As I've previously posted, I recently started querying my fantasy novel trilogy. Or the first book in the series anyway. Honestly, it has been a mostly positive experience for me so far. I have gotten 3 rejections of the 20 I've submitted so far, but that has not gotten me down. In general, I have felt way more positive about this process than I ever did querying screenplays.
My real struggle has actually been finding publishers to query. As I don't have an agent, I'm looking at publishers willing to take unagented fantasy submissions. So many publishers that were recommended to me to try have closed their submissions. Then there are tons of walls to me personally. I have run into roadblocks because I'm the wrong gender, race, nationality, orientation, and so on. And, sadly, a lot of the publishers I had been recommended in the past have gone under since I started publishing.
I'm hoping to get to at least 100 query submissions, but I'm struggling to find them. I have used query tracker, but the number of open fantasy submission opportunities was very limited. I continue to believe there's room for me somewhere though, so I'll keep looking and submitting where I can.
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Good luck! I have turned to ghost writing novels as the requester doesn't generally care if I'm not a minority person.
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Try google.. list of book publishers 'Reedsy"..Also I think the UK has a healthier attitude towards the query letter regarding books... though I fear the publishing landscape we associate with a Norman Mailer or a Stephen king is gone.
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Have you tried this site? They send monthly details. I also pay to use Duotrope and get a weekly update e-mail. At the site, you cab search a database by parameters such as length, subject, genre, target audience if over 5K journals, e-zines, agents, etc. At $50.00 a year, it's worth it.
https://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/2024/04/85-calls-for-submissions-i...
You'll see headings such as Agents Seeking Clients; Publishers,Seeking Unagented Manuscripts, Calls for Submissions, Paying Markets ...
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Some publishers may have schemes to help find new talent. Some of the bigger publishers own smaller ones that have specific purposes, so searching some of these out might help to narrow your search.
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As you learn of new ones that you didn't know about before, keep us all in the loop, Terrence Sellers! Your journey will undoubtedly help other members have an easier road once they get started. =)
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Maybe consider magazines and journals that would want to publish part of your work?
It's really tough out there. It's not getting easier. I'm not trying to be discouraging. You shouldn't think it's not just you. The whole writing/publishing industry is being upended by print-on-demand and GenAI. There is so much competition from fakes and pulp mills it's hard to get anyone's attention. And even if somebody posts what seems to be a perfect match on MSWL, what you have may not be exactly what they wanted. But they might want to have a look at it next year. Market timing and what sells this year, right?
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Here's something you might consider. Tight submissions window though. https://sites.prh.com/berkley-open-submissions-2024
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It's only getting more difficult to find legit publishers who accept non-agented submissions Terrence Sellers . Plenty of vanity pubs who do, of course, but you'll want to avoid those. I'd encourage you to go ahead and query agents, too. If nothing else, it will be great experience. Poets & Writers has an excellent database: https://www.pw.org/literary_agents Just make sure to identify agents who represent your genre and tailor your submission to them.
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CAA accepts book submissions: https://creativeartistsagency.submittable.com/submit
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Jonathan Jordan I did finally start querying agents as well. They've been a lot faster with their rejections lol.
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Terri Morgan Sadly, I didn't see this comment until a day too late. Otherwise, I was absolutely ready to submit with all the required information already written from previous queries. Thanks though. Hopefully I'll catch the next window.
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Pat Alexander I finally took the time to query them, as I saw a listing on QT by one of their agents looking for Fantasy. I have to say that I really didn't like their query form. Though simple and easy to fill out, it was extremely sparse. It didn't ask for a writing sample or even a summary. Just a query letter and an address. Seems like it's very difficult to get noticed in that scenario, though it is not the only agent I have seen with so few options to stand out from the crowd.
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not trying to put more work on you but perhaps going to a small business owner and asking if you can have some copies of your book in their store for sale. If yes, you can post a pic of the display and promote the store on IG and use that to attract publishers. Publishers like authors whos books are in brick-and-mortar stores. Just a thought. I hope it helps.
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Self publish!! Publisher will waste your time and take your money. Get the book off the ground now by self-publishing. It costs very little
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That's what I did, and I've published three books so far. However, I still need to focus on advertising and other promotional efforts. My next step is to open a distribution service for independent publishers.
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Hi Terrence. I agree with Nick and Sebastian. In this era of publishing where the "Big 5'" own many, many imprints and the small independent publishers are very specialised, your entrepreneurial persona needs to kick in. I started my own publishing business, Red Giant Publishing, and I control everything from start to finish. I use Draft2Digital for ebook and print distribution worldwide and Findaway Voices for my audiobooks. I've secured a shopping agreement through Stage 32 to turn one of my novels into a TV/film project and won two Global Ebook Awards for other novels. Making money was not my motivation for this exercise. I write near future sci-fi as a hobby because I have to, I'm passionate about storytelling. I like to tell stories that no one else has told. Think outside the box. Good luck with your stories.
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The idea of self publishing terrifies me, because I'm already too busy to write as much as I'd like to. From everything I've read about self publishing, unless you have a lot of money for advertising or a huge social media following, it's essentially akin to publishing on Wattpad with extra steps.
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Terrence Sellers don't believe all you read about independent publishing. We retain and control copyright of our work instead of third parties. That's not the case when you sign the rights away to a trad publisher. I agree, money and time are required, not so much social media. I don't use social media whatsoever and my last book sold extremely well. IMHO social media is a waste of time. For example, research tells us the shelf life of a FB post is about an hour and half. Publishers are basically PR companies that outsource everything else. They don't write the book, they don't edit it, illustrate the cover, print or distribute the book. They sub it all out to third parties to fulfil. Publishing is not difficult if you understand how it works. Good project and time management skills are essential, along with an original story that people want to read. Good luck.
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Agreed with Matt Watters on self-publishing. I've self published 2 books of my own & my wife's book on Amazon. We retain control over 100% of the rights, the big challenge is in publicity and promotion. But a lot of publishers also require their authors to self-promote and very few will give you an advance you can live off of, so you might as well keep control of your work. I have a friend who traditionally published and now their book is out of print and they can't publish it elsewhere.