I enjoy talking with prospective authors. However, when a first-time author brags about all the rejection letters they’ve received, it gives me pause for thought. While they’re busy collecting rejection letters, their manuscripts sit around collecting dust. Months, even years may go by without them ever being read.
Don’t be a naive newbie
As stated in my article, The Author Myth, six-figure advances, and becoming famous, is more myth than fact. The is especially true for first time authors. About the only exception is if you already happen to be a famous a celebrity. Then the publisher will not only publish you, they’ll hire a ghostwriter to write your book for you. However, if you’re an unknown, you’re out of luck. The odds of a major publishing house buying your manuscript, and you becoming rich and famous, are about as good as going to Hollywood with no prior acting experience, walking into a motion picture studio, and landing a starring role in a feature film. In other words, it’s not happening.
This is why I never bothered playing the rejection letter game. Life is simply too short for this kind of nonsense. I’ve also heard similar stories about trying to find an agent. While I’m sure there are plenty of good literary agents out there, far too many are full of more you-know-what than the Thanksgiving turkey. I hear the same story, over and over again. “I emailed a query to an agent. They got back with me right away and wanted to see my manuscript, but it’s been ages, and I haven’t heard from them since. So when will they get back with me?”
Um…they’re not.
As I mentioned before, I have better things to do than waste my time playing games because I want to get my books in reader’s hands. So, when I first started out in the writing business, I began with partnership publishing.
What is partnership publishing?
Partnership publishing is when you take control and pay someone to publish your book. You may think it’s vanity publishing, but it’s actually not. It’s a business decision. It means you believe in your work enough that you’re willing to invest your own money into it. Most importantly, you retain the rights to your work instead of selling them to a publisher. With partnership publishing, the publisher does the formatting, cover design, printing and distribution, much like a traditional publisher. However, your book is usually published in weeks instead of years, and a publishing partner won’t drop you if your book fails to meet their expectations.
Please be aware that there are good and bad partnership publishing companies out there, so it’s best to do your homework first. Writer Beware is an excellent resource for finding out whose business practices are questionable. You’ll also want shop around for the best price and be sure to ask about distribution. If they’re not distributing through Ingram or Baker & Taylor, or both, you may have trouble getting your book into bookstores or libraries.
What about self publishing?
Self publishing is certainly a viable option. However, there is a lot of work involved. You, the author are responsible everything. Writing, editing, proofreading, cover design, the ISBN number, publishing, ebook formatting, distribution and marketing. If you know someone who knows the business and is willing to mentor you, great. Otherwise you really need to do your homework. I self published my very first book. I’d never done anything like it before, so let’s just say it was a very humbling experience. I used a partnership partner for my next book, and it was money well spent. Working with her taught me the business. Later on, when I was ready, I created my own publishing company, Good Oak Press, LLC.
And finally
A reputable partnership publisher probably won’t accept a poorly written book, so make sure you’re using proper grammar and punctuation, and that your story is well told. You’ll also need to have your book professionally edited.
So, it’s up to you. Do you spend the next few years collecting rejection letters? Or do you want to take control of your destiny and get your book into the hands of readers? The choice is yours.
Gayle Martin