Step Right Up & Ask Your Publishing Questions

Hey friends!

Many of us on YWS are writing for fun. But many of us are writing with an eye to publish someday as well, so I wanted to post a thread where people can ask any publishing questions they have or share their experiences with indie, hybrid, or commercial publishing!

Here are some resources to get you started, but please use this thread to ask questions if you have any that aren't answered by these articles. If you have experience with pitching, querying, or publishing, feel free to add your own resources below!

• Indie vs hybrid vs Commercial Publishing
• 10 Dos and Don'ts of Writing a Query Letter
• The Complete Guide to Query Letters
• A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Synopsis
• What Indie Publishing Is and 3 Steps to Doing It Right

How do I choose a publisher? Find an agent? Pay for these things?

Vil wrote:How do I choose a publisher? Find an agent? Pay for these things?

This partly depends on what form of publishing you feel is right for you. I'll focus on commercial publishing since that's where you'd want an agent and it's what I know the most about.

With commercial publishing, you research agents with a completed and polished manuscript and then query them to see if they want to rep you and your story. If an agent makes an offer, you can then decide to accept or reject and keep querying.

You do not pay your agent - they get a percentage if they sell your book to a publisher. If an agent charges a reading fee when you query them or charges you money up front, that's a red flag and you should not query them or take their offer of rep.

Once you have an agent and have worked with them to revise your story further, they submit your manuscript to publishers to see if anyone wants to publish it. It's like querying all over again, only with a professional's help.

If a publisher buys your book, you don't pay them - they pay you an advance, and then after your book sells you'll hopefully see some royalty money too.

With self-publishing (sometimes called indie publishing, but hybrid can also be called indie), you generally pay the publisher, or at least any editors/cover designers you use, BUT the publishing timeline is a lot faster and you have more creative control. So there's a tradeoff, which is why you need to first decide what kind of publishing is right for you!

I'm querying and gunning for traditional pub because I'm broke and I want someone who knows the industry to guide me through the process.

I'm also broke and want help, so XDD

Thanks for answering my questions, but I have one more-- where do I start looking for agents? Are there websites I could/should use or something? I'm hoping I can finish America Rising and publish the first book within a year after some heavy revisions.

Vil wrote:Where do I start looking for agents? Are there websites I could/should use or something?

Google is always a good start because you need to start somewhere. I recommend googling "literary agent [genre]" because the first way to start narrowing down literary agents is by those who rep your genre. Publishers Marketplace is also good - there's a paid version, but I think the free version lets you search agents? I'm not sure; I don't use PM much because I find its general layout confusing. QueryTracker also has membership tiers, but you can do a lot with a free membership, including looking up agents and keeping track of your queries.

(Frankly, if an agent has been around for a while and isn't on QueryTracker or Publishers Marketplace, I find that a little dodgy. It's not necessarily a red flag, but it's a good place to start to make sure agents are legit.)

Once you have agent names, check their agency websites to get a general idea of what they're looking for and their submission guidelines. Some agency websites have a lot of information; others just give you the agent's education and work history. Agency websites in general should also include a list of clients or books that their agents as a whole represent.

Beyond agency websites, Manuscript Wish List and MS Wish List are SO helpful in figuring out what agents are specifically looking for. This could be specific subgenres they like (e.g. epic, urban, or contemporary fantasy), specific tropes (e.g. found family or enemies-to-lovers), or published books they've enjoyed and want to see more of. Manuscript Wish List has profiles with write-ups of what agents are looking for. Sometimes they get really specific, other times it's just a repeat of whatever it says on the agency website, but I like to look just in case. MS Wish List collects all the #MSWL tweets from agents on Twitter.

(You can also search #MSWL on Twitter directly, but it tends to get filled with garbage - sometimes writers tweet ideas with #MSWL even though it's meant to be a hashtag for agents and editors to talk about what they're looking for, and sometimes it's not writing related at all. So MS Wish List makes it a LOT easier.)

You can search tweets on MS Wish List by agents, agencies, editors, publishers, or genre. The site also collects #askagent tweets, which can be useful to read for information about the publishing industry and querying in general!

