Category Archives: indie-publishing

Has anyone gone directly to a book publisher without an agent? Is there any success?

Of course! Here’s what you need to know:

Large publishers prefer agented submissions because the work arrives pre-vetted. They’re not wasting their time on an amateurish screed from someone who thinks they’re a writer because they own a copy of Word and know how to stuff a manila envelope full of their poorly-written, spell-check-ignored ‘manuscript’ and fire it off (unsolicited) to the President of the publishing company.

Agents exist, in part, to spare editors from sending more paper to the local recycling facility.

If you have bona fides—actual credentials—you can approach a publisher directly. But you follow their roadmap, not yours. No serious publisher accepts unsolicited manuscripts, but most will consider a query letter and book proposal (for non-fiction), or a synopsis and sample chapters (for fiction) — IF the writer conducts themselves professionally.

That last word there is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.

A Question About Self-Publishing

Question: If you publish your book only in electronic form, is it good or bad?

Answer: If you indie-publish your work as an eBook, whether it’s “good” or “bad” will largely depend on the writing.

If you market it properly, you’ll make some money.

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Question: How would you suggest getting past the dreaded “we do not accept unsolicited material” notice?

It’s really simple: you send a query letter.

Companies DO NOT want to see your screenplay; that is the “unsolicited material” they don’t accept. They’ll accept query letters all day long.

Do your due diligence: find out who you contact, and send your query letter specifically to that person (or department). That’s the professional way to get your foot in the door and, ultimately, to get the company to ask to see your screenplay.

How can I send manuscripts or drafts of my book to publishers without having the fear of my ideas/writing getting stolen?

First and foremost, you DO NOT send an unsolicited manuscript to anyone. All they’ll do is just throw it in the trash; no reputable company accepts unsolicited material.

Second, you DO NOT contact publishing companies. No reputable publishing firm accepts non-vetted material.

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Why do writers still need publishing companies, when you can self publish?

Writers don’t need publishing companies. They haven’t needed publishing companies for more than a decade.

Writers also shouldn’t self-publish. With the maturation of the indie publishing community, there are professionals (the exact same professionals who work for publishing companies) who can help any anyone with a manuscript go from writer to author.

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