Worst Genres for Traditional Publishing
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- Опубликовано: 11 июн 2024
- Writing is a creative process, but publishing is a business. As businesses, the Big Five publishing houses are less likely to publish certain types of books compared to others. In turn, literary agents are less likely to be actively seeking clients who work on these types of projects. However, all hopes of getting published are not lost! In this video, I go over why these genres are hard to publish by the Big Five and where, instead, you can turn to get your stories published.
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MORE BOOK PUBLISHING ADVICE:
3 Popular Genres Publishers (Still) Love: • 3 Popular Genres Publi...
Self Publishing Pros & Cons: • Self Publishing Pros &...
How to Write a Query Letter from Start to End: • How to Write a Query L...
How to Publish a Book in 2022: • How to Publish a Book ...
HARD TO PUBLISH GENRES:
03:36 - Novellas
05:42 - Poetry Collections
07:09 - Short Story Collections
08:57 - Faith-based Books
11:09 - Alternative Publishing Paths
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ABOUT ME:
My name is Alyssa Matesic, and I’m a professional book editor with 7+ years of book publishing and editorial experience. Throughout my career, I’ve held editorial roles across both sides of the publishing industry: Big Five publishing houses and literary agencies. The goal of this channel is to help writers throughout the book writing journey-whether you're working on your manuscript or you're looking for publishing advice.
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Хобби
For those interested disclaimers ends at 3:35,
genres are:
novellas, poetry collection, short story collections and at 8:57 faith based books. 11:10 for advice for writer of those genres.
THANK YOU SO MUCH my gawd.
Thank you so much!
I was gonna say, someone forgot to edit the fat off this video. Long winded, spammy, and filled with ads too.
brutal
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!!❤
Helpful advice as always. One thing to know is that literary magazines receive lots of submissions, and the rejection rates are quite high. Just like every other path through the writing process, submitting stories to literary magazines requires persistence and an ability to live with rejection. If the author is serious about pursuing this, they need to be able to let rejections roll off them and move on to the next magazine, though if a rejection has any specific tips, that's a good sign - take them seriously.
Thanks again!
I have read mystery novels my whole life , and now prefer the largest ones , with the most pages and rarely read anything else.
Thanks Alyssa. Can't wait for your newsletters. No pressure. Good things take time. :)
Thanks for this information. Have a great day!
Your content is awesome. I am committed to watching all of you videos. Thank You!
Thank you for doing this. You have inspired me to continue creative work.
Bravo, Impeccable delivery, 10 out of 10!
Great video! Thanks!
These are more what I would call "categories" than "genres". Standard length for some genres, such as fantasy, can run over 90K words without anyone blinking.
Thank you so much for your insights, Alyssa. They are helpful, as always, and greatly appreciated :) Lots of love, and warm regards! :)
Thank you for the kind comment!
I'm working on editing my book I wrote 10+ years ago but had severe imposter syndrome and a ton of life changes so I never pursued it. It's a YA magical realism story and I'm super proud of it. I'm hoping to get an agent 🤞
Think of this: you overcome the imp syndrom and succeed in publishing an ebook. Would not you be empowered by the sheer fact of your being brave?! Yes, you will! So, just go for it! Publish a ebook, get the following and be proudof yourself!
I'm working on a short story anthology now (with the intention to self publish) and definitely thinking a lot about theming since it'll be a combination of stories I'd written at different points in time plus some new pieces. There might be some stories I need to be ruthless about cutting or excluding from it if they feel really out of place.
Working on a children's adventure book! Appreciate your information as always 😊
Love your content! Pretty helpful. ❤️
Great information! Thorough and concise!
Thank you for the heart! One day soon I will be nearly ready to participate on some level. Sweating it out right now. My first is so painful!
Great stuff…like always!
Great video as always! 😊 I am not writing a novel yet as I'm still honing my craft but my genre is magical realism/fabulism. I'm just writing short stories for the time being to practice.
