Support for Indie Authors discussion

Hello everyone
I am working on a manuscript that I would like to submit to a publisher. I am struggling with putting the prosal together. Is it a good idea to talk about prior self-published work or not? Will it help/hurt or not have any impact at all. I was going to include it in the "Biography" section.
My prior work is in the same genre (Childrens book), but still low on sales rank on Amazon (that's another possible question!). This is my prior self-published book fyi
http://amzn.com/B01CJ2D2JC

From everything I've read, agents/publishers want you to talk about your previously published work no matter what. They're going to research you at some point, and if you fail to mention they could maybe view that as you keeping it from them and reject you.

The problem comes when what you're submitting is already self-pubbed. They don't tend to like that, and most will auto-reject your work because of it.

Thanks Ben - very helpful!

Move to Author Help.

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Thanks

These days more publishers are prepared to consider self-published work (a quick google will find you some) but many literary agents seem to see it as a no-no. I've asked a few for their reasons, and it basically comes down to a set of ingrained prejudices and unfounded assumptions, rather than any objective reasoning.

I wonder if we self-pubbers might be better to engage a dedicated internet marketer? As in so many fields, the concept of an intermediary/agent is a dying business model - but they will not go quietly into that good night...!

I don't think being self published would be a negative when approaching a publisher or lit agent.

What they would want to know is how your previous books did sales wise. Do you have an established author platform? Do you have a double opted in mailing list?

They are in the business to make money and if you can show them that you are worth their investment, then should your book meet their requirements, I can totally see them taking you up.

If however, your previous books barely sold any copies, you don't have a social media presence or established author platform, then your chances are minimised.

I am no expert though, so if anyone else has something to add that I have missed or don't know then please do say

Great points!
David - What did you have in mind when you say dedicated internet marketer? There are some self-publishing houses providing (at least claiming to provide) some services - I haven't explored them - but were you thinking on those lines?
Segolia - I hope I haven't compromised my future chances! The reason why I would approach a publisher is so I can avail of the entire package they have - editing/marketing/publicity etc. I was hoping the self-publishing will be more of a showcase vs. test of business model - but I can totally see your point.

I guess I mean a marketer who specialises in growing internet profiles and then knows all the various tricks for monetising that profile. There are books on this, but I can't help but feel some expert help would be a good thing.

Ummm...what's a double opted in mailing list?

David wrote: "Ummm...what's a double opted in mailing list?
..."

Double opt-in is the standard if you use a service like MailChimp. The subscriber opts in once, through a link that you send them, and then they receive an e-mail from the service containing a link or code that they have to confirm. After that's done, they're officially added to the list.

The procedure helps to comply with anti-spam laws and prevents situations where (for example) someone might sign up another person against their will, with malicious intent. Sort of like sending pizzas to your enemy's address.

David wrote: "These days more publishers are prepared to consider self-published work (a quick google will find you some) but many literary agents seem to see it as a no-no. I've asked a few for their reasons, a..."

I've always felt that an indie author co-op (or something similar) would help with this. You know, to help off-set costs, promote each other's work, provide support and publicity. In my mind, it's quite the utopic co-op. :)

Dylan wrote: "I've always felt that an indie author co-op (or something similar) would help with this. You know, to help off-set costs, promote each other's work, provide support and publicity. In my mind, it's quite the utopic co-op. :)"

Sign me up if you find one - or maybe it is something to work on creating.

In my view, the real beauty about being an indie, self-published author is we really are not in any kind of competition with each other. As readers we all know that reading one book or series is never going to stop us reading another. In fact, by simply writing and putting our books out there we help create interest in and markets for, each other's books.

The challenge seems to be visibility - and that is something we can all help out with, In fact the more you push the work of others, the more your own work also gets seen.

Or am I missing something?

So yes, let's make that co-op - it need not be utopic at all.

Definitely bring up any previously published work, but more importantly if you have any sort of fan base/following and reviews of your current works. If you bring your own fans with you, they may see that enough of a positive for them to invest in your future works.

From what I can tell, literary agents will only take submissions for unpublished work, just like publishers. And, although I have tried, there seems to be no way to get a literary agent to contact a self-published author about previous work, republishing, or review their catalogue. Even though many of these agencies are representing authors working in the digital environment on Amazon, right beside my work.

The entrenched old-guard publishing paradigm does work against us, as they see us as upstarts unwilling to pay our dues of twenty years worth of rejection letters. Many of us ARE amateurs, with no experience in the industry beyond our keyboards. We have no track record with editors, little knowledge of what is required of us as authors to get our work to print through THEIR process. In addition, we are spoiled by the introduction to sales at a 70% commission, which is so far above what they will be offering many of us will scream about it. They don't need the headache, and will only work with experienced authors who already reside within the system, or garner such high internet sales they decide to go cherry picking.

I wouldn't