Links to the resources I mentioned:

• Publishers Marketplace
• QueryTracker - sign up for free to access resources
• Manuscript Wish List
• MS Wish List

Thank you!

I do indie publishing (so far published five books!), so if you have any questions that you have for indie publishers, feel free to tag me and I'll respond when I see the question!

@Snoink I almost tagged you in the original post for precisely that reason, but then I was like "maybe I should wait??? what if she doesn't want to be tagged in things???" so I'm glad to see you've found it

Not a question, but this thread is a godsend!!

@manilla this reminds me I had another answer to post here!

for those who have traditionally published novels before, does one hire an editor from the publishing company, or privately, or through a book agency(??) or what is going on....

You can hire a professional editor if you want, but no matter how much editing you do beforehand, your publisher will have you do more edits. Your literary agent may also have you do edits, but it depends on the agent.

So basically: you write the book. You edit the book. You edit the book some more. You have some beta readers read the book. You edit the book again. (Just assume you edit the book on your own/with help from beta readers/friends until it's as good as you can possibly make it without help from a professional.)

Then you query agents. (You probably get rejected a lot.) Eventually hopefully one of them offers you representation. Depending on the agent, they may ask you to do more edits. Some agencies do have in-house editors (whose service you should NOT have to pay for if you're represented by one of their agents - if they ask their authors to pay for their editing services, that's a red flag). Others don't. It depends!

Your agent takes your book on sub, which means they try to sell it to a publishing house. Eventually hopefully a publisher buys your book. The publisher will definitely provide an editor who will work with you to get your book market-ready! (You also will not need to pay for this editor. This editor gets paid by the publisher when your book sells. Your agent and any agency editors also get paid when your book sells!)

Basically, if you plan on going the traditional route, you never have to pay for a professional editor, unless you want to before querying agents. If you do choose to pay a professional editor, it would probably be a freelance editor, and they should offer to do a sample edit of just a few pages beforehand so you can see if they're a good fit for you and your book.

Hello Hello, I have a quick question. That's not really a question. I still hope you hear me out. Can you provide tips on how to create a social media presence as a writer for Trad Pub? I know that agents might look at it. Additionally, do you have any advice on book comps or comparisons, as I know those are also required for trad? regardless thank you for an answer when you could,

Moonlily wrote:Hello Hello, I have a quick question. That's not really a question. I still hope you hear me out. Can you provide tips on how to create a social media presence as a writer for Trad Pub? I know that agents might look at it. Additionally, do you have any advice on book comps or comparisons, as I know those are also required for trad? regardless thank you for an answer when you could,

Since you asked two questions, I will answer in two parts!

Social Media

So first of all, a social media presence is only NECESSARY if you're writing nonfiction! Despite the pressure to be present on social media and have a large following, it's truly not necessary for anything but nonfiction - so don't stress too much about that, no matter what anyone says. Most fiction agents aren't looking for this.

However, it is a good idea to...

- have at least a simple website so you have some sort of internet presence (this can be as simple as a free Wordpress or Weebly page with a brief "about me")
- build community on social media by connecting with other writers (which can connect you to more information about writing/publishing, beta readers, friends to celebrate and commiserate with you, etc)

In general, if you are looking to build a platform as an author, here's what I recommend:

DO...
- join in hashtag games/prompts
- chat with other writers/respond to other people's posts
- talk about your writing/projects
- talk about some of your other interests

DON'T...
- join in fiery writing discourse (seriously. don't do it. IT'S A TRAP. don't engage)
- join in dogpiling/flaming other people (see above: IT'S A TRAP)
- post a bunch without ever responding to other people's posts
- post too many direct quotes from your writing (you don't want it to be plagiarized or fed into an AI, and if you post an entire piece, like a whole poem, it may be considered "previously published")*

*YWS can be considered an exception to the "previously published" thing since you're posting things here for feedback, BUT I do still suggest unpublishing any works you have here before submitting them to lit mags/agents/wherever, just to be safe. (You can do this from the Publishing Center.)

