Young Writers Society

It is becoming increasingly hard for writers all over the world to get published, whether we're thinking about the world of fiction or non-fiction. Today, so many give-up on the traditional routes and take to self-publishing, but there are a few cons to that. I have weighed them up here:

Pros and Cons of Self-publishing

Pros

Can be free.*
If you manage to self-publish for free you're probably going through print-on-demand. This will get you to a select few market places and allow you to sell your book online.

Anyone can do it.
Self-publishing is open to the world! You could even create your own website and publish online, or publish to sites like YWS. It's easy and gets you noticed, but it isn't how you become a "working writer", necessarily.

Gets your book onto international marketplaces.
Sites like Lulu allow you to put your book on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and wider for free.

Cons

*Can be very, very expensive.
A lot of programmes ask you to pay a fortune for printing, publicity, marketing, press releases, design, proof-reading, editing - you know, all those major things publishers would do for free if they bought your book.

Very hard to get noticed.
Unless you're already a huge well-known author or journalist you're going to have a major fight on your hands to get noticed. You'll have to do most of the publicity stuff yourself, including extensive social-networking and shoving it in people's faces, meaning people may not like you soon...

You have to be good at it.
Self-publishing relies heavily on your ability to design and format a book - even proof-read it correctly. To do everything right you need to be an expert, and even those who have been hugely successful from self-publishing still have their own fair share of going-wrongs.

Your portfolio looks shifty..
No matter how you sway it, it does. Let's face facts: publishing something yourself just shows you have the passion to, but it may also show your laziness. It proves a lot more to have been published by a publisher with a reputation both journalistically and in the fiction world. Self-publishing will struggle to get you somewhere professionally!

So what can I do instead? Simple: pitch.

Both Journalists and Writers will have a struggle getting "routine jobs". By this I mean the following: if you're aspiring to be a journalist the market is incredibly tough and you won't get hired by a publisher (i.e. magazine or newspaper or TV network) until you've been published. Seems counterproductive, right? Similarly, writers will struggle to get publishing deals and commissions from magazines or publishers like Penguin, or Harper Collins and so on, unless you've, yes that's right, already been published.

Why?

Because they need to trust your work will sell.

Therefore, journalists need to be freelance pitchers before they can be employed folk and writers need an agent.

Both of these require you to pitch ideas to editors/agents. By doing this you'll get noticed, build a portfolio, and, eventually get your debut publication. From this, you may pitch more regularly and get published more regularly. With enough hard graft, you'll be being seeked out by publishers to work for them and become one of those routine chaps or ladies.

I have been a pitching journalist since 2010. I've been published in five recognised publications at local, national and international levels at least every month since 2011. And this I call "work experience". I've still not got the reputation I need to be picked up, but I'm working towards it, and believe me I am getting far more noticed than ever before.

So how should I go about pitching?

General Stuff:
- Pitching is painful and disheartening – put on your emotional armour, as you are guaranteed knockbacks
- Be persistent – come back after rejection with a new idea. Remember: they reject the pitch, not the person.
- (Journalism) Pitch to as many publications as possible! A fellow journalist told me once, "As with a Saturday night date – the more people you ask, the more likely you are to get a kiss."
- (Fiction/Writers) Pitch to one agent at a time until you begin to enter a working arrangement with that agent. Do not overlap pitches! Also important to note when pitching to publishers as well, although it is highly recommended you go through an agent.

You need a long-term view – long time horizon, as wide a range of clients/agents/publishers as possible, a thick skin, imagination and creativity.

Steps to take:
1] Research the media market/publisher market
It is vital you know who you are pitching to. Make sure you don't pitch an article on the state of the streets in Hull to the local press in Cornwall, for example. However, you should know a) who the editor/publishing contact is, b) what their contact details are, c) their latest articles/latest publications, d) history of the publisher/media group.

2] Research the audience
Pretty simple! Don't pitch a child's book to an agent who handles adult fiction, and don't pitch a review on a Hollywood blockbuster to a property magazine! However, more difficultly, don't pitch something already published book or article wise, especially if its by the very publisher you're pitching to! And don't pitch something that doesn't fit their demographic. Luckily, for journalists most sites have "media packs" that literally detail who their readers are, so do request these!


3] Plan your feature idea[s]
Never just send off a pitch. I know you might be stressed or bogged down in rejections but always take your time. Research how to write a good email, research the markets, research the book awards, research your ideas. Work for you pitch. Then try to show that in as succinct a way as possible in your final email or presentation.

Always, always spell and grammar check or they will not give you the time of day!

4] Contact the relevant editor/agent
Once you've tightened everything up nicely, you'll have the following:
- Everything you need to know about the publisher and the contact you need (editor, agent or commissioning publisher).
- An understanding they specifically work in what your idea suits - demographic, subject, original idea.
- You have planned and created a succinct email to send.
Then send it off and enter into a dialogue with the person. They'll do one of three things:
1) Ignore you. - In which case, give it 3-4 weeks and move on! Try again!
2) Reply with a "No" - this is actually great, great news. It means they're engaging with you. You can network with them, as I advise in my previous post, and add them to your social medias. You can also email a reply asking how you can improve, their advice can be invaluable!
3) Reply with a "Yes" - this means they will often ask to develop the idea. No-one's pitch goes straight to creation and publication. You'll develop it with agents, publishers and creative teams.

Yes, okay, it's a long slog but trust me it pays off!

I hope this helps, my next post will be on: How to Create the Perfect Pitch, so do look out for that!

Do ask questions below!

This is great thanks for all the advice!

My pleasure.