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How to find a publishing house (or an agent)??
Hey guys
last week, I have met one of my cousins, I haven’t seen for ages… while we were talking about some stuff going on, he told me that he started writing a novel a few months ago, which is nearly finished. So now, he is looking for a publishing house or an agent, to get his novel published. But due to his lack of knowledge and reputation, he already got rejected by several publishing houses and is still looking for one, that accepts also unknown and inexperienced writers like him… he is totally green and for that reason, I would like to ask you guys: how did you manage to get your book published and how did you find an agent or a publishing house??
Do you know someone, who also accepts unknown and inexperienced authors like my cousin?
I really do hope, that your have some advices for my cousin, so he finally can become a “real” author
Comments
In the meantime, tell him to look at The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook.
Also tell him that he has a long haul ahead of him. You have to persevere, work through the listings and get your submission and your novel perfect. If he only started a few months ago, I would say that it's unlikely it would be anywhere near ready yet.
And what TN said.
You wouldn't expect someone taking their first piano lesson 'a few months ago' to be playing concert halls any time soon.
There is no 'trick' to getting published other than being a fabulous writer. It makes no difference if you are a novice or already published. I know several authors whose second or subsequent books have been rejected.
No agent or publisher would reject someone just because they aren't published yet. Only if their writing isn't good enough.
I can understand you not realising quite how hard it is as I didn't realise it myself when I started out. And it doesn't mean your cousin should give up - just be realistic about the chances and keep writing in the meantime. Writing takes practice like everything else.
As others have said, first finish the book, polish it, make it as good as it can be, then try the W&A yearbook for agents who represent that kind of book.
There's not really a shortcut.
If he's inexperienced and rushed the job, he will always be rejected.
Novels are long-term projects. Authors are long-term investments. Publishers and agents are in business for a reason.
If he's happy with the end project, why not self-publish it? Get it out there and move on to the next idea. But even self-publishing authors are rejected - by readers.
But -seriously - all these comments are valid and telling it like it is.
It's just not possible to write one draft of a book (which sounds like what your cousin has done/is doing) and for it to be at a publishable standard.
thanks a lot for your honest answers and your advices! As you all know, I am not a “real” author myself and I have never thought about publishing, but I do love writing! Therefore, I was wondering how those things work… and you are absolutely right: my cousin has to do the research, but if I am able to help him by doing some research too and asking experienced writers like you guys are, I definitely will (I hope you don’t mind ) As far as I know, this novel is not his first attempt but this time, it seems to be good enough to get published (in his opinion) so I wanted to ask you for some advices first, before he is taking some actions like self-publishing and invests a lot of money… We both do understand, that becoming a published author is a very difficult thing to do and that it will demand a lot of patience and perseverance. So, we have done a lot of research during the past two weeks and found some publishing houses like novum publishing, that are specialised in unknown and inexperienced writers like him… As we were looking through their website (especially their publishing list), we also found some well known authors and their success stories… so, maybe he should give it a try? But first we would like to know if you have ever heard about publishing houses like them or made some experiences?
Thanks again for your help!
They do say upfront they are a shared costs publisher - i.e. the author had to pay money to have their book published. They also say that all 'good' (by what standards?) manuscripts will be offered a contract. Presumably if it is really good and they think it will sell then they will ask you to contribute less than if it's OK, but uncommercial.
The English on the site isn't great either - presumably translated from the German - so it doesn't bode well for how much attention they would pay to a manuscript if they are lax with their own website.
There are lots of publishers about like this, in my view not much (if at all) better than a vanity press.
If your cousin is really confident maybe he should send his manuscript - or part of it - for an appraisal by one of the reputable firms like Cornerstones. It does cost money, but it might stop him wasting more if the book really isn't up to scratch.
A writer I know lost control of his print rights by signing up with the wrong publisher because he didn't realise what he was committing himself to.
Don't touch it. Your cousin could publish his own book himself via Kindle and not lose money, even if he never sells a copy.
If he wanted to do it really well, he should get his book professionally edited - almost impossible to do properly yourself even if you are great with grammar - and get a decent cover made. Both of these will cost him, but they are things that could lose him sales if ignored.
Whichever way he goes, he should get professional advice before signing any contract at all.
We haven’t talked to them yet, but my cousin is thinking about sending them a part of his manuscript or meeting them for further information…
@Mrs Bear and Carol: Thank you! We already googled them and found some reviews on different websites. Most of them seemed rather satisfied with their services and contracts (some of their authors already won a few prices) therefore, we were thinking, that he should give them a try… for sure, he has to be very careful, but he wouldn’t sign any contract, if he has a bad vibe about this.
Kindle may also be an option… but it is very important for him, to have someone that holds his hands during the whole process. Therefore, having an agent or a personal custodian would be rather helpful to avoid potential risks or wrong decisions.