My number one piece of advice is to focus on POSITIVE interactions. Some people build platforms very quickly by engaging in controversy and dogpiling, but that's a bad move both personally and professionally. Publishing is an industry built heavily on relationships, and gaining a reputation for stirring the pot can ruin those relationships before you've even built them! Additionally, I personally am wary of anyone who "builds community" by tearing other people down, because I always wonder when they'll turn on their followers and friends.

Basically, take the rules we have here on YWS, and pretend they apply on all other social media sites. Before responding to a post, ask yourself: is this the way I'd respond if I saw this post on YWS? Would I respond on YWS, or would I scroll past?

Also: the block and mute buttons are your friend! If someone is being nasty or saying things that make you angry on social media, DO NOT ENGAGE - just mute or block the account so you don't have to see their posts anymore.

I literally cannot stress that enough. Make "do not engage" and "don't feed the trolls" your social media mantras.

Comp Titles

Ah, comp titles. The bane of every author's existence.

For anyone reading this who might not know, comp titles are books that are similar to your book in some way. Comparing your book to existing, published books gives agents and editors an idea of how marketable the book might be or where it might sit in a bookstore. Most agents DO require some comp titles when you query them, so it's a good idea to have them in mind!

How do you use comp titles?

One reason authors stress out about comp titles is because they're not sure how similar a book has to be to count as a comp title. There's no single right answer! Here are some ways a good comp title might be similar to your book:

- similar premise (e.g., your book is a retelling and so is the comp)
- similar main characters (e.g., your book is a fantasy novel with a grandma protagonist and so is the comp)
- similar vibes (e.g., your book feels very cozy and so does the comp)
- similar tropes (e.g., your book features found family very centrally and so does the comp)
- similar themes (e.g., your book's main theme is that it's okay to ask for your help, and so is the comp's)

What makes a good comp?

Ideally, a good comp title is not only similar to your book in at least one of the ways above but also...

- is in the same genre as your book (e.g., your book and the comp are both cozy mystery)
- is in the same age group as your book (e.g., your book and the comp are both YA)
- was published in the last three to five years (counting from when you start querying)
- is popular but not TOO popular*

*Okay, this one is frustrating and also somewhat subjective. Basically, you don't want to comp your book to a runaway bestseller like Harry Potter, because (a) absolutely everyone is comping their book to that and (b) most books don't sell that well (sorry lol), BUT you also don't want to comp your book to a book literally no one has ever heard of. How can you tell if a book is popular but not TOO popular??? The best advice I have is to check the Goodreads ratings. If a book has at least 5,000 ratings on Goodreads but less than a million, it's probably a decent comp.

HOWEVER, it's also worth noting that very recently published books may have fewer than 5,000 ratings! For example, Kamilah Cole's So Let Them Burn only has 2,000 ratings - but it only released two months ago. In this case, you might need to see how much you can find about the book by searching online. What kind of links come up? If you find a lot of press releases, blog posts, reviews, trade magazine articles, and other news about the book, it's probably popular enough to use as a comp, even if it doesn't have 5,000 reviews yet.

(And actually, Kamilah's doing fantastic! For comparison, my debut hasn't cracked 1,000 after almost a year - 2,000 reviews in just two months is amazing!)

Can I use older books? What about books outside my genre or age group? What about other types of media?

The answer to these questions is: it depends.

Generally, for a QUERY LETTER, you want to make sure most of your comps fit the above list. For a PITCH PARTY - an event where authors post short pitches and agents interact with pitches they'd like to see more of - you can usually get away with older but well-known comps, comps outside your genre, and other types of media.

For example, for The Keeper of Lonely Spirits, I used these comps for my query letter:

- Under the Whispering Door, TJ Klune - this book is in the same genre as Keeper and, at the time I queried, had only been published for a year. It also has some similar themes and deals heavily with death and spirits, like Keeper.
- A Man Called Ove,Fredrik Backman - this book is older AND in a different genre, BUT at the time I queried, a major film adaptation had just released. This allowed me to use the book despite its age, because the film showed that it's still popular. Since my other comp was in the correct genre, I was also able to get away with using a book in a different genre - and it's similar in other ways, such as having found family and a grumpy-but-lovable old man protagonist.

