1. Publishers don’t want to publish your book
Book publishers are inundated with manuscripts. They get hundreds (if not thousands) of book ideas each week. They don’t need new ideas and more importantly they don’t need your book. So, when your book lands on a publisher or agent’s desk they are looking for a reason to reject. Rejection is easy, just a standard letter and the book is no longer their problem. As a writer you need to make sure you don’t give them a reason to reject your book. Make sure everything is the best it can be.
2. You are not writing the next Harry Potter
The book industry moves slowly. I mean really slowly. When a publisher takes on a new book it might be a couple of years before it hits the shelves. This means that a pitch today for the next Harry Potter is pointless. The only thing a publisher can promise is that when your book is launched Harry Potter will not be the next big thing.
3. Being good is not enough to get published
Good writing is a prerequisite for a publisher but it is not the deciding factor on whether a book will be published. Assuming your writing is up to scratch a publisher is then looking to see if your book fits their current range, if they think the market is big enough to make a profit, if they have the distribution to sell your book, if they have the correct editor to work with your book, to check you are not a nutter and so on. As a writer you need to make their job as easy as possible, you must pick the correct publisher and then you must make your pitch as up-to-date and as relevant as possible
4. It is not the best books that get published
It should be the best books that get published but it’s not. Most book deals are made with authors who the publisher and/or agent already know – proven writers are much less risky. Your job as a writer is to work hard to try and jump past the slush pile and become a ‘proven’ writer.
5. Most writers don’t make money
Most books sell less than a thousand copies. Most writers make almost no money – fact. If you are in this for the cash think again.
6. You need an agent
If you are in it for the cash then you need an agent – simple. Without an agent writers can’t get anywhere near the big publishers and it is the big publishers who sell the most books. So if you are a serious writer you are best spending your time researching and approaching the correct agent rather than wasting your time with smaller publishers.
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Painful but so true!
Excellent advice! Much better to be realistic than have over-blown expectations that can never be met. And the bit about earning no money is very true!
Sounds pretty depressing. An agent told me to work with an editor, which costs quite a bit. What do you think of self publishing and online publishing?
Great post! As the author of two published nonfiction books (with another forthcoming in 2010), I always laugh at how people think I’m making tons of money writing my books. You don’t write because you want to make money–you write because you have something to share with others.
Thanks for all the great work you do to spread the buzz for writers!
There are NO good or bad writers. Enjoying writing makes ones work good. Writing for greed: money,name,fame, diminishes the work.
Good works are given birth NOT produced!
Your list is basically correct, but I beg to differ with this in #1: “They don’t need new ideas and more importantly they don’t need your book.”
Book publishing professionals LOVE books, get a thrill out of discovering new voices and wonderful books, and are pained that oftentimes the business end of things determines what they can publish. My editor at St. Martin’s Press says she adores finding new talent.
And absolutely, publishers NEED books and their authors. Without them, they have nothing! And they understand that. Count on it! Getting published as a newbie is a matter of doing due diligence–of having a unique idea, of building platform, of producing a well-written book. Then, a catchy query and a solid proposal are your tickets!
Going on the assumption that publishers don’t need or want your book is not exactly the way to stay as enthusiastic about your book project as you’ll need to be to see things through!
Julia Rogers Hamrick
author of Recreating Eden (self-published) and Choosing Easy World (out May 2010 from St. Martin’s Press)
#6 = BS
My dad died 3 years ago and has left 2 completed books. One is an adventure story, the other a historical novel.
I have edited the adventure and think it could be worth publishing, it would help my mum out if it did make a little money, although i take on board the comments I have read.
The historial novel is very detailed and I find it quite heavy, it is not my taste and I wouldn’t know where to start with editing it.
Any advice on getting books published posthumously?
Patsy
This is a good question. I must admit that I have had no experience of this! My advice would be to seek professional advice. If you live in the UK then the Society of Authors would be a good start point. Failing this I would write to a respected literary agency and ask their advice. You can make it clear that at this early stage you are seeking guidance rather than representation. My gut is that you will have to clarify the legal status of your father’s work before seeking publication. email me at gary@bubblecow.co.uk if you wish to discuss this privately. I will also tweet out the question and see what twitter can offer.
from what i know, though am not legal expert, the books belong to whoever the estate was left to. It’s like anything created by an artist, whoever they left their estate to gets the paintings/sculptures/music- and any rights and royalties from published works – and in this case, the unpublished books.
Hi Patsy
Have you thought about publishing your father’s work online? I know someone who has done something similar although I don’t believe he is earning any income from it (I could be wrong) : http://tiny.cc/AHV4U
You could always set up a website like the one above and add a paypal donate button to it.
An ebook might be another idea : http://smashwords.com
If you do decide to go along the weblit (publishing online) route you will find plenty of help and support here: http://weblit.us
& you can get an idea of other weblit/webfiction sites like the one above here: http://webfictionguide.com
Good luck!
Thanks to everyone who replied to this query I have a lot to think about and investigate now. Your advice has been greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Patsy
I’ve been lucky enough to find an agent and a small publisher for my first book (Vintage, out in 2010). I’m fairly convinced that it wasn’t just the book that did it – it was persistence and getting involved in the local literature community, getting known and doing things for other writers. That worked in several ways – I learned a huge amount about the writing industry, met key people, was supported myself in getting the book to the highest standard I could, and now have networks I can work with to promote it.
Quite a lot of work, but so enjoyable and rewarding.
And now I want to step further into the social networking world to promote it, so it won’t be my last!
Maxine – I think you are correct. The more you do as a writer the more serious people take you and the more ‘publishable’ you become. Well done.
Rosie – thanks for the feedback. One thing we come across a lot is writers expecting to make a big stack of cash from their book. I blame JK Rowling and Dan Brown!
I couldn’t agree more with the money thing. Very few writers are making any real cash directly from books. However, writers with a reputation can use their publishing success to open other, more lucrative, doors.
Ironically I would suggest that the cutting edge, exciting writers have the hardest job in getting published.
Such as….?
That is a blog post in itself…but published writers need to be creative. They can speak at festivals and other events, which are often paid. It also opens to door for commissioned writing such as articles etc and creative writing courses and workshops are often looking for experinced writers. The key is to leverage the fact your have been published.
Julia, the first point to make is that the approach to fiction and non-fiction is different.
In regards to fiction some publishing houses do indeed actively look for new writers. However, my point is that whilst generalising most fiction publishers mostly publish established talent. As a new writer you are at the bottom of the pile and face the hardest job. In regards to non-fiction, which represents the vast majority of books published, publishing houses have a huge number of established writers upon whom they can call upon. New writing tends to come from writers that have either generate a new concept or are an expert in a field.
This said your are correct in saying – getting published as a newbie is a matter of doing due diligence–of having a unique idea, of building platform, of producing a well-written book. Then, a catchy query and a solid proposal are your tickets! The sad reality is that a lot of new writers simply do not do this. The point of this blog post was to send out a big dose of reality. I spent years building a career as a writer. It takes time and hard work.
ps. Congratulations on your book…
Thanks for this DNA. I assume you leave the comment in the wake of a publishing deal with a large publisher. I also assume you managed to secure this deal via an unsolicited manuscript. If so I would love to hear your tips and advice on how to dodge the slush pile, they would be invaluable to my readers.
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