I'm looking for a book publishing company that will consider my original cook book idea. I tried doing an internet search, but all the major players either do not have an office in Seattle or do not want to hear from me unless I have a literary agent. Any ideas on who and how to approach them?
Thanks!
L
Joss
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Like the other poster said, most publishers and literary agents are based in NYC. That's the publishing capital of world (USA has the largest publishing market). Most communications are handled via telephone or email. You don't need to meet your publisher or agent face-to-face in order to do business with them, so you don't need to live in the same city as they.
If you've researched the large publishers then you should also know that 99.9% don't accept unagented manuscripts. This means, you need an agent to submit to them. And, as I've just reread your post, I see you've already mentioned that, lol. The only workaround solution is to 1) get an agent or 2) attend any number of major book conventions where editors and agents will be present. If you're lucky, the editor will let you submit your proposal directly to them without an agent. That or you'll need to have connections - someone who can refer you to a specific editor or if you know one personally. There's really no way around this unagented submission rule; you can't just submit to agents - they'll send it back unopened or most likely shred it without reading it. That 0.1% that do take unsolicited submissions are usually one imprint of the major publisher here and there. For instance, DAW is an imprint of one of the big publishers and it takes unsolicited manuscripts. They're the exception though. They only publish fantasy and sci-fi and paranormal, not non-fiction.
Next, you'll have to consider smaller publishers. Go to the bookstore or check amazon.com and look up some cookbooks. Check the publisher and go to that publisher's website. Make sure you thoroughly check the publisher to make sure it's a real publisher and not a self-publisher if you're looking on Amazon. One way to tell is if you have a working knowledge of the red flags that spell out self-publisher.
Other ways to find smaller publishers is if you follow publishing news. Places like GalleyCat and Publishers weekly are good places to start. You might come across an article about someone's non-fiction book being published and you check out the publisher and find out it's a small, legit publisher that publishes non-fiction, including cookbooks. It's not info you'll easily come across, which is why you need to follow it and keep up on it. You can probably do a search of the site. I've come across many legit small publishers just from browsing the articles on those sites, and other industry websites. Plus, it's a good idea because you'll have a better understanding of publishing and the market for books like yours.
There are many agents that represent cookbooks. You'll have to browse some agency websites. aaronline.org and agentquery.com are good places to start. Always background check any agent/agency and publisher you're thinking about using. There are many scams and sharks in the water that only want your money and have no intentions of helping you get your book published. You need to do research to learn how to spot them. Stay away from PublishAmerica.
GL. Also, one last thing. You have to know the market for your book when you're writing non-fiction. know your competition and how your book differs and stands out. You'll need to write a proposal and part of it will require a marketing plan and knowing who your competition is.
Inu4You
Most publishers are New York based, but finding an agent that is interested it this type of thing (non-fiction) is a great way to get it figured out. Below is a link for new agents, and since new agents often take on new authors to build their client lists, this is a good place to start.
Remember though, agents and publishers are not interested in ideas, they are interested in completed manuscripts.
Anonymous
Treasure Island