CRAFT: 6 Questions for Authors on the Path to Publication by Angel R. Ackerman

The path to publication for any writer, or even an established author, includes so many rejections and revisions and roller coaster rides that sometimes we forget that we as artists have the right, and deserve, to see our work presented with the same care and vision that we poured into it.

At the same time, sometimes writers fall prey to a certain impatience and desperation when submitting their work that we don’t always — though sometimes we do —  ask the right questions about where we send our manuscripts.

When we hear phrases like “accepts unagented submissions” and “traditional publisher,” we rush to our computers and open our email or go into Submittable and upload all the attachments and jump through the hoops.

But what, my dear writer friends, should you, as an individual, be doing before you offer your precious words to some publisher on the other side of the Internet? After all, you want to avoid all the mistakes that we, collectively as all writers, often make.

I spent more than a decade as a print journalist while I shopped my paranormal horror series to New York publishers. I had so many good experiences, but then I witnessed the explosion of ebooks and consolidation of the major players. I decided to pause my quest and focused on my family. As is not uncommon, ten years passed, then 15, and I more or less forgot that I had written these novels. The pandemic came, and I thought it would be fun to self-publish my novels for my daughter, basically as a protection against losing them (and/or the electronic files behind them).

Shortly thereafter, other people asked for my help publishing novels and before long I found myself publishing the books of strangers — and that’s how my micro-press, Parisian Phoenix Publishing, published 25 books in less than three years.

Now that I’m on the other side of the desk, I encourage you to ask these questions before you submit your work to a publisher:

1. How many books have they published? An internet search will yield this information. Any of the major online retailers will organize books by publishers for you. For Amazon, it’s a setting under advanced search. On Barnes & Noble.com, you can click on the publisher’s name in any book’s listing. But, two warnings — you must get everything spelled correctly and if the company has more than one imprint, you must have the various names. Compare this number to the length of time they’ve been in business. Do they publish two books a year? Ten? Are they consistent? Consistency can equate to reliability. It means they should be good with deadlines and that they have a track record.
2. What does their Internet presence look like? Do they have a custom domain? These days it barely costs anything to have a business name as a web address. Does the publisher have a business-specific email address? Or, is it a free service like gmail? There’s nothing wrong with utilizing free services, but marketing is a huge factor toward eventual success. I tell all my authors to use a service like WordPress or Wix for their website, but invest the extra money into [yourname].com if it is available. And, how clean does a potential publisher’s website look? Is it easy to navigate? Does it have good information? People looking for your book may come to the website —  what will they find? So, look at the information they have about their current authors. Also: Stalk their social media and sign up for their newsletter. You want to see what they put out into the universe.
3. Who are the staff members? Can you find a list of staff? Are their headshots professional? How they present themselves can show you how they will present you to the world. Can you Google staff members? What do you learn about them? Do they have the experience and knowledge required to do a good job?
4. Do they fit your values? My tagline is “unique voices and diverse perspectives.” It’s important to me to show various points of view and to embrace different people —  that might not be comfortable for someone very conservatively Christian to know that I publish BDSM erotica in one imprint and children’s books in another.
5. What do their books look like? This does not mean you have to buy samples of books, but if you can get your hands on one or two, flip through them. Does a book from this publisher look and feel like you always imagined your book would look and feel? If you can’t afford to buy a print book, consider buying an ebook. You want to see their interior type. Do you like the design? Can you read it? Are there typos? Is the editing solid? Even if you can’t justify the money, look for the “free sample” on Kindle or see if they give away any free reader magnets. Do you like their covers? You don’t want to have your book enter the world and realize you are that unlucky person who gave birth to the ugly baby.
6. How do they distribute? Most small presses use print-on-demand services just like self-published authors. And that’s okay. But there’s a big difference between using IngramSpark and Amazon KDP. Some very small presses only use Amazon KDP and that complicates your entry into physical bookstores. Some larger independent presses don’t use Amazon at all —  Microcosm Publishing is one. Barnes & Noble won’t automatically stock any small press books, but each store has the flexibility to order local authors’ books if they are available from Ingram. If your publisher is Amazon-only, you probably won’t be able to sell at Barnes. Occasionally some stores would take such books on consignment, but the likelihood of that is decreasing now.

Now, in closing, let me share with you the flip side.

I receive about three unsolicited submissions a month. That might not sound like a lot, but my staff includes myself, my art director, a photographer, an intern, my authors, a fine artist and my right hand who I call my poetry editor, but she’s blind so her role in editorial is not the traditional pen-and-paper kind. None of us receive a paycheck from the publishing company. The publishing company manages to pay its own expenses, and the authors usually receive 50% of their royalties from sales through Ingram, but many choose to use those royalties to buy author copies that they sell themselves. I’m months behind on reading, because I have a publication schedule that is too ambitious for my size.

Before I even read a submission, I do three things:

1. I Google the author. I want to see his/her/their internet presence, social media, and any background that comes up. Marketing is a huge part of this business and I need to know, even more so than what is presented in the query, if this person can promote themselves.
2. I ask the author why they approached me, and if they have read any of our books. Their answer shows me how well they actually know who I am and what I stand for. We are a small company. People need to fit, and they have to support each other.
3. I explain that I have a backlog of unread submissions and if they don’t hear from me by [this date] to follow up. Here’s the kicker: I never get back in touch before that date. I want to see if they are organized and invested enough to get in touch with me again. I want to know they will follow directions. And, because we are a small company that publishes more than we should, I need someone not afraid to approach me and point out that I’ve missed a deadline.

I hope these items have given you some food for thought about what you need to know and why before submitting your work to a potential publisher.