I’m always surprised when I receive a query letter from a hopeful author through the SPAWN website (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) or my Matilija Press website. Why does this surprise me? First, SPAWN is not a publishing company. It is a networking organization. We don’t do any publishing; we provide the resources and tools for those who want to become published.
Visitors to my site (matilijapress.com) should be able to see that I publish just my own books. And I don’t publish fiction, at all.
I wonder if some of these (mostly) poorly written e-queries are sent out by query services. That would explain why they are not targeted emails and why they are usually addressed, “Dear Sir.†Or are individuals sending the e-queries without doing the necessary research?
The hopeful authors whose e-queries happen to land in my personal or my SPAWN email box have one bit of luck going for them; I will respond. I’ll take the time to explain that the scattershot method of sending out a hastily-written e-query rarely results in a publishing contract. And I’ll offer some information and instructions designed to guide the hopeful author successfully through the query/proposal process.
I give these authors some basics about the proper way to locate and approach publishers. Then I recommend that they read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book—which includes everything a hopeful author needs to know in order to succeed as a published author. But I rarely receive a reply. In fact, sometimes my email comes bouncing back because my address is not recognized by their spam alert program.
It’s sometimes frustrating to be a relentless mentor—to continually attempt to guide hopeful authors through the publishing maze. Some authors just don’t want to go to any trouble to live their publishing dreams. Others don’t believe that the basic rules apply to them.
Once in a while, though, an author of genuine desire, reasonable expectations and a refreshing willingness to learn, will reach me via email and actually heed my recommendations. I love when that happens.
If you are a struggling or new hopeful author and you are seeking the pathway to publishing success, you really must read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. This book does more than teach you how to write. It does more than reveal your publishing options and help you to choose the one that’s right for you. And it does more than educate you about book promotion. Plus, if you email the author of this book (me), you will receive a reply. http://www.matilijapress.com