Indie or Agent?

Shoot Owl said:

I have an unpublished novel which has seen many revisions until finally reaching its current completed state. I've submitted 82 queries (to date) to various agents and agencies with no success. I understand that the supply of stories must be tremendously high and the odds of being picked up by an agent are rather low. My story and writing style might also make my work a difficult sell. Should I continue querying agents in the hope of being picked up by one? Should I try small presses or seek self publishing?

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The odds of getting published are different for each book. Some have no chance whatsoever of being published by a reputable publisher, because they are so terrible; others have every chance, because they are so good in every way. So don't assume your odds are low just because so many people are trying to get published.

Style might prevent you from being published, but only if you write in a bad style! Have you shared your work with others, had any sorts of critiques? That's going to be very useful, I think.

It might be that your query needs work, rather than your book. Or perhaps both. We can't help you unless we see some of your work so spend time in our Share Your Work section giving plenty of critiques, and once you have more than fifty substantive posts you can start your own thread and ask for help.

I have a number of short stories which I am also trying to have published, but this is also proving quite challenging. I figure that having any published work would be advantageous.

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Advantageous in what way?

I do not plan on writing a book a year like many persons aspire towards. I'd rather have a single decent title than multiple mediocre ones. For this reason, I'm skeptical about hurriedly getting my book published just to build a platform for myself.

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Good books are definitely better than bad books.

Also, I've done some work on visually creating my characters and I would like these drawings to be included in my novel's appendix. Would you advise that I publish them on a website such as DeviantArt, or would this affect my ability to include them in my book?

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That might be a problem with a trade publisher.

Also, note that "indie" is used in trade publishing terms to indicate a publisher which isn't part of the Big Five. I assume you mean self publishing or trade publishing in your title, yes? And while only writers with agents usually get contracts with the Big Five, you can get a contract with an independent publisher or a small press without representation, so there are other routes into publication which don't include self publication or having an agent.

A book a year doesn't necessarily equate to rubbish.

Harlequin said:

A book a year doesn't necessarily equate to rubbish.

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Most definitely not. I know some very good writers who write even more than that.

I can do a book a year, even with my full-time job. However, writing speed--fast or slow--doesn't correlate to quality or skill. It's all individual.

Before you ask for feedback spend a LOT of time giving feedback of your own.

With a nod to your other post about how you hate reading: you'll improve your odds significantly if you read and familiarise yourself with new releases in the genre (and age range) you're aiming to be published in. Knowing your market goes a long way towards success.

I am wondering why your writing style would make your book a difficult sell. Have you considered hiring a copy editor for both your book and your query letter?