Putting the Readers Back in Charge of Publishing
Imagine a YA publishing process
without gatekeepers. One where editors and agents read the manuscripts
that readers love, not vice versa. One where anyone with a knack for
writing, a passion to succeed, and a little flair for self-promotion, has a
fair shot at being published.
All too frequently, this isn’t
the case. Books often get rejected for reasons
beyond authors’ control. One editor turned down an ultimately successful
book by saying, “The girl
doesn't, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift
that book above the 'curiosity' level.” The book in question? The
Diary of Anne Frank. Furthermore, according to the Cooperative
Children’s Book Center, only about 10% of all YA books accepted for
publication feature “multi-cultural content.” Clearly, there are some
blind spots that need addressing in the publishing industry.
It’s with this vision in mind
that Publishizer is launching its YA book proposal contest called Plot Without a Cause.
Publishizer is a startup seeking to fill a hole in the publishing
industry through crowdfunding. It works like this:
You write the book proposal.
You know the book proposal I’m talking about. The one you’ve been
daydreaming about for years. The one that just popped into your head last
week and you haven’t stopped thinking about since. The one for the
manuscript that’s been dearly loved by you but maybe not so much yet by the
publishing industry. That one. Then you register (for free!)
on Publishizer’s website and post your proposal in the Plot Without a Cause
section (again—for free!).
Now this is when you’ll have to
start hustling. Crowdfunding runs on pre-orders, so you had better start
promoting that proposal. Reach out over social media, post on your blog,
email your old roommates—whatever it takes to start building buzz. If you
get the most preorders by the time the contest ends, you’ll win $1000 dollars.
And if you don’t have the highest number of preorders, don’t worry—you’ll
still be queried to major publishers who fit your proposal.
Previous Publishizer contest
participants have gotten interest and landed deals with a variety of
traditional publishing companies, including Harvard Square Books, She Writes
Press, and Weiser. Publishizer takes a small commission on
pre-orders when you choose a publisher at the end.
Every year, thousands of books
are rejected by the publishing world for reasons that have nothing to do with
the quality of the book—they’re too mainstream or not mainstream enough, too
similar to books already being published or too different from books already
being published. Or the literary agent just doesn’t stand to make much
money on the deal so they pass on a perfectly good book! Imagine how many
brilliant YA manuscripts go unpublished every year thanks to frustrating
rejections. Imagine how many hugely talented authors quietly give up on
their dreams, just because the gate to a traditional publishing path isn’t open
to them.
With their new YA book proposal
contest, Plot Without a Cause, Publishizer is seeking to level the playing
field. Publishing decisions shouldn’t be based solely on a literary
agent’s judgement or how many friends you have in the industry. They should be
based on quality of writing and how many readers the book attracts.
Great books get overlooked all
the time, and this is an opportunity to show acquiring editors that yours is
worth paying attention to. Not to
mention the readership and funds you could gain in the process. Crowdfunding (or crowd-publishing, in this
case) is growing in popularity and brings a personal touch back to book sales—for
readers and publishers. Are you in?
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