***I have a number of writing deadlines coming up over the next couple of months so I have decided instead of stepping away from my blog completely to concentrate solely on my writing, I will bring back an encore performance of my WRITERLY WISDOM series from three years ago. WW is 52 glorious posts by authors, agents, and editors from around the country providing writerly wisdom in categories from why even become a writer all the way to how to publish and market your books.
There
will be two posts loaded per week...Mondays & Wednesdays...so be
sure to stop by and check out all the encouraging information given by
my lovely writerly friends! I hope you enjoy the encore presentation of
my WRITERLY WISDOM series and I will return with shiny, new posts in
the fall!***
Agent or Publisher?
By Margaret Greanias
As I’ve plunged headlong into my agent search, I can’t help but
feel in limbo. Here I am, eager to share my HIGH-larious stories with the world
– busily revising, tweaking, polishing (maybe too busily; ask my critique
partners) and otherwise doing everything in my power to make them shine. But,
when I shoot off an agent query, it disappears into the black hole of
cyberspace, perhaps never to be heard from again. I’m left to wonder, “Was it
read? Was it not read?”
Agents are the gatekeepers to publishing. They deflect thousands
of manuscripts a year (cue space shields: Pew! Pew! Pew!). But they don’t have
to be. Plenty of picture book authors have gotten published without one.
So why do I continue shooting my manuscripts at the agent
cyberspace shield?
An agent will get your manuscript considered by the right
editors.
Successful agents work
at maintaining personal relationships with editors. These personal
relationships give them access to editor preferences and tastes, what’s selling
and what’s not, wish lists and more. However, having that relationship with the
editor goes beyond being able to tailor submissions. Just as in our own lives,
editors are more likely to consider recommendations from trusted associates. In
fact, fewer and fewer publishing houses are open to unagented submissions.
Agents have expertise in negotiating book deals, contracts
and the industry in general.
Agents know standard
advances and royalty rates as well as other technical publishing stuff like
foreign, digital, film and audio rights (my eyes are glazing, glazing, glazing
and…their crossed). In addition, if a manuscript gets stalled somewhere in the
process between acquisitions and printing – agents have the know-how and
know-who (at least more so than this writer) to potentially help un-stall it.
Agents act as the buffer between authors and publishers.
Agents handle tension-filled issues like business and money
so we can maintain our fluffy cloud relationships with editors.
Agents have book smarts (in a useful way).
It’s an agent’s job to know books and the book market.
Some are editorial and help you revise, tweak and polish your manuscript until
it shines. Others are more business-savvy and can help you market yourself and
your book. Either way, they are a wealth of information on books and can help
advance your authoring career.
So why wouldn’t a writer automatically go the agent route? Here
are some considerations:
Agents serve as gatekeepers – gatekeepers who have their own
tastes and preferences.
By going the agent
route, you’ll need to find an agent who loves your manuscript (and most likely
your body of work). That agent will need to find an editor who loves your
manuscript. If you submit direct, that’s one less roadblock to getting your
manuscript published.
The agent-writer relationship is a long-term commitment.
Bad news
commitment-phobes, but it’s true. You want an agent who will guide your writing
career. Someone who does not work the way you expect can increase your anxiety
and frustration. Even worse, a bad agent may be worse than no agent at all
because they can damage your morale and potentially your chances of getting
published.
Some publishers are open to unagented authors.
While many of the big publishing houses
are closed, there are quite a few reputable houses still open to unagented
submissions. In fact, I was very surprised by the number of open houses I
found. Check them out!
· Albert Whitman (http://www.albertwhitman.com/content.cfm/editorial-guidelines-for-writers)
· Arthur A. Levine Books
(http://www.arthuralevinebooks.com/submission.asp)
· Boyd Mills Press (https://www.boydsmillspress.com/writers-and-illustrators-guidelines)
· Capstone Publishing (http://www.capstonepub.com/content/CONTACTUS_SUBMISSIONS )
· Charlesbridge (http://www.charlesbridge.com/client/client_pages/submissions.cfm)
· Chronicle Books (http://www.chroniclebooks.com/our-company/submissions/childrens)
· Dawn Publications (http://www.dawnpub.com/submission-guidelines/)
· Holiday House (http://www.holidayhouse.com/holiday_house.php#manuscripts)
· Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young
Readers (http://www.hmhco.com/popular-reading/authors/manuscript-submissions)
· Lee & Low (http://www.leeandlow.com/p/wguide.mhtml)
· Penguin Young Readers
Group (http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/aboutus/pyrg-subguides.html)
· Sky Pony Press (http://www.skyponypress.com/guidelines/)
· Tanglewood Books (http://www.tanglewoodbooks.com/submissions.html)
· and many, many more.
However, there is no guarantee your submission or query will be
read. Your submission will become part of the infamous Slush Pile. Most houses
(like agents) only respond if interested. Also to beware: some publishing
houses do not accept simultaneous submissions. This means your manuscript could
be off the market until a publisher responds or does not respond to you (not very fair, is it?).
You too may submit to closed houses.
In special cases, you may submit to normally
closed houses. You may do so by attending conferences, submitting during
special (rare) submission windows and also being a member of specific writer
groups (I recently heard of an exclusive submission to a closed publisher
through the Children’s Writer (http://www.childrenswriter.com/) newsletter).
These submissions do not guarantee a response.
You can negotiate your own contract.
Say you land your own book deal (you industrious writer,
you). Resources are available to help you wade through the legalese. SCBWI
offers The ESSENTIAL GUIDE to PUBLISHING for CHILDREN available for sale or
free download (http://www.scbwi.org/Pages.aspx/PubGuide)
which includes FAQS on contracts. The Authors Guild (http://www.authorsguild.org/)
and the Literary Market Place (http://www.literarymarketplace.com/) can
recommend literary lawyers, who will help you negotiate your own contract and
save you from paying from agency commission.
You keep your earnings.
No agent? No agency
commission. Enough said.
There you have it: considerations when choosing agent or
publisher. If you have any additions, please feel free to chime in below.
Margaret Greanias is a picture book writer who lives in the San
Francisco Bay Area. She writes picture books and is currently brewing up a
batch of middle grade ideas.
You can connect with her on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/MargaretGreania
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