In
recent years, with sad adieus, we’ve seen the scaling back of some of the
larger publishers, and the emergence of some new ones. You know them. They are
called smaller publishing houses by many. And with good reason. They ARE
smaller. Many are in their infancy. But does that make them a last choice for
submissions?
Hear
this: a resounding “NO!”
Many
of these new and emerging publishers have done their homework and are catching
the current wave of reality. While many offer print, their emphasis, in many
cases, is on ebooks. And they do it very well. They do both very well.
And
while they work with many multi-published authors, they are also willing to
take a chance on some of the amazing writers who can’t break into larger
houses. It takes a great deal of money to groom and prepare new authors, and
large houses have only so much money and room for new authors. The up-and-coming
houses, relying a great deal on social media for promotion, can promote their
authors with less financial drain. Word of mouth becomes more important as
well, but we’re seeing authors shooting to the top of their genres where
yesterday they couldn’t crack the publishing nut!
Look
at it this way. Think of larger publishers as dancers who have gone through all
the stages to arrive at the party ready to waltz. They learned to walk, to run,
and finally to waltz with mature, talented finesse.
Think
of the emerging publisher this way. They are babies/toddlers still in the
walking stage, but turn on the music and what happens? Have you ever seen a
baby dance? They laugh, they throw their hands in the air. They giggle. The
enthusiasm is so contagious. And there you have it. The smaller publisher is so
full of passion. They are full of life. Few are reserved. You can hear them
speak at conferences with all of the zest of a dancing baby hearing music for
the first time. And they carry that enthusiasm to their clients and to their
readers.
You
see, there’s room in the industry for the mature, skilled and established
publisher, but there’s also room for the excited, enthusiastic, emerging
publisher. They each bring a different skill-set to the publishing world.
Watch
out world, there’s a new dancing baby in town!
11 comments:
Thanks for the informative and encouraging publishing industry news. So often lately, it has been discouraging for those of us trying to get published for the first time.
Boy, do I hear you, Janet. It feels like there are just so many slots for new authors, and there are an abundance of new and really amazing authors. It cheers my heart to see some wonderful new publishers taking the chance and walking away with many award-winning new authors. yeah!!!
What an encouraging post.
I have an 18 month old granddaughter who loves to dance. If she hears music, she's moving. She makes me smile, and your post today makes me smile too.
Thanks!
I'd love to be one of the award-winning new authors! :) I think all writers need encouraging these days.
Although it's easy and tempting to dwell on negative news, you remind us once again that there are bright spots in the biz, too. I am always In the Mood for that!
Made me giggle and smile too Linda! Our state fair is going strong this week and it made me think of a big dancing baby under the big top! LOL
So glad, Jackie. I know it's very discouraging some days, but you never give up, always have hope. It only takes one editor, one publisher and then watch out!
Karen, I'd love for you to be as well! And I think you're on your way.
Boy do I understand, Rick. There are days when I wonder why I'm beating my head against the wall, and then I think of how so many brilliant and classic authors were told no so many times before they were told yes.
Diana, I just love to watch babies dancing. So joyful!
There are some small publishers that are doing pretty well. They have talented editors and are getting the books into distributors, both for e-books and print books. Of course, as always the author has to market on the internet. Takes time and energy, but it pays off.
It's exciting to see them grow exponentially while others are pulling back. Exciting times!
Great post! I almost blushed as you were describing ME! Stepping into this independent publishing world this year with my own works - and hoping to become a venue for helping other writers with similar vision to get their work in the hands of an audience with what I have learned along the way. So thankful for peer professional mentors who are helping me in my baby steps.
Joy!
Kathryn Ross
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