How to get published probably is one of today's hottest issues. Talented or not, a desire for self-expression and stature as a 'published author' has become the Holy Grail.

Until a few years ago, if you had talent, an agent quickly could be found, and publication was assured. A few years before that, an agent was not even required. If you are a professional in some area, this situation continues. The publishers will find you, or are most willing to listen to what you have to offer. No agent is required.

If you have something new to offer in gardening, cooking, weight loss, or a host of other 'how to' books, a publisher often will listen, and if not, an agent quickly will become available, and again publication is likely.

If you fit neither of these categories, the problem is huge and unfortunate. Many talented writers cannot even find someone who will read their material. The answers, of course, include finding a publisher the hard way, co-publishing with a subsidy publisher, or self-publishing.

Reams of material have been written about how to use the last two. No one says much about getting published the hard way - because it really is just that. There are merely a handful of publishers of any size today who will read what you have to offer, if an agent doesn't present it. Of the larger houses, only Dorchester and Avalon seem to remain.

If you wish to go the agent route, and this is the one most often recommended, the task is made somewhat easier, in that there are many lists, such as "Predators & Editors, that provide good analyses of the legitimacy of their offerings. Then, it is a matter, albeit most time-consuming, of searching until a 'fit' is found. A most discouraging part of this trial and error method is the rudeness of many who will not even answer. Unfortunate, because no matter how busy they may be, a simple electronic reply could be programmed to provide an answer as to receipt of material.

The other route is to proceed directly to the publisher category. Again many lists are available, and the same tedious task of attempting to find a match is required. The only difference is that much of the time that would have been wasted on attempting to find an agent, you can put into finding the publisher. The same lack of acknowledgment may be encountered, but you are, at least, dealing with your goal, and not an intermediary.

The main disadvantage of going directly for a publisher, is that, with very few exceptions, you will be dealing with smaller publishers. If your ego requires the large publisher, don't even consider it. If your goal is to get published by a 'legitimate' publisher, this can be the preferred method. You have skipped hours of perusing lists of agents, and countless hours of writing queries, many of which will not even be acknowledged. You may spend the same number of hours in this endeavor, but you are at your goal audience, the publisher.

Small publishers are not to be overlooked. You may have to read the contract more carefully, but maybe not. Some of the larger publishers are placing binding clauses in their contracts, not previously included. The small house also cannot match the large publishers' budgets for marketing. But you have no assurance that the large publisher will spend the larger amount marketing your book. He has the Robert Parkers, Danielle Steels, Larry McMurtrys and other sure sellers. There is the advantage of your book being included in his list of publications. But that is your only assurance.

Small publishers are very diligent in their marketing endeavors. They have to be to stay in business. Many have arrangements with Baker & Taylor, Ingram and other large distributors; Barnes & Noble, Amazon and other large outlets; and often specialize in arrangements with the small independent booksellers; and they constantly bring awareness of their publications to the library associations. You may be required to more actively participate in the marketing endeavors, but even that is not assured. They all want active participation. It's a tough world out there today.

To summarize, if you want to get published, don't overlook the small presses.

For most authors, writing their books is a hurdle in itself to overcome. They have such aspirations about the success of their work, it can be devastating and costly to work with a publisher that doesn't meet their expectations. I recently worked with two authors using two different small publishers, both experiencing frustration and disappointment in their projects. One situation involved a full year of promises only to receive her children's book project returned with no progress ever started! The other did get to the finished product, but was disappointed on the communication, follow-through and turn around on the basic launch activities his publisher agreed to provide.

What most aspiring authors don't understand is that there has been such an increase in the number of people writing books that the larger publishers can be very selective in whom they choose to publish. This over population of authors has sparked an influx of the number of small publishing companies opening their doors for business. This also means that the Author can be selective and should be sure to protect themselves by doing a little research before they make their decision. Here are some things to consider:

