If you've written a book or have an idea for one and don't know where to publish it, you need to learn about the different options available in book publishing.
Trade Publishers
These are established publishers, such as Random House, HarperCollins, Simon and Shuster, etc., that publish for the general book-reading audience. The books these publishers produce are distributed through bookstores and to libraries (the book trade). Your chances of having your manuscript accepted by one of the larger trade publishing houses are rather slim. These houses receive thousands of manuscripts a year, but only accept and publish a fraction of those. In addition, these publishers often only work with agented writers.
A trade publisher pays for all the costs involved in taking the book from an unedited manuscript to a finished product. They also take all the rights to the book and agree to give you a small percentage of the sales (usually about 10 percent). This is a very competitive business. Even with a trade publisher, you may have to pay for the costs of marketing your book, which is the key to making money. Some of the smaller publishing houses may be more likely to publish your manuscript, but they may not market the book as aggressively as a larger publisher will.
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By Margaret Evans
