From Lulu to Publisher

[Persona]

Hello,

I've written a fiction novella on Lulu.com, but I've recently found myself wanting to submit it to a publisher since the book would get a wider range of exposure, and I'm not very good at advertising on my own.


The first novella is 149 pages and roughly 35,000 words, with a direct sequel that's 109 pages and 24,000 words. I wanted to know the following:

1.) Can I still submit it to a publisher despite offering it on Lulu.com?
2.) Would a publisher be interested in the novella?
3.) Should I package the novellas together?
4.) Should I add bonus content?

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Hi, Persona, and Welcome to the Chronicles

Your post automatically went into moderation because the software doesn't allow new members to post links, even partial links, like Lulu.com

As it was, with the description of the story, it was looking a little bit like self-promotion -- although I see that you don't mention your name or the title of the book -- and so I've removed that part, so that I could approve the post and you can get answers to your questions.

Book publishers* just aren't interested in novellas these days and at that length magazines aren't likely to look at it either. Packaging them together probably wouldn't help, because a collection of stories by a new writer would be very, very hard to sell, too. You might do better to leave your novella with lulu.



*Possibly a very, very small press, but as a self-published author you are essentially a small press yourself.

 

[Ian Whates]

I'll second what Teresa's said. Sadly, getting a novella published as a new author is a real toughie. In this country (the UK) the only publisher with any track record for doing so is Pete Crowther at PS Publishing, and even he's doing far fewer novellas of any sort these days. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure a release on Lulu would prevent him from considering a piece in any case.

Sorry not to bring better news or advice... but welcome to the Chrons!

 

[Scarfy]

Persona - I'd suggest that now that you've got yourself a reception and your novella has been well received, you move on to a new work and continue to build your reputation and fan base. It can be very slow going, and for most it is.

Once you're ready, write a full length novel (sci-fi 100,000 to 120,000 words; fantasy, 120,000+) and submit those to agents. It's definitely worth mentioning in the cover letter what you have written before, especially if you've had some pieces published (paid-for work, such as in a magazine, etc.)

From what I understand, mentioning numbers of self-published sales will likely only stir interest if you've sold 1000s of copies.

Just keep writing and submitting, and one day an agent will make an offer

 

[Persona]

So I'll have to wait for the next series to try going official.

Thanks.

 

[Scarfy]

Keep writing as much as possible and also read a lot of published work, so that you can become more objectionable to your own.

As an exercise, why not try combining your two novellas into a single length novel, or just expanding one of them. To bring up the word count, you could try exploring your world and your characters' backgrounds and personalities. You might be surprised with what you discover about them

I rewrote a part of my first novel as a style exercise, wanting to see what effect it had on the story. A year later and I'm now proofing my second edition of the story, having rewritten vast chunks of it, re-imaging scenes, expanding plot points and fleshing out the characters' pasts and interactions. It's a very satisfying feeling when you compare what you once wrote to what you have now and can see the improvements.

Stick to it