Independent Publishers for Independent Authors

Being an independent writer is harder than ever these days. Finding a publisher that supports new authors who do not have agents is important. Generally speaking, in order to get published for a new author or an author that chooses to represent his or herself, it is sometimes necessary to actually to the publishing. Most publishing companies that are taking poetry, novels, short stories, how-to manuscripts and many other forms of writing have no desire to deal directly with an author. They prefer working with an agent and doing things in a very by-the-book manner. Often, these publishing companies are only interested in taking work that shows high commercial marketability as well, and that causes many amazing pieces of writing that were done by highly talented authors to be left to collect dust in a box somewhere, or end up sitting at the bottom of a pile of manuscripts considered to be financially unappealing.

This type of attitude is a real shame, as it is causing so much quality work to go unnoticed by the world. Imagine if the next Hemmingway or Fitzgerald were to come along trying to get their work out, only to be told that the material they are writing does not score high in the correct demographic category, and is therefore not desirable in terms of a cost-benefit scenario. Imagine someone in the spirit of Robert Frost or Emily Dickinson being told that romantic poetry collections have no commercial value, and perhaps they should consider writing a political thriller with an edgy feel and more car chase scenes. This is what we are in danger of having happen if we don’t support the new, up and coming artists that have a fresh perspective and classic talent.

Thankfully, with the advent of the internet and the accessibility of authors to smaller publishing houses they may not have previously been able to find, there are actually outlets for these talented individuals. It may require some time and patience to find, but once a small and open-minded independent publisher comes into contact with a talented author who simply needs some exposure and little break find each other, the results can be amazing. These smaller publishing houses are often looking for authors and subject matter that may fall outside of the mainstream and be deemed undesirable by the giant corporate publishing companies. This gives authors the opportunity to write from the heart, exploring material that they may not otherwise be able to try out. It is this type of creative support that makes these publishers the best way for an author to get new material out to the public.