Black author that wants to be publish?

Question

I wrote four books and I need help to get them publish. I stay in Milwaukee and I think these stories I wrote are orignal and guarantee best seller. Can someone help me?

Answer 1

Hi there. I'm not sure why you felt the need to indicate your race on this question. The publishing industry is pretty much "black and white and read all over" so keep that in mind. Also, you should invest in a good spelling and grammar checker. My guess is, English is not your native language.

Now, to answer your question, the biggest hurdle for a first time author is finding a bona fide agent to represent you. Most agencies have thousands of manuscripts sent to them every year and typically, they only select a few works that are worthy to represent. Submitting your work directly to publishers is almost a waste of time, as the slush pile for publishers is ten times what it is for most agencies.

DO NOT submit to anyone that requires up front money or "reading" fees. Most agencies will read your book for nothing if it's well presented and if they think it has merit. Reading fees are a rip off. You can check on legitimate agencies at the "Preditors & Editors" website. They keep an up to date list of current agents and any problems writers have had with them.

Now, once you find an agency, you need a great query letter to get their attention. Search the web for examples. If your query letter is sloppy or has misspelled words, you're TOAST. Get a qualified copy editor to help you, if you can afford one. Then, once the agency reads your query and agrees to look at your manuscript, MAKE SURE IT IS PERFECT before you send it off. Again, bad formatting, grammar problems or poor spelling will doom you from the start. Pay an editor to proof your work--it's worth a few hundred bucks to get your foot in the door with an agent.

After that, be prepared to wait up to 3 months for an answer from the agency. DO NOT submit to more than one agency at a time. If your work is good and the agency sees potential in it, they will offer you a contract. From there, it can be another 3 month wait for them to find you a publisher. Once you get a publisher, it takes about a year to actually see your book in print.

You can also go the eBook route, which is becoming more popular every day now that eBook readers and publishers are more readily available. I did that and it worked out very well for me. I went from a very small online eBook publisher to a major hard cover print publisher, but it took several years. These days, it's much more acceptable to start out with an electronic version and move into print. However, you should think about doing your own eBook instead of paying some company to throw it together for a fee. Most of those services could care less if your book looks good, has typos or whatever. They also OWN the ISBN's for their titles--you do not--so keep that in mind.

I hope this helps. If you're serious about getting published, you can make it happen. It takes time, patience and a lot of luck. And as a note of reality, of all the fiction books published in a given year, only about 13% ever sell more than 1,000 copies. Most (75%) sell fewer than 500. Contrary to popular belief, most authors don't get rich.

Jon Baxley, author, editor, proofreader and ghostwriter

THE SCYTHIAN STONE (a medieval fantasy eBook)
THE BLACKGLOOM BOUNTY (a medieval fantasy epic in hard cover from Thomson Gale)

Answer 2

I answered this same question for someone else and have copied it below. Please note: Getting published does not depend on color, whether black, yellow, white, green or pink. Also, all stories anyone writes are original and no one can 'guarantee' best seller status (unless they're J.K. Rowling, Stephen King and the such), especially not a new author. (And never, ever state that to a publisher or literary agent.)

But don't let that discourage you from trying! :)

The first step in becoming a published author is understanding your options in publishing. I am a published author of 3 novels, some poetry and many articles. One article you may find helpful is titled 'The Publishing War' by Cheryl Kaye Tardif. It can be found at http://www.bookadz.com/pubwar.htm or on various sites online.

Prior to actually publishing your work, there are some proactive steps you can take. See http://cherylktardif.blogspot.com for a post titled 'Advice for an Aspiring Author'. Tips include: joining writers groups (locally and online), having your work critiqued by professional sources, taking courses on writing, learning how to perfect the dreaded query letter and more.

One of the best things you can do is find an author, preferably one who writes in your genre, and ask them via email for information, tips, suggestions or critiques. Some authors, like myself, love to help aspiring authors. Many charge for critiques though, as it takes time...and time is money...

Above all, you must write! Every week, if not every day. If you want a novel completed and ready for a publisher to view, give yourself a year. Many authors take far longer. My first novel took 3.5 months to be written, edited by 2 editors and into the publisher. I published it independently, but it was recently picked up by a traditional publisher and will be out in 2007 as a special edition. This goes to show that self-publishing CAN lead to bigger and better things--although it is not an option for everyone.

Writers write! Write what you know, what you are good at. Don't try to write in a genre you don't understand. Search online for tips, resources and even ideas. Search for publishers and follow their submission guidelines. Pick up a copy of Writer's Market.

Best of success to you! :)

Answer 3

would being published because you are black rather than the quality of your writing not just be feeding the raciest machine
thoug im shure you heritigge is important to you it should not be a steping stone ,it is to you and your pepole that this is important ,but more important to you should be your acomplishment that is after all what defines you as an individual rather than a statistic
do a google search for publishing firms in wissconsin

Answer 4

If you wish to do it easily, try http://www.lulu.com

I've read on their forum about people getting copies made there and getting book stores to sell their book, even doing signings. Can get it sold through things like Amazon.com I think for a fee. Get it out there good, might be a way to get discovered.

Other then that, look up regular publishers and try to get it in their hands.

Answer 5

FiveStarAuthor makes some good points, especially the thing about don't pay up front.

Again I say learn the basics.

try some short stories in local contest, and anthologies.

Answer 6

Congrats on finishing four novels!
I would suggest you get a list of publlishers and their guidelines. If you really beileve in your work you need to get it into the right hands.