A Publisher's Conversations with Authors: Avoiding Disappointment in Choosing a Publisher

 

                                                                                                 (photo by Frank Perez)

It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.

Today's topic is about choosing a publisher. Of course, you do choose a publisher, but also a publisher chooses you. It is a two-way affair.

So, let's take each approach separately.

How do you choose a publisher?

• Decide what you are looking for in a publisher.
• Do you want a large publisher with big pockets who might be able to get your book on the NYT best seller list, give you a large advance, or get you attention from a national television show? (You better have one whale of a story, very well written, with a huge platform of your own; otherwise, you will become one of those authors you hear about a lot--sending out dozens, if not hundreds of proposals before getting a nibble, if that ever occurs. However, if you have a story to tell and are a respected expert even in a niche area, go for it1)
• Do you want personal attention and even perhaps some developmental editing help? Are you willing to forego an advance or take a very small one? Then, you will most likely benefit from a small publisher, especially one used to working with first-time authors. Most will indicate in the publisher lists that they accept first-time authors; you can also make that determination by researching the authors they publish.
• Do you want some say in the final product? While no respected publisher will allow authors the final say on things like cover design or typesetting or the use of graphics/images that do not meet resolution specifications, hybrid publishers are more likely to enter into a partnership with you and negotiate these items. (If you want complete control and don't have high quality images, then you are likely looking at self-publication and will need to get some help to make sure you meet at least minimal professional standards) 
• Check source documents, such as Writers' Market, for lists of publishers; find the ones that match your desired qualities.
• If you can, ask a friend or colleague to introduce you to the acquisitions editor. This tends to be a long shot, but sometimes new authors have good connections, and though I am the managing editor of MSI Press, I publish my academic works through leading academic presses like Georgetown University Press and Cambridge University Press. I had a colleague refer me to each when a book I was working on was appropriate, and I, in turn, have made that connection for colleagues. Likewise, we at MSI Press have had new authors referred by authors we have previously published, and they always receive personalized attention from the get-go. While we may not always offer a contract, they start from a positive position and very often do end up with a contract.
• If you must make a cold call, make sure you have a strong letter of inquiry or proposal package. If the publisher asks for a specific format (or even just recommends one), follow it. If you are expecting an individualized response, then you should expect to prepare an individualized proposal, submitted separately, not to a "distribution list" of potential authors. See an earlier post about why standardized submissions are generally a waste of time HERE.

How to respond when a publisher chooses you?

• First, be aware that it is rather unusual for a publisher to contact an author, except for self-publishing companies and scammers--and those are likely to end up in your email inbox with regularity if you have ever published a book. Unless you want to self-publish, delete any that are clearly self-publishers. If you check their websites, they almost invariably state that they are self-publishers, talking about "you" publishing your book. (Hybrid publishers are a different story; they have "skin" in the game in a variety of ways, look a lot like traditional publishers, and share publishing actions with authors.]
• If the publisher is not a self-publisher but claims to be a traditional publisher, don't leap just yet. Check it out. You need to know whether the publisher is legitimate or just looks at your book as a source for its own income.
• Google the publisher to see if you can find any good or bad words about the publisher from authors, BBB, or other sources.
• Is the publisher listed in Writer's Market? Publishers' Archive? 
• Can you find books by the publisher reviewed in Library Journal, Foreword Reviews, or like publications that accept review requests from publishers.
• If you think you might like to work with the publisher (having checked out the publisher), ask for a sample contract--and take the contract to intellectual property rights attorney. The cost will be worth it if you avoid typical mistakes like selling all your rights (and never sell your copyright). See an earlier post on this HERE. 

Want more specific guidance on this topic? Check out the Writer Beware site run by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. You might even subscribe to its newsletter. The site has much else, as well, worth reading. Victoria Strauss, the president and author of many of the articles, is very knowledgeable about who is an honest publisher and who is a scam artist--and even maintains lists of the worst offenders.

Lesson for today's Tuesday talk: Beware of publishing offers that seem too good--they are probably bad!
Just as you would check out a school for a child, a gym for membership, or a mortgage contract, you must check out the reputation of any publisher with whom you consider working, as well as the conditions of the contract offered.

Read more posts about publishing HERE.

The Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors who come through our doors but don't make the cut--yet. If you have a topic you would like addressed, leave the question in the comment section. Chances are, in our 17 years of publishing first-time and experiences authors, we have had a conversation with one of our authors that we can share with you.