The Author Guy Blog by Larry B. Gildersleeve
16th August 2024 Hello out there, Welcome back. While I was writing my first novel eleven years ago, I made a decision not to either seek agent representation or try to secure a place for my books with one of the Big Five. Here’s why. Mainstream publishers receive thousands of unsolicited manuscripts every year that will never be read. The only hope to break through this seemingly impenetrable barrier comes in one of two ways. Either a current author in the publisher’s stable advocates for the unknown author’s book, or the manuscript arrives with the endorsement of an agent with whom the publisher has an established relationship. My research revealed it could take years to secure an agent, and years after that for the agent to find a receptive publisher that enables the book to finally find its way into print and distribution. Those lengthy and uncertain timelines may work for others, but certainly wouldn’t work for me. I also learned that publishers will, on average, invest about six ...