Preditors & Editors ™
A guide to publishers and publishing services for serious writers
Do Your Homework: Effectively Researching Agents and Publishers
By M. Thomas
I was recently a witness to a gory incident. An author, posting to a message board for information on a
publisher, was drawn and quartered, flayed, and otherwise bloodily taken to task for not having done her homework. Not that this is anything new, mind you. It happens on writers' message boards across the net every day. Some unknowing
innocent, blithely regarding the message board as a place to pose questions, runs smack up against the disbelief of those in the know. Responses come in varying degrees of sarcasm and rebuke, most often containing the demand that they "Google! Gooooogle!"
The problem, I believe, is that many board participants have seen the same question so many times they find it difficult not to be exasperated. Especially if they know the information is easily had by a simple online search, the sense of which seems to have eluded the questioner.
The problem with that, I believe, is that at some point all of us have to be taught how to do things. Yes, even how to Google. My purpose here, however, isn't to argue for leniency. I've felt a bit snippy a time or two myself, smacked my forehead more than once at a post. The purpose here is to provide a handy guide to doing your homework. Hopefully, it will be seen by new writers looking for a good way to go about things. At a minimum, it will be a reference tool easily linked to any message board in lieu of that short, sharp retort that, in the long run, doesn't do anyone any good.
The Scenario
This article proceeds under the assumption that a) you have a finished manuscript you feel is ready for publication, and b) you've already dotted the I's, crossed the T's, and know about Standard Manuscript Formatting. In short, you know it isn't your 10-point Shruti font that will get you kicked out of the slush pile into the sludge can. The assumption here is that you are undertaking the search for an agent or publisher for a finished manuscript. If you have not yet reached this step, this article isn't for you.
Define "Established"
Before embarking on the research process, it may be helpful to define the word "established" as it applies to agents and publishers. An "established" entity is one you will want to work with, as they will know the market, the industry, and all the ins and outs. For this I received invaluable information from Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware.
What are the *minimum* requirements for an agent or publisher to be considered established?
"For agents I'd say that the minimum requirement--and also the most important one--is a solid track record of commercial book sales. A reputable/established agent should be selling multiple books every year (a MINIMUM guideline is the Association of Author's Representative's: 10 books sold within the past 18 months) to a variety of commercial publishers, principally imprints at the large houses (because independent publishers are often willing to work with unagented writers. The real test of an agent is the ability to open doors the writer can't). If the agent is new, s/he should begin making sales within six months to a year of starting up; any longer may indicate an agent who doesn't have the industry contacts necessary for success.
For a publisher, it's a much more complicated issue, not just because there are different kinds of publishers, but because publishers, unlike agents, don't perform a single function. Boiling it down to extreme simplicity, I'd say that the minimum requirement for a reputable publisher is a good, standard contract that doesn't unduly exploit authors, and a proven history of producing and distributing quality books. But there are many ways to judge that minimum, as indicated in my answer to the next question."
What are the minimum requirements for small publishers, or new publishers, for an author to feel safe in submitting to them?
"This really depends on what your goals are, because there are different kinds of independent publishers, and the implications of publishing with each are quite different. If you want national exposure, the possibility of a sizeable readership, and professional review coverage (which, among other things, can lead to your book being bought by libraries), you want an independent that markets to the book trade--i.e., is reliably able to get its books stocked in bricks-and-mortar stores, where most readers do their purchasing. Look for two things: the presence of the publisher's books on bookstore shelves, and reviews of the publisher's books in industry journals such as Kirkus, Booklist, and Library Journal (such reviews indicate that the publisher is sending out review copies in advance of publication, a vital part of successful book marketing). There are also many independents that don't market to the book trade. Such publishers--which tend to do business via the Internet and to use digital (print-on-demand) rather than offset technology--put most of their energy and small budgets into actually producing the books, and leave most promotional and distribution tasks to their authors. Since authors don't have access to the marketing channels that reliably get books into stores, exposure and readership tend to be small. For this sort of publisher, look for one that doesn't charge a fee, has a backlist (i.e, it has proved itself capable of taking books all the way through the production process--I'd suggest that authors avoid brand-new independents that haven't yet put out any books), produces sturdy and attractive-looking books that are free of typos and other errors (it's always a good idea to order one or two so you can judge this first-hand), prices books competitively with others on the market, and lists its books at Amazon.com and other large Internet bookstores, as well as in the catalogues of Ingram and other major wholesalers. A good, negotiable contract should also be a minimum requirement. Unfortunately you often can't get a look at the contract until you've actually received a publication offer."
What info should an author expect to be able to easily find out about the agent or publisher, and where should they expect to be able to find it?
"For an agent, you should be able to easily find out about his/her track record, either from public sources (the agent's website, articles in the trade press, reports of book sales, publishers' websites, author acknowledgments in published books) or by simply requesting the information. A reputable agent has good reason to reveal his/her track record--it's a form of advertising--and no reason to conceal it. Be wary of an agent who doesn't mention recent sales on his/her website, or refuses to answer a question about sales. You should be able to easily find all the minimum requirements mentioned above on the publisher's website."
What, besides asking for money, are the first warning signs an author should look for that an agent or publisher might not be reputable or effective?
"For an agent: no track record, or claims that their track record is "confidential". For a publisher, amateurish-looking book covers, excessive book prices, or an absence of actual published books. Check the publisher's books on Amazon.com; a sales ranking of 500,000 or higher means very poor sales. Another warning sign: lots of verbiage about what a raw deal new writers get from the shortsighted "traditional" publishing industry. Too often, this means that the publisher is looking for suckers, or has been established by frustrated writers--neither of which is likely to result in effective publishing."
