Can someone please explain the Publisher's List to me please? I don't understand it, I've read writing books and they constantly refer to the publisher's list and yet they fail to explain what it is.
Much appreciated,
Replies
It's all very vague. You can look at old books they have published, but in recent years the publisher's style/interest/fashion has changed. They no longer like what they used to publish.
When they refer to future lists or lists for the year, things which you cannot know, it's confusing. For example; sending off a book on gardening, only to be turned down because there is already a book on gardening already on their list in the process of getting published. Or you get turned down for something, to which their excuse is, 'it is not suitable for our list.'
I think it just means the list of books that a publishing house has published - the idea is to look at what has already been published so you can send your manuscript to someone likely to be interested, in other words send a self-help book to a publisher that has a history of publishing them, but don't send your children's book to a publisher that only publishes for adults.
It's all very vague. You can look at old books they have published, but in recent years the publisher's style/interest/fashion has changed. They no longer like what they used to publish.
When they refer to future lists or lists for the year, things which you cannot know, it's confusing. For example; sending off a book on gardening, only to be turned down because there is already a book on gardening already on their list in the process of getting published. Or you get turned down for something, to which their excuse is, 'it is not suitable for our list.'
I think it just means the list of books that a publishing house has published - the idea is to look at what has already been published so you can send your manuscript to someone likely to be interested, in other words send a self-help book to a publisher that has a history of publishing them, but don't send your children's book to a publisher that only publishes for adults.