Most all traditional publishers have a set a guidelines for authors to follow. These guidelines may have general things like genres and topics they publish to more specific ones they don’t want and even certain words, events, and naming church denominations that are taboo for them.
Some authors get very frustrated with the guidelines and rules of traditional publishers. They raise a fist in the air and cry, “Not fair! These restrictions are silly.”
I say a big huge NO! Their guidelines are NOT silly. And they ARE fair.
A traditional publisher shells out a lot of money to publish each book. They need to make that money back and more on each book to pay all of their overhead like editing, interior layout, formatting, cover design, marketing, utilities for their building, rent, paychecks for their employees. All of this before the book makes one penny. Then multiply all those costs times many books. So they have every right to say what they will publish and what they won’t.
Traditional publishers need to focus their resources on the types of books they know how to sell best. It doesn’t mean that books which fall outside their guidelines are wrong or not worth printing. They are targeting a particular audience. They have done market research to some degree and are aiming for their chosen market.
You wouldn’t go to a restaurant that had numbers from 1-10 on their menu and just pick a number without knowing what you are ordering.
“You’ll just have to order it to find out.”
Or if a menu had four choices; beef, chicken, pork, and fish. A person would obviously want to know what kind of chicken they are ordering; fried, baked, grilled, nuggets, cordon bleu, etc. Does that come with potatoes, pasta, or rice? Salad, corn on the cob, or steamed veggies?
“Order it and find out. It’ll be a surprise.”
We would say no thank you. We aren’t going to pay our hard earned money on mystery meat and surprise sides. Also, a restaurant can’t offer every possible food choice. Restaurants specialize in various types: Italian, Chinese, Mexican, burger joint, etc. If I want a particular kind of food, I go to a restaurant that specializes in it.
Same with our reading choices. We want to know genre and a lot of readers want to know which nuances of that genre to expect. Maybe they prefer mysteries with police detectives and CSI teams solving the crimes rather than little old ladies or priests. All mysteries are not the same. All romances are not the same. Some readers have favorite settings or time periods. God made us all different with different likes and dislikes.
Publishers, like authors, have a brand. Their readers learn what to expect. They are targeting a group of people they have learned they can sell to. They know they can sell more books in certain genres with certain elements. We wouldn’t expect a children’s-picture-book-only publisher to contract our nonfiction self-help book. Or a Christian fiction publisher to publish our one on computer coding.
Each publisher can’t target everyone and publish every kind of book under the sun. Like restaurants that specialize in a particular kind of food, publisher specialize in different kinds of books. So it makes sense that they would focus on a particular audience so they can duplicate what they have done with one book to use on the next and next. That way they can work more efficiently with both time and money and refine their process. And make the most return on their investment.
Publishers develop a trust with their readers by giving them a certain kind of story. One of the first books I read from a particular Christian publisher years and years ago hit me all kinds of wrong. I didn’t enjoy the story. My brain said, if this is typical of the stories they publish, I'll look elsewhere. I’m obviously not in their target audience. I know not all their books would be like that one, but there are so many other publishers, with more and more all the time, that I haven’t gotten back to reading more of their books. I’m sure they have many I would enjoy.
What’s great about the age we live in is that if our story doesn’t fit a traditional publisher’s target audience, an author can self-publish and take on all those up front expenses themself.
If an author wants to change their story to reach a particular publisher’s target audience, they can do that. But if they don’t, it doesn’t make that story wrong, it simply doesn’t fit that particular publisher. There are so many choices.
Bottom line: Publisher guidelines are not censorship nor unfair, just good business for them.
Each author must decide what is right for them and their story, and where God is leading them.
HAPPY WRITING!
THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) #TheDamselsIntent #HistoricalRomance #FreeKU #KU #ChristianRomance
Can Nicole learn to
be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?
Nicole Waterby heads down the mountain to fetch herself a
husband, not realizing women don’t wear trousers or carry a gun. She has a lot
to learn. Rancher Shane Keegan has drifted from one location to another to find
a place to belong. When Nicole crosses his path, he wonders if he can have
love, but he soon realizes she’s destined for someone better than a saddle
tramp. Will love stand a chance while both Nicole and Shane try to be people
they’re not?
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A single mother steps out of the shadows of abuse and into the sunshine. But will a secret clouding her past cost her the man she loves? Get it here for FREE on Kindle Unlimited or Kindle to buy for $4.99 or paperback for $12.99: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CV4XDLH/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_XaM.DbMKBGBG1
Book 2 THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Coming soon to audio)
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