That sounds like a great way to get the writing gears turning!
Thanks for your video. I'm not quite there yet, but I'm almost finished with the first draft of my novel, with the plot of a sequel sketched out as well.
First! Juts saying your videos are the most helpful publishing/querying content I've ever seen.
Glad you like them!
I write women's fiction and, while I've only just started to query agents, I was looking at some smaller presses the other day and plan to query some of them, too. It's nice to have options.
Your options in part is gender discrimination...good luck.
@@maxstravagar Tell me about it. 🙄 Thanks.
@@lorrainethomas8797 it's a woman's market men are at a disadvantaged.
I am working on a book called What Became of Orrick Johns. Orrick Johns became a famous poet in the Teens and was widely published in the 1920s. I did not know this until recently. His name appears in books about the period. The story of Orrick Johns, how he was forgotten, and how his grandson grew up in rural and urban poverty is a sweeping story of ancestry and America in the 20th Century.
I almost decided to go for 50k words with my current upmarket fiction. Another video of yours convinced me to up the word count. Hopefully it'll help it get representation.
I like your insight into the publishing industry. I'm a novelist currently writing a YA dystopia. Once I feel it is ready, I plan to submit it to traditional publishers. I already have several dream agents and publishers in mind as well as backups.
I am writing my second military fiction novel. It is the second book of a trilogy. I would never have thought that the hard part of being an author would come after the final manuscript went to print. 😃
i’m working on a poetry collection :) i’ll probably try to self publish, but i haven’t decided yet. i’m honestly a bit scared of the publishing industry lol.
Hi Alyssa, excellent and informative content as usual.
I have a question in regards to short stories: What about short story collections that are anthologies? In particular, sociological stories akin to those of "Sarum" by Edward Rutherford, or the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov-- these books are collections of short stories and novellas collected together, but all are part of a larger story arc and progression, being a part of a larger sociological story. Are these sort of story "collections" different from what publishers are willing to presently accept? (In other words, would something like Foundation be published today?) These books seem both similar and different than the example given in the video of collections of short stories which are narratively unrelated to one another, only being similar in theme/tone, if even that.
Your thoughts?
Always excellent, insightful content, thank you. Alas, I tick 1 1/2 of your boxes. Fortunately, I've already decided to go the self-publishing route. But, changing the subject, may I share with you some of my insight on your tag-line. ( I'm retired from a career in TV and Music production, and Advertising and Promotion): . Instead of "I'd love to have you around," which makes me feel a little subservient -- try "I'd love to have you along." which invites me on a journey of discovery. Just my two-cents. I appreciate your knowledge and generosity. Peace.
Very helpful. I'm presently querying a literary novel, having published one book with a small press. I have also had shorter works published in solid literary magazines. I am seeing that, if one does not slot solidly in the top genres, it's hard to get to yes. I do have an agent, but am looking for a new one. A bit of a...delicate process.
This is why I am now leaning toward self-publishing: I edited my novel from a 70K first draft down to 55K after rigorous editing. The book works well at the shorter length and has a timely premise, but I’ve found that agents (for the reasons you describe) really aren’t interested in anything this short.
I tried it and fell flat. The business end of promoting, advertising, layout, and a host of other things that are not writing bogged me down. My keywords were wrong, my categories were wrong, I struggled with formatting and artwork. I didn't have the money to advertise, and that means failure. You are the publisher, so you have to foot the bill, and the bill comes due. If you want to be a publisher, then self-publish. Just make sure you understand that there will be a lot more time, resources and effort dedicated to publishing than to writing. The big five are what they are because of publishing. Not because of writing.
The Great Gatsby is a novella❤️ Be creative & be successful❤️
How can I read your book?
Thanks again, Alyssa.
This is great, thank you for your content.
Genre of my current work is surrealist or absurdist fiction. Not sure which maybe a mix of both.
