Congratulations! After years of working into the night, dreaming of becoming an author, and writing and rewriting, you finally completed your version of the great American novel. You can hardly wait to share your book with the world, and now the only hurdle left to clear is selling it. And that’s when you discover that writing is the sweet part of this business, and selling your tome is the really tough part. Dollars to donuts, many writers have come to the same conclusion. Is it still possible to sell a book these days?
Reading used to be very popular before the Internet era. For sure, preferences differed. Some people opted for fiction, others nonfiction. Many reached for history, psychology, or classics, but dime novels, biographies, or suspense also had a large following. Well-stocked book stores were popular in many neighborhoods, and so were newsstands which sold all kinds of magazines, out of town papers, and even paperbacks.
Those were wonderful times for writers because there were so many publishers; if one of them rejected a manuscript, there were opportunities to sell it to many others.
Then the Internet came along and taught us a lot about ourselves. We learned that as enjoyable as reading is, it could never compete with the latest Hollywood releases, suspenseful movies of the past, classic TV, and other entertainment brought into our living rooms in color and accompanied by dramatic music. Compared to these, reading finished in second place for most people.
This created a nightmare for writers because it forced many book publishers and magazines to fold. The bottom line: There were much fewer markets that bought books and articles than there used to be, while the number of people writing those probably remained about the same. In other words, the competition has become much tougher.
To be sure, the publishing world is not dead, and Jewish publishing in particular is one of the few bright spots in the industry. That’s good because many people are closet writers. Still, these days, anyone trying to sell a novel, trade book, or most anything else is finding the going a lot tougher than it used to be – and this never was an easy business.
Against All Odds
Here’s how one author described his experience dealing with a publisher. “It may look like the writer and the publisher are on even ground as each one needs the other, but it’s not at all like that. In real life, the publisher has the upper hand. I don’t mean 51:49 or even 99:1. It’s 100:0.” Other writers may have had very different experiences, but in any case, his point is clear.
There’s no simple way to sell your book. But if you have a contact in the industry, e.g., a relative or good friend who could pull a few strings on your behalf, your book may get a closer look than it would otherwise.
But very few people are that fortunate, so the rest of us have to make the best of the opportunities we have. And that means having to do a lot of homework.
Before submitting a manuscript, make sure it’s suited to the publisher’s needs, and obvious though this seems, it’s said that many writers overlook this. Also, check the guidelines on the publisher’s website to make sure the word count is within the preferred range. And look at the publisher’s recently-published books; if the book you’ve written is very similar to one they’ve just released you likely reached the right address but arrived there too late. Many publishers will consider unsolicited submissions, so that’s not vital.
If you contact a publisher directly, anticipate that it will take time to get a response. And if you do get the okay to submit your manuscript, it could take many months until you get a decision. Many (but not all) publishers accept simultaneous submissions – submitting your book to several publishers – which speeds up the process. If one of those decides to buy your book, withdraw your manuscript from consideration by all others immediately.
You’ll need a cover letter, and it should be the best it possibly can be. Include a brief description of yourself and a summary of your book. Also note other books, stories, essays, or other materials you’ve written.
The manuscript should be crisp – smudges or coffee stains create a bad impression, and so do dog-eared pages and manuscripts whose pages are out of order.
Don’t be deterred by rejection as this comes with the territory. Acclaimed mystery writer Jonathan Kellerman said his first novel was rejected so many times that he gave up on it and put it in a night table drawer. Years later he came across it, tried again, and it became a best seller.
J.K. Rowling got more than 200 rejections and experienced very tough financial times until a publisher finally took a chance on her. Her persistence paid off big time. Published reports say she is the first author to earn more than $1 billion, although she insists that number is greatly exaggerated.
First-time authors are generally not that lucky. It’s estimated that their manuscripts are offered a much more modest sum ranging from $1,000 – $10,000, depending on the quality of the manuscript and sales potential. If the book sells enough copies for the publisher to recoup initial costs - that could be as few as 1,000 copies - the author will receive royalties on additional sales.
A Labor Of Love
People in the industry agree that getting a book published is very difficult. Getting an agent to handle your book will make your life a lot easier, as the agent will know exactly whom to contact and probably can negotiate a better deal than you can. But agents are extremely selective in deciding whom they will represent, and by one estimate, only one in six thousand writers have such representation.
These days, technology has made self-publishing a reality and an option with important benefits. For one, it’s a way to avoid having to deal with stubborn editors. Also, their earnings can be much higher than they would be had they sold their book to a traditional publisher. And the author has complete creative control. Amazon offers a modestly-priced self-publishing service, and anecdotally, people who have used it have been pleased.
Hours, Not Months
Another important advantage of self-publishing is that writers can hold a printed copy of their book in just a few days.
Whether you sign with a traditional publisher or self-publish, there are many other issues you’ll want to consider. These include reprint rights, foreign rights, TV and movies rights, audio books, comics, and much more. Much of the publishing industry is geared toward the intellectual crowd, but there’s also a commercial aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated.
Being talented and diligent may lead to success in every industry, but there’s one more ingredient writers need: being thick skinned. Having a manuscript rejected hurts, is discouraging, and has led many a talented writer to throw in the towel - despite their potential. And having your work rejected is always disheartening.
But people who really love writing continue to write no matter what. For them, putting the experiences, emotions, and dreams they’ve had on paper is what’s really important. Having people praise their efforts is just the icing on the cake.
Sources: authorspublish.com; becomeawritertoday.com; blog.kotobee.com; blogreedsy.com; leaderspress.com; literary-agents.com; medium.com; writingcooperative.com
Gerald Harris is a financial and feature writer. Gerald can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
