The process of getting your book published can seem like an even greater challenge than its writing phase. One of the bigger uncertainties that come with publishing is whether or not your finished work is good enough.
If the idea of publishing your first book seems overwhelming, then you are not alone. Every author has gone and continues to go through a similar range of emotions when they finish and move to the publishing phase.
And although it may seem daunting, remember that there is a potential book publishing house out there willing to give your work a chance. Treat your publishing endeavors as a project plan by breaking them into stages. Then, focus on each step, and soon you’ll be holding your published book.
This blog post highlights a few significant areas that have to be catered rightly to get your first book published, and that too with the best publishers in town!
What Is Considered A Best Publisher
A successful publisher must possess several qualities. Their passion should be books. As well as creative and commercial acumen, they must be able to lead a team as well. Combining all of these factors is publishing’s fundamental challenge. This concept has been implemented to some extent by Peter Kindersley, the founder of Dorling Kindersley.
From the beginning to the end His design and look were a success around the world. He won because of the brand identity he created. Paul Scherer was also a former member of Transworld management. Over the course of two decades, he has successfully led an outstanding team. Hely Hutchinson’s advocacy of territorial rights resonates with me as an author.
Here’s How to Find the Best Publishing House for Your Book
Though finding the best publishing house is an overwhelming process, we’ve simplified that for you in the following three stages!
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Find Yourself an Agent
Like anyone with a draft ready, you must also want a quick approach towards getting the book published. You can be a champion at writing, but you’ll surely need the services of a literary agent to get your book published.
The best part of working with an agent is utilizing all their extended relations with the editors.
And that can help massively in reaching out to the famous book publishing houses. In addition to that, a literary agent takes care of your manuscripts or proposals, manages follow-ups efficiently, and knows the art of negotiating with potential publishers.
Most literary agents will charge you a fee and may also deal for some percentage of the profit once your book is published. So you may find that a lot to be paid against their services. But believe it or not, their job requires as much effort as it took you to write the book.
Book publishing is an entirely different thing than writing a book. Not everyone can do that, so you must not jump into a field that you cannot handle.
However, there’s one obstacle in your way towards hiring the best literary agent who can get you to a potential publisher. And that’s their lack of availability. It can take as much time to find a literary agent as it would to find a great publishing house.
So, if your niche covers a small audience and you’re in search of a local publishing house, it is better not to hire an agent. Instead, you can search for the best publishers yourself and invest time in landing the perfect one.
In case you’ve opted to do the job yourself, here’s a list of few things you shall take care of!
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Prepare a Proposal
First things first, you will need one spectacular proposal to approach all the potential book publishing houses.
A proposal shall be comprehensive and should cover all the significant aspects of your book. It should be capable of making an impression on the publishing house in one go and be reflective of the content inside your book.
An ideal way to create your book proposal is to do it yourself. However, if you find it a daunting task, you can always go for reliable book proposal writing services in town.
Whether you write it yourself or get it done externally, it’s your job to ensure that the proposal speaks closely about your book.
That’s the first thing any publishing house would see about your book. So, make sure it gives away an amazingly convincing vibe.
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Look For Potential Publishing Houses Online
Now that you’ve decided to do the job yourself, focus on the research more than ever. The internet is full of book publishing houses, and it’s quite a task to find the best from the crowd.
The key is to know your target audience. Suppose your book targets a local niche that’s mostly reading fiction; your ideal publishing houses could be those selling fiction in your particular locality.
Conduct extensive research; use keywords from your locality and the niche. You’ll surely come across a good quantity of publishing houses.
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Send in Your Book Proposal Smartly
Once you come across a list of potential publishers, it’s time to approach them. You cannot just send in the proposal to one individual publisher and wait for their response.
It’s a fast-paced world, and the ideal way to survive is to keep extensive options.
You should send in your spectacular book proposal to as many publishing houses as possible. However, there are certain things you need to cater to before picking a publishing house.
They include –
- It should be well-known in your locality
- It should be offering something good
What to do if a publishing house offers a relatively higher financial offer than others but seems fake?
Well, the ideal way to deal with this is not to get tempted by money. Especially if you’re launching a debut book, it’s crucial to do that with a promising publishing house.
Your proposal is your key to get started with the publishing house of your choice.
Therefore, be very mindful of your proposal.
2. Pick the Most Futuristic Offer
Now that you’ve sent in the proposal to an entire list of publishers, you’ll get several responses soon (at least from a few of them).
The idea is not to go after the first one arriving or fall for the one offering the most financial benefits.
Picking a book publishing house is trickier than compiling your entire book.
So, it’s always a good practice to be cautious and patient. Wait until you’ve received offers from most of the publishing houses you approached. Evaluate their offers closely and pick the few best at first.
Once you get the best two or three at hand, list down their pros and cons. Keep your approach futuristic when doing that.
You’re not just picking a publisher but the entire future for the book you’ve compiled with immense effort.
Get Involved With the Publishing House –
Once you’re sure about the publisher, it’s your time to celebrate.
But wait!
Finding the best publisher for your book is not enough. Your publisher will surely handle all the work, but you have to be cautious too. Even huge publishing houses tend to make blunders when the author isn’t involved.
You have to be fully involved in the process. So get along with the publishing house and engage with their team members who’re looking after your book’s publishing process.
You need to be fully involved with the team as an author from initial editing and printing to the final publishing and marketing phases.
It can prevent any blunders from happening and let your book be published the way you’ve always desired.
Finding the right book publishing house may seem like an overwhelming task. But with the right approach and efforts, you can surely reach the most potential publisher and get your book published most efficiently!
Your involvement can upscale your entire publishing process. Therefore it is important to stay updated about each and every phase of your publishing process.
Always pitch in your ideas to add the personal touch to it.
Conclusion
As you can read there are a number of simple and easy ways to find the best publisher for your book.
It is good to try all the ways before you decide on the publisher.
This is certainly not a comprehensive list but it will definitely help you get started.
Book publishing is not a simple task as it seems, it requires stages and steps that need to be executed properly.
You can use other ways as well to publish and sell. There are third parties as well that allow you to sell directly to your customers from your own Web page with a simple integration.
There are also online platforms such as Unbound and Inkshares where you can crowdfund your book: pitch your book idea, post your proposal directly, and create a campaign to raise funds.
After achieving the goal, this company will edit, design, publish, distribute, market, and even make a documentary.
All in all the choice is always yours!
