Having difficulties finding publishers for my niche?

Question

I have developed a book about auto racing that I would like to get published. My plan B is self publishing, but I'd like to see if a publishing house will accept it first. My only problem is that I can't find many auto racing publishers for books. I've found two so far and one hasn't gotten back to me and the other isn't taking on any more books this year. Is there a list of publishers I can look at by genre? Thanks

Answer 1

Is this a non-fiction book? At any rate, go to a library. Take a notebook with you. In the reference section, you should find a book called Literary Marketplace. It is the author's Bible. Sit with it and plan on spending a lot of time. Read through the agent and publisher sections. Search for publishers and agents reading books in your genre. Make a LOT of notes because you cannot take the book home. List names and addresses as well as their exact submission guidelines.

Then you have to research every one of them. Start with Preditors and Editors. Then try Absolute Write Water Cooler's Bewares and Background Forum. Then Writers Wall, Writers Weekly and Anne Crispin's site. If there are complaints about that publisher, skip them. If you have questions, Dave K at P and E, Victoria Strauss and James Macdonald at AW and Angela Hoy at Writers Weekly are good people to ask. They do a lot to help young authors avoid getting ripped off.

If your book is good, you owe it to you and your manuscript to give yourself one year or more to try traditional publishing. Self publishing will not get your books on the shelves. It will cost you more than your royalties to promote the book so people can know about it and order it. That is the downside of self publishing.

Start looking. You can also purchase Writers Market for 30 bucks, but it isn't nearly as complete as Literary Marketplace. That is the Industry Standard. Start your engines! Get busy. Pax - C

Answer 2

You should be able to find books about publishing and anything else you're looking for (I'm guessing your librarian would be able to help better than me). But somewhere there should be a list of something like that. Good luck.

Answer 3

You and me both, buddy.

You might want to try and expand your genre by placing it in the 'non-fiction' category as well--instead of just auto-racing--and go with that.

Most agents and publishers are open to sports-type books, so submit to them in this regard. (But don't tell them that you've been having a difficult time looking for a rep.)