Contrary to popular opinion, publishers are not hard to find. Or better put, good publishers are not hard to find. They are in strategic places but are very selective about the kind of books they choose to publish. Writers and publishers move in the same line of business, but what they do is very different. A writer has certain advantages more than a publisher in some regard. A writer can always use a pen name. That means that a writer can choose to use someone else’s name rather than their own when they are writing. This happens for many reasons. To protect their identity, to avoid being in the spotlight, and for some to just test the waters. Such that if the book does not turn out well, no one knows they are responsible for it. A book can be written by a ghostwriter. When an author decides to use a ghostwriter for his book, that way he is not the one completely behind the telling of the story but the honour goes to him. A publisher does not have some of these advantages. Usually they are known for the kind of books they publish and once something bad comes out from them, then it begins to tarnish their image and reduce the number of authors that come to them. From the title of this write-up, publishers are not hard to find in that they are scarce, they are hard to find because many authors have refused to do the needful. Hence, their works don’t get published. Many times, when writers write a book, they usually look for the most popular publisher so that their work would gain relevance through its publishing. This is a very good way to give their work presence but it requires a little bit of effort. To this end, I will be explaining a few reasons why publishers can be hard to find. They love to protect the integrity of their work. In as much as publishers are looking forward to making more sales, or getting new customers per day, they are not looking forward to having their works ruined by a potential customer. Your book has to make sense. It has to be something that people can buy. If not, it would be rejected. One of the joys associated with a publisher’s work is that people are buying. The more people buy, the more copies they get to print, the more money flows into their hands. But when a book does not sell, it is bad business for them, and they tend to avoid it at all costs. They hate having to go through editing. Sometimes, many of the publishers out there have become too busy, or too big to go through the process of editing your work for you. As a writer, the honour is on you to write a hitch-free book as much as possible. Let your book go through editors before sending it to the publishers. That way, if your work is read, it can be published in a little while. Some of them have carved a niche for themselves. There are times when certain publishers would have decided they are only going to publish books in a certain direction. For example, comics, academic books, thrillers, etc. Those publishers would have made their choice and they usually stick to it. Sometimes, they might be the most popular publishers, and you, as a writer, are looking forward to launching yourself into public consciousness but may not be able to because your manuscript is not from the publisher’s most preferred niche. Conclusion One of the things that can help you get your work published as a writer is proper research. Before writing or while you are still writing, look out for possible publishers and select the ones you would like to work with. Then you can go ahead to get their list of requirements so you could adjust appropriately. There are times that the requirements may not match your envisioned desire for your book. Move on to the next publisher, rather than compromising so as to publish your book. If you decide to compromise, you would not be happy with the book. Just carry out proper research and refuse to give up. Olamide Omolawal is an avid research enthusiast with interest in creative and content writing.
