So: you’ve decided it’s time to get your book out there (or maybe it will be time soon, and you’re doing some preemptive reading. Good on you!)
You’ve written several drafts, your readers say it’s good, your editor gives you the go-ahead: it’s TIME. What do you do? What are your options?
Right now, we have 2 choices: begin fishing for literary agents or self-publish (which in itself has a multitude of options but ultimately means DIY). I’m about to go over both and what my experiences have been with them to help you choose what’s right for you, because depending on your goal or situation, one could be better than the other.
First, let’s go with traditional publishing: fishing for those literary agents. Now, finding a literary agent is just like applying for a job… so I hope you’re not like me and absolutely hate that, because that’s what this is. You’ll need to write a letter for your application— your best foot forward, this is your one SINGULAR CHANCE to impress that agent. Everyone has their own rules and what they like to see: if you’re writing romance, then look for agents that read romance. If you’re writing horror, then look for someone who enjoys that. That’s easy enough. But that’s not enough. Do they like YOUR romance? Is it gay, is it contemporary, is it fantasy, or historical? Does your book focus on all-white characters, but the agent you selected specifically only wants POC? That’s another layer you need to research because if you don’t know what they like, then you wasted their (and your) time and lost an opportunity. Agents are picky, I’ve said this before in previous posts, and they have every right to be picky… but it is your job to find the one who would like your book.
Trying to find an agent for your novel is like finding your soul mate, except finding an agent is easier because you can actually find their interests and pick them out on a page. Now this is where my experience with traditional publishing ends. The lesson from this is do your research, DO YOUR RESEARCH. Follow their rules as if God itself wrote them.
Next up, we have self-publishing. My first question before we get into it, however, is simple at its face: how much money you got? Like, right now. Check your account and check your savings. You got at least $10k?
That’s not enough.
Self-publishing requires money. Now, I count paying your editor as finances that go into self-publishing (though you do need to do this regardless of which method of publishing you utilize, because your book has to look its best… but I’m still counting it). Some authors have spent $2k alone on their editors— then you need to pay an artist for the cover of your book; then you need a website (which means paying for the domain and servers for your website, social media accounts, etc.). Are you going to manage your own socials, or have someone do them for you? One option is free. Have you noticed I haven’t actually talked about publishing your book yet? Yeah… we’re not there yet, and you’re still spending money.
Publishing your book is easy… getting readers is the hard part, aside from needing all that money to invest. Managing your socials, spreading your brand awareness, those make-or-break the release of your book. If no one knows who you are or what you’re doing, then you have no customers! This is the reality of self-publishing. If you can’t network, then you have nothing.
Writing a book is hard work. Publishing a book is easy. Finding readers is difficult. No matter what option you choose, you have a lot of work ahead… and the amount of frustration and depression you get from it will hopefully be worth it in the end. Because if it isn’t, then why are you even doing this?
At first, I planned to approach an agent.
When that failed, I tried self-publishing… and then that failed due to the incompetence of the team I had hired, so I got another one (and they’re much better).
The new plan is that if my book Agony can succeed with self-publishing, then that would help convince an agent to help with my next book. Agents want money. They want results. If they know you’re good, then it’ll be easier to like your work and represent you. That is the third option, which really isn’t any better… but it does exist.
I hope you find this useful. I wish you luck in your writing ventures.