Being Published

Being published is not the end all. That's why it's not wise to jump at the first contract that is offered. Hopefully, you did your homework before submitting to publishers in the first place. What I would recommend is to at least check the P & E site for any publisher to whom you are considering sending your manuscript and see what they have to say about them. If P & E does not recommend them, you can bet that they are not a publisher to whom you want to submit. When I was on my own submitting THE VASE, I systematically pored over that list on P & E and did not submit to any of the ones who were not recommended.

But, there is another factor. It's one that I was not too concerned about, but maybe I should be. The main reason, I believe, that publishers will not be recommended is because they are vanity publishers. You know, the Self-Publishers, the Subsidy Publishers, and any other type of publisher that charges the author fees to be published by them. Then there are the other types that don't call themselves that, but still they charge fees. They just mask those fees as some kind of charge that they justify for whatever reason.

The bottom line is that you don't want to pay to get published. Not even for editing, and not even for marketing. And this is the other factor. If you have to find your own editor, as I was asked to do with the first publisher who offered a contract, that is a red flag. And the next thing, and possibly a very sticky topic, is marketing. Most, and maybe even all of the small, independent publishers will require the author to have some kind of role in marketing his/her book. But if the publisher has a hand in it, too, at least you won't be on your own.

It's a team effort. Find out if the publisher has a marketing plan. Check their website and see if they have a marketing specialist on their staff. If they do, that is a good sign. Better yet, go to the bookstore and see if any of their books are on the shelves. That's the best sign of all.