Interesting. Thanks for the tips, and for breaking down the reasoning behind why publishers avoid these forms of literature.
12:52 You know the story of Arkham house?
Originally founded to promote the works of exactly one author. HPL.
Unfortunately for HPL, it only happened after he died.
But it gave quite a lot of money to the survivors.
Could such a thing happen to a live author? I'd say, depends on what kinds of friends he has ...
A clear, concise presentation.
Glad you think so!
As always, thank you for your advice. I have a ~35,000 word novella that I adore. Though I did not intend for it to be so, it may be of interest to the YA demographic. Is this word-count in line with what publishers of YA fiction might consider?
It's 2023, and if you ar ein business and your excuse to ignore an entire segment of fiction, novellas, is that you can't figure out the cost/pricing/work flow for shorter works with lower page counts, then you are on your way out of business.
the other thing this reveals, assuming it is actually a reason publishers state, sit that they are almost exclusivly focused on the print market. Did I mention it's 2023? Do they know how many eBooks are sold? Page counts, andn printe size is a lame excuse.
Finally, readers expectations consist of a good story. Period. And in the current market, short fiction is hot. So hot Amazon launched an entire business line to meet demand. Short fiction is easier to write. The produciton costs are lower, and volumes can be produced rapidly to maintain reader engagement. Oh wait, traditional publishing is slow at all steps in the process. They can't do anything fast. Could that be why they shy away from novellas?
Raditional publishing better wake up and get fast, fast. Otherwise, they will lose share even faster than the 1-2% pace that's leaving them for indie authours currently.
Hi Alyssa! Thank you for offering this amazing content. Very Helpful! My question is about novel book length. In this video (at about 4:00) You said the ideal word count would be between 60k and 90k for a novel. I’m a little confused. I have just finished writing my first novel (sci-fi ) and it is 114k. I went for that length because I read that sci-fi readers prefer books at 100k or more. Plus I can name dozens of books (some first timers) that are well over 90k. Anyway, what are your thoughts?
You say that publishers are not interested in works less than 50,000 words, and that the standard length of novels is 60,000-90,000 words. What about the gap from 50K to 60K? Is it worth submitting a work in this range to a tradiional publisher?
Depends on the genre. Romance? Sure. Epic fantasy? Probably not.
Thanks a lot!
Now I am thankful this short story I am writing now turned into a novel. I guess I will wait to get famous for this novel and then sell my short stories. Satire!
Still trying to figure out my novella series, but I was wondering if publishers ever take them and make them into a full-length book to attach more readers. George R R Martin's "Dunk and Egg" Series already have a hardcover version with the first three novellas (the only ones so far) and Tolstoy's classic drama Anna Karenina was a collection of novella-length stories before becoming a large novel. It will only work if it has much support let alone appeal but do some publishing houses do such a this from time to time?
i sometimes wonder if my novel would be better split into volumes, and this really helps answer that
Thanks, understood. Still Stephen King has word counts that are in the 80K range and calls them novellas ("The Langoliers," for example). My novels come in at 80K plus and after trying the traditional route, I lean toward self-publishing, although I continue to try the agent route from time to time. I was just wondering since there seemed to be some inconsistency in how to define a novel vs novella at 40-60K word count.
Thank you! 😄
Any time!
I just finished with grade 12..I don't have a phone and I always use my mom's phone at night to watch this type of videos....your video particularly stole my heart... my routine is confusing and annoying because I never get time to write my novel...your videos motivate me to make time for my book and I'm great full for it👏👍❤️
I love your frowny face on the thumbnail. So sad!
What's your opinion on publishers looking for novels based on the pandemic? Ironically before covid I wrote a middle grade science fiction book. Also, do you think it'd be harder for a MG sci-fi novel to be published?
Concerning the Novellas segment, what if the novel in question is 120,000 word count? How does the Big Five respond to that? I hear a lot of fantasy and science fiction novels tend to be around that length.
