Meeting the publishers – self-publishing vs a publishing house

The most popular tickets at any literature festivals are always the Meet the Publisher slots. For the average aspiring writer, getting a face-to-face with a publisher is well-nigh impossible, with the most sought-after speaking only to agents, not authors. Tickets to the event sell out almost instantly and the waiting list is substantial.

The brief is to send an example of your work ahead of the meeting, to allow the publisher to provide you with feedback. No-one’s going to find themselves signed to a company at one of these meetings, so it’s important to limit your expectations. However, you’ll receive feedback and you’ll make contact, both of which are essential to a future as a writer.

This year’s publishers at the Bradford Literary Festival were from Bloomsbury Publishing, one of the biggest publishing houses and most famous for publishing the Harry Potter series, and Bluemoose Books, an independent publishing company based in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. Bluemoose publishes literary fiction and has just celebrated its 20th anniversary with a star-studded event at the local town hall.

Solid advice based on experience

As a creative writing lecturer tasked with guiding aspiring writers, I’m constantly assessing the best route to publication. My students are currently very keen on the idea that self-publishing is now a better route than the soul-destroying traditional route of first finding an agent, then a publisher, usually across years of submissions and disappointment. They love that self-publishing appears to allow the writer to retain greater control as well as avoiding high agency fees.

To read the full article on yorkshirebylines.co.uk, click here