Do you remember watching Charlie and the Chocolate factory? I remember the excitement as the children would obtain every Wonka package possible and search for five golden tickets. These tickets would unlock treasures for them for years to come. Just like those children searched Charlie's chocolate factory and the Willy Wonka candy bar packages for five golden tickets, many authors dream of obtaining at least one of the five golden tickets in the publishing industry. These golden tickets represent the five major publishing companies known as the "Big Five". These companies are listed below: - Hachette Book Group - HarperCollins Publishers - Macmillan Publishers - Penguin Random House - Simon & Schuster You may be asking yourself "Why are aspiring authors and current authors searching for access to these golden tickets?" One reason why authors search for these golden tickets are because they do not have to pay anything to publish through these agencies. Also, their book instantly gains credibility and prestige. One of the negative aspects of publishing through these "golden ticket" i.e. traditional publishing companies are the author has no decision making power regarding book cover design and marketing. Another negative aspect of obtaining these golden tickets is the author typically earns less than 20% in royalty for the sale of their books. Last but now least, the contracts that are signed are final; thus, there isn't much room for negotiations compared to those who self-publish. One key fact that you must be aware of when trying to access any of these golden tickets is that they do not accept unsolicited manuscripts or other materials. You must go through a literary agent. You may be thinking to yourself, "Ok. Spill the beans girl! How do I find a literary agent?" "Hold on wait a minute, let me put some facts in it" is my reply to your request. LOL! Seriously, though, you must visit https://literarymarketplace.com/lmp/us/index_us.asp and register. Once registered, you can look up the different literary agents on the website. However, they will not give you contact information such as phone numbers or email addresses until you pay to subscribe to the site. Another great source to acquire a literary agent is The Writers Market. Visit www.writersdigest.com to access this market. Now that you know how to gain access to the golden tickets, let's discuss a secret back door to one of them: Archway Publishing. Archway Publishing is a self-publishing agency that has a partnership with Simon & Schuster. Through this partnership, Simon & Schuster review the titles published under Archway Publishing and consider them for publishing under their label; thus, causing your book to not be considered "unsolicited manuscripts or material" and giving you a back door method into accessing this particular golden ticket. Now that you know how to access these golden tickets, go forth into the candy factory and get what you are looking for. It's time to embrace the royal you. If this blog has helped you, please like, comment and share this blog with someone else. As you decide which publishing method is best for you, make sure you also learn about the additional streams of income that are connected to your book. Movies are an additional stream of income that can be connected to your book. During the Clarity in the Pen conference, I have experts ready to share the process of writing and releasing your book as a movie. This is a virtual conference that you do not want to miss! To register, click the link below. See you in the room! #royalclarityview #aspiringauthors #authorsofinstagram #writerscommunity #indiefilms #writeyourstory
top of page
bottom of page
Comments