One of the questions we get asked most often is this: how do we find the best book publishing service? This is a problem for all those who write or almost. Writing is tiring and demanding; when we do it well, we put all our effort into it. It is logical to see the result of so much investment of time and energy come true: we want to publish a book, our book, sometimes forgetting how important it is to take care of debut so as to stay energized in terms of credibility.
The risk is to end up with the wrong book publishing service (which is not a publisher) and see one’s hopes dashed. Yet it is enough to understand the current dynamics and act accordingly, as well as a good dose of attention not to accept proposals which will then prove to be not very productive, not to mention chancy. Indeed, it should be precisely the value of our work that does not make us accept compromises. Today, however, there is a new and more rewarding way authors and publishers meet.
How to find a book publishing service and get published?
Are you looking for a book publishing service? Want to have a book published? How can you get it published for free? Yes, editing is complex. Your manuscript is undoubtedly of high quality, and you deserve an editor. But publishers are commercial companies, and they cannot accept everyone. They generally work with a particular readership and precisely know what they want to publish.
If you understand these specifications, you can receive an acceptance letter from a publisher. Let’s look at the different book publishing services to get your work published successfully.
1. Prepare to find a book publishing service to edit a book.
Any author must, unfortunately, begin by being lucid. If you have no network in the publishing world, no pre-established reputation (thanks to a blog, an author site, or other books published by a publisher, or self-published with good sales numbers), make us all dream of not looking at your manuscript. It would help if you were recommended to reach them or have severe assets beyond your manuscript, such as hiring a professional book publishing service.
2. Ask yourself the question of the positioning of your book.
Publishers receive hundreds of manuscripts. A continuous flow! And each publishing house has its typical audience and its preferred type of book. Each publishing house works on its positioning, i.e. the target readership it is aimed at. It would be best if you did the same. Work on your positioning. Ask yourself what your book is about and who it is for. From this positioning, you will be able to choose better the book publishing service to which you will submit your manuscript.
3. Consider or reject self-publishing: make a choice.
In any case, it will be a different approach: If you agree to be self-published, then you can be more demanding about the choice of the publishing house since they are in the business of providing services to authors. Ask what the means implemented to make known your book, and ask for examples of success.
If you do not want to be published on your own, and you want to be issued for free or edited for free, then pay close attention to the conditions offered by the publishers and the contract lines.
4. Prepare to submit your manuscript to an editor.
There are thousands of publishing houses in the USA. Yet only a few are truly interesting and relevant to you and your book. How to find these publishers?
- Start by educating yourself on the Internet through random searches
- Consult book publishing service, sorted and classified by region and literary genres.
- Check-in bookstores, libraries and Amazon are the publishing houses of authors whose texts are similar to yours.
- Note the names of publishers who publish texts similar to yours
- Organize a list of publishers from all these sources on a clean Excel table.
You now have a first list of publishers. For each of them:
- Check the positioning of the houses
- Check your book’s correspondence with these houses regarding positioning and readership.
- Look at the genre of books already published,
- The image and reputation of the publishing house
- The visibility of the publisher in bookstores. For example, ask your bookseller if he knows this house.
- Evaluate the number of new authors published each year, using the new items and the book’s release date. (Usually, a blog post is dedicated to each new book, with a release date).
- Your sorting is refined, and your list is reduced.
5. Follow-up
It’s long. Yes, it’s long. Be patient. The measurement of time is long among publishers. Your manuscript has arrived on a waiting list and will be browsed or read in a few weeks. Stay tuned for releases from the publishers you have targeted during this waiting period. See if what they publish is close to your book. Also, follow the publishers that you did not contact in the end. Would some still be worth it?
6. Refused or accepted
Then, gradually, you will receive letters or emails. Refused or accepted? If it is a letter of acceptance, it usually comes with the procedure to follow to be published.
7. Consider self-publishing to get noticed.
We are coming to the end of the trail. Your manuscript has been refused or is well on its way to being published. Congratulations!
If you have not found a book publishing service, sending it to a second list is recommended, repeating the steps described above. You can also consider self-publishing, which allows you to publish your book for free on all online bookstores, benefit from a quality cover, and to sell your book in digital (ebook) and paper (Paperback) format.
Self-publishing is not exclusive to traditional publishing. If a publisher interests you later, you can accept the proposal and remove your book from self-publishing. Self-publishing allows you to start building a reputation and confronting new readers.
We can help you in this process. Contact WriterCosmos for a professional book publishing service.