I just finished the rough draft of my first novel, a young adult fantasy. My total plans right now are to edit it a few times and see if there's anything worth publishing. Then worry about whether to publish.
I'm also working on a short story collection; or to be exact, a novel written as a series of free standing short stories. Each chapter can be read as a complete story by itself, but the background action adds up to a different novel length story.
I am a published non-fiction writer close to finishing the final edit (pre-submission) of my first novel. I plan to submit to a Canadian publisher, so do not currently plan to use a literary agent (of last report, some 70 or 80% of books in Canada are published through dealing directly with the publisher). The manuscript has something over 80000 words, a little more than the non-fiction book I published.
I am also gradually working on a collection of short stories (which should include a novella) - I appreciate your advice about first making yourself a name with a novel before offering a short story collection for submission.
alyssa 2 ideas / requests I personally would have:
1. do some videos geared more towards advanced authors rather than just beginners all the time
2. do some series of 1st page reviews and that sort of thing as I've seen that's always super popular in every channel that does it. i.e. where readers send in some amount of their writing and you do an indepth critique of it
Oh good heavens, get to it.
I have a few books I am working on where do I find a editor
Can you recommend a YA fantasy/sci-fi literary agent that is interested in stories with mythical elements, but not a retelling?
Good advice. Unfortunately, none of these things you mentioned are genres, but rather, types of books. Genre applies specifically to fiction. You might consider revising your title.
Yes, I did not get what I came for.
i heart short stories. i read collections from specific authors, or genre specific compilations, or sometimes just the norton sampler
I began writing novels at 16. Science fiction/fantasy are my first loves and that's what I write. I am rewriting a SF novel that I previously epublished. I always felt there was something "missing" so that why I'm rewriting it. So far, the rewrite is about 2500 out of a possible 90k to 100k novel. I've rewritten the first chapter 4 tines because I can't seem to get it right. I would love a contract with one of the big 5.
Hi very educational, I am totally in the dark about getting published, every time I think that I have found the way forward, I see 10's plus of the reason why not to go that route. Totally confused with the whole industry. I am writing children's, picture story books. BTW how does one get your book offer as nothing came up. Kindest regards 😊
Hi there, if you're trying to access my free story self-assessment, please send me an email at hello@alyssamatesic.com and I will make sure it gets to you!
Thanks for this! I have a “New Adult” Fantasy I’m in the editing process of finishing before sending it to a critique partner, beta readers, then the agent. Would it be seen favorably or unfavorably if it was marketed as “New Adult”?
New Adult never really made it in trad publishing. Pitch it as Adult
@@ladyursala Ah, okay - thank you!
Aside from faith-based books none of these are genres but forms. I also notice that despite using the general term book there has not been a single word about nonfiction which you seem to have an aversion to.
Darn! I'm writing a novel about a writer working as an editor at a Poetry magazine who finds God and falls in love with a short story anthology sold by his secret admirer's novella boutique around the corner.
I have a protagonist who is a teenage boy. He finds himself somewhat isolated from people. He lives in a small town and has a disability. Because of this, he is shunned by his peers.
He ends up being a victim of male sexual assault. This sends him to a troubled school path, and a different path to find his sexual identity. Writing on a topic like this is taboo, but needs to be done.
The scene is not graphically described, but becomes a problem for him to overcome.
He tests sexual identity and he uncovers his true sexual identity. He has a best friend who became his spouse.
It the R word or one in six victims something that has a potential to be published?
Is it harder to get a previously independent book published through the top 5?
Alyssa, you have a face and voice that just makes a bowl like me want to trust you. If you told me I was a plate I would have to strongly consider rethinking the things I believe I know about myself.
It's important to find an editor you vibe with. Some just don't work for you.
Hello. Alyssa Matesic.
3.33 into a 14.49 video and you are only just getting to the nominated subject matter of your video.