• How long have they been in business? The first five years for a business can be the most challenging. During this time, many mistakes will be made as they learn more about themselves, the processes for running a business and how to make it all work together. If managed by experienced industry professionals, they can also have great resources to share and might be very competitive on pricing in an effort to develop their client base.
• Ask for References. If they're a new shop, ask about the background of their principals or management team. If they're more experienced, ask them for references. Contact those authors and ask them about their publishing experiences. Ask them to name one thing they'd improve upon on their next project when working with this company? You can identify some trouble spots ahead of time if you receive the same answer from multiple authors.
• Be Clear on Deadlines and Expectations. It's typical to work within an agreement that outlines expectations of both parties; however, be sure goals aren't open ended or too vague. With so many stages involved in the publishing process, many smaller publishers may want to steer clear of specific dates allowing wiggle room for their learning curve, but be sure that you're listing deadlines. Pad the date with wiggle room, but list a date! Also, be sure you're clear on what they'll do to help you launch your book. Marketing is normally a separate package if even offered at all by most small publishers. Just as a precautionary measure, I highly recommend having your agreement drafted or reviewed by an attorney who has experience in publishing.
• Be Proactive. Just because you have a signed agreement, doesn't mean that you're their only project they're working and that everything will happen as scheduled. Be sure to put your agreement deadlines on your calendar and follow-up on progress. You don't want to become the "client nobody wants" by being too pushy, but you don't always want to wait for them to call you either. If they're behind schedule, they're likely not going to call you to announce that fact. However, if they know you'll be calling, they're more likely to keep things on track as best as they can!
• Have an Exit Plan. Not that you plan to execute, but it's better to have a plan in place and be prepared than sorry. Terms for separation or some sort of exit clause should also be outlined in your agreement. Be sure it clarifies who owns what on originals or ideas, and a time frame as to when documents are returned to you. Again, an attorney who has experience in publishing is recommended to review this information for your own protection.

There are many great publishing resources available - many that are actually "diamonds in the rough" but it's up to the author to help protect themselves with a little planning.

If you’re a small press author, trying to get your book into brick and mortar stores can be one of the hardest tasks to accomplish. If you’re a POD author, chances are close to impossible unless you deal with independent local bookstores which usually are more flexible and open to helping local authors. But as a rule, big chain stores won’t stock a POD book, mainly because of lack of returnability and the poor (and mostly unfair) reputation of print on demand books.

But, as I said, small independent bookstores are more open and flexible and more willing to take a small risk with a an unknown author. Though it is true that most people (about 52%) shop books at big chain stores, here your book will be lost amidst thousands. In a small bookstore, however, you competition will be less because there are not as many books on the shelves. Of course, most people go shopping for their books at the big chain stores, thus their popularity.

If you want to market your book to bookstores, the first thing you need to do is to locate them. You also need to decide which type to contact. You may want to contact bookstores by genre or geographical are. If you live in Los Angeles and your book is a mystery, for instance, you may want to contact all mystery bookstores in your city first before moving to other geographical areas.

To locate bookstores you may check:

*Yellow Pages Directory in your city.

*Yellow Pages Directory on the Internet.

*The ABA Bookstore Directory: http://www.bookweb.org

*The American Booktrade Directory (you may check this at the library).

Another easy way to locate bookstores, but which costs money, is to rent a mailing list. For $40, you may obtain a mailing list of the top 700 independent bookstores at http://www.bookmarket.com.

Once you have a list of the bookstores you wish to contact, there are some guidelines you should keep in mind before getting in touch with their owners:

*Prepare an attractive brochure or media kit, which should contain your contact information, book information, an author’s bio, a book description or blurb, review quotes, and mention of any awards. If you don’t know how to prepare a brochure or media kit, please make sure to do a research on the internet first. Amateurish material will be toss in the trashcan, you can be sure of that.

*Some owners prefer a brochure, others a sample copy of the book. You should also include a personal letter (not generic!) introducing yourself and your book. Keep it brief and professional—never brag about the magnificent qualities of the book. The book must speak for itself. If you have any rave review quotes of your book, the place for these is on the brochure or media kit. Many bookstore owners like handwritten letters or post-its. The ‘personal’ aspect of this will make you stand out. Of course, it’s always a test, and the reality is most material received by owners ends up in the trash can. But the more personal and professional you are, the better your chances to succeed. Alan Beats, of Borderland Books, says, “Sending a well thought out cover letter with a review copy. The quality of the cover letter is very important. If it's poorly written or has grammatical errors, I won't even look at the book. The letter will get major plus points if it is clear that the person writing it has researched our store and if it's address to me directly.”

Some bookstore owners prefer to be sent sample copies by the publisher itself instead of the author. These people will not consider a publisher legitimate otherwise and will not stock its books.

*Don’t phone. Bookstore owners are too busy and don’t like to be bothered by desperate authors over the phone. “The worse thing to do is to bug us about it after you’ve sent it,” says Del Howison, owner of Dark Delicacies, a bookstore specializing in horror. “We’re not a critiquing service so we’re not going to give you a rundown on what’s good and bad about it. There are plenty of editors out there who will do that for you.” Howison prefers a sample copy of the book instead of a brochure.

*Make sure your book is relevant to the store. If your book is a novel about witches or vampires, you won’t have any luck with a Christian bookstore! Make sure your time and resources are not going to waste.

*Keep a record of your contacts and marketing efforts to use in the future for other books.

Though most marketing experts out there keep insisting that bookstores are not the best places to market your books—and though this may be true—there’s one thing for sure: nothing beats seeing your book in a bookstore shelf!