Publishing A Novel.

Cheers mate, will do.

Good luck Mr C and let is know where we can find it when you succeed!;)

I stress I am a wholly disinterested party.

I realise that Charlie, and thanks very much for taking an interest. I guess the bottom line is that I’m a bit old-fashioned about putting the results of all my hard work out on the Internet, and worried about things like copyright, being ripped off, etc. I still remember all those horror stories about what used to be called “Vanity Publishing” where a so-called publisher would tell you there was great potential in your work but they needed an investment from you to get it off the ground, and then of course once they’d got your dosh they’d make little or no attempt to actually produce or distribute it. Think I’m going to have to do a bit of research into it all now. Thanks again for your advice.

Your decision of course but may I ask why you are wary? I stress I am a wholly disinterested party.

Thanks very much for the useful advice. I guess I’ve got nothing to lose by trying a few publishers directly before looking for an agent. If that fails, I’ll probably think about Internet publishing, although I must admit I’m a little wary of that. Thanks again.

Snafu – your middle section has it exactly right. For no more than the cost of the jacket design and initial paperback print run you will quickly find out if you have a saleable book. Hawking the manuscript around publishers might take months with no guarantee of success at the end of it. Few take risks anymore with large upfront costs and advances. It’s a cutthroat world out there!!

There is a number of Internet publishers to choose from and each will take a percentage of your sale price – it varies but from memory about 60/40 or 65/35 in your favour.

If the book sells well and you have a second to follow up then might be the time to approach a publisher.

Thank goodness we can’t see what you are selling.

Problem is that so few agents, let alone publishers, want to commit themselves to new writers these days: to them it is essentially gambling with a minuscule chance at getting a return, especially from an unknown author. A better bet is, as Charlie says, to go via the net so that you can – if nothing else – prove that you have the potential to carry a tale and grab the readers attention (or have room to improve with the help of a good editor). If what I’ve heard is correct then it is practically free, unlike entry level publish-it-yourself printing where you would be expected to place an order for the books yourself (I met someone who had done that in the run up to Christmas last year, she was selling her childrens book at an Xmas fayre and, although the book was nicely bound and full of colour, it was rather expensive – something like three times the cover price of a similar book).

Plenty of agents to be found on the Internet, but how do you know which ones are reputable?

If it were me I’d contact a couple of authors in a similar field and ask them for some guidance. If the same name keeps coming up ….

Moggy

Mr. Creosote,

Try: www.woodfieldpublishing.com

www.countrysidebooks.co.uk

Why not go direct to the Internet? My son did and steadily sells.