However, for pitch parties, I used this comp:

- The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle with ghosts - this book was very recent at the time but in the wrong genre. However, because I used it for pitch parties, I could get away with using a single comp in the wrong genre.

Similarly, for The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher, I used this comp for pitch parties:

- Golden Girls with dragons - this is not only older, but a TV show rather than a book! However, again, there's more flexibility when pitching during pitch parties - and agents will see your other comps when you send the query letter.

In your query letter, you should always lean more toward newer books in your genre and age group, but as long as you do that, you can pair them with one (1) older book OR one (1) book in the wrong genre OR one (1) book in the wrong age group (or one book that's all three of those things lol).

How can you find comps?

This is the trickiest bit! Here are two major ways to find comps:

- read recent releases in your genre and age group
- ask beta readers if your book reminded them of any other books they've read

However, another way - with a disclaimer that I have not personally used this method - is to use Literature Map . You do have to start with an author in mind, but here's what to do.

- type in the name of an author you think your writing is similar to
- the website will create a "map" of similar authors, where authors who are closer to the author you named are more similar to that author
- google the names of authors you're interested to find out more about their books
- if you like them and think their books might be similar to yours, click their name in the map to get a map of authors who are similar to them
- continue with this process until you've found several potential comps

In general, I recommend using comps you've read yourself, BUT if you have some really solid beta readers whose opinions you trust, it might be okay to use a comp they've suggested - especially if multiple people suggested the same comp - even if you haven't read it.

Had some questions from @Lullaby, so I wanted to stick my answers here! Some of these questions have been answered in more depth above, so I'll link to the relevant posts in this thread where that's the case.

Quick question for folks who have gotten published or are working towards that: What is the process? Do I need an agent before I write my book? After I write it? How do I get connected with publishing companies?

Do I need an agent before I write my book?

Nope! You query agents once you have a complete manuscript. (Nonfiction can be an exception, but I assume you're talking about fiction, which is where my expertise lies anyway.)

What is the process?

For trad pub (since you asked about agents), here's the general process (some steps can be mixed around):

- write the manuscript
- revise the manuscript until it's as good as you can possibly make it
- research and compile a list of agents you'd like to query
- write a query letter and synopsis for the manuscript
- start querying!

How do I get connected with publishing companies?

Here's where I answered both the process and connection questions in more detail! Please note that the websites I mentioned are more for finding agents than publishers because I went into querying with the goal of being published with a big publisher that would require an agent (although I went with a small press for my first book).

Here's my answer from Lullaby's wall:

When it comes to larger, older, more established publishers...you don't. For those, you need an agent to approach them for you except in the very rare occasion that they open for general submissions. And even then, if they were to make you an offer, you'd want to take that offer to agents so someone can negotiate the contract for you.

(Publishing contracts are pretty different from normal contracts, so it's good to have an agent rather than a general lawyer because a good agent knows what's normal, what's a bad clause, and what they can negotiate.)

Many smaller, especially newer publishing companies take unagented submissions whenever they're open (like the one I submitted The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher to), BUT you do have to be sure to do your research to make sure they're good and not predatory. If they charge any money for their services, they may be a vanity press rather than an actual publisher, so I recommend not submitting to any press that requires you to pay a fee.

(Ditto agents. No legit agent is ever going to charge you a fee upfront - they get paid out of your advance when they get you a book deal.)

For both agents and small publishers, if you get an offer, ask to speak to a current client and (if possible) a former client. If they refuse to let you speak to a current client or see a boilerplate contract, that's a red flag.

To find either, you can (a) ask friends who have queried in the past for lists/recommendations, (b) sign up for Authors Publish Magazine (an email that brings lists of open markets right to your inbox, more focused on short fiction and poetry but does sometimes do lists of agents or presses), or (c) check trusted sites and publications like Writers Digest or Publishers Weekly. For agents specifically, you can also check QueryTracker (free, there's a paid tier but you don't need it until you're actually querying, and then only if you want to obsess over where you are in agents' queues lol, I never paid for it) or Manuscript Wishlist to see who's open and what they're looking for.