Homework
Now that you know what to look for, it's time to do your
homework. Do your homework first. Do not invade a message board asking questions about things you haven't even attempted to research on your own. Not only does it subject you to scathing commentary, it also doesn't bode well for you as a writer. If you are only interested in the easy way out, you have a better chance becoming the next Dali Lama. Publishing isn't easy. Yes, there are easy ways to get your typed words between two covers. There are a million scams out there just waiting for those impatient, naïve writers willing to shell out thousands of dollars to get their books published. These avenues, however, do not build careers. If it's a career you're looking for, get ready for the long haul.
Finding a Publisher
Here is your homework assignment for finding a publisher:
- Define your genre. Don't indulge in the agonized, "I can't be defined by mere words," author routine. Pick a genre.
- Got your genre? Good. Now go plug that into Google and see what comes up. You may have to try a few combinations of keywords here. Searching for "fantasy," for instance, will bring up football, and a lot of those websites your mother warned you about. Searching for "epic fantasy +authors" will narrow the field a bit. Sift through the fan sites and miscellaneous responses until you've found published works in your genre that you recognize or may have heard about. If you already know the author's name and book title, you can skip this step and go straight to number 3.
- Go to Amazon or another online bookseller, plug in the title, and find out who published it. Book credentials are always available with the book listing.
- Plug that publisher's name into Google and see what comes up.
- Discard any publisher's website that suffers from recurring grammatical errors, or asks for money up front, even for "copies," or "postage," or worse, "editorial services." Make a list of what you have left.
- Go to a bookstore, or library (yes, some of your homework requires leg-work), and get a copy of an up-to-date literary market guide. Jeff Herman's is recommended by many, but searching through several wouldn't hurt.
- Put a mark by any publisher that isn't listed. Those that are listed can be counted on as fairly reputable, especially if they have sales and authors listed that can be found in the bookstore. Those that aren't, are not necessarily rejects, especially in the case of small publishers. And be sure to jot down submission guidelines while you're there, as well as any website address they have listed. But be warned: very few publishers like to receive submissions by email. Some will take email queries, but don't assume this means they want you to attach your novel to it. All in all, paper submissions are the best way to go.
- Go back to the web. Get on a message board. But WAIT! Before you start posting, "does anyone know these people" inquiries, search the message board thoroughly for topics or keywords. Your question may have already been answered. Disregard any messages that simply state, "THESE PEOPLE SCREWED ME," and look for those with calm, informative pros and cons. Always keep in mind everything is subjective. If there's more than one author complaining of non-payment, or links to detectives assigned to the case, you can be fairly sure you should scratch that name off your list. A single post by an unhappy client does not a bad publisher make. A quick check of a scam-watcher's site such as Preditors & Editors, or Writer Beware, or the keywords "scams +agents and publishers" can reinforce or negate something you've seen.
- Now. If you've done all of that, and still know next to nothing about the remaining names on your list (which will be unlikely), you may give yourself permission to post a message. Hopefully, if you've really done your homework and not just skipped to the end, steps 1-8 will make this unnecessary. Because the reputable publishers will be out there somewhere else, making it unnecessary for you to rely on second-hand information.
Finding an Agent
- Repeat steps 1-8. However, you can expect that many agents, even reputable ones, don't have a web-presence. It isn't as prevalent as it used to be, but it still happens. That's where going to a current, in-print, literary guide can help you.
- Because of this, it is much more acceptable to post a query to a message board regarding an agent. But here's a tip: to indicate you've already done all your homework, word your question with some variation of, "Looking for info on personal experiences with said agent." This should get you responses from people who have worked with the agent directly. Again, watch out for the "THIS GUY SCREWED ME's." Also, watch out for lavish, substance-less praise. If you see, "This agent sold my novel to XXX publisher and I've only been writing for four months," go and research whether or not that publisher actually requires agent-only submissions. If not, said author may have had the same chance on their own, only they found someone to put the stamp on the envelope for them, which is going to cost them 10-15% of the profits. This kind of agent you don't need.
Be Smart
It would seem to some that posting to a message board is the easiest way to get a quick response. This may be true. But when was the last time you saw a John Grisham, Stephen King, or China Mieville lauding the skills of their literary agents on any message board? Very seldom, I hazard to guess. The point being that information shared on message boards is most likely via new writers, unsuccessful writers, or sometimes neo-pros on their way up and still somewhat unfamiliar with all the intricacies. The reputable agents and publishers are going to be talked about elsewhere, in print, most likely. The web, when used poorly, is a great crutch for biased, factually questionable information. When used properly, it is a wonderful tool, but like a Swiss Army knife has many parts that make up the whole. Considering we still print books on paper, it's always a good idea to look at paper books in addition to asking around. Be smart. Do your own homework first. Then ask around, and take everything with a large grain of salt.
Resources
The following is a short list of resources. It is not a complete list. There are others. Do your homework. Do I need to repeat myself? Good luck, writer. Caveat Scrivener.
(Information in the "Define Established" section provided by Victoria Strauss, author and writer's advocate.
www.sff.net/people/victoriastrauss/)
Scam-watchers:
Agents and Publishers
Author Bio:
M. Thomas is a short story editor and contributor to the online e-zine Deep Magic. Her fiction has otherwise appeared in Abyss & Apex, Strange Horizons, and is forthcoming (November, 2003) in Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet. Her non-fiction article, "Teaching Fantasy: Overcoming the Stigma of Fluff" appeared in the May issue of The National Council of Teachers of English English Journal. She has yet to be taken by a scam. You can find her at http://www.found-things.com.}|{the end}|{
