Hi all,
I have a completed manuscript - the first book in a YA fiction trilogy - and have reached out to myriad agents and publishers but have had no feedback (in nearly four months). Resolutely, I am beginning to seriously consider self-publishing on Amazon/Apple iBooks etc. but fear this will limit potential book deals with big publishing houses in the future... I have read that some are rather sniffy about it but that, on the other hand, some prefer an author to have a lot of digital traction and evidence that their material is commercial and well received.
If you could shed some light on this predicament, I'd appreciate it a lot.
Thanks
Olivia
At the risk of offending others, I would wait until... then you have to decide. I'm an ex-journalist and knew I could write, so thought writing a book would be easy. Totally wrong. The book I wanted to write I couldn't, so I went off on a side project thinking that would be an easy inroad into getting published. Wrong again. That was ten years ago. In that time I haven't given up, but I have honed a skill I wrongly thought I had in the first place. Much more recently I have got feedback from publishers and agents.
If they haven't responded to anything you've done so far, that is feedback in itself. One or two submissions might fall by the wayside, slip down the back of the sofa, get lost and not read, but if you've sent out a lot then you can guess they've been read. If anyone had anything to say to you, they would have said it.
Anyway, getting back to the point, in your shoes I would not rush into self publishing until you are absolutely sure you are ready. Once you are, and if what you publish is good enough and gets reaction, publishers won't care. If they see a possible commercial success they'll come after you.
One thing you don't mention - have you shared any work on this site. If not, why not give it a go? Invite reaction, see if you get any constructive criticism.
Anyway goodluck, hope it works out.
AR
I think, firstly, you should congratulate yourself that you have already accomplished a great achievement.
Getting noticed will take time, hard work and they will all want to know what you have done to get your book out there.
I think the most important thing as a writer is that you get your message out and share it with others. If one person reads your book and it helps them, then you have made a difference in someones life.
Never give up on your dream Olivia.
Natasha
Olivia, it's a question of when you think you've waited long enough. Do you make allowances for the summer holidays, for example? What's a reasonable time for your book to stay in a slush pile? Opinion varies. Four months may seem longer to you, waiting and watching your mailbox, than to them with their piles of mss to sift through. Should you wait a couple of months more? It's your call.
Authors have been snapped up after publishing through KDP - in fact, Amazon have offered contracts to authors who have self-published successfully through them. If your sales and reviews show that a huge number of people like your book, a publisher may want a slice of the action. They are in this as a profit-making venture, after all.
Which would you rather do: publish it yourself on the offchance that it will sell and a big company will spot it; wait for ever in hope that a company will respond; or not bother in case they don't like the idea that you self-published it? If you don't put it out there, how will you ever know if it's saleable?
No simple answer, I'm afraid - only that you have to go with your gut.
Lorraine