Hi Everyone:

     The other day, a friend asked me if all novelists needed to have a literary agent. I knew that my friend wrote a lot of short stories (500-8,000 words) and vignettes (1,500-2,500 words) and even a novella or two (10,000-20,000 words).
     In light of fast growing use of electronic publishing, it was impossible to give him a quick 'yes' or 'no' answer. "That all depends," I said, and not wanting to come off as a wise guy, quickly added, it depends on what you want to accomplish.
     "You mean, on how much money you want to make," he replied. Both he and I knew that I had long ago published three novels electronically for Nook and Kindle readers as well as those using other electronic devices.
     "That could be a consideration." I said. In most cases, traditional print authors receive 10-15%, whereas each e-book purchase produces five to seven times that amount. Today, a good number of successful authors are opting to e-publish, which does not require the service of a literary agent, in order to reap these larger rewards. They count on their loyal followers and their name recognition to maximize sales."
     "In other words," my friend said, "the only way to see your book in print, is to get an Agent?"
     "No, not at all," I replied. For decades, authors have self-published in hard copy. This requires a financial investment on the part of the author because printing and book-binding is costly. There are also a number of independent presses that will deal directly with the author. These usually accept and publish a limited number of books each year, often use print on demand technology, and frequently have a limited system of distribution. My novel, "Alex--Peanut Butter--And Me," will be published by Second Wind Publishing, a small independent press based in North Carolina. They lean heavily on the author's marketing skills for the books success."
     "Josh," he said, "you once told me that you were happy about getting that book accepted for publication, that it gave you a sense of psychological confirmation that your work was worthy of publication, and yet, I know that you are still trying to find a Literary Agent. My question is why?"
     I grinned at him, "You're absolutely right, Having Mike Simpson, the publisher say that he'd like to publish my seventh novel was terrific. I am already making plans to aid in its success. At the same time I'm doing all that I can to find a good Literary Agent for my 9th novel, "The Unvarnished Truth." One of my goals for this tale is publication by one of the major publishing houses. Firms like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Doubleday insist on dealing through the Literary Agent, so if you want the power and prestige of one of the huge conglomerates behind your manuscript, you first have to obtain the services of one of these gatekeepers."
     "I see," he said. "I guess getting an agent is pretty hard," he said.
     "Hard? It's like pushing a dead elephant up a steep mountain."



P.S. IF YOU'D LIKE TO READ THE LAST FEW CHAPTERS OF NOVEL # 9, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE: joshswritingroom.com