New Authors
Publishing Options For New Authors
Author: Patrick Schwerdtfeger
Most of us have dreams of writing a book one day but the statistics verify that the vast majority never complete the task. There are lots of reasons for this failure but one of the most important is that would-be authors have heard that publishers accept only a tiny percentage of the book proposals they receive. People have heard how difficult it can be and they give up on the task as a result.
Technology has changed a lot of things in the publishing industry, not to mention just about every other industry you can imagine. Not only is it easier for an entrepreneur to start a book publishing company but the costs of printing a small number of books has come down dramatically, allowing authors to avoid the prohibitive minimums that used to characterize the book printing business.
With these recent developments in mind, we need to re-introduce would-be authors to the new book-publishing landscape so they can re-evaluate the possibility of finally making their dream a reality. This article will review the three primary ways of getting a book published in the modern world. Future articles will cover the opportunities and challenges of each strategy.
The first way of getting a book published is the path that has existed for years and years. There are a number of huge publishing houses including Penguin, Random House and McGraw Hill that can do the job. But these industry elephants only work with proven authors and generally require you have a literary agent before they’ll even review the proposal. Of course, the upside is that these publishing giants are well respected, leaving you with better credibility and preferential shelf space within the major retailers.
The second strategy is to use a smaller independent publisher. There are more and more of these popping up everyday and they tend to specialize in one genre or another. Of course, there’s a wide variety of publishers within this category – some very small and others quite well established – but they all generally have full distribution channels in place, allowing your book to reach the same shelves as the big boys. Proposals are sent directly to the Acquisitions Editor for consideration and literary agents are optional.
The last strategy is by far the most common: self-publishing. Because printing minimum order quantities have come down so much in recent years, authors can quickly and easily print a few copies of their new book and risk less money than ever before. Obviously, this virtually eliminates one of the major barriers to entry and an estimated 90% of all books being published today are self-published.
The clear upside is that nobody can reject your proposal. If you want to write it and print it, go right ahead. And in many cases, the printing houses you would use to get the book put on paper have respectable distribution channels in place as well, meaning your book could theoretically reach the same shelves as those published by larger publishing companies. The downside is a lower degree of credibility but for many, that’s a small price to pay for their dream to get realized.
The important thing to remember is that regardless of the publishing method you choose, the majority of the marketing effort is left to the author. Even with the industry majors, it’s the author’s job to promote and sell his or her book. So if you have ambitions to publish your own book, sit down and think about how you’re going to sell it. If you have an answer to that question, you have a much better chance of getting accepted by the big boys.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/writing-articles/publishing-options-for-new-authors-226816.html
About the Author
Tactical Execution with Patrick Schwerdtfeger is a strategic company focused on growth marketing and program implementation across business markets. Visit the website for actionable guidance for revenue generation.
Tagged with: author • book • publishing • writing
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Most publishers also want people who know basic grammar and spell correctly.
Do you have an prior published material such as poems, short stories, etc?
You might want to look into submitting your work to literary journals first. However, you can pick up a copy of “Writer’s Market” (or you can go to the library and look at it there because it’s quite expensive.)
In that book you will find The names of publishers and editors and what they are looking for. http://www.writersmarket.com/
After you’ve browsed through the publishers…you have to learn how to write a great query letter/book proposal. Without one (and it has to be perfect) the editors won’t even consider you.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=book+proposals&x=0&y=0
I just typed this for another girl asking about young adult novels so here you go.
Have you read any by Sarah Dessen? She’s amazing.
The Georgia Nicholson series is hilarious and easy to read.
The Spy books by Ally Carter (I forget the title of the first one).
Any Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies.
Thirteen Reasons Why – Jay Asher
Sweethearts – Sara Zarr
Lucky – Rachel Vail
Guyaholic – Carolyn Mackler
The Other Half of Me – Emily Franklin
Suite Scarlett – Maureen Johnson
Peeled – Joan Bauer
How Not to be Popular – Jennifer Ziegler
The Book of Luke – Jenny O’Connell
I have a huge list (over 200) of good young adult books. Message me if you’d like the whole list 🙂
There is one question, and only one question, about Athena Press that matters.
If you visit the local independent bookstore, then a couple of the big chains, are Athena books in those stores? If you don’t see any, that’s all the proof you need to be sure that your book won’t be in stores if they publish it. That alone makes them a bad choice.
Of course, if they charge you anything at all, that also makes them a bad choice. I’m not finding an “Athena Press,” but if you might mean Athina Publishing, they’re a self-publisher. Not the way to go.
ETA: Found an ad for their services. Definitely a vanity press. Avoid.
orionbooks.co.uk
They may be based in England but that hardly matters this day and age.
They have discovered some of the newest fantasy authors lately
Scott Lynch
Brian Ruckley
Tom Lloyd
Patrick Rothfuss
Robert Scott
I agree about the agent thing, but if you’re looking to direct submit to a larger house, you might try Kensington or Tor/Forge. The last time I checked, they were still opened to unagented submissions.
Hope that helps!
Which publishing house for new authors is the best?
It doesn’t matter which english-speaking country it is (I’m Canadian) but I need to find one that welcomes new authors and is mainstream fiction that dabbles with fantasy and horror.
Also, which kind of publishing house is best suited for me when my story contains elements of thriller, horror fantasy and based in the 1800’s?
Thank you so much for any help!!
I heard getting an agent is harder than going straight to a publising house
Is Athena Press a decent publisher and if not, what is one for new authors?
I am sixteen years old and have just finished my first novel. I’ve been searching for a publisher, and came across Athena Press. They seem legit, but I’ve read some forum threads which say it scams new authors, doesn’t help them market their book and is a waste of time. Is this true, and if so, could someone please recommend a publisher for new authors?
What Are Good Fantasy Publishers For New Authors?
I’m looking for a publisher for the fantasy novel I wrote, but am having trouble finding a good fantasy publisher that does not require and agent and accepts work from new authors.
Can you recommend me any good books from new authors?
I want to try and read books from new authors. Any suggestions? Preferably young adult books.
& Teenage ones of course!
I’m 15 and Stephenie Meyer is not a new author and I don’t like her books.
what is a name of a publishing company that publishes new authors?
i write YAFIC. books, and i would like to know the name of a company that publishes new authors. as well as books that are dodgey and use language. i know some companies but most of them only want clean books.