I have written a suspense novel and am trying to get it published. I have had magazine articles published before but not a novel. At first I was told that you had to have an agent to even be considered by any publisher. Recently, however, I have been tole that for a new writer it is actually more difficult to get an agent than to get published in the small publishing house arena. I have been advised to first pursue the small publishing house universe and that I should have better luck with this approach than finding an agent. I welcome any thoughts you might have on this idea.
Small publishing house vs. agent approach
- Thread starter Umgowa
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If you want to be published by one of the bigger publishers, you need an agent. If you're happy to go with a small press you probably don't. Both have their pros and cons. But being a new writer isn't a reason to go for small presses only, so I wouldn't rely too heavily on the advice you've received.
I pursued an agent for a novel, while I pursued publication (for a novella that was unrelated to the novel) with small publishing houses. It took slightly longer to find an agent than it did a publisher for that particular project. The problem was that small publisher then folded in under a year of publishing my little novella and I only had about 50 sales in that time.
Small publishers *can* be easier to find, but they are not always stable. The good ones will not be easier to gain publication from than finding an agent to rep you. And a reputable agent will give you a shot at bigger, better paying and more stable publishers. There is also nothing to prevent you from moving on to publishers if it turns out that agents are not interested in this particular book. (And, yes, you will have spent time looking for an agent, but the advantages to having a reputable agent far outweigh the minor setback of not being published as quickly.)
Also, I'm never a fan of starting at the bottom when looking for a home for a project (which is basically what the advice about small publisher over agent is telling you). Not every project is destined for the big houses and best seller lists, but better to try for the best option and naturally find where a specific work fits best than to jump to the easy sale first and later regret it.
Just my two cents. Best of luck.
Small publishers *can* be easier to find, but they are not always stable. The good ones will not be easier to gain publication from than finding an agent to rep you. And a reputable agent will give you a shot at bigger, better paying and more stable publishers. There is also nothing to prevent you from moving on to publishers if it turns out that agents are not interested in this particular book. (And, yes, you will have spent time looking for an agent, but the advantages to having a reputable agent far outweigh the minor setback of not being published as quickly.)
Also, I'm never a fan of starting at the bottom when looking for a home for a project (which is basically what the advice about small publisher over agent is telling you). Not every project is destined for the big houses and best seller lists, but better to try for the best option and naturally find where a specific work fits best than to jump to the easy sale first and later regret it.
Just my two cents. Best of luck.
They're not mutually exclusive, either... I'm being considered by a small publisher (though I expect them to say no, but anyway). They don't take unsolicited submissions, though. Generally you need an agent to approach them.
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Always start at the top and work your way down. Why aim small? Go for an agent, somebody who will be able to (potentially) sell your novel to a big publisher. If that fails, by all means then try the small presses. All you will lose is, well, nothing but quicker gratification, and that time you can spend writing something new.