Posts tagged ‘Duotrope search’
LITERARY AGENTS
MY QUEST FOR A LITERARY AGENT
I have a novel, The Beast Awaits, for which I am seeking a publisher. I have used Duotrope to compile a list of publishers but so far I have found none that I deem satisfactory. Therefore, I am now looking for a literary agent for which Duotrope also provides a listing.
For many publishers having an agent is the only way your work can be reviewed. The fact that you have an agent encourages publishers to look at your work for they know that the only way a REPUTIBLE agent makes a penny is if they sell your work.
I filled out a Duotrope questionnaire for agents and received a list of 124 agents. Daunting. But through my use of another website, I was able to reduce this to a list of seventeen agents I feel secure in pursuing.
In a future post will describe how I accomplished this.
INFORMATION FROM A DUOTROPE SEARCH
When I obtain the post for a publisher using a Duotrope search, here is the information I look for.
First on my list is when the publisher was created. I tend to put more trust in a publisher which has been around for a while.
Next is the type of work they are interested in. Along with this, the word count is important. For short stories they may be interested in your genre, but your story may be too long to meet their requirements.
Next I look for whether they accept simultaneous submissions. It seems that lately more and more publishers are accepting them. This is beneficial, for in the past you would send a piece to a publisher and have to wait, sometimes close to a year to receive a reply. Or never get a reply at all. Now you can send your work to multiple publishers at the same time. A definite benefit. Also, you can see if a publisher accepts reprints. This gives you the opportunity to get out some previously published work and give it a new life.
In some, but not all information provided by publishers is the percentage of pieces accepted and how long it took the publisher to reply to a submission. This information could be extremely important in making your decision when sending out your work.
Finally, at the end of a publisher’s post you will find a list of other places where work submitted to this publisher has also been submitted and a direct link to the publishers on this list. Sometimes you may stumble upon a publisher not listed in your search but could be a place which might be interested in your work.
This is the benefit of a Duotrope search.
Give it a try!
Walttriznastories's Blog 