I have a completed Fiction manuscript, and I’ve been scanning the internet for the right agent, or the right publishing house. My fiance and I have discussed how best to distribute the new novel, but now I’ve run into a sort of roadblock. I have sent out my query letter to three agents, and two of them turned the idea down, because they believe it to be too far into the vein of Science Fiction. The other agent has given it a chance, and is reviewing the manuscript now. Yet, I’m now questioning my actions, because there are smaller publishing houses (not Self-Publishing or Print-On-Demand) that don’t need agent-issued proposals or manuscripts.
My question is, should I try to find the right agent for this endeavor, or should I just get the book out and hope that stardom comes without the agent’s help?
"Stardom" comes to but 5% of authors who actually earn a living at writing. For the rest, they make some money writing books and work at another job at the same time. You have very little chance with a smaller publisher. First of all, a lot of them are hacks (God I wish I could tell you the story behind one small publisher in particular!) Some are working on shoestring budgets and can barely afford to print your book much less promote it. Most, by the way, are POD. They just don’t have the money to print in large quantities.
You must understand one thing about book distributors. The two largest in the world are Ingram and Baker+Taylor. They are distributors which means they have huge warehouses full of books and they fill orders for bookstores. They have no salespeople who go out into the field and take orders. If a book buyer doesn’t know about a book, they aren’t likely to order it. How do they find out about your book? YOU have to promote it and that takes time and money. With small publishers it is highly unlikely your book is making it into bookstores–especially if they work POD.
If you think you will be saving money by stiffing an agent out of 15%, you are very wrong. That agent can 1) Get you a higher advance 2) Convince a publisher to give you marketing and promotion money 3) Sell your paperback rights if the book is released in hardcover 4) Help you market the book and MANY more things. They are a bargain at 15%.
My dear you haven’t run into a roadblock. If 3 agents read it and one is actually interested, you are doing better than about 90% of authors who send out queries. Just make very very sure this agent is legit. Have you checked them through Preditors and Editors and Absolute Write Water Cooler’s Bewares and Background Checks. I have a sneaking suspicion you didn’t. Please do it if you haven’t already. There are a lot of scam agencies out there, too.
I learned the hard way how to advocate for myself and for others. I get letters every week from people who request that I run checks on the publishers and agencies they are in contact with. I would say 99% of them are scams. Be very careful. If you want me to check, write me and I will explain how to thoroughly check out an agent. Pax-C
Unfortunately stardom is unlikely without the help of an agent. Even WITH an agent your chances of getting published, by any house, are not great.
The important thing is to keep at it and not lose hope. JK Rowling–rejected by all houses but one. Lionel Shriver–rejected 21 times. The examples are endless. Writing is an almost impossible profession, but it can be the most rewarding as well. Good luck!
unless you go POD (print on demand). You can not distribute anything. Someone has to buy it first.
If you truly believe in yourself, you will keep querying. Most writers have stacks of rejections. It’s normal for the field, and for more popular genres like sci-fi, the field is harder to break into, which bring the odds of getting an agent up into the stratosphere. If you haven’t, consider checking out SFWA, the scifi writers of america. And narrowing your search down to agents that actually take the subgenre you write.
If you want to go with a smaller house, Piers Anthony has a site for small/e-publishing houses, which tells you industry facts about the different houses, their lines, their requirements and if they’r legit, and if they have problems.
If you are not treating this like a job search, and dead serious about it, I suggest you rethink your strategy. The odds that stardom will hit you through a tiny press that does one book a year through Lightning Source POD technology are pretty high.
Unless you are the next Stephen King or something, you might be seven unpublished books into your future writing career before even one is published.
Persiphone knows what she’s talking about. I recommend taking her advice.