Submission Planning 2: Direct to Publishers.

As I have already mentioned, my preferred route to publication is through a Literary Agent, and this is the route I am currently actively pursuing. But I know that the agented route isn’t for everyone and so I’m going to talk about another option – submitting directly to publishers.

There are a few disadvantages to going this route.

• Many larger publishers only take agented submissions

• You’ll have to negotiate your own contract.

• There will be nobody to fight your corner if things go wrong.

In short you will effectively be doing the role of an agent yourself. But if this is something you feel you can manage then it is a perfectly viable option. There are plenty of publishers out there, many of which may, at sometime or other, be willing to take a look at unagented submissions. So in order to help you to find yourself a publisher I’ve listed below a few possible opportunities to watch out for.

• Small publishers who routinely take un-agented submissions
These vary considerably, some being better than others. Often they don’t offer advances and the royalties can differ. Also many may be e-publishers and only offer print runs if a certain threshold of sales are reached or use POD technology, in which case your books are unlikely to make it into bricks and mortar bookstores. My best advice here is to do your research. I’ve talked about some of the things you need to consider before signing in another post here.

• Imprints of larger publishing houses
Some of the bigger publishers have imprints which are open to un-agented submissions. Very often these imprints are genre specific. Here is a useful list of some of them.

• Open submission windows
Keep an eye out for publishers with open submission windows. They crop up from time to time. They do tend to get inundated but you never know. You could be just what they’re looking for.

• Twitter pitch parties
These happen on a regular basis and it’s a good exercise anyway distilling your pitch down to the side of a tweet. However a word of caution – do check out any agents/editors that show an interest very thoroughly before submitting anything to them.

• Networking
Make the effort to get out there and meet people, be it literary festivals or writers conferences. For example book a slot for a 1-2-1 with an editor at a literary festival. (Go into these to learn something rather than expecting a book deal, but that editor could prove to be a useful contact). You never know when you might meet someone who you can submit directly to further down the line.

Guest: David Pipe, author of Sacrificing Starlight

Today I would like to welcome David Pipe to The Scribbling Sea Serpent, to talk about how Cornwall inspired his debut novel, Sacrificing Starlight.

Sacrificing Starlight

Time’s running out for DCI Hunter. His wife and child are missing, perhaps even dead. Unable to pursue those responsible he has been transferred to the wild landscape of Cornwall where he must smash the local branch of an international paedophile ring. But can anyone in this remote location be trusted? 

Alice Trevelyan’s father has his own agenda and wants retribution for the loss of his child. When he hears that small children are being abused in a disused tin mine he metes out his own violent justice. 

As Hallowe’en approaches, will Trevelyan help or hinder? Hunter must make his move if he wants to save Starlight.

Over to you, David:

I’d always wanted to write. On a bike tour my last stop was a village where a folk festival was taking place. The tourist office found accommodation in an isolated farmhouse. In ten minutes the landlady told me her life story. She and her two children had been abused by her husband. The daughter was given up for adoption. At age 21 the son committed suicide, 25 years previously. I had a story.

I don't plot. I use the Stephen King method. Ask, what would happen if? Put a character on the page, watch what he does and write it down. So I asked, what would happen if my landlady used her B&B to trap young tourists and hold them prisoner, as substitutes for her beloved son. You don’t believe it works? Try it.

I had lived in Cornwall so I moved the story there; old monasteries, ruins on misty moors.

Danny Payne is doing a bike tour. I put him on the page and followed him. He led me to Sacrificing Starlight.

Sacrificing Starlight is a gritty thriller. It asks with whom we can trust our children. Who is protecting the predators and hindering the investigators? What would you do if your child had been ‘taken’ and you caught one of the perpetrators?

If you liked Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, you’ll love Sacrificing Starlight.

This is my first book. Of all of the self-help books I read Robert McKee’s Story tells you all you need to know about structure and design and Rayne Hall’s The Word-Loss Diet turned my text into a manuscript.

Whatever you do don’t skimp on editing or the cover. My brilliant editor, Helen Baggott, turned my manuscript into a book and the amazing Jessica Bell designed the awesome cover.

I hope you enjoy Sacrificing Starlight.

Buy Sacrificing Starlight at Amazon(UK) or Amazon.com

David Pipe is an Essex man. He studied Chemistry at Hull University and after six years in the pharmaceutical industry in England and South Africa did a Ph.D at Imperial College. After postdocs in Geneva and Mulhouse he moved to the oil industry in Hamburg. In 2003 he set up a private consultancy and in 2008 gave it all up to scratch the writing itch which produced his first book, Sacrificing Starlight.

David keeps fit with swimming and Nordic Walking. When he’s not writing you’ll find him creating something delicious in the kitchen.

He lives in Hamburg with his wife and their Border terrier, Henry.