Can you offer something that is already self published?

LOTLOF

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Is it acceptable to offer a book that is already self published?

I was always under the impression that if a work was already self published no trade publisher would be interested. Well not unless it had huge sales, ala Fifty Shades of Grey. My first book is doing very well by the standards of an amateur debut. It is selling hundreds not tens of thousands.

Recently though I have run into a couple authors who have gotten agents for books that were self published, and trying to get contracts for them. I am just curious, how do most editors view this?
 

Parametric

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This is quite similar to your previous thread on the same topic - could you be more specific about what you're looking for that wasn't covered in the previous thread? Just to avoid retreading the same ground. :)
 

LOTLOF

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Well it was never my intention to try and offer anything that I had self published to an agent or a trade publisher. From my previous thread I was under the impression that anything that was self published would not be of interest to either an agent or a trade publisher. Not unless it had gotten tens of thousands of sales.

I have since come across a couple threads about authors with agents for books they had already self published. I was just curious how editors and agents view this.

In general, if a book is already out there will they not be interested? if it is self published without tens of thousands of sales is that seen as a huge black mark?
 

Jamiekswriter

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In general, if a book is already out there will they not be interested? Yes, unless it has huge sales or a huge buzz. if it is self published without tens of thousands of sales is that seen as a huge black mark? That depends. Generally no, it's not a black mark. Unless the book is poorly written or has a lot of grammar/spelling errors. Then it's a sign of either unprofessionalism or an author that's not ready yet.

Of course, some epubs will accept previously published material as long as you have the rights back and aren't selling it simultaneously.

If the self pubbed book isn't selling, the agent/publisher might have you write your new work under a different name.
 

Terie

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I was always under the impression that if a work was already self published no trade publisher would be interested. Well not unless it had huge sales, ala Fifty Shades of Grey.

Minor point of fact: Fifty Shades of Grey wasn't self-published. It was originally published by an Australian micropress and picked up from there by Random House.

Which isn't to say there aren't several examples of self-published books getting picked up by Big 5 publishers, because there are. Just saying that getting facts right is a good idea.
 

ReflectiveAcuity

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Wasn't John Grisham selling his self-published first book "A Time to Kill" out of the trunk of his car for quite some time before it was picked up by Wynwood Press? - The rest is history.
 

Sheryl Nantus

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quicklime

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Wasn't John Grisham selling his self-published first book "A Time to Kill" out of the trunk of his car for quite some time before it was picked up by Wynwood Press? - The rest is history.



no, he was selling his trade-published book after he bought the print run....



it was history often reported in error, I believe if I'm remembering correctly
 

annetpfeffer

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In the area of YA and New Adult romances and erotic romance, Simon and Schuster has picked up a number of authors, such as Colleen Hoover, Abbie Glines, and Tina Reber. But all of these were huge sellers before they were acquired.

I recently learned of another S&S acquisition -- The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay. They acquired it three weeks after it was self-published, so it didn't have a big established sales record. But it had phenomenal early reviews, a super high % of five star ratings on amazon, and it's much better written than many SP books (my opinion -- I've read it.)

There may be examples of publishers acquiring beautifully written low sellers from the ranks of SP books, but I can't say I've seen them. If anybody else has, I'd love to hear about it.
 

Jamesaritchie

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Wasn't John Grisham selling his self-published first book "A Time to Kill" out of the trunk of his car for quite some time before it was picked up by Wynwood Press? - The rest is history.

Nope, that's a myth. He never self-published anything. This got started because well after he sold this book, the publisher was sold and became a self-publishing company.

And it really wasn't A Time To Kill that made him famous. This book became a bestseller only after he sold the screenplay to the second book.
 

gingerwoman

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Quite a few are allowing it I think. I read one editor that said you need a story to explain why you think the epubb could sell more copies than your selling if you are unhappy with your results on self pubbing, but she also said she wouldn't rule it out.
 

Barbara R.

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In an interview on my In Cold Ink, agent Gail Hochman said she wouldn't consider any book that had already been published, including self-published work. She's happy to consider subsequent unpublished books, even if the self-published work didn't sell well. Most agents and editors concur---see the interview with Viking editor Tara Singh ont the same blog, where she says that she'd be less likely to see poor sales of self-published books as a negative, since no one expects them to sell well, compared to published books that fall short of their target numbers.