If this was a book and if I didn't WANT to know what you are going to say, I would have thrown this 'book' in the 'round filling cabinet by now.
That said, I did get some helpful information, although not as much as I might have wished.
I have one book of around 250 double-spaced A4 pages completed in the personal/spiritual development field and another in the same field almost complete at about 1/2 that length. I also have over a dozen articles already written in the self-help/healing field.
Your video did leave me with the impression that the 'big 5' are not going to be bashing my door down any time soon and so I will look elsewhere.
Thank you.
Just my 0.02.
You have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
love this
When you mentioned short stories I immediately thought of magazines and self publishing as alternative routes. As a young adult I read a lot of Louis L’Amour’s stories and noticed that his short stories were often originally published in magazines. He wrote them early in his career which would be the years immediately after WW2. So this has probably always been a good career route to take.
Nearly all short story collections are reprints from previously being published individually.
I find it hard to write novels. They keep ending up novella length.
A number of smaller houses publish poetry collections and short story collections but don't expect them to become best sellers.
My novel is a science fiction / fantasy book with some spiritual elements as one of the main character’s soul is lost and the others must find it. Would you say this is considered faith based? This is a futuristic setting and their beliefs are different than of today, sort of like “the force” from Star Wars. I’m having trouble getting an agent, and I’m wondering if this is why. Your thoughts would be so helpful.
"Soul is lost": if the character can regain his soul by coming to Jesus, then yes, your book is faith-based.
@@abesapien9930 no it’s not lost in that sense. It’s a lot to explain in a RUclips comment, but it has nothing to do with Christianity at all. It’s physically lost without a form, not metaphorically.
@@SaraJaneTriglia You should be fine - see my comment about the different types of 'faith' books. That said, you may want to focus on the universal themes underpinning your manuscript.
I thought this would be about hard scifi, lol. I don't really think of things like "novellas" and "story stories" as genres.
I am working on a tricky book, I need your recommendation.
the sook is a system of knowledge base, but if I write it as it is a system, then peoples say I am playing god. there fore, I have to write it as my own journey and reflect to a reader, this way, what I had experience is not a representation of god but my own experience.
the book is part of a whole series, which contain 2 series, total of 13 books.
I need help on how to approach it? from what angles, as an Intro book, to a system.
What about a collection of essays? Does that run into any of the problems the short story collection presents?
Yes.
Note. Simon and Schuster owns Howard Books, a Jesusbook imprint. But, indeed, attempting to publish a faith/spiritual/occult-centric book requires a more targeted approach generally outside of the big five.
I am a self-published author, writing all sorts of things in the Western Genre. I find there is a stigma attached to the genre, however you did not mention it. It has come up on other channels and podcasts that I consume. Any ides on why publishers do not want to touch Westerns?
I am new to publishing.. But I love to write.
It definitely seems to come down to profitability and marketability regardless of quality with the big publishing houses.
On a side note, Stephen king started his author career on selling short stories to magazines and what not. I saw an interesting interview where he talks about it.
what about a 54000 word count book but with one or two color illustrations per chapter?
If I say too much, I might be blacklisted from big publishing houses lmao 🤪
I’m in middle of writing what you listed as a faith based book. I guess based on your advice, I shouldn’t try with the big five.
I have a 130k fantasy-horror manuscript, and almost finished copy-editing it. It'll go to beta readers next. Any tips you can give me to finnd representation in the UK?
I have a video on publishing internationally here!: ruclips.net/video/K2U3KFXTkFk/видео.html
This year's Booker Longlist has so many short story collections. I'm like ????
The market is constantly changing, so I wouldn't be surprised if this year agents start asking for short story collections!
They will publish short story collections if they are exceptional. It's just WAY harder to get interest. Plus, 90% of those authors have quite a resume of publishing their stories individually.
