Your Publishing Options

To be published traditionally is the dream of many, perhaps your dream. I personally have not found it all it is cracked up to be. In Poets and Writers M.J. Rose says that many books published by large, well-known presses are not ‘published' at all, merely printed, for publishing by definition includes the concept of putting a book before the public and that includes promoting it.

Based on the failure of many publishers--large, small, traditional, subsidy and even sometimes self-publishers--I wrote Write Publish & Market Your Book to give authors the sound and detailed information they need to start out or to grow their promotion efforts. Then I created the online classes, Book Promotion, Book Promotion Time Table, and Stalking the Markets.

There is not one right way to publish. Authors should consider their goals for their book – both monetary and emotional--their pocketbooks, and the title and genre of their book before making a decision. Below you will find alternatives to major publishing houses. If you need more information before making your choice, see the above sources, all available on this website

There is a tremendously broad market out there for your writings, and it is in flux. As paper prices soar, causing the price of books and magazines to jump, alternative publishing options arise with some exciting possibilities.

Books continue to be marketed today through the large major publishing houses, though small and midsize presses are becoming more significant in the marketplace. While the seven largest publishers published 85% of last year's best sellers, small and midsize presses and self-publishers did well with niche markets.

Electronic publishing and self-publishing are becoming important new options. Vanity publishers are still an option, with all the disadvantages they have always presented.

Self-Publishing, in both book and electronic form, is becoming an increasingly credible avenue for writers. New technology and communications tools are making it more feasible and more rewarding for many writers than publication by recognized publishing houses.

Electronic Publishing Electronic publishing offers still another avenue of expression for writers and can cut down considerably on the expense of self-publishing and/or of submitting manuscripts to publishers. The home computer has become a new partner to both book and magazine publishers. Online publishing services are popping up everywhere on the net. Current biggies include Fatbrain, 1st Books, Booklocker and iUniverse. Use your search engine to locate these and others if you're interested in venturing into this newest form of self-publishing or are looking for new markets for your writings. Or let Advocate House do it for you.

We work with authors from concept through publication, promotion and order fulfillment. A Cappela offers everything from consultations to online classes regarding writing, publishing and marketing, plus how-to books and audio books on those subjects. Advocate House turns manuscripts into books for self-publishers and does the promotion. eLitAgent, another division, presents finished works to publishing houses (contacting up to 100 appropriate publishers simultaneously.)

INSURANCE HIKES MAY AFFECT CHANCES BOOK PUBLISHERS TAKE WITH WRITERS Recently, Publishers Weekly reported on increasing premiums and deductibles on libel and copyright infringement policies for book publishers. Publishers such as Random House are apparently changing their contracts to make authors carry some of the burdens of possible legal battles. But the main effect of this new insurance trend will be felt at smaller publishing houses, which tend to take on more adventurous and racier manuscripts. With the increased rates, many smaller publishing houses will be forced to drop their libel and copyright infringement policies. Basically, PW concludes, it will be harder than ever for writers who know everyone's dirty little secrets to get the word out in book form unless they want to take the burden on their own shoulders and self-publish. (Tempted? For more information on self-publishing, check out ACappela.com )

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Earlier this year , the Sunday Times of London sent 20 British publishers and agents previously published prize-winning books as manuscripts by new authors seeking publishers. The object of this was to see if the agents or publishing houses could distinguish true talent.

Some rejected the two Booker prize-winning novels. One of the books was by V.S. Naipaul, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Typed manuscripts of the opening chapters of Naipaul's In a Free State and Holiday by Stanley Middleton were sent to the 20 publishers and agents.

None of the publishers or agents appeared to recognize the manuscripts as Booker prize winners for the 1970s that were lauded as British novel writing at its best. Of the 21 replies, all but one were rejections.

The rejections for Middleton's book came from major publishing houses such as Bloomsbury and Time Warner as well as well-known agents such as Christopher Little, who discovered J.K. Rowling. London publisher Bloomsbury read the manuscript submitted "with interest" but found it unsuited to its list. Time Warner said it contained "good ideas" but was not its sort of book. Thirteen others gave similar replies. Only one literary agent, Barbara Levy, expressed an interest in reading further chapters.

Responding to the Naipul manuscript, in which only the author's name and the names of the characters had been changed, a submissions department reader for PDF, a major London literary agency, wrote: "Having considered your material, we do not feel, we are sorry to say, sufficiently enthusiastic or confident about it."

The Blake Friedmann agency also sent apologies: "In order to take on a new author, several of us here would need to be extremely enthusiastic about both the content and writing style. I'm sorry to say we don't feel that strongly about your work."

A few publishers and agents, when they realized they had been stung, blamed the sheer volume of manuscripts they received and lack of time to read every page. "With other forms of entertainment today thee are very few people around who would understand what a good paragraph is," added Naipaul.

Nicholas Clee, former editor of The Boookseller magazine, said publishers were no longer eager to take risks on untried authors because they face fierce competition as supermarkets force down prices. "Publishers tend to go for newcomers who have something sensational to offer, or established names. They're putting big promotional efforts behind just a few titles," he said.

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