A "novel" idea ?

Question

I've written a couple of novels and queried a few agents. I've even been asked to submit chapters, etc., but alas, my books don't seem to mesh with what most agents want. I've thought about just giving my novel away on the internet, letting people read it, and if they like it, they can send me a dollar or five dollars, whatever they feel the book is worth. Do you think I'd just simply be giving my book away, or do you think readers would actually take the time to mail me a dollar for my troubles?

Answer 1

I doubt you'd get much money. I see tons of questions on here like "Where on the Internet can I download (book name) for free?" Nobody wants to pay for someone's hard work.

Have you researched Lulu.com? It's self-publishing and I've heard mostly good things about it.

But have you really really tried getting it published? Have you received dozens of rejections yet? Remember, it's all subjective and if your writing is good, sometimes you just have to find the agent or editor who is interested.

Good luck!

Answer 2

There is more to getting published that querying a few agents. You need to clearly define your market, and specifically query agents that work with that market. Too often, aspiring writers use one of two methods.

1. "Throw enough crap against the wall" approach: in which you just send out form letters to every single agent whose address you can find on the web.
2. "My book is a bestseller therefore I only query the big guns": In which you only send your query to the biggest agents in the business.

Both methods will generally fail. Instead, you need to study the marketplace and find those agents that are interested in your specific genre. And do you even need an agent? Most small presses accept unagented manuscripts. only the large publishing houses normally require agents. You might be surprised how many hundreds of small, thriving presses there are in the U.S. alone.

Self-publishing is a dead end UNLESS you already have a strong familiarity with the industry and know how to market your work. And I think it's safe to say that doesn't apply by the nature of your query.

I'd suggest thinking more along the lines of small presses. Research publishers you like who produce books similiar to your genre. Query them. I'm not going to go into details, as the question "How do I publish my book" has been asked and answered a million times already, and it only takes a search on YA to see what has already been said.

Answer 3

I have heard of people submitting there books over fifty time before publication. Stephen King through his first book “Carrie” is the garbage after it was rejected many times. His wife Tabitha retrieved it and asked him to send it in one last time.

Have you ever used "The Writers Market" (a book of publishers). I t is helpful to find publishers who are specific to different genres and styles.