How To Get Published By A Traditional Publisher

Traditional publishers are not willing to take a risk on a new authors unless they stand out above the rejection pile. 90% of most publishing houses profits come from 10% or less of their top writers. If you are able to land a deal with a publisher it will more than likely be because you already have an established platform to sell your books, you are already good at marketing and have a track record, or you have an image that they can develop.
Many new authors go to publishers wanting someone to help them to sell their books. They also want exposure in bookstores. Publishers do have PR departments, but the time that they will invest in pushing your book will be limited. Some campaigns last for about 90 days, after that you are basically on your own. So learning to empower yourself is critical. One of the best ways to empower yourself is to constantly keep a buzz going about your book. This can be done through press releases, teaching classes on your subject, starting a newsletter that keeps interest in your book or a host of other things. Bookstore shelf space is a premium and only reserved for their top sellers. They limit markets for those not in top group to online bookstores, because that is no significant risk to them.
Marketing image is a combination of how people perceive you and your skill. The more your image reflects expert status, the more marketable you will become. Before approaching a traditional publisher work on your image. You can do this through having reviews done on your work, getting testimonials, writing articles and getting interviews.
Another thing that traditional publishers look for is your pitch. Some fields call this the hook. Pitch involves presenting your product in such a way that it catches the editors attention, is different or unusual, it has a twist to it, or it improves or enhances something that the publishing company is already distributing. Creating a pitch takes skill and planning. Think of pitch as “the headline” that captures your attention and makes you want to read an article. However from a book publishers standpoint it is a lot more detailed.
Know your stuff – nothing can stop your submission more than being unprepared. What do you know about who you are approaching? This is critical information to help you to stand out about all of the thousands of submission they receive each month:
1. Company history
2. Company goals for at least the next 5 years
3. Top brass
4. A copy of at least 1-3 years of catalogs
5. What are they currently sending into book stores
6. Who are their top writers
7. What are their top writers writing
8. Do they accept unsolicited manuscripts
9. Would they prefer queries only
10. Who screens submissions
11. What are their writers guidelines
12. What causes the majority of their rejections
13. What is their evaluation process
14. How scale is used to evaluate submissions
15. Do you know who their competition is
16. What are they doing to compete with their competition
Use every bit of this information to your advantage. If you do not know what to do with information like this you can contact me. This will make you stand out because most people just look at their work, declare it as good and then submit it. The editors on the other hand could care less about your product unless it meets the demand of their audience.
You must have a professional press kit. This is how you will communicate with the publisher. The press kit represents you. The style and presentation of your press kit will determine if your submission is read or trashed. It needs to be professionally done or else you need to know the elements of the kit.
If you are fortunate enough to get read, then they will need samples of your work. Send in the first, middle and last chapters. This is more effective than what most people do, which is to send in the first three chapters. For the remaining chapters include a chapter summary page.
There are guidebooks available to teach you more about what traditional publishers want. You can contact your local library to get this data, or you can request a copy of my personal picks fact sheet. This information will help to cut down on rejections. It will help you target your submissions more.
If you decide not to go the path of traditional publishing, know that their is a wealth of information available to help you do it yourself. One of my favorites is a book called Powerful Publishing and Persuasive Publicity, and another called Million Dollar Consulting. These books teach you how to create an image and develop niche marketing.
I wish you the absolute best in finding your writing path. Feel free to contact me with any questions.