I'm working on a futuristic novel that takes place in a libertarian society. It contains elements of sci-fi and romance and explores many philosophical topics, including God. I am inclined to put it into the literary category due to its deep themes, characters and scope but also feel like maybe that's a distinction I can't give to my own writing and that I may fall short of it due to my inexperience in writing prose. What do you think would be my best bet as far as choosing agents to submit to and classifying it within a genre?
I am surprised Novellas, Short Story Collections, and Faith-based Books are mentioned there, as there is a huge deal and market where loads of them have been published, but as usual the market changes faster than the eye blink.
I think my plan would be:
(a) aim for the big five
(b) if plan a fails, aim for the smaller indie presses
(c) if plan b fails, self-publish
Unless (a) offers something exceptional, I'd skip straight to (b) personally. The bigger the publishing house, the smaller fish you are in their pond.
What about children's books, stories???
I am a horror writer. I have self published six books. Currently I am writing a book of short stories called Ink
3.34 then begins 💯👍
Self-published four novels, a fifth at the editors. I feel lost because my genre is women ‘s fiction with romantic elements. If I say it’s one, I’m told it’s the other. Select the category of fiction, it’s too broad. Select romance, if’s not a Hallmark movie, forget about it.
Is "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks at 49,000 words considered a novella?
there appears no official delineation between novel/novella because if you actually look it up, some sources appear to list a novella as under 40k and a novel is anything of 40k words and above. And other sources state a novel is 50k and above. I think 50k is the more common but I'm not sure that it's an established 'official' figure. Either way one should never base their own strategy on outliers. If Nicholas Sparks is a once in a generation level genius, maybe that allowed him to break the rules, but we should never compare ourselves to such a rare outlier and hope we will also be given leeway. To maximize your chances always try to be within the established protocols
49k is on the short side, but I wouldn't call it a novella, especially since it is a romance. There are authors that just takes one person to notice and take a risk on. Sparks got a million dollar advance for that book. Not bad for a novel written in a mere six months.
Interesting. Just completed my novel - timing is everything and mine is off - about why a female prison worker would help a male inmate escape. Have no idea what genre that would be in but it was a matter of write or never sleep again
I would read that 😊
You are the best author in the world
My book: "How to start a Pedophile, Drug Dealing, Terrorism Cell" has no takers so far, just like my previous "Killing and Eating Nuns" and "Snuff Films for Dummies".
So....what about a very generally based faith based book? Like subjects such as actual religios do come up, but the spirituality cannot be pinned down more than...The Force...can be in Star Wars?
They publish those things sometimes, but you'll have better success at a niche publisher.
For Christian stuff, Howard Books is an imprint of Simon and Schuster.
Anything which depicts age play or ABDL whether it be sexual or non sexual will never be traditionally published.
Correction: novellas, short stories and poems are not “genres”-they’re forms of literature, like novels. On the other hand, faith-based fiction is a genre, as is crime, mystery, fantasy and so on.
@@stanleysharkey3753 I am so glad you pointed that out. But would you mind also telling Miariam Webster, Google, Roget, and everyone else who can read the definition of what a genre is. Because they all seem to agree with Kristopher Spencer.
@@stanleysharkey3753 I'm a retired professor literature. Mr. Spencer's answer is the correct one.
I recommend consulting a dictionary.
Correction. Please go make awesome content so we can sharpshoot your every statement and definition😅😅. This female is awesome and has helped me a lot
We knew what she meant
There are two definitions of “genre” that I’m familiar with. In school (decades ago), I learned that genres were forms: short stories, novelettes/novellas, novels, poetry, and plays. I hardly hear this definition anymore. People now think of genres as subjects like romance, crime, sci-fi/fantasy, etc, regardless of form or length.
Anyway, it’s nice to hear the why of the 60k-90k preferred length (which is too short for what I like to write).
Are you a "debut" author if your earlier books are self-published?
Already? This didn't take long as they was looking for them last month. I see what you mean how quickly this thing can change.