How could I find a publisher?

Question

I've created this story and some of my friends think I should publish it. How could I find a publisher to publish my story?

Answer 1

Well said Elissa. About time someone said that here. Yes, most of us managed without Yahoo Answers. Back when we actually learned to do things for ourselves. Bravo to you for that answer.

As for where you can find a publisher for a story, that depends entirely on what you term a "story" and what the length is. If it is a single short story, you won't be able to get a publisher to publish it. You will have to go one of five routes 1) Selling to a magazine 2) Selling to an anthology with multiple authors in it 3) E books 4) Entering a contest or 5) Writing more stories and putting out an anthology of your own.

In the first three ways you will find that pay for a story ranges from 5 bucks to about 25 bucks or between 1 and 5 cents a word. The reason for doing anthologies isn't to get rich, it is to get your name out there. Some pay nothing more than a couple copies of the book you're in.

Of course magazines like Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Esquire, GQ etc. pay a great deal more. However, they primarily deal with major authors and they hire them to write specific stories. Very rarely do major magazines accept a pitch from an unknown and tell them to go ahead with it.

E books actually earn very little. The market has not caught on for people to pay 99 cents to read a story online, and honestly I doubt it ever will. Even if it does, the royalties on a 99 cent story are about 40 cents or less every time someone buys it. And most people download them and spread them around free, so your sales will be affected. And of course for people to know your story exists, YOU will have to pay to publicize and market it. A losing proposition to say the least.

As for contests, there are a few legit ones. Check with Absolute Write Water Cooler Bewares and Background Checks and Preditors and Editors. There are contests that pay $1,000 like Glimmer Train but they are very very hard to win. They are almost impossible to even sell a story to. They also have a 35 dollar non refundable fee to enter.

If you put together an entire book of short stories, you have the option of going through traditional publishing channels, but one story just won't do it.

Whatever way you choose, expect a lot of rejection. The fact is there are probably more people out there trying to sell stories than novels. You will probably get rejected many times before you sell a story. Stories are a dime a dozen - if that.

Your friends may think it is great, and it may be, but the fact is you will not be making thousands or even hundreds selling individual stories. PJ M - a regular contributor here is a fairly well known anthology contributor. I have known him for several years now. I don't think he has ever gotten more than 50 bucks and a couple copies for a story. But it does get his name out there.

Seriously - this is not being mean, but friends aren't always the best judges of what should be published. In fact, they almost never are. I get dozens and dozens of things sent to me every week to read. Most of them gush about how their friends loved the work and insist it be published. About 99% of them wouldn't make it through the first round at a publisher. They aren't worth the paper they are printed on. They are that bad. If you truly want to know if your work is publishable, pay an editor instead of listening to inexperienced and biased friends. They will tell you the truth.

Hope that helps. Pax - C

Answer 2

How did I manage to find out how to submit materials to publishers before there was Yahoo Answers?

Oh, I know: by doing research myself.

Head to the libarary or bookstore, where you'll find shelves and shelves of books about how to get published. The right answer for you will depend on:

what kind of story you've written (literary fiction, genre, memoir, etc.)
how long it is
what audience it's intended for (children, teens, adults, women, etc.)
how good it is

Then start sending out query letters.

Answer 3

Get a book called "The Writer's handbook", as it can tell you who is publishing out there and what they publish.

also, it will advbise you as to whether or not they take unsolicited manuscripts or you need an agent

Answer 4

Check out publisher web-sites for addresses where you can submit your book. Submit it to a few different places. If they are interested, they will give you a call so that they can strike a deal with you.

Answer 5

Harper and Row have a website as does Black Bird...