You were at the library and saw an attractive book which was so influencing that it made you drag yourself towards it. You held it up, and soon, your fingers played a trick. The pages flipped, and now your eyes were staring at a brief paragraph titled ‘foreword’. It is a little story about how the author came up with this tale. You started reading and as the words started to captivate you, the surrounding noise cancelled out gradually.
It took you a minute, but as soon as you were done, the hypnotised look on your face was worth all the effort. A majority of people will credit the author’s extraordinary skills to spellbinding people with only his words.
However, we consider that it was unquestionably the publisher. He deserves the limelight and at least half the credit, too. It was the publisher who picked this written masterpiece and presented it to the public. Otherwise, it would still be somewhere waiting in the publishing house’s lounge with their owners.
Hence, as only a jeweller knows the true worth of a diamond, we conclude that publishers are real-life scavengers. Nevertheless, how do they do it? We meant to say, what supernatural powers do they have?
Things To Look For In A Book – A Publisher’s POV
Oh, no, no… the publishers are not students of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They are humans like us only. It is just that they are so long into this field that they can tell by a glance what manuscript has the potential for bestselling. However, it is not less of a witchcraft. Knowing the exact balance of things is indeed a magic trick.
Therefore, we duly thank all the publishers who put their efforts into giving us a perfect read now and then. We owe them this blog today by discussing a few tips inspired by these Book Publishers.
- Grab The Attention
The number one thing that issuers search for in manuscripts is the length. If they feel the length is not enough they will not waste a second in turning them back. For this, they even have rules set. Such as, for fiction novels, the editor requires a maximum hundred thousand words. In contrast, the limit for rom-com books is under ninety thousand, not more. The word count differs for every type of book and they are a great tool for choosing books, as per issuers. Moreover, the matter should be interesting and the plot evenly paced. This keeps the interest of the reader growing. Hence, the printer will invest in it.
- Original Approach
Not only the beginning and the climax but also the ending needs to be original and captivating. A strong plot is the strength of a book; therefore, it matters a lot to every publisher. They look for ideas that are imaginative and first-hand. However, at times they also say yes to books with old ideas presented in a new way. Hence, all that matters to a book issuer is the approach to how the plot and characters are developed. There is no fixed formula. Is your idea new? It is a yes. Is your plot weighty and deep? Congratulations, you are in.
- Unique And Trendy
Another edge that convinces the publishers to raise a green flag is a combination of something creative and trendy. For example, romantic comedies are in trend and making rounds on the internet. At this point, if the issuer finds a potential author with a story that ticks all the boxes but is a cliché. Now, even though it is not what he would generally allow, as this is a different situation, he will let this one book slide without objections. Only because the audience is asking for it, this shows how publisher’s decisions are, at times profit-driven.
- Continuity Potential
Moving on, this is the most significant factor that book publishers consider. It is the potential for a book or a story to become a series. For example, a Book Writer as talented as J. K. Rowling. Her plot had the potential of becoming a series and that is why she kept adding chapters to them. It was such as success that people would wait for the next edition and never wanted to sequels to stop. This is the power of the charismatic writing style, and this is exactly what the issuers are eager to find. They need contacts with such writers as a fixed long-term revenue stream.
- Typographical Errors
Finally but importantly, the syntax or typographical errors. It is as objectionable as the low word count. It is unacceptable because the editors are not there to correct your punctuation and grammatical errors. This is not the publishing house’s headache. The writer is responsible for it. So it is natural that if a manuscript is brought to the publisher with a huge number of typographical errors. The management will decline it within seconds or ask the author to bring it after correction. These trivial things go a long way. Thus, the publishers cannot let them slide.
Wrapping It Up…
So far, we have discussed all those things that are important for the publisher before they publish a book. It is their job to earn money through publications. Therefore, they will have to invest in the best only.
However, there is more than meets the eye. The issuers are not solely concerned about easy-to-read organised scripts but also about taking into account the author. There are several reasons for doing so, such as they are keen on the author’s social existence. How are they as social beings? What is their reputation in the society? These are concerns because when they launch a book, they are endorsing a human through it. Therefore, it is crucial to find out about them. Moreover, if the authors can be good collaborators, then what is better than that? It is a double benefit for the publishing house, isn’t it? Hence, the writers are as important as the writing itself.
Now, go re-read your half-written story that you hide in drafts from everyone. Is it good enough to convince an issuer? If yes, then complete it and send it for printing, but if not, then save this blog and keep referring to it until you are finally ready to launch your book.
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