How can you publish a book at little , Brown and Company?

Question

My best friend is looking to publish a book with a subject more or less like 'Twilight ' but she can't find any contact info-s of the publishing company . Do any of you know anything about this?

Answer 1

Look on there website and find and email or phone number for them and write a synopsis of the book along with a letter asking to be published and see what they say. Although you may need your agent to do this as i don't think Little, brown will accept anyone who does not have an agent.

I also think that you should try other companies and not just rely on the one because getting published is not easy and there is no guarantee that Little, brown and company will want this book.

Answer 2

First--she needs an agent.  Little Brown Books is not going to take unsolicited manuscripts.

Second--Just because Twilight was published by them does not mean that is who she should try to get published through.  In fact, she should not try for them BECAUSE Twilight was published through them.  They are not going to want to publish something just like Twilight--they do not want their authors to be competing with each other at such a close level.  It is a conflict of interests on the part of the publisher.

Third--That subject matter is getting beaten to death.  Tell you friend to be original.

Fourth--Getting published is hard work.  Tell your friend to suck it up and do the research necessary herself instead of having you do it.

Answer 3

Little, Brown and Company says this about manuscript submissions:

"Little, Brown and Company is unable to consider for publication any unsolicted manuscripts or proposals. Any unsolicited materials sent to us will not be read nor returned.  We encourage all authors who wish to have their work considered by Little, Brown to seek representation by a literary agent."

That means your friend needs a literary agent.  

Answer 4

Emily,

Very few major publishing houses accept unsolicited manuscripts. I would tell your friend to get a copy of Writer's Market for the current year and look up literary agents for the genre she writes.

Here is everything she'll need to know in order to give herself the best chance.

Read on:

Writing a book takes more than just sitting down and putting your idea into words. There are a lot of things that you have to consider.

Keep an eye out for spelling and grammar errors. When typing fast with fresh ideas in our heads, we tend to forget ourselves. Check and recheck your work. Editors are very expensive these days.

You’ll need to know how to write an effective ‘query letter’ to a literary agent. The letter will also include a synopsis that will hold the interest of the agent, and want to make him or her ask for the first three chapters of your work. Never send a manuscript to a publisher or literary agent without querying first.

You’ll need to know how to format your manuscript. This includes the fonts (size and type) that most agents, editors, and publishers want. These are usually Courier New and Times New Roman (12 pt). Short stories and novels are formatted differently. You will need to follow submission guidelines just as they are laid down for your submissions. Anything less will result in your manuscript sent back or destroyed unread.

You will need to know what Point of View (POV) is. Know how to write in First Person Point of View. You’ll need to know the can and can not of each.

Do you know how to write dialogue? How to format dialogue? This is very important and allows the author and his/her characters to communicate with the reader. Remember dialect as well. Dialect is how a person speaks. Your characters may be highly educated or dumber than dishwater. ‘Ain’t got none’ is highly acceptable when used properly by a character who is even less than street smart.

It’s a good idea to know some of the publishing laws. The use of names and places.

These include

o Delivery Of Satisfactory Copy

o Permission for Copyrighted Material

o Grant Of Rights

o Proofreading and Author's Corrections

o Advances and Royalties

o Author's Warranties and Indemnities

o Copies to Author

o Option Clause

Learn how to get a ‘word count of your work. Some novels have a prologue and an epilogue. You’ll need to know how to write them and why they’re used.

Know what the word ‘genre’ means. Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction; These are all genres.

One of the most important issues in manuscript submitting is the proper ‘page set up’ for your work. This includes margins, indents, and paragraphs. Most editors will want to see your manuscript double spaced. This allows the editor to use his/her proofreaders marks between the lines. Most margins will be one inch all around with a ragged right margin and an even left.

Are you prepared to do a lot of ‘research’ involving your work? Remember that many professionals such as, doctors, lawyers, nurses, public accountants, judges, architects, bricklayers, engineers, and police officers read, too.

Do you know what a sub-plot is? This is a plot that comes ‘under’ the main plot. The hero may be after the vampire, but the mob may be after the hero as well. This is a sub-plot.

Can you take rejection and constructive criticism? If you’re easily hurt in the feelings department, then writing may not be your forte. Critics will tear you apart or build you up. The best writers in the world “King, Patterson, Koontz, J.K. Rowling, and many others” have been torn up one side and down the other. You can’t please everyone.

If you decide to hire an editor, remember: Your manuscript will be double spaced, which means there will be twice as many pages. A 600 page novel could cost you around $1800.00, some even more depending on what the editor charges per page. Then there’s the hourly rate that some charge. Usually it’s within the range of $65.00. So, if they work on your book for 18 hours, that’s another $1170.00 + $1800.00 = $2970.00

These are the things you must know to work at your craft. Don’t let these things deter you from writing. There are books in libraries and bookstores that can teach you all of these things. Buying these books (if you want to be a serious writer) is the best thing to do. Why? Well, because you can use a yellow marker to highlight all the points of interest. Then you can use the front of the book to make page references to those markings in order to check back on them at a later date, when you need to.

You’ll need to get a copy of Writer’s Market for the current year. This has literary agents whom you can send out query letters to. Some of them allow email queries. They also have a website. Google: Writer’s Market.

I wish you the best of luck!