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?
