Understanding Publishing

One of the most important things if you are thinking about writing a book is that you understand the world of publishing – and as you start to explore the world of publishing for yourself, you will find that there are publishing houses that are called “small presses” and there are publishing houses that are “large presses” or “major publishing houses. A great example of a tremendous major publishing house is one such as Random House, while a great example of a tremendous small press is Atticus Books; while there are certainly positives and negatives about both types of presses, there are some misconceptions about each as well, and you will want to make sure you gain an education as far as the truths and the fallacies of both sides, as well as the similarities and differences between the two.

You will have to land an agent before you can get a publishing deal with a major publishing house – which can sometimes take just as long as it will eventually take you to land a publishing deal; many small presses, on the other hand (Atticus Books being just one example out of many) allow you to contact them directly.

This idea of “direct contact” carries over into the next stages of the publishing process as well; while a small press will not have a staff nearly as large as those of the major publishing houses, they will also be publishing far fewer books, and this enables them to work much more closely (and directly!) with each author than a major publishing house ever could.

Many people have come to believe that small presses do not run themselves as well or as efficiently as the major houses, but while this is true for some small presses, it is certainly not a blanket that can be draped over all; for instance, Atticus Books not only boasts a highly-regarded editorial and marketing department, but they also use the same book designer that has worked with a number of international bestsellers and Pulitzer Prize winners!

If you are wading out into the world of publishing, you will have to decide for yourself which route is right for you; but make sure you do your own research and make your own decisions, rather than simply going off of what others have led you to believe!