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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Get Published

Get Published

What Is the Best Way to Submit My Self-Published Book?

By Steve Laubeon April 21, 2025
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We are asked this question so frequently that I have to re-run this post on a regular basis!

Since it has become so easy to self-publish, many authors are creating their own books, both in ebook and print form. Later, those authors are not quite sure what to do if/when they want to approach an agent. Or pitch to an editor at a conference.

Should they just send a copy of the book with a letter? Or should they create a proposal? Or do both? Is there truly a right way and a wrong way? And if you are at a writers conference, why not just bring a copy of the book? You may not like my answer:

It depends.

In my opinion, it is best to start over with a full proposal and sample chapters. In other words, act as if the self-published work doesn’t exist.

YET, at the same time, within the proposal itself you must, absolutely must, disclose that the book was self-published and has sold xxxx number of copies.

Why not just send the book? Or a PDF of the ebook? Or the Kindle file?

I didn’t say you couldn’t. What I said is that it is best to start over fresh. Why? Because of first impressions. Over the years, I’ve received hundreds of finished self-published books instead of proposals with sample chapters. Unfortunately, the artwork on the cover or the interior design or the printing quality of the book can be less than stellar. It is unfortunate, but I cannot avoid comparing your book to the covers I see from the industry’s finest designers. It is human nature to compare.

Beyond the book cover, I’ve seen some weird font inside a finished book, which rendered it unreadable. Or the author was trying to save printing costs by reducing page count. Try to imagine a printed book with an 8-point font, single-spaced. (Yes, that has happened–more than once.)

We’ve had people email a PDF of their entire self-published work. Often, the file size is enormous. Or another author sent me their epub file (expecting me to download the file, then upload it to my eReader). [Nope. Not going to happen.] More than once, we’ve been sent a flash drive with files on it that we were instructed to download for review. [We don’t know where your flash drive has been.] Or we frequently receive a link to a cloud-based folder to download the file. [Nope.] And believe it or not, I was once invited in an email pitch to buy their book on Amazon if I was interested in representing it. [????]

I mentioned full disclosure of sales above. If your book has sold 5,000 or 10,000 self-published copies, say that in your cover letter. That is significant news. (And that means full-price sales, not free ebook downloads.) It means you are quite the entrepreneur and know how to sell books. That is a good thing.

If your book only sold 75 copies, that isn’t quite as exciting.

The next question will be asked, “Of those 10,000 sold, at what price were they sold?” Plus, “Were those print sales or ebook sales?” If you say, “I sold 9,500 at 99 cents each,” that won’t move the needle.

Why do we ask those questions? Because if we represent the project, a major publisher will ask the same questions of us.

Ultimately, what you really want is to have your words be what is evaluated by the agent, the editor, and the publisher. Not whether or not you had a good graphic designer. The best way to make that happen is to present your story or nonfiction book plain and simple in a regular book proposal.

Of course, there are exceptions (and it is not a “rule,” only a guideline). There are times where the packaging of someone’s book is so terrific that it actually helps sell the book! But in a case like that, you are betting that the agent or editor has the same taste in design that you do. I’ll admit to being “sold” by an indie author’s extraordinary packaging of their book. It suggests they are willing to invest in their work and their brand, and they know good work when they see it. (But then if they did so well on their own, why are they looking for an agent? That is a question for another day.)

As always, check the agent’s guidelines before sending anything to an agent or a publisher.

Read and then add your thoughts to the previous comments below. The exchanges can be instructive.

[An earlier version of this post last ran in May 2020.]

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Category: Book Proposals, Indie, Self-PublishingTag: book proposals, Get Published, Self-Publishing

Who and What I’m Looking For (Bob Hostetler)

By Bob Hostetleron January 8, 2025
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(Updated 1/8/2025) As another year dawns, much has changed—and much remains the same—in the world of Christian publishing. With all that in mind, let me offer an updated answer, as up-to-the-minute as I can make it, to the frequent question I field from aspiring, developing, accomplished, and skilled writers: “What are you looking for?” Influence Aspiring writers often imagine, “Once I have a book …

Read moreWho and What I’m Looking For (Bob Hostetler)
Category: Agency, Agents, Book ProposalsTag: Agency, Agents, Get Published

