Writing and Publishing News

I own a publishing company. I established Matilija Press in 1983 in order to produce my own books. I do not publish books for others. Yet, I receive inquiries every once in a while from people asking me to publish their works.

Folks, when you decide to publish a book, you are entering into a professional industry and you should always try to come across as a professional. One way to come across as a professional is in the thoroughness of your research. If you contact me asking if Matilija Press will publish your science fiction novel, your memoir, or your self-help book for breaking into the movies, you have not done your research. First, as I said, I don’t publish other people’s books. Second, I have nothing in my list of books on these topics/genres.

If you’ll read the publisher listings in Writer’s Market and/or the publishers’ submission guidelines at their websites, you’ll often see in bold lettering, “Study our catalog before submitting,” or “We publish only children’s books (young adult novels, recipe books,) etc.” Obviously, way too many hopeful authors send their query, proposal, or manuscript to the WRONG publishers. Stop it! It diminishes your credibility within the industry.

Likewise, I notice that book reviewers receive many review requests for types of books they do not review. They, too, use bold print, all caps, and other techniques to educate the author and stop the inundation of review requests for books they absolutely do not review.

Do your research! Before contacting any publisher, agent, or book reviewer, for example, take the time to find out what their requirements are; what type of books they publish/represent/review. How?

• Study their listings in directories.
• Visit their websites to learn more about the individual/company.
• Read and believe their submission guidelines and follow them.

What do you look for in this research?

• What type of book do they publish, represent, review?
• Do they review self-published books? (Many reviewers do not.)
• What word count do they prefer? (Yes, this matters to some publishers.)
• What are some of the titles they have published, represented, reviewed? Does yours fit in with this list?
• Are they currently open to receiving manuscripts/completed books or do they want a query letter or proposal? You’re more apt to get the attention you require when you give them what they want.

If you want to experience some level of success as a published author, you really must know the rules and follow them. A major rule is to look at each publisher, agent, and/or reviewer as an individual, because they are. They each come with certain needs, requirements, and policies. Find out what they are and follow them. This is the quickest and slickest way to become a successful published author.

Learn more about the publishing industry and how to navigate it by ordering Publish Your Book, http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html

I appreciate authors who help other authors. We can all learn from others. However, I caution you against following too closely in another author’s footsteps.

What a single author of a single book often doesn’t understand is that each book and each author is unique and what worked for a retired author of a children’s book might not be the best avenue for the still employed author of a self-help book. The professor who writes an academic book, will follow a different roadmap than the quilter who wants to produce a book on quilting or a dog walker who wants to write her memoirs.

When you attend a writers club meeting or a writers conference and hear authors’ stories of publishing and book marketing, listen with an open mind. Understand why each author made the choices he or she did, what was the upside and the downside, then consider what might work in your own situation. Are his choices good ones for you and your book? While it’s important to understand the premise of publishing and book promotion in this ever-changing publishing climate, it is equally vital that you make the best choices in your particular situation. And you can’t make the right choices if you are not aware of your options.

Your best plan of action, if you are seeking advice, is to attend presentation and read books by authors who have been involved in the publishing industry for a long time. Those with a variety of publishing experiences and with a history of working with other authors. If you want to speak with individual authors, choose those with books similar to yours. You would contact the same reviewers as those authors. You would promote to the same audience. You might seek the same publishers.

There are many options for authors and the publishing playing field can get overwhelmingly complicated. So it is important to consult with others who can help you narrow down the best path for you and this may not be the overly enthusiastic individual author of one book. Start by reading my book, Publish Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html