Sell a POD manuscript to an agent or publisher?

[keviningram]

Still working on the best way to go with a Christian fiction novel - the self publish/POD route seems to be a dead end from what I have been told, that you need a traditional publisher for any level of success.

I do have one question: Is it possible to use a POD to get a title in print, then continue to pitch the manuscript to agents or publishers? Will they consider a self published work as non-published and eligible for review, or will they refuse it because you already put it in print?

I would like to have a self published version to promote and sell as I travel and speak, but still submit it for traditional acceptance to publishers or through an agent.

Does anyone have any experience with this, or know how the industry would view this effort?

Are there any agents or publishers in these forums that could lend an opinion?

All advice and opinions welcome. :o

Thanks.

[Tommie Lyn]

If you are actively selling a POD book, you might have trouble selling it to a publisher. The reason why? You are diminishing the number of sales they could look forward to (and diminishing their expected profit) by selling the POD version to customers yourself.

[David Meigs]

...Does anyone have any experience with this, or know how the industry would view this effort? ... Are there any agents or publishers in these forums that could lend an opinion?...:( Yes, I have experience in this...

For reasons that I won’t go into here, I stopped writing fiction in the late 80’s. When I started again a few years back, I did a Google search on publishing and found it was a brave new world out there. Bottom line, I bought the whole POD propaganda, hook, line and sinker. I went with a huge POD company with plans of getting my work out there, and hopefully seen by an agent or publisher.

I won’t go into my disappointing reality check that pursued, but I will share what happened when I sought to place my POD book (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1419603655)into the hands of an acquisitions editor. I never received a direct reply to my inquiry, but this post was on his blog (http://faithinfiction.blogspot.com/2005/06/active-prejudice.html) the very next day. You will find that his views are real and without the motivation of protecting his industry.

:o Embarrassed and humbled, but a little wiser, I pulled my POD book (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1419603655)off the market. For the record, I’m not saying POD is a bad thing. In fact, for the right project or author, it’s great. But it is what it is and it takes time to wade through all the hype.

[keviningram]

Very interesting, I actually found his blog less frightening than I had expected. If I self publish a novel, I intend to promote it to publishers as a manuscript rather than a finished product, much as he suggested. I retain the rights to my book if I self publish with Xulon, so I can transfer rights to another publisher and pull the self published version if signed. His blog also provided some fresh links to even more pertinent information, and it appears that others have started with a self published product and then sold it to a publisher much the same way.

Overall, I am encouraged by what I have read. Not that self publishing is successful for a novel - it's not - but rather that one can start with a self published work and continue to promote it to publishers while privately promoting it to readers and stores in book form. For myself, I find this option appealing as I am always very active in promoting whatever venture I find myself in at the time...

Thanks for the info. ;)

[David Meigs]

Very interesting, I actually found his blog less frightening than I had expected. If I self publish a novel, I intend to promote it to publishers as a manuscript rather than a finished product, much as he suggested...I think you misread something. By manuscript, he means a properly formatted submission, on unbound 8 ½” X 11” paper. He says he will NOT EVEN LOOK AT a self-published copy.

[AnnWinters]

I think that's what he meant, David, when he said he would submit it as a manuscript, rather than a "finished product." :)

[keviningram]

Right, I wouldn't want to submit a self-published book, just a properly formatted manuscript just as if it were unpublished.

[David Meigs]

Right, I wouldn't want to submit a self-published book, just a properly formatted manuscript just as if it were unpublished.Gotcha! !thumbsup!

BTW - Kevin, I dropped by your website and enjoyed myself. :)

[keviningram]

Did you see the football video? We have had a lot of fun with that one, the kids played all the music and sang it.... they did a great job for just a thrown together project. I have ten children ranging in ages from 29 down to two, and two grandsons who both just turned 8 this past week.... we are a blessed but crazy bunch.

[David Meigs]

Yes I did see those videos. It was great! :)

I've only got half that number of kids and the spread only goes from 14 to 27.

God bless!

[love2write]

Kevin,

Don't do this. Publishers will not look at a book that is under contract, and if you self-pub with a pod company it will be. Secondly, this is not the proper way for submissions. If you read various publishers' websites, you can find their submissions guidelines. Always it is a manuscript, double spaced, on one side of the paper that they ask for. But only after they see sample chapters.

This could ruin your chances of getting a publisher or a literary agent. If you submit to them a pod book, they will view this as unprofessional and they will not look at it because of the contract issue.

My advice is to polish your manuscript and properly format it. Write a great query letter and one-page synopsis. Then begin to send your query to literary agents that accept your genre. Send them exactly what they ask for, nothing more, nothing less.

In this business you have to follow the rules of submission. Otherwise you will get a rejection no matter how good your novel is.

I am speaking from experience as far as having had my work published with a pod company. I got out of my contracts and I will never go this route again.

Rita Gerlach

Homepage: http://www.freewebs.com/ritagerlach/

Editor / Stepping Stones Magazine for Writers: http://www.freewebs.com/steppingstonesforwriters/

[love2write]

I read your post over, and see what you mean to do is format the book as a manuscript would be formatted.

The guideline with publishers and agents is a manuscript should be one side of the paper, double spaced which you could do. However, a manuscript must not be bound in any way. The pages must be loose.

What is the point on doing this? Just query and then when you receive a request, send the manuscript according to guidelines.

[ProfessorAlan]

I have this spot as a "favorite" on my machine:

http://www.hollylisle.com/fm/Articles/manuscript_formatting.html