More on What's Next

This gem found on Facebook

For my foreign readers who might find this one a bit of a challenge: The word wanted is "retinal." 

"Rectal" refers to a part of the body—ah—somewhat south.

How anyone learns English, including Americans, is sometimes beyond comprehension.

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WHAT'S NEXT?

Part 2

Okay, your manuscript has been polished until it shines, and now you're faced with the challenge of what to do with it. After my first post on What's Next, I was curious to find out how much the world of publishing has changed since I went indie in 2011.  The answer: A LOT. There has been a huge amalgamation among print publishers, so many of the well-known publishing houses are now divisions of the Big Five: Penguin Random House, Hatchette, Austin Macauley, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. Some of these "biggies," however, have electronic publishing divisions that accept Direct Submission from authors. Below, I am going to attempt to pass along some of what I discovered, but in the end the research and decisions are up to you. Remember your choices: 1) the generally long-term effort to find an agent, who will then submit your manuscript to the publishers he or she thinks best-suited to your work; 2) submitting your work directly to an online publishing company which, if they accept your work, will take care of editing, cover, publishing, and marketing on their website; 3) preparing and uploading your manuscript yourself to Amazon Kindle, Smashwords, or other online VENDORS. Please note these are not "publishers." For #3, YOU are the publisher. You edit, provide a cover, and do the marketing. You also get a hefty share of the sales.

In Part 1 we talked about finding an agent and how to find guidelines for indie publishing. The information below is devoted to #2: how to find electronic publishers to whom you submit your work as you would to a print publisher. These e-publishers who will accept or reject your work, and if accepted, will act in the same capacity as a print publisher, taking over your rights and taking care of all the details. (Although additional marketing on your part will almost always help.)

Here is a link to a recently updated blog by Joan Edwards titled, "50 Publishers who accept Unagented Submissions":  To view, Click here. 

Here is a list of the online publishers I discovered that accept Direct Submission:

For Harlequin/Silhouette (print & e), click here.


For Avon's Impulse, click here. (Harper Collins)

For Kensington's Lyrical Press, click here. 

For Forever Yours, e-division of Grand Central, click here. (Hatchette)  

For Austin Macauley, click here.

Macmillan - see Austin Macauley  

Simon & Schuster appears to have established a division titled Archway, which aids in self-publishing (as in Amazon, Smashwords, Nook, Kobo, etc.) I.e., acting as a VENDOR not a publishing house.

I also found a link called, "How to Self-publish Poetry":  To view, click here. 

Independent Online Publishers:

For Entangled, see their blog. To view, click here.

For Soul Mate Publishing, click here.

WARNING! 

Do NOT choose a publisher who asks for money upfront. Yes, if you are indie publishing, you will have to pay for a cover and possibly for editing, but no reputable online publisher should charge you for anything except buying copies of your own book (at cost).

 ~ * ~

That's the best I can do, friends. There are opportunities out there. All forms of publishing require research, work, and patience on your part, whether you are staying traditional, submitting to an online publisher, or going indie. Each has its own set of challenges. But whichever way you go . . .

1. Make sure you are submitting a highly polished manuscript.

2. Research publishers, research agents. Find the ones who publish or handle the genre you write.

3. Submit! I strongly advise every author to enter writing contests and submit to a variety of publishers before going indie. Get feedback if you can. Explore the market. Learn! Never think you got it right the first time!

4. After you've suffered through the learning curve, then - and only then - consider Do-it-yourself. 

~ * ~

For a link to my Christmas novella, A Lady Learns to Love, on Amazon Kindle, click here.
For a link to Smashwords, including a 20% free read, click here.

For a link to Blair Bancroft's web site, click here.

For Blair's Facebook Author Page, updated 11/5/18, click here. 

For a brochure for Grace's Editing Service, Best Foot Forward,

email: editsbyBFF@aol.com 
 

Thanks for stopping by,

Grace