A couple of weeks ago, someone asked me if I could help them with a book publishing question. I think this business I work in is often very opaque, and I like to be able to demystify things when I can. It turned out to be kind of a big question: What do you do when you’ve written a book? What’s the next step? Publishing looks different for everyone and there are so many ways and avenues to get your book out there! But I thought I’d share some of the first steps to think about on your way to getting a book published.
What are you writing?
First: What kind of book have you written? Fiction, nonfiction, memoir, self-help, picture book, YA? Knowing the genre you’re writing in, and reading in that genre, is hugely helpful to know how to position your book. This is true whether you’re going to query agents, self-publish, or submit to indie presses. Since I’m no expert in self-pub or children’s/YA publishing, I’ll focus here on fiction (with a few notes on nonfic from my own perspective as a nonfiction writer).
Do you need a platform?
Nonfiction is much more about the author’s platform and reach than it is about the actual content. Having a niche where you can position yourself as an expert is what will sell a book first and foremost. (For me, being an editor at a romance publisher who has also studied film, and has published some work in a variety of online publications, gives me a bit of a platform for writing about romance even if it’s in film instead of literature).
Fiction is very different and is mostly about the editorial content. And whether an agent or editor thinks it has a sellable hook and compelling writing. Does it help if you have a big social platform? Sometimes. But it’s certainly not a requirement. I’ve sat in many acquisitions meetings where we don’t even talk about an author’s social media platform. If you’re a debut author, it’s hard to expect you’ll already have a built-in reader base.
Traditional Publishing or Indie Publishing?
If you want to go the traditionally published route, by and large you need an agent. Some houses accept unagented submissions regularly. Harlequin category romance imprints, for example, is always open to submissions. Some imprints will open to unagented submissions for a brief window. Tor, for instance, will sometimes open for a few days, but it can take a very long time to hear back. But if you’re looking for your work to be read by an editor in any kind of timely manner, you need an agent. They’ll connect with an editor and send over your manuscript.
Indie presses are another option. This is great for folks who don’t want to do all the work surrounding a book release. Things like typesetting, setting up ISBNs, author pages, webstores, etc., take up a lot of time and effort. But what if you still want to see your books in print at bookstores? Some indie presses have distribution through a Big 5 publisher. This allows them to get their books into bookstore chains and indie booksellers in a reliable way. There isn’t necessarily a ton of money in indie publishing (which is also true for trad pub!). But you can gain some traction and recognition with indies and build your author brand and cultivate a readership, which of course is the goal, right?
This is the briefest overview, but hopefully it’s helpful to someone. When I come back I’ll share some resources that I have found super helpful on my own publishing journey so far.
What I’m Up to:
What I’m Reading:
Finishing up Rachel Harrison’s PLAY NICE, and I am loving it. I also recently finished Mona Awad’s WE LOVE YOU, BUNNY, the follow-up to one of my fave weird books ever, BUNNY. I’m going to see her in conversation with Amy Jones in a few weeks and I’m so excited.
What I’m Watching:
A bunch of random stuff: 70s thrillers like Three Days of the Condor and The Parallax View. Always some horror romance like Bride of Frankenstein. And shockingly, baseball (my husband’s a big Blue Jays fan).
What I’m Writing:
Not much right now, to be honest. I turned in my manuscript to my editor last month and am waiting (anxiously!) for my edits to come back. But in the back of my brain I’m percolating on an essay about Don’t Look Now, a horror romance that I deeply love but haven’t written much about. It’s one of those movies that I find so much more effective and affecting on rewatch. When you’re not trying to solve the mystery, the way the film unfolds is so much more satisfying. More to come!