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Publishing through an Agent
A literary agent is someone who represents a book and have connections with book publishers. Agents go through what they call a "slush pile" to find good work worth publishing.
You should avoid agents that charge an up front fee when representing your book. You will be charged for the work that they do but it fees should come later on after your book is on its way with getting published.
Most publishers will not look at a manuscript of a book unless there is an agent involved. In fact, the big six New York publishers: HarperCollins, Random House, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, Penguin Putnam, and Disney/Hyperion only consider manuscripts from published authors or agents. In an interview of Barbara Kingsolver, a well published author, she says that "definitely you need one" (an agent).
Publishing through an agent may be the best option for those writers that are not good business people. If you are not familiar with self-publishing, then it can be a challenge. Your book may get into print but only a few people read it or even know about it.
Agents are very useful in the fact that they understand the publisher contracts. They understand what is a good deal and what to look for in order for the author to have rights as well as what needs to be changed to benefit the author. They look at things such as the fees, future revision costs, and amount of money the author will make from each book sold. Also, agents have connections to publishers, editors, and other resources. They also understand the legal vocabulary of publishing contracts that would be difficult for just anyone to read. Associatedcontent.com is an excellent website source for finding agents. It lists what each agent is accepting and what they do not want.
What Agents in Young Adult Fiction Currently Want
The market for writing changes from time to time. A book you write now, may not be of any interest to agents now but in a few years, it could be exactly what the market wants. It is important to knowwhat topics are desired in the writing market. These are a few topics I ran across that most agents all had in common for accepting:
- magical realism-combination of magical or fantasy elements and reality such as someone telepathic living in society and paranormal activity
- dystopian
- funny stories -involving romance, drama, etc
- multicultural
- mystery/suspense
- romance
- ghost stories
Most agents say they don't want anything to do with "high fantasy" (meaning parallel worlds like"The Lord ofthe Rings" or "Alice in Wonderland"). High fantasy also would include that of The "Narnia" series. Those types of books have faded some and most agents don't want them. Basically anything to do with the paranormal, magical, or dystpian is where the young adult market is at and continuing to head toward. Very few though want to consider vampire or werewolf stories due to the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. They are looking for something new. The young adult market is headed for fantasy in urban and dark as well as graphic horror. On the other hand, a lot of agents want something that makes people laugh and causes them to think. Most of these were not just based on young adult fiction but fiction in general. When writing for the teen market, the story has to be convincing and real. Teens do not like fakes and won't read anything that is unbelievable. This is why the "Narnia" series along with "The Lord of the Rings" have faded.
Self-Publishing
Self-publishing does not involve established publishers or agents. This is one of the most difficult forms of publishing. The author pays any and ALL publishing costs. This includes editing, the production, storage, marketing, and distribution. If a writer has enough money it is a good option if all else fails. It does however cost less to publish online than the in print version. A less famous author, Amanda Hocking, tried everything to get her book published. She ended up self-publishing e-books and sold 164,000 books in 2010 through Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com. She doesn't think she would be as successful if she would have gone through a publisher.
Some self-publishing sites are:
-Lulu
-Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing
-Barnes & Noble's PubIt!
-Createspace
-AuthorHouse
-xLibris
Some can be in ebook online form or in print. The in print style for most of these companies allow the author to choose the binding, size, and styles of the book. With a publisher and agent, often times the author does not get to choose exactly what they want. The main benefits are that you design everything and get the all of the rewards.
Here are a few self-publishing authors:
-Mark Twain
-Ezra Pound
-Walt Whitman
-Richard Nixon
-Stephen King
Reasons for Self-Publishing
According to Dan Poynter, author of Self-Publishing Manual, his reasoning for self-publishing are as follows:
1.More Money
Publishers often pay between 6% and 10% on each book. Self-publishing can eliminate the middle man and you can make 35% and sometimes even 100% of the profit.
2. Less Time
Publishers are very busy and it can take 18 months or even a few years to get your book published. If the market for your book is right now, then self-publishing may be a better option. Another factor is finding an agent or a publisher that will want your book, this can take a lot of time and effort. Many publishers and agents don't even open a package with a manuscript because they just don't have the time. They either ship them back or toss them without even notifying you. Richard Nixon published Real Peace because he thought it was important and couldn't wait for a publisher.
3. Control of Your Book
This can be a big deciding factor in how you publish your book. When using a publisher, often times the author does not get to select the final title, the looks and binding of the book, or even the promotional aspect.
4. No Other Choice
If you have tried publishers, agents, etc. and it has gotten you no where, self-publishing is a good option to fall back on.
If you are a good business person as well as writing then this option will most likely work out for you. Also, if you do self-publish and your book does very well, a big publishing company could approach you and want to print it in a newer addition. Be sure to check out the publisher section on my tip page, because large publisher may have a negative effect after you have already published your book.
To compare some self-publishing companies visit and they are listed on the left of the page: http://dogearpublishing.net/self-publishing-companies.aspx