Do you want to find a literary agent to get your book published? That's what I wanted. But after reading close to 100 rejections, my tenacity started to waiver. Most of the time, I heard nothing but crickets, but when I did hear from an agent I'd queried, I heard:
“Your story didn’t grab me in the first page.”
“It’s not right for our
agency.”
"The memoir market is flooded."
“Memoirs are too hard to sell
unless you are famous.”
Okay. That was discouraging. But I still did not want to give up.
I knew there were other options,
such as self-publishing (where you bear all of the publishing expenses) or
hybrid publishing (where you share in the publishing expense). However, in both
of these cases there is a huge financial risk. You may not ever come close to
recouping your investment. Frankly, I could not afford to do either of those
options. I also believed it was important to be vetted by the industry.
Because I wanted to stick with
traditional publishing, I took a different approach. I decided to look into
small publishers (aka small presses).
I’m going to discuss
the steps to finding a small press, but first, let me dispel some myths:
MYTH #1: Small publishers
require agent representation.
No,
they do not require that you have an agent.
MYTH #2: You won’t need a
professional query letter or book proposal.
Just
like with agents, you will need a query letter and you may need a book
proposal.
MYTH #3 Small publishers will
charge a reading fee.
If
they do, pass. There are plenty that don’t. Also, I’d be leery of anyone that
asks for money upfront. (See Myth #4.)
MYTH #4 You will have to pay to
publish with a small press.
If
they ask you to pay, this is not a traditional publisher. While the publishing
world is changing, at this point in time, publishing with a small press does
not cost you a dime.
MYTH #5 Small presses don’t do
anything to help you market your book.
The
reality is no matter how you publish, you will be involved in the marketing
process. How much your publisher participates varies, but in reality, it's pretty much going to be your job.
OKAY, SO HOW DO YOU FIND A SMALL
PRESS?
1.
Querytracker.net has both agent and small
press listings. It’s a free service, and the website keeps track of queries for
you.
2.
Another great resource was Poets and Writers. (
pw.org).
This is where I found my publisher.
3.
University Presses. They often have narrow
interests, but if your book fits, why not?
QUERYING
ALWAYS read requirements for submission before sending a darned
thing! Just like with literary agents, the requirements vary. I found that 50%
of the agents and publishers I queried wanted a book proposal. Be prepared. You
don’t want to be writing a 40 page book proposal at the last minute.
EVALUATE
How do you know if the publisher
is legit?
Literary Agent Janet Reid’s blog* (if you don’t know of her, do check her out) has this helpful info on how to
evaluate a small publisher:
1. Ask to see the boilerplate contract. A
Google search will provide all kinds of articles to read about red flags in
contracts.
2. Ask if the terms are negotiable. Can you delete,
amend, or add clauses and/or change royalty rates? If a publisher says s/he
doesn't negotiate, you've got a big red flag.
3. Look at the books they're publishing. Do they
look professional? Or cheap and poorly designed? Trust your instincts here on what
does or does not seem quite right.
4. Can you only purchase books through the
publisher's website? If the only way to buy books from this publisher is
on their own website, that's a problem. Also check:
A. Are books for sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com?
Verify by checking the list prices.
B. Are the books listed at Ingram and Baker & Taylor? If they're not, your
chance of getting into bookstores and libraries other than as a special order
is practically zilch.
5. What about book pricing?
Are hardcovers over $25.00?
Are trade paperbacks over $15.00?
Are Ebooks over $9.99?
Overpriced books are a problem.
6. How long has the publisher been in business?
You do not want to be first. Even being in business less than five years is not
good. This industry requires many years of experience to do things right.
7. Does their website focus on writers or readers? A
publisher should be focused on books. If the website is more about how to
become one of their authors, how to query etc, that's a problem.
*Sadly, Ms. Reid passed away not too long ago. The last I checked (Feb. 2025), her blog is still up. If you discover otherwise, please let me know and I will remove this link.
ONE LAST SUGGESTION BEFORE YOU
ACCEPT:
When a publisher
made an offer, I contacted some of their authors and asked:
“How did you like working with
this publisher?”
“Did they let you participate in
the editing process, or force edits on you?”
“Did you have a say in cover
design?”
“Did they work with you in
marketing your book?”
All were quite willing to share
experiences.
I had two small publishers make
an offer on my memoir. After carefully evaluating each one, and corresponding
with some of their authors, I chose Bedazzled Ink Publishing in California.
It had been a dream of mine to
land an agent, but it didn’t work out. However, it had also been important to
me to publish traditionally, and I did. I’m pleased with my book cover design,
but felt the editing process could have been better. Only time will tell about
the marketing aspect. Despite those issues, I still would not have published
any other way. All of the rejections I received forced me to not only take a long hard look at the quality of my writing, but to work harder at making my story the best it could be.
Oh, and as a side note, whatever you do, don't get sucked into a vanity publisher. First off, vanity publishers are unlikely to provide wide distribution or marketing. There's no reason to be bothered! They make their profit by overcharging YOU. It's hard enough to make back what you could spend self-publishing, but trust me: you will never make back your money if you go with a vanity publisher.
My advice is no matter what route you decide to take, don’t give
up. I think many authors give up too soon. I also think many rush to publish before their book is ready. It’s not an easy road to
publication, but with determination and persistence, it IS possible.
UPDATE: So how did my marketing go? If you'd like to know, check out my recent guest post on
book promotion.
