danib
Sapphire
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Post by danib on Oct 3, 2020 15:34:11 GMT -6
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danib
Sapphire
Posts: 4,101 Likes: 12,682
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Post by danib on Oct 5, 2020 5:02:10 GMT -6
I've worked in publishing, but not in fiction. And I don't know if Canada is different. That said, agents are much more popular/important in fiction. They could submit to a bunch of publishers' slush pile, but then they're relying on the EA or intern manning the pile to like it and raise it higher. Self publishing has come a long way, and punishing houses do a lot less these days in terms of marketing and such, outside of the big houses. /Brain dump Thanks for the info. He's self-published, but having trouble getting his books "out there". They're available in the major bookstore in our city, but you can only do so much with a small population, so he needs to get it in other provinces/countries. I'm not sure if he's been submitting his books to agents that way (I've never heard the term slush pile) or if he's been trying to get meetings and perhaps that's the problem. I'll let him know. |
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bobyn
Diamond
local baby-making menace
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Post by bobyn on Oct 5, 2020 9:52:56 GMT -6
I have a friend who is about to publish the last book of her trilogy. I can reach out to her and get advice on finding a publisher if you'd like!
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danib
Sapphire
Posts: 4,101 Likes: 12,682
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Post by danib on Oct 5, 2020 10:30:31 GMT -6
I have a friend who is about to publish the last book of her trilogy. I can reach out to her and get advice on finding a publisher if you'd like! that'd be awesome! Any info I can pass along to him is greatly appreciated! |
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bobyn
Diamond
local baby-making menace
Posts: 26,484
Likes: 164,192
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Post by bobyn on Oct 5, 2020 10:51:04 GMT -6
I have a friend who is about to publish the last book of her trilogy. I can reach out to her and get advice on finding a publisher if you'd like! that'd be awesome! Any info I can pass along to him is greatly appreciated! I will let you know if she has anything to say! |
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bobyn
Diamond
local baby-making menace
Posts: 26,484
Likes: 164,192
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Post by bobyn on Oct 6, 2020 10:17:13 GMT -6
danib, here's the message from my friend. It's long, but I hope has some helpful advice: So, I'm going to assume that your friend's friend has self-published, but for the particular book he is trying to find an agent and/or publisher for, it has not yet been self-published. My recommendation for finding an agent and/or publisher has always been to go to writing conventions. Agents and editors are as much a part of those conventions as writers are. They're usually not as drunk as the writers, and that's often how you can tell who they are (I say this only semi-jokingly). Going to writing conventions was the advice that Anne Rice gave, as that was how she found an agent - she was participating in a writing workshop at a convention and connected with the individual heading that workshop. I myself went to my own first writing convention in 2014 in Portland, Oregon - it was the World Horror Convention, what would later branch off as StokerCon. I met a lawyer who knew managers and agents, and it was through a several-step process with that individual that I landed an agent and then publisher. I know that with the pandemic going on, it is much more difficult to travel and that conventions are often closed down. It's unfortunate, which means the already-long wait time gets longer. If your friend's friend has already self-published the book he is trying to find a publisher for, then he will need to have good sales and/or download numbers to catch someone's attention. As an alternative, there are small presses out there that do not require agented submissions, and those are always a possibility. In fact, the husband of my cousin's wife's sister has a submission off to a particular publisher. I'll check on the name and get back to you. Those, too, have a long wait time - potentially six months to get out of the slush pile. It's a long wait, no matter what, though, without a direct recommendation from one agent to another or one publisher to another. I looked around for the name of the sci fi press, but was unable to find out. I'll let you know if/when I come across it. That being said, there are many boutique publishers out there who accept unagented submissions. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
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