Most people at some point in their lives think . . . ‘I’m going to write a book’ . . . And for many, that’s where it ends.
A few notes scribbled down, maybe the first page or two, maybe even a first chapter, but then it becomes hard. All those ideas, which at first seemed to flow, start to dry up and inevitably that ‘best seller’ you planned to write, becomes nothing more than a dream. To succeed you have to really work at it. You have to write the best story you possibly can and be open to criticism and never give up.
Unfortunately though, that isn’t enough any more. With so many manuscripts being submitted to publishers each year and profit margins getting tighter and tighter, it’s little wonder publishers have no other option but to reject the vast majority of books they receive.
We think there is a better way!
Creating a ‘shop window’ for unpublished books is the perfect way to get noticed. The Book Showcase gives readers the opportunity to say what they liked (or didn’t like) about a book and leave constructive comments, allowing authors to hone and improve their manuscript - a vital step towards producing a book that publishers will want to read - and readers will want to buy.
‘It’s so frustrating - people are saying they like my book and would buy it if they could, but how can I get a publisher to read it, when they’re so inundated with submissions.’
It all started with one book…
Some years ago my father wrote a book. After several re-writes and countless hours of proof reading and spell checking, he did what every aspiring author does; he did some research and submitted his book to a publisher who he thought would be interested in publishing his work. He waited and he waited as several months passed and despite knowing just how difficult it is for a first time author to even have their book read, he remained optimistic.
I’ll never forget the day that rejection letter arrived. All that work and his dreams of becoming a published author, all disappeared with one short letter.
After continued encouragement from family and with renewed optimism, my father tried again, this time submitting his book to two publishers. Inevitably his hopes were again dashed, when two very similar letters arrived within a couple of weeks of each other, one with his manuscript returned, the other without.
Over the following year various approaches to other publishers failed to ignite even the slightest interest. Resigned to the fact that it wasn’t to be, he gave up.
For me, reading those short and rather blunt rejection letters, from the standard, ‘We are currently not accepting submissions’, to the slightly more encouraging, but ultimately just as disappointing, ‘Whilst we liked your writing style, unfortunately your book doesn’t quite fit our criteria’, all hinted at the same thing - his book either hadn’t been opened, or at best, probably wasn’t read past the first few pages.
Something needed to change!
It was clear to me that my father was just one of the thousands of authors every year who all receive similar disheartening rejection letters. The process of submitting material to publishers, that hasn’t really changed for over a hundred years, simply isn’t working any more - for both sides.
Publishers, inundated with unsolicited material, are unfairly portrayed in a bad light for not giving due consideration to every manuscript they receive, and authors are unrealistically convinced their novel is going to become the next best seller, with little if any critique from the buying public. I decided there had to be a better way. There had to be a way of making every manuscript more easily accessible to publishers. But there also needed to be a way for readers to review and comment on unpublished material so that authors could make changes and hone their manuscript, before submitting it to publishers. For my father and for the majority of authors in the same position as he was at that time, that feedback would have been absolutely invaluable.
If publishers were able to gauge more accurately, the public’s interest in a book, they would have a much better insight into its commercial viability.
And with that, The Book Showcase was born!
Oh, and the postscript to this - my father eventually got his book published and he went on to write two further books and several short stories off the back of its success.
Mark Oliver - CEO & Founder -- The Book Showcase
Writing a book can be a life changing experience. Having it published is just reward for all that hard work.
There are so many 'good reads' out there, written by new and un-published authors and overlooked by publishers. We believe every book deserves a chance and we can help you become a published author.
Whilst we would always recommend showcasing your work and giving publishers time to decide if they want your book, if that illusive deal still alludes you, we offer a unique publishing service that puts YOU in control and lets you create a publishing deal that suits you.
“A book starts a new life every time it is read”