Researching Publishers

Publishers.

One word. Three syllables. Simple, right?

Sigh.

The word "publishers" encompasses an entire book's worth of material. Have you physically picked up a Writer's Market lately? The book's got to weigh five pounds! Don't worry, I'm not asking you to read it, although it's a fabulous resource.



Do you know the publisher best suited for you?

Before you can answer, you need to know the genre book you write. Take a field trip to a major book store and browse the aisles. Take notes on the publishers who release books similar to yours. Still aren't sure which genre you write? Start studying. There are blogs, articles in magazines such as The Writer, and books devoted to help you determine this.

Now that you know what genre your book fits into, you can start researching publishers. Consider the following questions.

-Is your dream to be published through a large, established publisher?

-Are you willing to break in with a smaller, newer publisher?

-Do you want a traditional relationship where the publisher pays you an advance followed by royalties?

-Do you want to see your book in print, or are you comfortable with it in e-form?

-Do you want to self-publish?


To understand the differences between self-publishers and traditional publishers, read the linked article from Writer's Digest, "What Can Your Publisher Do For You?"

When I say I want to get published, I mean I want my books to be published in print form by a traditional publisher, and I want to get paid an advance and royalties for them. There are many reputable companies, large and small, who publish books in print or e-form. These publishers take on responsibilities such as editing, cover art, copyrights, printing the book, distributing the book, and marketing the book. They pay the author an advance and royalties. The author does not pay the publisher.
Then there are reputable companies who provide self-publishing services. In this instance, the author may be responsible for cover art, copyrights, distributing and marketing the book, depending on the publisher. The author pays these fees or pays for X amount of books up front and only gets paid when someone purchases the book.

Traditional publishers make money from book sales, and they have a vested interest in getting your books in bookstores. It can be difficult to get your book in bookstores if you use a self-publishing service, and the author will need to employ intense marketing strategies.

Please, be leery of legal publishers who prey on those wanting to get published by seeming to be a traditional publisher but who actually offer a form of self-publishing. I have no problem with self-publishing companies who are up front about their practices. If an author chooses to go that route, that's her decision. However, some of these companies mislead the author into believing the book will be treated the same as a traditional publisher would treat it, when in reality, the author must pay to have the book published.

When you have narrowed down what you want out of a publisher, compile a list of possible companies. Go to each publisher's website and print out their writer's guidelines. Before you submit to them, verify their submission policy.

Why are you doing all of this? Because a publisher who specializes in non-fiction will not publish your contemporary romance novel. Also, some publisher's do not accept unsolicited material. You must have an agent to submit to them.

It never hurts to check out Preditors and Editors. It's a site devoted to helping writers discern between legitimate publishers and scammers.

We have a responsibility to research the publishers we query. When we have the information in front of us, we can make informed decisions.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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