Improbable Press Blog — Publishing

By Atlin Merrick We don't start off knowing this stuff. When my first books were published I knew nothing about anything. Do I have to make every change the editor asks for? Can they do it if I don't agree? Will they hate me if I disagree? No, no, and no. Edits to Your Beloved Manuscript Every writer is edited. All of us. Oh sure, maybe not the famous ones, but you've read a later work of a superstar, the stuff no editor touches because the writer's too powerful? Yeah, well then you've seen how those books too often needed...

Closed. Closed. Closed to submissions. If it seems to you that most small presses are closed to book submissions you're not wrong. A random check just now showed me 60-70% of presses are closed – usually including Improbable Press. There's a good reason for this: not enough staff to read submissions, and edit, proof, lay out, illustrate, and promote the books we already have in progress. So. What's a writer to do when there seems no way in? First, Know That There Is a Way In I can't speak for every press, obviously, but I can speak for a few,...

By Atlin Merrick Okay, you’ve signed a contract with a small press and you’re doing the butt-wiggle dance of joy. You probably sent your book to a lot publishers and at last your work found a home. Whether you’re a new writer or have been published before, it’s a relief to know you’ve found someone else who loves your work as much as you do. And—WAIT! Screeching To a Halt: Loving Small Presses That! It’s that I want to bold and italicize:         We love your book, too. I can nearly 100% guarantee that that’s why any small press anywhere...

By Atlin Merrick Got a book? Then you want to be online to help promote it, whether that's Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or a website. While you can stick to social media-only for promotion, if you decide to create a website – a good long-term investment in your writing self – here are a few ideas on how to do it for free or for cheap. Tumblr For the Win – Maybe The cheapest and easiest way to create a website is to start with Tumblr –  if you're already using it. Something you already know will make the process easier,...

By Atlin Merrick There are a lot of things to do to help promote your book – and here are 11 book promo ideas – but there are a few things you want to not do, including: Don't create a Goodreads page for your book Goodreads is owned by Amazon, and once your book is listed there by your publisher, Amazon automatically generates a Goodreads page for your book. So if you create one before Amazon you will end up with two pages. If you have no book page after a few days or a week after your book is out...