# Alternate ways to see if your book is worth publishing (by not getting an agent)



## sunaynaprasad (Apr 3, 2012)

I want to get my book published, but not through an agent since they are extremely hard to get and are very strict. I was considering having people who know kids that I don't know (my book's a middle grade novel) read my novel for a few months and then give me their honest opinion. Are they're any other ways too?


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## BookReader (Apr 6, 2012)

sunaynaprasad said:


> I want to get my book published, but not through an agent since they are extremely hard to get and are very strict. I was considering having people who know kids that I don't know (my book's a middle grade novel) read my novel for a few months and then give me their honest opinion. Are they're any other ways too?



There are two ways to get published.

1) agent (and then traditional publishers)
2) self-publish as an ebook on Kindle, Nook, Itunes etc...


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## Olly Buckle (Apr 6, 2012)

Put up the first fifteen hundred words on the forum and ask "Am I ready to publish yet?"


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## BookReader (Apr 6, 2012)

Olly Buckle said:


> Put up the first fifteen hundred words on the forum and ask "Am I ready to publish yet?"



That work too. 

I usually read an excerpt on Amazon before I purchase a book.  I can tell from the first 10 pages or so if the book is worth buying or not.


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## TWErvin2 (Apr 6, 2012)

BookReader said:


> There are two ways to get published.
> 
> 1) agent (and then traditional publishers)
> 2) self-publish as an ebook on Kindle, Nook, Itunes etc...



There is also the small publisher route, without an agent, and also approaching the few major houses that accept unsolicited manuscripts (realizing that's a major long shot).


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## kennyc (Apr 6, 2012)

Olly Buckle said:


> Put up the first fifteen hundred words on the forum and ask "Am I ready to publish yet?"



This, if you have not had it critiqued previously.


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## movieman (Apr 16, 2012)

TWErvin2 said:


> There is also the small publisher route, without an agent, and also approaching the few major houses that accept unsolicited manuscripts (realizing that's a major long shot).



And there's the 'send it to a big publisher who says they don't accept unsolicited manuscripts because they're not going to reject a great book just because you don't have an agent' route. I've read of several people making sales that way in the last year or so.

There are good reasons why movie production companies don't accept unsolicited scripts (e.g. they might make their own movie based on a similar idea in the future), but those reasons generally don't apply to publishers. They mostly just want to discourage those who haven't written a great book.


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## shadowwalker (Apr 16, 2012)

movieman said:


> And there's the 'send it to a big publisher who says they don't accept unsolicited manuscripts because they're not going to reject a great book just because you don't have an agent' route. I've read of several people making sales that way in the last year or so.



Don't think I'd count on that route though. The chances are slim anyone would even open the ms, and they may just remember the dummy who couldn't understand submission guidelines.


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## sunaynaprasad (Apr 16, 2012)

@KennyC I would put the first chapter up, except that the last time I put something up, no one responded.


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## shadowwalker (Apr 16, 2012)

sunaynaprasad said:


> @KennyC I would put the first chapter up, except that the last time I put something up, no one responded.



Was that Chapter 8? I just took a glance at that - it needs spacing between the paragraphs, and I could see almost immediately that you hadn't done a very thorough job of proof-reading before posting. Both would turn people off from trying to critique it.


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## sunaynaprasad (Apr 17, 2012)

I spaced between paragraphs before posting it. I must've forgotten to do it again. I apologize. I actually don't need that to be critiqued anymore since that was an older draft. By proofread, do you mean grammar, content, or both.


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## shadowwalker (Apr 17, 2012)

sunaynaprasad said:


> By proofread, do you mean grammar, content, or both.



Proofreading means reading through the piece and making sure it's as good as you can make it before expecting others to look at it. So yes, grammar, spelling, content, the works. I would suggest reading it out loud - you would have thus picked up on the missing words, for example.


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## sunaynaprasad (Apr 17, 2012)

Okay. Yeah, like I said, that was an old draft. I'm changing a lot of it now.


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## Olly Buckle (Apr 17, 2012)

sunaynaprasad said:


> I spaced between paragraphs before posting it. I must've forgotten to do it again. I apologize. .




I find when copying from ms word I lose a spacing on the paragraphs. If I am writing to post here I always double space them, otherwise it is go through after I have pasted, double space and one last check. I edit, leave it , edit it and so on, ideally until I catch myself changing things back to what they were before, by that time I am just playing around with it. 

The reading aloud trick is a really good one, you can tell when it doesn't 'flow' right in a way you never quite get on the written page, on the other hand when you get it right it gives a certain extra something.


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## movieman (Apr 17, 2012)

Olly Buckle said:


> The reading aloud trick is a really good one, you can tell when it doesn't 'flow' right in a way you never quite get on the written page, on the other hand when you get it right it gives a certain extra something.



I load the story into my Kindle and turn on text-to-speech; I find that works better for me because I'm listening to someone else read it (badly) rather than reading it myself.


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## sunaynaprasad (Apr 18, 2012)

Great suggestions.


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## sunaynaprasad (Apr 19, 2012)

Are there websites to post your book only for comments and maybe reviews, not critiques (I know Figment is like that but after twelve days, no new comments came (only one came previously, so I thought it wasn't worth it to keep it up anymore, especially because I comment on a lot of stories). It doesn't have to be for teens, although it would be great if it were. My idea was to post the first three chapters and see if it would engage readers.


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## shadowwalker (Apr 19, 2012)

Why would you want comments and reviews but not actual critiques? Are you hoping your book is ready for publishing as is?

I'm sorry, but you seem to be looking for short cuts when there aren't any.


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## sunaynaprasad (Apr 19, 2012)

My book isn't done. So of course it's not ready to be published. I have a new plan. I'll wait another month or two, then put my first chapter back on figment, and hope for more comments. The first chapter is actually the 9th draft, if you were to read it, you'd see a big improvement.


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## Cefor (Apr 19, 2012)

The first chapter can be great... but the rest of the book can be bad. I'd suggest making sure that the whole novel is written before you go back to edit your previous chapters.


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## Bookkus (May 13, 2012)

There are alternatives these days. I mean you could check out Pubslush, Inkubate, Authonomy or Book Country. I like the idea of real feedback. Which is extremely difficult to get. I would toot my own horn here as well (can I?) but you can search my user name to find another way to publish and get feedback. Otherwise joining a local writers group is helpful as well. Writer's groups know how to give honest feedback and will really help you improve.

-William


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## bo_7md (May 26, 2012)

"We don't accept unsolicited manuscript" doesn't mean we only take Agent sent manuscripts. It just means, don't send the full book yet. Send a Query first(With a Synopsis? Read their submission guidelines) , if they like it they'll ask for it. 

Unsolicited means they didn't ask for it.


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## N3aR (May 26, 2012)

I suggest getting a bunch of eager readers and hand them your manuscript raw. Make sure they aren't people who know you, and ask them if they would pay good money to read it...
That's about all I can think of though.


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## sunaynaprasad (May 26, 2012)

That is my plan, actually.


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## CharlesAnthony (Jun 6, 2012)

There's also the option of Self Publishing companies... But that costs money and you're left trying to figure out how to pay them.


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