I need a publisher for my wacked out anti-war novel.

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

Anybody? (expecting crickets on this one)

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. I have one

YOU.. major publishers are truly not touching it, though now they may

Consider print on demand and look at Lulu.com

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

2. Have you thought about "self-publishing"?

It can be near close to free and much easier than working with a traditional publisher if you book doesn't have have mass appeal...and I can recommend one if you'd like

on edit: http://www.yourbookpublisher.com/
ITs my former company (:evilgrin:) but they do great work. They just printed poet Taylor Meed's new work.

[iconoclastic cat]

5. Ask Coldfusion04 over at Kos about this. He wrote, "Growing Up Red."

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

8. thanks!

[Book Lover]

3. What they said above

Authors can nowadays manage the editing (freelancers), production and manufacturing (iprint, lulu, iuniverse, etc) of their books themselves - it's management of advertising and distribution that most folks still need another company for. I would google "book distributors" to find one closest to you (though I can personally recommend PGW). And many congrats on making it to this point!

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

4. thanks for the congrats, Book Lover, and the advice (everyone).

[ghostsofgiants]

6. Self-publishing might be a good route...

http://www.self-pub.net/

http://www.lulu.com/ <-- I've heard good things and their service seems really good. Planning to publish an art book once I get time, inspiration and motivation. Probably gonna use Lulu.

[Blue-Jay]

7. Can you post some of it here?

I'd love to read some of your work.

Why is it "wacked out"?

[Finder]

9. Have you queried agents?

If not, that is the route to take. Self publishing and/or POD is useless unless you have many connections and love to self promote. Bookstores seldom stock POD titles and the online venues charge up to 65% in discounts.

Is your book fiction?

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

10. It's fiction, and I do have an agent, but, not surprisingly, Amurka

ain't quite ready for it, though they seem to be getting readier. I'd prefer a publisher, and it's still making the rounds, but the fact that it's lefto AND experimental has kept it off the shelves.

[zbdent]

11. Stay away from Regnery, but check out ReganBooks

Seems like she'll (Judith Regan) publish your book if you sleep with her . . . despite the fact that she prefers reich-wing books . . .

Now, I only have one reference that she admitted to having sex with one of her "talents" . . .

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

12. sorry, they lost me at "Home of Dick Morris"

thanks for the suggestion, though

[blondeatlast]

13. Stay away--far away-- from vanity publishers.

They kill credibility like nothing else can.

If you choose to market yourself (it can be done--George Lakoff's "Don't Think of an Elephant" comes to mind, he eventually gained a publisher when word-of-mouth got people interested).

Here are a couple of things to avoid from a library buyer:

If you offer a book to a library, do not expect payment or a review of it. It is considered a gift by postal regulations, and the library is then free to use as it sees fit. We simply NEVER offer reviews; most public libraries haven't got anywhere near the staff to manage this once-common practice anymore.

DON'T SHRINK-WRAP! Can you tell I mean this?! Just, please, don't do it--I don't care what the book is.

NEVER, NEVER expect to meet with a purchasing executive unannounced. There are tools at your public libraries (Bowker guides--the librarians will be very familiar with them) to let you know who makes collection development (read that as "buying") decisions. Make an appointment. CD librarians are incredibly busy, and you don't want to leave a bad impression with people who can be of possibly tremendous service (my boss, for instance).

Don't spam-review Amazon, it isn't considered a reliable source for reviews in the profession; try your best to get a review in a local newspaper or industry source.

You can also offer a quality bound item to Ingram and Baker and Taylor directly; they are very savvy about independent works that show promise. This is a tremendous help in the credibility game!

Try a publisher affiliated with this group:
http://www.ipgbook.com/

They know the ins and outs of marketing very small presses and have respect in the biz. They are very fair to authors and VERY professional.

Good luck!

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

14. thanks, blondeatlast. love the name.