How to Publish Without an Agent

My advice is to secure an agent (see previous posts). However, it's still possible to see your book in print without the advice and guidance of one. Read on for tips.

It is possible to be your own literary agent. I don't personally know anyone who has gone that route, but I do know it's been done.

1. Search out publishing companies that accept unagented, unsolicited manuscripts. There are lots that say they do, but whether or not your manuscript receives more than a cursory glance is hard to determine.

• Heather Osborn an acquiring editor of Tor Books (imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC) is looking for paranormal romance or urban fantasy. She suggested Stacy Hague-Hill (Thanks to twinkiethekid for spelling advice) as someone actively looking for Science Fiction / Fantasy aquisitions.
• Check out Fleetwood Robbins, an editor at Wizards of the Coast, as well.
• Ace & ROC of Penguin Group will also accept direct queries from authors.

2. Do the research. Each of these publishing companies details specific guidelines for submitting your work. They're all different. Look up what they want, do a google search for an editor to send it to, and then personalize the query letter.

3. Find out what it takes to represent your own work. I would recommend Martin P. Levin's book Be Your Own Literary Agent: The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Getting Published. While not the final word on the subject (chapter on contracts advises finding a lawyer or an agent) , it will still give you some tips on getting an editor to look at your work.

Are you someone who has gone the unagented route? What were your experiences? Did you find that getting published led you to an agent? Or did you decide to continue on alone?

When Yasmine Galenorn had to cancel her workshop at PNWA (she writes the Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon Series for Berkley), I feared the worst. What dried-up has-been fillers would the conference wizards drag in to save the day? Well, they brought in five fillers, and it turned out to be the highlight workshop of the conference.

World-building with Caitlyn Kittredge, Richelle Mead, Kat Richardson, Cherie Priest, and Mark Henry (don't you love a man with two first names?) was informative, raucous, interactive, and full of messy, synergistic fun. Not previously acquainted with the urban fantasy line, I didn't know any of these chic and possibly fey authors, but I planned on getting to know them asap. After driving six hours home, my first stop was at the local book store.

Tomorrow's post will deal with the points they made in worldbuilding.

You can also catch up with Cherie Priest and many other urban fantasy authors at http://community.livejournal.com/fangs_fur_fey