But how much is it, to get a book edited professionally and to get a decent cover? It would be nice, if you tell us a bit more about your experiences
@ phots moll: Thanks for this one! We haven’t thought about that, but definitely worth a check! During the past few years, I have been writing several poems but currently I am thinking about writing my first (romantic) novel :P
What about you?
You need to do the sums – can the costs be recouped? Self-publishing can be done on a very tight budget. Contributing to 'cost-sharing' will mean you are contributing to a company's turnover and profit. Does it matter how a book's published? Depends why you're publishing it. If it's just to hold the book in your hands and not worry about how much it cost, then no.
How much for a good cover and to have a book professionally edited and proofread? Less than cost-sharing.
Lots of advice here: http://allianceindependentauthors.org/?affid=2339
Sadly the only people who make money with these companies is the company.
It's a bit manic, but there are lots of publishers looking at pitches. If your pitch gets liked, then that's an invitation to submit to them.
I've just been liked by two publishers, but they are in Texas and Canada!
@datco2014 & Liz: I guess you both are right.. but if its only a small amount, wouldn’t it be worth a try? Furthermore, I have read on their website, that they will take care of the PR and Advertising stuff, as well as layout, graphics and so on…
@Lou Treleaven: Agents may be another possibility, but isn’t finding an agent as difficult and time consuming as finding a publishing house (that don’t demand cost-sharing)? Thanks anyway for this one! We will definitely try to contact some agents too and maybe, send them a few chapters
Check Amazon rankings and number of reviews too. Compare with books by other publishers and see if they're somewhere close.
Some of these competitions also offer critique services, which might highlight any issues in the opening chapters that your cousin could work on before forming out for a full professional edit.
@Phots Moll: You are absolutely right! Therefore, we have looked in some local bookstores during the past few days and we have seen a few books that are published by novum… some of the authors were Germans, so we looked them up in google and found some pretty ancouraging success stories. A sales man told us, that one of those books is a real bestseller (not only in Germany but also in the UK) But I can assure you that we will definitely check them out on amazon too!
@danfango: thank you very much! Phots moll already recommended it warmly to us and we are still looking for some around… but are there any important competitions you both can suggest? …would be very helpful for our research
In today's post I received a copy of a client's book. She did it herself - albeit with my assistance. The Kindle version has already paid my fees (copy-editing, proofreading, uploading, tweaking, liaising with cover designer) and those of the cover designer. She's appearing on local radio, arranged signings and author events. Everything she earns from the paperback version is pure profit. The book is based on blog content and she had created a substantial fan-base. Despite much of the content having already been read for free, those readers have invested in a copy of the complete saga.
Your cousin could achieve all that.
You only have to have a first chapter and synopsis/proposal ready to submit at end of March. There will be 12 shortlisted, who will get mentoring to finish the book and then with the option of either a self-publishing contract or aid with approaching agents/publishers at the end.
And it's free.
Maybe worth an enquiring email?
(Me & my writing partner were shortlisted last year but we declined self-publishing to try the traditional route of agents/publishers first).
@baggy books: I have to admit that I have never been on a book fair since yet, but I thought that there are some potential readers too? Although, the main reason for exposing a book on a book fair, is to attract potential readers attention, or am I wrong again? But many thanks for telling me this awesome success story! That sounds really, really promising did she has to pay fees in advance, to get her book edited and proofread by you?
@carol: they were stocked not only in major retailers and independent bookshops, but also in amazon and other online shops…
@jediya: Yep, he is based in London, so many thanks to you for this hyperlink! That sounds very interesting and promising too definitely worth a try and his book would also fits the criteria… but what kind of book did you and your writing partner submit last year and how did the “traditional route” work out for you?
We have no way of judging the content of jollyjoker's friend's (or cousin's) book, other than that he or she has not really been writing that long.
Most writers are writing for at least 10 years before producing anything near publishing standard. And most first novels don't get published, it's the one after, or the one after that - as they hone their craft.
Even a self-published book won't sell if it is not brilliant. And if it is brilliant, it takes a huge amount of effort to publicise it and promote it and go round bookshops (individually! imagine the time that takes!) to persuade them to take the book on. No-one who has a job already really has the time.
A traditional publisher even nowadays does not promote books like it used to - but it has the ability to get books into Waterstones all across the country which gives it the very best publicity there is - placing it under the noses of prospective buyers. You cannot buy that from a publisher such as Novum.
It seems that no matter what advice we share, jollyjoker and his cousin are smitten with Novum. I'd say that if they have the money they should go for it. I read and review indie books and I'd be very happy to receive an ARC of jollyjoker's cousin's book.
https://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2013/7/Novum-Publishing-gmbh/SHP_ADJ_225574.aspx#.VsD1NfmLS1s