These days, there are more publishing options than ever before, and it can be overwhelming for writers to figure out which path to take. As someone who's tried most of them, here are my thoughts on a few FAQs:
Do you need an agent?
If you want to gun for the big publishers, then yes, as these publishers don't accept unsolicited manuscripts directly from authors. However, many smaller publishers do take direct submissions, in which case an agent is unnecessary.
How do you get an agent?
There are databases of agents online (here's a popular one https://querytracker.net/). Search for agents who represent your type of book (e.g. thriller, or romance, or memoir), and send your submission according to their guidelines. All will require a query letter - essentially, a letter introducing your book with the title, genre, word count, and a short pitch. Some may also request additional materials like a synopsis or the first few pages of your book. Read each agent's submission guidelines closely before querying.
Pros and cons of an agent
Pros: Your agent finds and submits to publishers on your behalf, negotiates the contract, and generally handles the business stuff for 15% of what the publisher is willing to pay for the book.
Cons: Long wait time to even hear back from agents you're querying, let alone find one who's a good match. Rejection rates are extremely high these days, just because of the volume of writers submitting. And if you're lucky enough to snag an agent (as I was), there's still more waiting... waiting for the agent to read your book, comment on your book, decide it's ready to submit. And after all that, publishers might still reject your book. An agent is not a guarantee of a publishing deal.
What about small / POD presses?
Small / POD presses come in many shapes and sizes, so be sure to carefully vet whoever you're submitting to. Some are small traditional operations who print books in bulk and send them to brick-and-mortar bookstores. Others are individuals who publish books as a passion and utilize Amazon's print-on-demand abilities. And there are shades of gray in between.
Pros: The right small press can be a great partner. You'll get lots more attention from the editor than you would at a big press, and probably more say in things like cover art as well. Generally, a small press will edit your book, provide cover art and formatting, and distribute your book. In short, by the end, you'll have a book in your hands
Cons: Small presses don't have much, if any, marketing reach, so you probably won't sell many more books than you would self publishing (this will vary widely by press). Also, there are some shady operations out there. Some small presses will take any book, slap a low-quality cover on, chuck it on Amazon with no editing, and leave the rest to you. Some will be well-intentioned but clueless (I fell prey to one of these)... they'll have big ideas and make big promises but be unable to deliver. My book was stuck in limbo for 4 years because of a well-intentioned but clueless small press. And some will just be sketchy... there might be issues with payment, for instance. Your book could get snarled in contracts that prevent you from getting your rights back while they fail to pay you.
With any kind of publisher, big or small, working with them means giving up some control of your book. For instance, my editor for Stronger than a Bronze Dragon made me shuffle around some chapters and add a few new ones. My agent for Starswept made me rewrite half the book before she would even submit it to publishers. Not all editors / agents will do this - some will be happy to take your book as it is with a few light suggestions. You have to decide how much control of your book you're willing to give up, and then, as you're vetting potential agents or publishers, see whether they're going to be a good fit based on that (I've known of instances where a book was accepted by a publisher but the author wasn't willing to make edits requested, and so the book was canceled).
Self-Publishing
This is where you turn yourself into a publisher. You hire an editor, cover artist, and formatter, and upload the book to Amazon (or another self-publishing service) yourself. 100% of control is yours.
Pros: Your book, your way, your own timeline. You could upload your book to Amazon tomorrow and it'll be in your hands in a week. Or you could take your sweet time finding the perfect cover artist and making revisions, with no one hurrying you. You are the boss.
Cons: Expense - you'll be paying for everything that goes into producing the book. You'll also keep whatever money you make off of sales, but it can be very hard to recoup the costs. You'll also have to do your own marketing and outreach, so the chances of your book reaching a wide audience are slim given how crowded the market is. Also, some people can be snooty about publishing and look down their noses at self publishers, though there've been enough high-profile self-publishing successes that this attitude is starting to change.
Which publishing route you take really depends on what you want to get out of it. Do you want your book, your way, in a timely manner? A book you can be proud of and share with family and friends, that you're happy is out there even if it never reaches bestseller status? And are you willing to pay for it yourself? If so, then self publishing is for you.
Do you want a shot at the New York Times bestseller list, even if it means years and years of work and rejection with no guarantee of any reward by the end? Is the reward worth the gamble, even if it might mean you'll have to rewrite significant parts of your book? Then try to find an agent, who can later submit to large presses.
Do you want your book in your hands, but you want someone else to take care of the production, even if it means giving up some control? Do you not care too much about what kind of reach they have? Then go for a small press.
BEWARE OF SCAM PRESSES AND AGENTS
There are some "publishers" and "agents" out there who prey on new writers' dreams. The red flag is if they ask you for money to publish your book. Common tactics are saying they'll publish your book for a fee (usually thousands of dollars), requiring that you buy hundreds or thousands of copies of your own book, or requiring you to hire an expensive editor that they select.
Paying a freelancer for a specific service - such as editing, or artwork - is different from paying to publish. There are also self-publishing consultants out there who can help with the process for a fee; these are also different from the scammers in that they'll be very upfront about the fact that they are NOT a publisher.
