{"id":532,"date":"2020-12-08T00:22:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-08T00:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darkskydigital.co.uk\/clients\/av\/?p=532"},"modified":"2020-12-19T00:26:59","modified_gmt":"2020-12-19T00:26:59","slug":"agents-publishers-and-big-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/darkskydigital.co.uk\/clients\/av\/guest-blog\/agents-publishers-and-big-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Agents, Publishers and Big Mistakes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The dream for most authors is to be taken on by a literary agency who will secure a big advance with one of the major publishers \u2013 The Big Five<\/a> \u2013 negotiate a film contract and manage their careers into the stratosphere for the rest of their natural writing life. Sadly, except for those already in the game (too many to list here), the chances of that happening are around 1%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s a hopeless situation as luck and timing play a big part in being unearthed from the slush pile (a towering e-mail stack of unsolicited submissions). Rejection is a big part \u2013 some would say an essential part \u2013 of a writer\u2019s life, and so it\u2019s essential to be prepared for this before entering the fray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choosing an agent.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The major publishers will only consider work if it comes via an agent. Some of the smaller ones are so inundated with submissions that they are also making this a requirement. One mistake writers make when choosing an agent is that they submit to the wrong people. If an agent doesn\u2019t accept historical romance, then don\u2019t send them yours in the belief that they\u2019ll make an exception. Read their individual specifications very carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Writer\u2019s and Artist\u2019s Year Book<\/a> has an up-to-date list of agents and small publishers which matches books with agents\u2019 wish lists. Make a list of a dozen suitable ones and submit your book according to their specific instructions. Not doing that will result in your submission being deleted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Independent publishers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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There\u2019s been a rise in the number of independent publishers setting up shop, from a one person outfit working from home to a small group of professionals with extensive publishing and marketing experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with agents, the same advice applies. Many \u201cindies\u201d have chosen to specialise in, say crime and thrillers, or romance, and make it clear on their website what they are not<\/strong> interested in. Poetry, literary fiction and YA (young adult) are the ones that pop up the most. One of the problems with submitting to an indie is that their marketing budget is either non-existent or miniscule. They rely on the author to do their own promotion through social media, organising bookshop events, guest blogging and paying for a blog tour etc. In addition, many do little or no editing. The author has to bear the costs for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My first two books were published by an indie back in 2017\/2018. The sales were promising at first but soon slid down the scale as more books came on the market. The publisher was very honest about the fact that unless a book has made a hit in the first few weeks, it gets remaindered. After a while, the book is \u201cOut of Print\u201d which means the eBook is removed from the online stores (Kindle) and old copies of the paperback are left wandering through the system for resale like forgotten suitcases on a carousel. At this point, you should be offered your rights back so you can republish it yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all seems a bit daunting, especially as we get older. I\u2019ve found that much is down to mindset and managing our expectations. Modern day authors need to not only write a brilliant book but be business savvy. Let me share some tips which professionals in the book world have passed on to me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n