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Should I Submit My Book via Certified Mail?

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Manuscript Submission
1.
Decide on your market
2.
Compile marketing info
3.
Decide on publisher
4. Learn criteria
5. Find address
6. Follow criteria
7. Be patient

Article and thoughts on e-publishing and e-books

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Simultaneous Submissions

What publishers REALLY want

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"Quick Tips"
100 editing, publishing, and marketing tidbits of information for writers

Free Writing Tip

Manuscript Submission, Part 3:
Decide on a Publisher


"How do I find a publisher for my book?" is one of the questions I get the most and finding a publisher can be a daunting task for the novice writer. There are, literally, hundreds and hundreds of publishers to choose from. Add to that the fact that each publisher has its own unique way of accepting manuscripts and it can be information overload.

This tip focuses on finding a publisher, not signing with one. You will, of course (ahem), give yourself a much better chance to actually sign a contract if your book has been edited, its plot and characters as sharp as possible.

That aside, don't let yourself become a deer caught in the headlights. Although it seems daunting, finding the right publisher for your book is really just a matter of research and being methodical about your approach. I tend to think that is what is most daunting to authors; the artistic and creative mind sometimes gets "brain freeze" when it comes to a more scientific, methodical approach to a project.

Would you believe that religious publishers regularly receive material better suited for Playboy, while Playboy regularly receives manuscripts better suited for Sunday School? It's true. It's all a result of the author not researching the publisher they are sending to.

The place to start is the LMP. Most public libraries have a copy of The Literary Marketplace, also known as the "LMP." The LMP is the source for finding publishers. The Literary Marketplace lists all major publishers and small presses. In addition to publishers, the LMP also has listings for literary agents, editors, book printers, graphic artists, and so on.

One word of caution here. Not everyone, including yours truly, has or wants a listing in the LMP, and this is true for all aspects of the publishing world--editors, publishers, etc. In my case, I would not be able to handle the influx of inquiries that such a listing would give me. I would end up spending more time handling correspondence than actually editing. Many editors who list in the LMP are high-volume editors, meaning they are part of an "editing team," and as such they can handle the volume, or they crank out manuscripts without a great deal of real editing. (Editing is a craft, it takes time. Beware those who can get it done in a week.)

The best approach is to first find the publishers that publish your genre of book. For example, you have written a sure-fire bestseller suspense novel. Go to the listings by subject near the back of the book. There you will find an extensive list of publishers that publish suspense. Don't let the size of the list daunt you. It just goes to show you're up against a lot of competition but by doing the research, you'll be placing yourself ahead of all those competitors. (Are you starting to get the feeling this is business not art? You should. Writing is art, publishing is business.)

You may want to make a photocopy of the list of publishers that publish your subject matter. You can cross them off as you narrow the list.

The second step is to go to the general listing section and just start working your way down your list. In other words, start at A and work down to Z. If this seems entirely too scientific and methodical, start at Z and work your way backward or maybe at M then N then L then O then K and so on.

However you do it, you will start narrowing down your list using your own set of criteria. Perhaps you want to give each publisher a ranking of 1 to 10. Cross out publishers that don't appeal to you or that won't take your manuscript. For example, cross out those that will not take unagented books if you don't have an agent or those publishers that will not accept first-time authors. Once in the general section, you may also find that although they are listed as suspense publishers, they may not be currently accepting new suspense novels, choosing instead to work with their current stable of authors.

You will also start to get hints of the publishers' "personalities." For example, personally, I would never submit my book to publishers that never accept unagented manuscripts. That tells me that they are either so busy they will be hard to work with, they're snobbish, or they just don't have the staff to do their own reading. Not someone I would not want to do business with.

One note here is that if you can't find a publisher in the general listing, it may because they are in the small press section. Don't disregard these out of hand. Small presses may be a very good place for you to start if you have never been published. Typically, they will be more willing to take a risk on an undiscovered talent. But beware, small presses also have their own drawbacks. Because they are small, they will not have the marketing abilities or staff that the larger houses have. On the other hand, they will be more friendly and easier to work with and you will typically have more control over the final outcome of your book. I should point out, though, that the Internet is giving small presses a big shot in the arm. They are able to put their books on Amazon.com just like the big houses and they can build their own Web sites to promote their books.

The key, though, is to find a publisher that you are comfortable with. Listen to that still, small voice inside when you deal with them. Is there something about them on the phone that gives you a twinge of worry? Does it sound too good to be true? Make sure you're comfortable because you are establishing a relationship. Hopefully, a long relationship.

At any rate, once you have narrowed your list, it is time to approach them for their submission guidelines.

But that's the next tip.


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