How To Submit A Book To A Publisher...Without An Agent
There are two ways to get a traditional publishing deal.
Query literary agents, who will then submit your work to all the biggest publishing houses.
Submit directly to smaller houses that are open to submissions directly from authors, without agents.
If you’re still trying to decide which approach is best for you (Hint: You CAN do both at the same time!) read this blog post for more information.
But, if you’ve made the decision to submit directly to publishers, you might be asking the next logical question. How?
In this blog post I’ll map out the process of how to submit a book to a publisher without an agent, so you can avoid common mistakes and make sure you’re not wasting your shot!
How To Submit A Book To A Publisher Without An Agent
Step 1: Make sure you are ready.
Before you start submitting, you need to make sure you’re ready.
You’ll need:
A fully developed and edited manuscript that’s been through many rounds of revisions and can hold its own in today’s market. Click here if you aren’t sure if your story is ready.
A basic website, or at the very least a professional social media page. Editors WILL Google you!
A professional email address - preferably one just for your publishing submissions. You don’t want the first thing an editor sees to be your old high school email address sexylady69@yahoo.com.
Step 2: Do your research.
You’ll need to spend some time - probably months - researching publishers. You’ll be looking for publishers who:
Publish children’s picture books (or whatever specific genre you write)
Are open to UNAGENTED submissions
Publish books that have a similar "vibe" to your book
Are actual traditional publishers....not hybrid or vanity presses. Here's a video about how to know the difference.
Tip: The very biggest publishing houses are NOT open to unagented submissions, so don't waste your time researching them.
A basic Google search for "publishers open to unagented submissions" is going to turn up a list of the most predatory vanity presses out there. Not a good start. Instead, I recommend starting your search in one of these places:
SCBWI Market Survey - You have to join SCBWI to access this, but it is the most comprehensive and trustworthy list of traditional publishers out there. Well worth the membership.
Bitsy Kemper's List - The website is a little wonky, but Bitsy does a great job of keeping it updated and making sure the info listed for each publisher is practical for submitting authors.
As you research, here are the things you'll want to note for each potential publisher. I recommend keeping track of them in a simple spreadsheet.
The name of an acquiring editor at the publisher
While you CAN just address your submission "to the editor," it's always best to have an actual name if you can find it. This can be surprisingly difficult. If there's more than one editor listed, you'll want to dive deeper and see which one might be the best fit for your book. MSWL, Publisher's Marketplace, and Publisher's Weekly are good places to start.
Two or three comparable titles from their catalog
When you query agents, you may have heard that you need to provide "comp titles." These are books that have been published in the past 3-5 years that are similar to yours in some way and act as "proof of concept" for your own book.
When you submit directly to publishers, you need to do the same thing! The only difference is that you need to show that their specific audience will like your book. So, you want at least 2-3 of your comp titles to be from their own catalog.
The goal is NOT to say, "Look! My book is just like a book you already have!"
Nor is your goal to say, "Look! My book totally unlike anything you've ever seen!"
The goal is to show them, "Look how well my book fits into your catalog, while also filling a gap I noticed!"
Tip: Most publishers have their entire catalog of books listed on their website, but they might also have a downloadable PDF of their physical catalog...the one they mail out to bookstores and distributors...on their website too.
Submission Guidelines
Save the direct link to these on your spreadsheet. You'll want to reference it many times before you submit!
Step 3: Write a cover letter.
Most publishers will request a cover letter with your submission. (And even if they don’t, you should probably have one ready anyway.) So writing a killer cover letter is your next step.
Note: You may have heard this called a query letter. Query letters are for agents. Cover letters are for publishers. They are basically the same thing. The difference is simply in whether you are targeting an agent or an editor.
It should take you almost as long to write your cover letter as it took you to write the manuscript itself. I wish I were joking….I’m not.
It’s also a good idea to have your cover letter edited/critiqued by a professional. You only get one shot at this! Make it a good one!
Step 4: Start submitting.
Keep track of each submission on that spreadsheet, and it’s a good idea to limit yourself to sending just 5-10 submissions out at a time. That way, if you get some kind of feedback from one of the publishers and you decide you want to incorporate it. You can take time to make changes before you send out another “round” of submissions.
A couple important reminders about submission etiquette:
Editors get thousands of submissions. Seriously. While many of them will respond with a form rejection or a polite pass, more often no response means "no thanks."
If it's been at least 3 months since you sent your submission, you can send a polite nudge. After that, give it another month or two and consider it a pass. (This is why it's important to keep a spreadsheet with the dates of your submissions.)
Do not expect feedback. And for the love of cheese and crackers, don't respond to a rejection to ASK for it.
Once a publisher has passed on a manuscript, don't send it back to them. Even if it's been revised.
You CAN send them a different manuscript. Just make sure you wait until you've gotten a rejection on the first one....or that enough time has passed to consider it rejected.
Step 5: Start writing another story.
Authors who put all their hope in a single manuscript are authors who never get published.
The average picture book author writes and submits at least 4-5 manuscripts before one gets picked up by an agent or publisher. (Sometimes it's more like dozens!) So, while you trudge along the submission superhighway.....the absolute best thing you can do with your time is to keep on writing.
The secret weapon for surviving this grueling process? A community of fellow authors!
Rejection is part of the process, and the authors who make it are usually the ones with the strongest support system. Our Profitable Picture Books Program costs less than you'd spend on a meal out each month, and provides you with that community...plus our comprehensive course, Q&A sessions, webinars, and more!
Come join us!
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