Comments on: Unagented Writer? Editor Drowning in Slush? Pubmission.com Promises to Help

By: The Proposed "Advanced Search" Submission Model | The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:03:09 +0000

[...] an insightful discussion logged at Publishing Perspectives referencing a similar service, [...]

By: Open Thread: Are Direct Submission Services a Fad or Trailblazers? | The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:15:04 +0000

[...] is already an insightful discussion over at Publishing Perspectives. What do you think? [...]

By: Teresa

Teresa — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:36:13 +0000

I fail to see the value of authors spending their money on this. How much does it cost for Agents/ Publishers to belong to this? It is a myth that they don’t read the slush pile – they do it’s their job. Agents have recently posted, “why pay someone for something I can do for free?” The topic was this very issue, not this site, but there are hundreds like this.
Writers need to get over the quick shortcut thinking – The road to publishing is not quick, it is a long treacherous road that requires you to pay your dues. Bottom line. Do the work required, stop being lazy. As for the saving postage?? 90% of agents/publishers only accept e-queries. The percentage who don’t are so small, you would still save money by sending snail mail. If a company only accepts snail mail submissions -why would they spend money to sign up for a site?

By: Claudia Rinaldi

Claudia Rinaldi — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:57:38 +0000

This service is DOA. There are way too many “writers” out there and not enough readers to support them; simply arithmetic. Former BIG bestseller authors are down to a fraction of what they used to sell and generally people on tight budgets buy one book and that is Stieg Larsson.

By: Meredith

Meredith — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:12:21 +0000

@KH I believe agencies are just as willing to work with small as with large agencies. It’s been my experience, at least.

By: Theresa M. Moore

Theresa M. Moore — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:51:57 +0000

Those of us who have waited in vain before have stopped waiting. I publish all my own books now, and with the same quality as the pros. With the volume of manuscripts being submitted there is no “efficiency” at work here, just another money making opportunity for those managing the site. I’ll pass, thank you very much.

By: Teddy Wojnicki

Teddy Wojnicki — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:51:38 +0000

Hey, Wolf, maybe you mean well, but honestly, the service looks to me like yet another scheme to milk the writers, seen as suckers and nuisance.

By: Meredith

Meredith — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:49:47 +0000

The real (and unavoidable) cause of “inefficiency” is volume, pure and simple. This system doesn’t reduce volume. As Kyle points out, editors are swamped with manuscripts–those vetted by agents with whom they have relationships. It’s sales 101: you’re more likely to buy from a friend than a stranger, no matter how many relevant keywords his product is tagged with.

This is just paying to submit to the same unagented slush pile that one used to submit to for free. Though the search feature is well-conceived, most authors don’t currently “tag” their manuscripts accurately insofar as they don’t properly research what genre, etc. their manuscript fits into. The results of a search for, say, a thriller, is going to return a lot more than actual thrillers. Some people think their memoir counts.

By: Julie Weathers

Julie Weathers — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:43:58 +0000

1. Publishers are not going to pay a fee to avail themselves of this “service.”

2. There are two ways to get your manuscript in front of publishers. Either through a reputable agency, ie a legitimate agency, not a query service. Or, submit to a publisher that accepts over the transom queries.

3. Save your money and invest in a query workshop if you’re unsure of your ability to write a compelling query letter. Go to sites such as Miss Snark, Query Shark, and Evil Editor and see what makes a good query.

4. Write a story people can’t put down.

No one, including this “service” has the magic bullet that allows you to go to the head of the line with an inferior product.

By: KH

KH — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:23:01 +0000

If you don’t think that small publishers are worth putting your work in front of, then so be it. I happen to like small publishers just as much as big ones. Agencies don’t bother with small publishers.