Mount Hood/Fox Den Publishing; FAQ

FAQ

Why Edit or Pre-edit?

It’s common knowledge that publishers will provide editing services to manuscripts they intend to publish. As first-time authors quickly learn, a messy submission is unlikely to be accepted for publication or representation. Your solution may be to spend a little money to have your manuscript cleaned up by a professional editor. It’s a sound investment; and even if a publisher does require a second edit, the investment you made will help you get your foot in the door. An edited manuscript will always stand out over those that are not.

Good editors are everywhere, and they range in price and style. Your best option is to go to -- you can submit for a price quote. A sample of your work is broadcast to the editors in this network, and they will in turn send you samples of their work using your submitted writings. You can see which editor best suits your voice, and also see the range of prices they will offer you. You can also find more editor resources on our links page.

Fox Den Publishing will provide editing for submitted manuscripts; however those authors who take the extra step to submit a clean, well-edited manuscript show us that they’re willing to go the extra step. Editing your manuscript is no guarantee of publication. A well edited book does not automatically denote a well-written novel ~ A messy, badly spelled manuscript might still be a work of genius, but as it is, it will not draw anyone to it.

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Do I need an Agent?

Literary Agents are important. Fox Den Publishing understands the challenge of obtaining representation, and how convoluted and predatory the industry can be sometimes. We have some tips for new authors on the subject.

If you are a good writer, you’ll eventually get an agent; keep trying.
Put your Query letter together with care. A good Query letter is your key.
Have your manuscript pre-edited—clean it up and make it shine.
Follow the Agent’s submission guidelines to the tee. Embellishments may cause rejection.
It is always good to have an Agent. Agents know the business, know the legal ins and outs of the process, and always make sure that the author’s interests are kept at the forefront.
Agents also know what is marketable; because they have to sell it to publishers. So having an agent is a good indicator that what you’ve got is marketable to someone.
Agents handle the legal and the financial aspects of publication and royalties. These require a lot of time and energy—and something a literary agent is well suited to handle. This will leave you to go about being an Author.
An agent makes your work stand out from the volumes of submissions. Your work may be very good, and stand up for itself, but with an agent submitting it, you increase your chances of your work being noticed. It shows that it’s good enough to have someone standing behind it.

Like publishers, Agents appreciate good submissions. Clean your manuscript up, make sure you keep very close to their submission guidelines, and you may just hook yourself a representative. You can go here for a listing of agents. Another good tool to find yourself agent would be the Writer’s Market; which is available for subscription online or in book form at your local bookseller.

BEWARE:

Do not give money to an agent. If the agent asks for money to secure their services—no matter what they call it; a reading fee; a service fee; you should reconsider dealing with them. A literary agent should believe in your manuscript enough to believe that they can sell it. If they ask for money, they do not trust themselves to sell the manuscript, and want to be compensated regardless. Some agents may pass on some minor costs to you only after you’ve been inducted into their ‘stable’ – but these are for things like mailings, long distance calls, etc. By no means, do you need to pay an agent to sell your book; they should sell your book to get paid.

There are a number of disreputable literary agencies. Research them well before you accept any contract. The SWFA provides a list of the top 20 worst agencies: http://www.sfwa.org/beware/twentyworst.html -- be sure your agent is not on this list. Some agencies will use your information to solicit you to use their editing services. Report any wrongdoing to the Another Realm site, so they can keep their listings current. The Another Realm site is also a treasure-trove of answers to all your questions. We recommend you browse the site and read carefully.

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What about Self-Publishing?

Fox Den Publishing has a good opinion of self-publishing; however you must understand that having your work self-published will not necessarily increase your chances of being published by a publishing house. To be perfectly frank, having your book printed does not improve its quality. Self-publishing is sometimes referred to as ‘Vanity-Publishing’; which has a negative connotation to it, and it is said that some publishing houses frown on authors who’ve previously self-published. That’s not necessarily true. Self-published authors get picked up by publishing houses on occasion. Your sales will speak for you, and a popular self-published book may capture the attention of a traditional publishing house.

iUniverse has this little blurb on their website:

“A $23 billion industry, traditional publishing is what most people envision when they dream of publishing a book. Out of the approximately 6 million manuscripts written each year, only 195,000 titles were published in 2004. Out of the 195,000 titles published, only 12 percent were published by the five largest trade publishers.”

Those are steep odds. If you are seeking publication, have a little money, and are not interested or inclined in going through the steps necessary to find an agent or a publisher to accept your manuscript; self-publication might indeed be your next-best option. Companies like iUniverse will provide affordable print-on-demand services; but the editing services are separate. The marketing of your book will be left entirely up to you; they will provide some basic tools for this purpose, but you have to be willing to pound the pavement to sell yourself and your book. Extra money to them will buy a spot onto some of their marketing lists and such, but that’s only if you opt into their more expensive editing programs. Our advice to you– research all your options, assess and reassess your manuscript, have it edited, try to secure a literary agent, and if all else fails, then make your decision. Do not give up on the traditional publishing method too easily! You may think you’re better off without the middle-man; but Publishing houses provide a great service for their part in the royalties, including marketing, shipping, editing, and more.

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How do I write a query letter and summary?

There are good examples of a successful query letter all over the internet. There are also books that take you through the entire submission process and provide the framework you need to have a good, well put-together submission package; browse your local bookstores for guides. Some editors will also help you with these.

Another Realm has a much more comprehensive FAQ, and is a wonderful resource for new authors. We recommend you go there for more answers.

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