WRITING FOR SMALL INDIE PUBLISHERS

WRITING FOR SMALL INDIE PUBLISHERS Between the behemoth Big Six and the self-publishing path is a plethora of other markets seeking quality fiction. Some small indie publishers have even seen their authors rise to the top of the New York Times, USA Today, and Kindle bestseller lists, with books available in bookstores nationwide. Yet chatter in the industry rarely discusses theses successes. These smaller, independent publishers produce a wide range of genres from nonfiction to science fiction to erotica. Many publish only in electronic format, but many also produce paperback, hardback, and audiobook versions. They tend to have less restrictive contracts, higher royalties, and are more willing to take cross-genre, experimental or hard to define works. They offer professional editing, cover art, and many even provide regular promotion or easy access to promotional outlets for their authors. Advantages of Small Presses: While they usually cater to a niche market, small presses often allow a great deal of freedom within that market. Also, indie niche markets are often ones the bigger publishers don’t focus on at all due to smaller readership. So if you have a difficult to categorize book that combines urban fantasy, speculative fiction and erotica, for example, a smaller publisher might snap it up. Many small presses pay royalties monthly, so you get your money more quickly and more regularly than you might from a publisher following a traditional model. Most pay royalties from 30% to 50% on e-book sales- considerably higher than the Big Six publishers offer. Disadvantages: Most small Indies don’t pay advances. Those that do generally offer very small ones- a few hundred dollars rather than a few thousand. However, this is often offset These presses are small. In many cases, youll be looking at selling hundreds of copies rather than thousands. But in most cases your book will take off more quickly than if you self publish, because a small press has a built-in group of loyal readers who will buy anything the company publishes. Breaking In: As with any publisher, lead with your best work. Indie pubs are not in the business of buying that early piece thats been rejected Follow submission guidelines. These can include genre, word count, formatting, whether or not simultaneous submissions are allowed, and sometimes, specific requirements within the genre. Again, I see many submissions where the author obviously didnt take to time to read the guidelines and has sent material that doesnt fit the publishers needs. Some Small Press Markets: Samhain Publishing Romance, urban fantasy, horror, retro romance Eggplant Literary Productions Speculative fiction Etopia Press Urban fantasy, science fiction, fantasy, horror, literary fiction Musa Publishing A variety of genres including speculative fiction, romance, historical, mystery and young adult Noble Romance Various romance subgenres Changeling Press Erotica