Publishers Shmublishers: A List for YOU

So, there you have it. There are some publishers out there who will not take unsolicited manuscripts and there are some who LOVE to try out new authors. Then, there are some in between, such as Albert Whitman who touts that they will look at all unsolicited manuscripts, but then lets your submission sit in a submittable on-line database until you've forgotten what you wrote about six or eight months later. Then, they won't even give you an answer until you become so frustrated, enough, that they will make you want to delete your submission--which is what I actually did.

The "BIG" publishers are those whose authors are destined for NY Times Best Sellers. You can't even send them an e-mail--just to ask how their day is going; they don't respond. Zero. Zilch. Empty set. I wonder if they respond to their own mothers.

Don't even think of sending them your book idea or manuscript to them, either. You will never be allowed to get in touch with them. I think your e-mail account will actually explode. Mine almost did.

Penguin/Random House, Simon & Schuster, and so many other "big names" don't care about what you write. Why? Why is this? Because of agents? Because of politics? Because of volume? I'm not scorned because I've tried to chigger in to their underground network: I'm just inquiring. The funnier thing is that I work for a book company where these very same publishers actually work with us through a partnership! They want their books sold in all possible channels.

Going the agent route is just as tough. I reached out to 100+ agents, after researching them for months, only to find that they are looking for something that is platinum, not gold. I thought gold had a pretty good street value?

It's s tough business, but an enjoyable one . . . Don't get me wrong. You can self-publish anything nowadays for pennies. Go for it. Whether you land a publisher who will accept your manuscript or you self publish your own work, the REAL work begins when you actually have to MARKET your book--which is a full time job, in itself. I'll save that for a different blog. Until then, keep writing and go after all of the great publishers out there who will give new authors a shot! There are tons of them. Also, make sure you sell at least two copies of your work: one to your mom (hopefully) and one that you buy on Amazon (even without an author discount) . . . just so you can tame the amazon rankings at least for one day! Below is a list of publishers who will accept unsolicited manuscripts. Make sure you read their website guidelines closely so you know what they are looking for and what they aren't looking for.

For more information about writing and publishing, contact Dr. J. at drjetter1@gmail.com or @RickJetter on Twitter. You can check out his website at