When you are looking for publisher for your novel, it can be maddening at times. Between all the vanity publishers and less than reputable publishers, sorting through that mess alone is scary. Finding an agent isn’t much easier, if not harder. It isn’t impossible to find your own way in the literary world, but a few pointers could make it easier. There are resources out there to help new writers find their place. One of these resources is a website called Predators and Editors.
It is a great site for writers, poets, artists, video game developers. It has tons of resources that make our lives much simpler. One of the features is they have a listing of book publishers with descriptions and writer feedback. This is very helpful because finding a publisher is a lot of work. First you have to find potential publishers, get their contact information, and see if they are even accepting submissions. If they are, then you have to check out their submission guidelines. If your work matches what they are looking for, then you have to determine whether or not the publisher is legitimate.
There are many less than trustworthy publishers out there. There are people that will out right steal your ideas. There will be others that say they will publish you, but only after you pay $500 plus. Some will publish you for “free,” but then hit you with fees for all kinds of other services. Some publishers sound great at the surface, but their contracts are totally unacceptable. These are all things you need to determine before you send off your manuscript. You worked hard to put that short story/novella/novel together. The last thing you want to send it off to some one who is less than trust worthy.
Basically, you have to do your homework. When I first started looking at publishers, I started looking at a book called Writer’s Market. Writer’s Market is a great book to work from, but sometimes it was information overload. There are tons of publishers listed, and there is great information in the book. Still, the format wasn’t the best for me. For others, the book is like the definitive guide to getting published.
In my case, I felt like I was doing double work. Getting published is very hard work. At times it may feel like you keep running into the same wall over and over again. Still working with the book wasn’t helping me. I felt like I was getting nowhere with the approach. After a while, I knew I had to come up with another method. Just doing a Google search was dangerous, but I needed something more interactive.
I like the Predators and Editors site because it gives me a listing of publishers broken down by books and magazines. It also gives me listings of agents too. I can see if the publisher is a vanity publisher, and if the publisher is recommended even before I waste my time looking into them. The site also has many other links and resources available such as submission protocols to help writers along the way.
Of course, Predators and Editors does not do all the work for writers. You will need to do some additional research on your own. The site has links that will take you directly to the publisher’s site. Once I am on their site I can see if that publisher is taking submissions, and if so if I meet the criteria. If I do, then there is still some work to do. I check out the company with the Better Business Bureau. I check out a few other sites like Absolute Write and Writer Beware to see if the company has any red flags on those sites.
Once you find a publisher (or publishers) that might be a good fit for your story, then you can send your manuscript of with confidence. Not only can you stand behind your work, you know you are sending it to credible people. The plan isn’t rejection proof, but it helps protect you and your creative property.
