Who would be the best choice to publish a fiction novel?

Question

I'm a first time author, under eighteen, have written a fantasy novel and can't afford an agent. What publishing company would work with me best?

Answer 1

Since an agent costs approximately zero, you can afford one. What you perhaps meant to say is "I have done absolutely no research and have a bunch of assumptions about the industry. Will someone do the work for me?"

Sorry, that was mean. But unfortunately too true with most people who ask the question "How do I publish my book." They don't even take the time to search YA to find the information that is available. Your question, in various incarnations, has been asked and answered a million and seven times (yes, I am counting now).

An agent only gets paid if they place your novel. They earn a percentage of the royalties on sales. So there is no reason not to search for an agent. I suggest for now you stop worrying about a publisher and spend some time researching and understanding the industry. Hit your local library and read their back copies of Writer's Digest and The Writer. Visit Poets and Writers (pw.org) and get a subscription to their wonderful periodical. In short, educate yourself on the industry before wasting anyone's time.

There is no magic bullet. There is no one quick and dirty answer. It is a long, difficult, but rewarding journey from finished manuscript to publication. And nobody is going to hand it to you. You need to go earn it.

Answer 2

First of all, agents do not charge money. They only charge you for expenses like postage and copies. If they charge you a fee, they arent legit agents.

Secondly, this question gets asked here at least 50 times a day and if it is important to you, you should surf through Resolved Questions because there is a lot of good information going to waste there.

Major publishers (or A List ones) only deal with A List agents. You can either try for an agent or deal directly with small publishers. Get yourself a copy of Writers Market and search through the agents listed there as well as the small publishers and find some that are accepting fantasy novels. There arent that many.

Then follow the submission guidelines for that person exactly - send them ONLY what they ask for.

Also - check with Preditors and Editors and Absolute Write Water Cooler forum's Bewares and Background Checks and make sure there arent complaints pending about the agent or publisher. There are a lot of scams out there.

Good luck. Pax - C.

Answer 3

You don't really get the choice of publishers, they choose you. You can try the big publishers like Random House, but they generally deal with agents.
Look for small publisers and send a few chapters of to them, asking if they might beinterested in publishing. Other than that, you will have to self-publish. this of course costs money, and you have to do all the distribution and marketing yourself.

JK Rowling couldn't get an agent or big publisher for the first Harry Potter, and used a small publishing house.

Answer 4

Buy a copy of Writer's Market 2007. It has a whole bunch of different publishers and tells you their guidelines. It's very difficult to get published and each publisher has a different set of rules (format, when they accept drafts, query letters, etc.). Nearly all of them will not accept a manuscript before they've received a detailed query letter. Then, they might ask for a few pages, and if they like it, only then will they ask for the full manuscript. Get the Writer's Market and research the publishers. Don't be disappointed if you get a lot of rejection notices. It's difficult to be published for the first time.

Good luck.

Answer 5

You don't pay a Literary Agent! It's very difficult to get one. Ask your writer friends to refer you to their Literary Agent.

Buy a copy of The Wrtier's Market, a publication that lists names and contact information of Literary Agents and Publishers.

Answer 6

1. Dont ever pay an agent
2. Buy a copy of Writers Market - they have a list of agents
3. Send your best work! You will have A LOT of competition
4. Expect rejections - everybody has gotten rejected - dont take it personally
5. Good luck :)