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Young Writers Society


Publishing?



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Tue Oct 04, 2016 8:58 pm
Angrynoodles says...



Why hello everyone,

I recently (over the past year) wrote a 90k word fiction (action comedy) novel. Though I have read through it multiple times and corrected many of the mistakes, I will still find an editor to help me with the final cut. But onto my problem..

I have been contacted my many, 5-6, publishers recently after I used a website to find them. I researched into their history and some of them seem a bit iffy. Although I really want to get my work published, I am not a desperate author dying for a publisher. I am perfectly fine waiting for the right deal.

Do you know any publishing companies that you really liked? How much does it cost to go through the publishing processes?

Please note, I am a poor college student, but I have a job.

Thanks!

Noodles
  





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Thu Oct 06, 2016 4:02 pm
SaltedArt says...



Hello my name is Omar Saulters and I recently have started Salted Art Inc. a teen publishing company that focuses on publishing and developing teen writing talent. I myself was a published teen author when I was 13 years old. If you would leave me a message at osaulters@yahoo.com with your manuscript and I'll give it a quick look. I would love to talk to you please take this opportunity to do so.
  





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Thu Oct 06, 2016 6:34 pm
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Rosendorn says...



Okay, going to advise not to go with that ^

You're right to be worried. Look up sites like Writer Beware. Being published badly is worse than not being published at all.

Publishing should not cost you anything. A good publishing company pays you because they are buying your work. You do not pay them. A pay-for publishing company is not any company you should go for.

Look through resources like Writer's Market to find publishing houses. These are vetted publishing companies that have a certain amount of reputation, and are more likely than not going to be legitimate.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Thu Oct 06, 2016 7:59 pm
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Megrim says...



Well hello! Allow me to assist you here. This is a BIG topic, so I highly encourage you to do lots of research. I'd also suggest checking everybody on Preditors and Editors: http://pred-ed.com/

There are two main routes people go through for publishing. Traditional (through a publisher), or self-publish (where you do everything yourself). The short version is...

Traditional
- They have skilled editors, artists, marketers, etc, and take care of everything for you.
- They are a "gatekeeper" and readers will trust publishers they know put out good quality.
- They take a percent of every sale.

Self-pub
- You have complete control over everything, including more personal things like cover and title. If you know what you're doing, this can be a good thing. If not, you can shoot yourself in the foot.
- You get ALL profits. But also have to market yourself.
- Anyone can do this, so if you just want it "out there" but don't care about, say, becoming a bestseller or something, this is a quick easy thing to do.

There are also other routes such as small press and indie publishers, and print-on-demand. So quickly it becomes clear you have to ask yourself...

1. What do you want out of publishing?
Do you want to make a living as a writer? Do you want to become an author that strangers read and look for? Or do you just want a single physical copy of your book you can hold in your hand? Maybe have something that looks nice for friends and family?

2. Do you want to go trad pub or self pub?
Your answer to #1 dictates #2. If you want to be a professional writer, it's going to mean a lot of hard work. If you want to make a career out of this, DO NOT BE HASTY. Many authors have killed their careers before they got started by jumping the gun and releasing something too early.

3. Do you want to invest money in this?
Do you want to hire an editor, a cover designer, etc etc? What kind of budget are you looking at?

4. Do you want an agent?
If you want to be published through a publisher, you really, really want an agent. Not everyone has one, but it's opening yourself up to get screwed with the contract and all sorts of other stuff. You don't need an agent for self-pub.

If writing is a serious thing for you, I strongly recommend investigating self-pub vs trad-pub and deciding what's the best fit for you. If you just want it "out there," go ahead and hire an editor, get a decent cover (a cheap cover will still be a few hundred $$), and let it loose on Amazon. Unless you're REALLY savvy, or REALLY dedicated, if you want to make a career out of it, start researching agents, agencies, and what an agent can do for you. To get an agent you need to learn how to write a query letter and synopsis, and learn the do's and don't's of pitching to them. Query Shark taught me a LOT: http://queryshark.blogspot.com/ It's a long, slow, difficult, frustrating process, which takes patience and dedication and hard work. You may have to query a hundred agents before you find someone who takes you (not an exaggeration). You may have to rewrite your manuscript repeatedly to get it up to publishable quality. It's a long road.

There are big publishers and little publishers. Big agencies and little agencies. Trustworthy ones and scammers. Learn the difference!

I am represented by this agency: http://maassagency.com/ Look at their website, their agent list, their submission requirements. That's what a reputable agency looks like. They shouldn't be asking for a reading fee or a submission fee. Agents should have credible experience, such as internships at well-known agencies, not just "got an english lit degree" or something. Same goes for editors and publishers.

Submitting directly to an editor is tempting, but if you do that, hire a contract lawyer at the very least. Without an agent, you have less influence for negotiation, and lack the industry knowledge they can bring to the table. Your agent is your advocate, your mentor, your guide, your legal advisor, your financial manager, and your cheerleader. Your editor is the person who works at the publisher FOR THAT BOOK (or series/whatever is contracted), or in the case of self-pub, an independent person you hire.

Do not sign any contracts without thoroughly investigating that person, their company, what that kind of contract should look like, and common warning/scammer clauses.

Trad pub is "cheaper" but harder. I haven't paid a penny. My agent will get a cut of sales after the publisher. Self-pub requires an initial investment (like a few thousand if you're serious about it), and some business/marketing savvy if you want to do well. But if you don't care about who reads it, you can certainly throw it up on Amazon at low cost, and get a few copies printed for your personal use. It all depends on what you want out of publishing.
  





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Wed Oct 12, 2016 8:48 pm
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Tenyo says...



What Rosendorn said, she's good at this.

Let's see...

Unsolicited sources (the ones who ask for your novel, rather than you seeking them out) can be dodgy and hard to investigate. They might be a well-meaning small business starting out, but these can be really shaky in terms of legalities and business practice.

Asking you to pay for publishing is a really bad sign. If you were selling a product to a shop, you wouldn't pay them a fee to stock the product. A lot of businesses that ask you to pay for publishing make their money from the authors not the buyers.

Sole Publishing Contracts (which say that you can't publish your novel elsewhere) are to be avoided. A good agent will earn your loyalty. The danger of Sole Publishing Contracts is that if your novel flops you can't republish it later, or with anyone else.

When you find an agent or publisher, google some of their books. If the book turns up in hard copy in Waterstones or Barnes and Noble, that's a good sign. If it only turns up as an amazon ebook then they might not be offering you the best services.

Be extra careful of publishers that tailor to young writers. Young writers are a tough investment in the world of mainstream publishing. Inexperienced publishers might look for young writers because they're naive or less fussed about legalities. These publishers might mean well but those who skip legalities and protocols might not be knowledgeable enough to act in your best interests.

Ask lots of questions. A legitimate agent or publisher who knows what they're doing will be aware of and respect your caution. Be wary of people who avoid or resent your questions.
We were born to be amazing.
  








Poetry lies its way to the truth.
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