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Connect with Readers: Knowing who you’re writing for helps create stories that resonate emotionally. The story becomes more relateable.

Guides Your Writing: It influences your tone, language, themes, and even the structure of your story. The story has a more complete style and does not feel like a first draft.

Improves Marketability: Agents and publishers are more likely to pick up stories tailored to a clear audience. They don’t want to see a MG author writing picture book length stories. They want 80k+ word manuscripts if you write for MG.

Steps to Identify your Audience

  1. Define Your Genre
    • Ask yourself: Is your book a romance, fantasy, thriller, or another genre?
    • Look at bestsellers in your genre and analyze their audience demographics.
  2. Create a Reader Persona
    • Imagine your ideal reader: their age, gender, interests, and lifestyles.
    • For instance, a YA fantasy reader might be a 15-year-old who loves magic and adventure.
  3. Research Reader Preferences
    • Join online communities (like Goodreads, Facebook groups, or Reddit) where readers discuss books. *Hint: I am a part of all of these communities and find a lot of help there.
    • Take note of what readers love and dislike about books in your genre.
  4. Analyze Successful Books
    • Read books similar to yours and study the reviews.
    • Identify recurring praises and criticisms.
  5. Understand Trends, Not Fads
    • Trends are long-term reader preferences (e.g., strong female leads).
    • Fads are short lived (e.g., vampire romances at their peak). Aim for timeless appeal with a sprinkle of trend awareness.

Tools for Audience Insights

  • Social Media Polls: Ask your followers what they like to read.
  • Beta Readers: Gather feedback from readers who fit your target audience.
  • Surveys and Questionaires: Use tools like Google Forms to ask potential readers what they want in a book.

Balancing Authenticity and Audience Needs

While understanding your audience is essential, don’t lose your voice. Write what you’re passionate about and find a way to align your story with what your audience craves. Authenticity shines through and helps your work stand out.

Happy Reading! And good luck in the New Year!

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As of March 2024, I gathered a list from Lime Light Publishing’s blog, and searched each publisher to see which are still open for unsolicited submissions. Out of the 15 there are still a few that are open. ABDO is not accepting submissions along with Black and White Publishing, Tor/Forge, Quirk, and Seven Stories. Most of those not accepting want represented authors. What you do with this information is up to you. Good Luck, everyone!

1. DAW1
DAW is an imprint of Penguin books. They publish science fiction and fantasy books. DAW has published authors such as Marion Zimmer Bradley and Roger Zelazny. DAW has published many bestselling books, including Hugo award winning books. 

2. Persea Books
A respected publisher of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and literary young adults novel. The work they publish receives good distribution, particularly in academic circles. 

3. Source Books
A large independent publisher based out of Illinois, they also have offices in Connecticut and New York. They are open to unsolicited submissions of a wide range, including non-fiction manuscripts and romance manuscripts.

4. Turner Books
Turner publishes books in a wide range of categories and formats—fiction and non-fiction. They publish mainly in print but have electronic options as well. They are a major independent publishing house that has a number of imprints. 

5. ABDO Books
ABDO Books is a publisher that focuses exclusively on educational books for children between the ages of four and twelve. They sell a lot of books to schools and appear to be rather good at niche marketing. 

6. Black & White Publishing
Black & White Publishing was founded in 1995 and is now one of the largest Scottish publishers. They currently have over 200 books in print. They have good distributor and are starting to break into the eBook publishing world. They publish general non-fiction, biography, sport, and humor, as well as selected fiction, young adult, and children’s books. 

7. Tor/Forge
Tor/Forge publishes science fiction and fantasy books. Run by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, Tor/Forge is an imprint of Macmillan, one of the big five publishers. Tor is one of the most established science fiction publishers and they have won the Locus Award for best SF publisher 26 years in a row. They offer advances. 

8. Lyrical Press
Lyrical Press is an electronic only imprint of Kensington, a large independent publisher. Kensington and Lyrical both publish mainstream novels and seem to put a fair amount of pressure on the author to promote their books. They publish a large number of books per year. 

9. The Totally Entwined Group
The Totally Entwined Group is an eBook and print publisher that was successful in its own right, before being purchased by the Bonnier Publishing group. There have been some shifts in focus since Bonnier purchased it in 2015, but the group still has a good reputation and its focus is still on its two flagship established imprints – Pride and Totally Bound. 

10. Quirk Books
This Philadelphia based press publishes 25 books a year in a whole range of genres, including children’s books, nonfiction, and science fiction. Unlike most publishers that tackle a large range of topics, Quirk books has a clear marketing plan for all of their books. To a certain degree their books have a cohesive feel, because they all are quirky.

11. Baen
Baen is one of the best known publishers of Science Fiction and Fantasy books. They are one of the few established publishers that will accept full length manuscripts from authors who do not have an agent. They do not need to see any history of publication either. As long as your book is Science Fiction or Fantasy they will consider publishing it. 

12. Chicago Review Press
Chicago Review Press was founded over 40 years ago. They are an established independent publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction and memoir. They also publish books for children (but not picture books). They were founded by Curt Matthews and his wife, Linda Matthews. Curt was the former editor of the literary journal the Chicago Review. 

13. Hotkey Books
Hotkey Books is an imprint of Bonnier Publishing which is part of the much larger international Bonnier AB, a large media group. They publish Children’s books and Young Adult fiction. 

14. Seven Stories Press
They focus on producing books that have a social conscience. They have published some big name authors and bestselling books. They publish literary fiction and non-fiction. 

15. Chronicle Books
Chronicle is an established and respected publisher of children’s books, cookbooks, gift books, anthologies, and various other books, most containing a strong visual element. They are based out of San Francisco. Their books receive a lot of positive attention and acclaim.

