A few weeks back I decided to contact a publisher and send my first three chapters and all the required info. My novel is nearly completed (editing and final draft being sorted). I informed them that it wasn't quite finished and hoped I may get some feedback as this is my first venture as an author. I was delighted when they wrote back to me. They have offered to do a short run of my book to see how it goes , if it sells then they will look at pressing more. The publishers specialise in a different genre of books than the one I'm writing so this would be a different path for them. Should I accept the first offer ( they are based near where I live, which would make it handy for meetings) or should I hold fire until other publishers have been approached?
Thank you Adrain, I shall ask more questions to the company over the next few days. They are a highly regarded company (my daughter works at Waterstones part time) and says they are a pleasure to deal with. Regarding the said corpse, they went into detail about how to weigh the body down so it wouldn't float. If I get a knock on the door from the old bill then my book may not come out at all. On a serious note, it's been a pleasure meeting people for my research, from ex police detectives to physiologists, they have all been so supportive. I think my credits of thanks will be longer than the book :-)
Carolyn, this is setting alarm bells off with me. They are telling you what you want to hear: they'll then tell you they've sold your initial run, and want to do more but at a cost which they must share with you. Have they asked for any money up front? Have you studied their terms and conditions? Where are they planning to sell the first copies? What is their publicity department going to do for you? This sounds like a trap for the unwary to me.
The fact that yours isn't what they usually publish (have you checked them out on sales volume via Amazon, by the way?) and yet they are prepared to take a punt on it - and what's a short run anyway? - just makes the bells ring louder.
I wouldn't go near them; you can publish this yourself really easily at no cost; if you want a paperback version you can do that too. You're going to end up being responsible for the marketing and publicity anyway - no publisher at present is putting money into first time authors whose work they aren't completely certain will fly off the shelves. The line 'to see how it goes' is total nonsense - a reputable company wouldn't touch it if they were at all iffy about sales, because they'd risk a loss, and the money men who rule the game now wouldn't let them. This is going to come back to you paying out - I'm certain of it.
Don't grab the first offer that comes along; your work is worth more than this.
Carolyn, I'm glad to hear you have adopted a cautious approach.
Reputable agents or publishers would not offer to represent or publish a novel on the strength of the first three chapters. However, many agents will request a copy of a completed manuscript if they are happy with the first three chapters of a novel. Sadly, most are usually disappointed to find that the subsequent chapters are not up to the standard of the first three.
I would have serious doubts if I was offered a deal on the strength of the first three chapters of a novel, but I would expect a request for the completed manuscript.
Next I would expect them to suggest improvements and re-writes where necessary. This can be a lengthy process. It can takes two years before an author sees their novel in print.
On a lighter note, did the people suggest disposing of the body in a graveyard under a coffin?
What if one of the characters is a mortician, grave-digger, works at a zoo, owns a funeral parlour, or manages a crematorium?