Know Your Genre When Making a Pitch

By Steve Laubeon August 5, 2024
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Awhile ago I received a call that illustrates a common error a writer can make when making their pitch: the problem of not knowing the genre in which they are writing. The call went something like this: Writer: I’m calling to see if your agency handles westerns. Agent: That is a tough genre to sell in the current market, but a lot would depend on how well you can write it. Writer: Some …

Read moreKnow Your Genre When Making a Pitch
Category: Book Proposals, Branding, Conferences, Get Published, Marketing, PitchingTag: book proposals, Genre, Get Published, Pitch; Genre; proposals, Pitching

Unsolicited Proposals: Aka “The Slush Pile”

By Steve Laubeon July 1, 2024
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All literary agents receive dozens of proposals each week. Most are via email these days, but some still come via the post. Last week was a relatively slow week; my office received only 28 unsolicited proposals via email and two in the post. For the month of June, it was around 170 total unsolicited proposals received. (Unsolicited means proposals that are not from our existing clients. We get a …

Read moreUnsolicited Proposals: Aka “The Slush Pile”
Category: Agency, Book Proposals, Get Published, Rejection, SteveTag: Get Published, Pitching, Proposals, Rejection

Your Writers Conference Appointment

By Steve Laubeon April 8, 2024
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[I’ve posted variations of this article over the years. I hope that by bringing it back to the top of the pile, many of you new readers will see it!] __________ You snagged one of those valuable 15-minute appointments with an agent or an editor at a writers conference. Now what? What do you say? How do you say it? What do I bring with me? And what does that scowling person on the other side …

Read moreYour Writers Conference Appointment
Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Conferences, Pitch, Pitching, Writing CraftTag: Book Business, Conferences, Get Published, Pitching, Proposals, Rejection

Only the Rich Get Published (?)

By Steve Laubeon February 26, 2024
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The title of today’s blog came in a question that was much less confrontational but significant nonetheless. In the context of describing the extremely limited amount of money they could spend on writers conferences, online classes, training materials, etc., the writer summarized by asking, “How can an unknown writer with very limited resources expect to get their writing published?” This is a …

Read moreOnly the Rich Get Published (?)
Category: Career, Conferences, Get Published, The Writing LifeTag: Get Published

R Is for Reserve Against Returns

By Steve Laubeon November 6, 2023
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Every traditionally published author needs to understand the principle of “Reserves Against Returns,” which is an integral part of publishing economics. It can reduce the amount of money an author receives in their royalty statement. It is usually a shock and elicits a phone call to their agent crying, “What happened to my money?” Did you realize that book publishing is the …

Read moreR Is for Reserve Against Returns
Category: Book Business, Publishing A-ZTag: Book Business, Contracts, Get Published, Money, Traditional Publishing

Endorsements: How Important Are They?

By Steve Laubeon July 17, 2023
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How important are endorsements? (Those “blurbs” on the back of a book that exclaim, “A real masterpiece!”) Let me answer with a question. When browsing a book title, do you look at the endorsements or notice who wrote the foreword or the introduction? I suspect you do without realizing it. And if you are unfamiliar with the author but you know the endorser, then you are …

Read moreEndorsements: How Important Are They?
Category: Book Proposals, Writing CraftTag: Endorsements, Get Published, Proposals

4 Tips for Surviving a Writers Conference

By Steve Laubeon June 12, 2023
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I’ve had the fun of teaching at nearly 200 writers conferences over the years. In that time, I’ve noticed several common things that all writers face. Let’s explore a few tips that may help you survive at the next one you attend. Relax The most common mistake is viewing the conference as a make-it-or-break-it event. The stress folks place on themselves is palpable. I’ve had …

Read more4 Tips for Surviving a Writers Conference
Category: Conferences, MarketingTag: Get Published, writers conferences

Who Decides to Publish Your Book?

By Steve Laubeon May 1, 2023
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The editor you met with at a writers conference liked your proposal and asked you to send it to her after the conference. She was already talking about format and promotional ideas. Or you submitted a proposal and received an enthusiastic response from the acquisitions editor. Four (or maybe six to eight) months later, a rejection letter showed up in your inbox. What happened? No matter how much …

Read moreWho Decides to Publish Your Book?
Category: Agents, Book Proposals, Career, Get Published, Pitching, The Publishing Life, The Writing LifeTag: book proposals, Get Published, Publishing Decision
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