We need to talk. Sort things out.

[ZeldaQueen]

Originally Posted by elx

hi jake, i stopped reading your post here. publishers do not tend to accept unsolicited manuscripts, they get sent into a "slush pile" and are never responded to. no legitimate publisher would take half of your manuscript, read it and tell you it needs work.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that depend on the publisher? I mean I'm sure the odds aren't great but it's still possible.

you're lying. if you really did write a book and were serious about having it published then you would have researched it just a little and you would know that you would have to write query letters to literary agents who (if interested) would then request a copy of your manuscript. if they like it, they would then forward it to an editor or two, THEN your literary agent acting on your behalf would send copies of your manuscript out to publishing houses. that's standard procedure in australia, too. you would never even speak to a publisher unless they were interested in buying your book, i refuse to believe that any aspiring writer would not know that.

Eh, like I said it depends on the literary agent/publisher. I've seen agents that want you to contact them first then send in samples and ones who want you to include a few pages straightaway. There are people who skip literary agents all together and people who publish their own work.

[elx]

Originally Posted by ZeldaQueen

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that depend on the publisher? I mean I'm sure the odds aren't great but it's still possible.

yes, i suppose it is possible but as you said it's not realistic. i should clarify, by publishers, i am referring specifically to reputable publishing houses. not exclusively major ones - just legitimate ones. if jake were as serious about writing as he portrays himself to be he would not have done that.

Originally Posted by ZeldaQueen

Eh, like I said it depends on the literary agent/publisher. I've seen agents that want you to contact them first then send in samples and ones who want you to include a few pages straightaway. There are people who skip literary agents all together and people who publish their own work.

i've also noticed this, they all seem to have various preferences, like for example some agents only accept query letters via snail-mail to deter those who are not serious about it. this way, it prevents them from being stuck on an email forwarding list of every single agent in the business. on the flip side, a lot of agents only accept email query letters because they're easier to keep track of (and possibly due to a fear of anthrax)
so yeah, as you said, it really just depends. the basic idea still stands though, if you want your book published, there is a proper way to have it done. jake would have known, a publisher would have known, therefore i don't believe this happened.

[Zhukov]

Do you know this because you are trying to get a book published, elx?