  1. This link will take you to Astra Publishing House because they acquired DAW books in 2022. ↩︎

https://www.limelightpublishing.com/blogs/news/15-major-book-publishers-always-open-to-submissions

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There are times when every author must wait for a response from an agent or publisher about a query.  We sit on pins and needles.  Weeks go by and even months on end. Then we might get a form rejection letter. That is not what I received recently. I have gotten glowing remarks in rejection letters and even well-wishers for my book to find a home, but never a slap. I mean a cold, Doc Martin-crass-attitude rejection letter. If you don’t know who Doc Martin is well he is a Doctor in Portwenn, who is very blunt and has no social skills whatsoever. I love this show!

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So I decided because this agent went to the trouble of telling me very bluntly why she didn’t like my manuscript and why she “could not read any further”, I thought that I might as well pay attention to her suggestions and fix the problems. She said I used too many adverbs, repeated names a lot and had no voice. I went back and fixed the grammar problems. I edited the manuscript to the point of taking out a good majority of the beginning and now I hope it sounds okay.  The problem I have left is the voice.

With all the negative comments this made me wonder if the manuscript is just not good enough to be published. I mean is it not the editors who decide that a manuscript is worth editing or fixing? They decide whether a story is worth the work. Are they really expecting a manuscript to be flawless? I am not a perfect writer and I really do not know anyone who is. I just wonder if this agent is right and my writing has no voice. Could I be that boring? Just some insecure thoughts here after my hundredth rejection letter. But who’s counting, right? Keep your chin up. Things can only get better from here!

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When we look at all the places we could shop for a book thirty years ago the choices were slim. Today, because of all the different formats of books there are hundreds of places to shop for books. Which, in my opinion, is a good thing. This only creates better opportunities for authors getting their books into hands around the world. Here are the most go to places for self-published and even traditional published authors to have their books sold at:

 

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https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1330042438

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https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/flight-of-the-raven-8

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https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flight-of-the-raven-j-r-wilson/1127745179?ean=2940154965856

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https://www.24symbols.com/book/x/x/x?id=2530421

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https://play.playster.com/books/10009781546870623/flight-of-the-raven-j-r-wilson

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https://www.overdrive.com/media/3737358/flight-of-the-raven

This list doesn’t stop here. The library and schools have books that readers can find. Even publishers sell their books on their websites. There are thousands of bookstores around the world. And people even sell books on eBay and other sites where you might not get the newest edition but maybe a bargain of a find. What is your favorite place to shop? Which format of books do you like- digital or physical? And finally, where do you think your book has sold the best?

Happy book hunting!

 

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How many writers do you know who do freelance work? 1? 2? Or none?  Well if your like me most writers do their writing as a second job and don’t get paid. So to any untrained eye this would appear to be a hobby. What? No way! I work too hard and long for my writing career to be considered a hobby.

So how to break the mold and make a career out of writing? Easy… get published! Well okay enough with the sarcasm. It is not easy to get published, let alone get an agent to even LOOK at your work. So the alternative is to become a freelance writer.

The website Freelance Writing Jobs at http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/ is a good place to begin.

This website can help you locate the job that is right for you. Everyone has to start somewhere, because we can’t all become famous authors with our first book.

Build up your skills writing for different companies. Learn new talents and make connections and get a great looking resume. Every literary agent and publisher wants to see a little writing experience behind newbies. Then when your book is published you can give credit to your experience as a freelance writer.

Not every path to glory is set in stone. Take the road less traveled and become richer for it.

Happy writing!download

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Another look at whether self-publishing or the traditional route is best for authors.  The debate will go on.

 

Should Children’s Book Authors Self-Publish? | Jane Friedman.

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Finding help along the way in your career.

 

Don’t Dilute Your Brand | Writers In The Storm.

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Oh wow! Changes need to be made in the publishing industry.

 

When the Publishing Industry Looks at Itself in the Mirror, Does It Like What It Sees? – GalleyCat.

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Why isn’t every traditional publisher out there taking notice of all the great writers?  There was a boom of color writers during the Harlem Renaissance (1919-1940). Later on colored writers did not stop and good thing or we wouldn’t have Toni Morrison, or in the Latin community we wouldn’t have Gabriel Garcia Marquez, or Native Americans like Leslie Marmon Silko and lastly there wouldn’t be any Mideast writers like Khaled Hosseini.  I have read their great works and highly recommend people to step outside of the white bubble the publishing companies push in front of us.  We are a society of mixed cultures.  NO longer a white dominant society.  Writers of every color should be examined by their works and not their skin color.  Wake up! See all the beautiful colors in the world.  Don’t turn a blind eye to a name you don’t recognize. Or you will be missing out on some great stories.famous-authors

 

The Rejectionist | Sarah McCarry: How to Publish Writers of Color: Some Basic Steps for White Folks In the Industry.

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I know I have covered procrastinating before.  (See “Procrastinating” post: 2011/09/08.)  And I even went so far as to think that I am the only writer who does procrastinate.  But now I find out that this phenomenon is not solely my problem but many other writers as well.  Attending countless writers conferences and hearing agents and editors all say the same thing about the problems of writers I just did not connect the dots till now.  I read an article posted by friend and it says that procrastinating is something all writers face. This is should not be a new concept but let’s just say I was a little slow to finally grasp the connection until I read this.  The article was spot on with all the problems I have and I am so glad to see I am not alone.  So for all I would like to say…..

“Hello, my name is Jessica.  I am a procrastinator.”

Why Writers Are the Worst Procrastinator

 

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