliable resources. I've been browsing the forum here (and that's helped a lot!), along with several dozen other places it seems, and I am having a hard time getting the facts.
So here's some questions, if anyone can help point me in the right direction!
1) Who are good publishers to aim for when I'm working independently (no agent or third-party working with me)?
2) What is the best way to present a manuscript? Should I have it all complete and ready to go first? Does it need to be fully finished before submitting?
3) Concerning poetry, what is the best way (and the best publishers) to go about submitting only a couple pieces of poetry?
4) If I decided I just wanted to self-publish a book, what are some good resources in that direction?
Thank you!
M. Hendrix
Hi, M! There are a few writers here who've had quite a lot of work published, so hopefully they'll be able to help point you in the right direction.
Which genre does the writing fall into that you're looking at getting published?
Have you thought about self-publishing at all?
I have thought about self-publishing before, as I am not familiar with how a publishing company would work, or what they would require of me. That is the part that I can't seem to find any information about, sadly. My writing doesn't fit into a regular genre; I can jump from writing humour, to romance, to horror, to crime; literally whatever catches my fancy is what I'm writing about. I like to consider myself as a general fiction writer; willing to dabble in just about anything.
Oh definitely, I'm aware of that; it's one of the reasons I'm having a hard time finding a publisher! I don't want to waste their time as well as my own if I don't fit into their publishing requirements, and very few that do take my 'style' of writing either aren't taking submissions or don't accept submissions from newer writers. Blech. Thank you so much for the advice!
Thank you Vanessa! This information is definitely being saved in my advice files! Indie publishing seems to be what I'm leaning towards, as it gives me a chance to get out there first and show my colors. I've heard several people in my college writing circle have had success with indie publishing, as did my girlfriend.
Again, thank you!
M. Hendrix
I've come to tell people who want to self-publish to do the research and understand exactly what you're getting involved in and what the outcomes are. For every success story, there are thousands that are not. Here in the US, there is still the stigma of self-publishing as "less than". The chain bookstores won't carry self-published books, most "mainstream" reviewers won't look at them and even independent bookstores, depending where you live won't carry them.
Also, youcan't approach a traditional publisher with a self-published book to see if theyr'e interested. However, if you're an indie author and you're selling hundreds and thousands (Amanda Hocking and E.L. James come to mind), there's a chance agents and publishers will come to you.
I've just been at a conference for self-publishing and it's really about the marketing and promotion to get these books (the success stories I heard were all ebooks as they are much easier to get to a lot of people as opposed to print books) out to as many people as possible. Of the four success stories I heard, all four of them, after self-publishing, went with a traditional publisher.
I've had two books published traditionally and the first one did quite well. The second came out when Borders was slashing their midlist and very few people even saw the thing. I like having a sales force and marketing department to get the book out to people all over the country and the review in PW and ads wherever the publisher wanted to put them. I simply don't have the kind of money to do that myself.
So I'm going back and forth on what I'm doing with my next book. Both sides (epublishing and traditional (self publishing in print is all right, but where do you sell them?) have some very nice perks, but also some important drawbacks. I can have a book on Smashwords in a month as opposed to 1-2 years traditionally.
Have you tried submitting to agents? Have you been to many writing conferences? They are a great place to meet industry people and in some cases, you can pitch your book to them.
As I said, just understand what you're getting involved in, which ever way you go, and do the research so you're not laying out hundereds of dollars for very little return. Obviously with Smashwords or Amazzon, you're not laying out any money.
Whatever you decide, good luck! And don't hesitate to ask questions. Better to ask what you think might be a dumb question, than not to ask it and regret your chocies.
Peace,
Gary . . .
P.S.: Sorry about typos. I'm at work and typing quickly!
Gary,
Definitely; self-publishing isn't just a quick-fix solution. It's hard work if I want it to go anywhere. Because I hear it quite often: Anyone can publish something, it's succeeding that makes the difference. I'm leaning more towards it for the control aspects, along with getting out there to be noticed. If I can sign on with a publishing company, I'd love to do that, but each one have their own rules and regulations that can later affect me. A woman in my writing circle had her first book published with a company, and they took a lot of control out of her hands; there are pros and cons with each path to take. That is why I'm doing as much research on the process as I can before I decide what I will do, that way I can feel more confident and sure of my decision and come out with less regrets no matter how it turns out. Even if it doesn't go as I would have liked, at least I had enough information to have chosen that path instead of jumping in blindly.
What to Look for in a Hard Drive That You Are Purchasing?
When you are going to <a href="">buy laptop hard drive</a>, it is extremely important to look for one that is going to be fast and large enough to accommodate all of your files and data needs. It
<br>Yeah, it's just what I need, I'm about to have a new one
<br>I always use Dell Hard Disk Drives, what about you, guys?
<br>Gateway!!!lol
I'll give the same discount to SS members that I offer VFB members, which you can find here: