How to Get a Publishing Deal the Unusual Way

The unexpected way I got a publishing deal

Every aspiring author’s dream is to get a publishing deal and share their story with the world. If it were easy, everyone would do it. It’s the struggle that’s part of the payoff when you finally pull it off.

There is no one-stop way to get a publishing deal. At least not if you want to go with traditional publishing. If you self-publish, the Amazon Kindle store is probably the best way to go. 

For the book I’m working on, that was not the road I wanted to take. I wanted a real publisher with an editor and everything. Someone who guides me and my story, so it becomes better. A publisher who helps me to promote the book in the right way when the time comes. I want my book to be in bookstores.

I’m writing a non-fiction family history rooted in the Dutch and French art world of the 1900s. My gran used to own a portrait of her grandmother painted by the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, years before he became famous for his abstract paintings. It was our family secret. Up until my gran sold the painting, we weren’t allowed to ask questions. I never expected to find a family history rich enough that it could become a book. 

My family was friends with Mondrian, who painted portraits of them and accompanied them in the art scene of the early 1900s. He taught my great-great-grandfather how to paint. More than a year of research led me from impressionistic Amsterdam to secret freemason lodges, the Titanic, mysterious manuscripts, the world chess championship of 1935, and the courage of my family in the second world war.

How to get that coveted book contract? The obvious way is to find an agent. But what if there are other ways? What if you can find different paths that lead you to land on top of the desk of major publishers? 

The following options can potentially help you find a publisher. Let me tell you how I did it – the unusual way.


To start: understand the industry

I’d been struggling for over a year to find a publisher who wanted to offer me a contract. I researched and googled for hours on end like you are probably doing now: how to get published?

Try to understand the publishing world in your origin country or the country you want to get published. If you’re in the US, Writer’s Market is an excellent source.

Find out how your favorite authors got published. There’s so much to find online.


Find an agent

The most common method to try to get published is finding an agent first. They can pitch you to publishers. They’re like realtors for writers.

I once read one of my short stories in a pub at a literary event. I was the only unknown author performing, prizewinning Dutch authors performed after me. It was intimidating and exciting at the same time. After the event, I lingered to have some beers with the other authors and their agents. They were enthusiastic about my work and asked what I wanted to do with my writing. The next day I connected with them on LinkedIn, knowing that someday I might need to message them. 

A year after the event, I was already neck-deep in research for this book, convinced of the story. I wanted to see if I could get it published. I send one of the agents a message, and he was willing to meet for coffee to hear me out. (More about the complete process of finding an agent can be found here).

At first, he was enthusiastic about my idea and asked me to write a book proposal and the first few chapters. So, I did. More people in the agency looked at it. I needed to rewrite some parts. So, I did. In the end, however, they had a different idea than I had about the story, and we parted ways because of creative differences. I thought no one would believe in me and my story anymore.

After a few weeks of drowning in my own misery and risking leaving the project altogether, I thought: what are other routes into the publishing world besides the regular ones?

It wasn’t until I emailed one of my favorite writers about how she landed a publishing deal that I realized you don’t have to have an agent to get published.


Seek similar books to yours and find the publishers

My book falls in the narrative non-fiction category. It can be compared to biographies or family histories based on true-life stories. It’s based on research and countless interviews with family members and people in the art world.

One of the best tips a fellow writer gave me was to seek similar books to yours that appeal to you and list the publishers. It’s so simple yet intelligent. Why hadn’t I thought of it!

I made a shortlist of seven publishers that met my criteria and searched for their editors' submission guidelines and email addresses. Please note that many publishers only take submissions from agents. Some do take unsolicited queries, but you need an agent if you want to go with a big publisher. But there are still other creative ways.

Before I approached them, I had another idea. You can perfectly email your book proposal to these publishers like the rest of the world, or you can investigate ways that will get you on top of their desks. Look for ways that increase your chances of actually meeting with publishers.


Find authors you admire and reach out

Admittedly, this is a long shot, but some writers love to help other writers out. You need to find their contact details online and send them a message. It’s that simple. Be you, talk about your dream, pitch your idea. Above all, be brief and concise. 

I wrote an email to one of my favourite Dutch authors, who writes similar books as to what I’m attempting to do. I pitched my idea briefly, but the main topic of the mail was asking her advice. How did she get published? Does she have an agent?

I’d forgotten about the email, but after six weeks or so, she replied. She told me she just approached publishers who published similar books as she wanted to write. Her career spans over a decade, and she still doesn’t have an agent. She sold over 1 million copies of her books in the Netherlands alone. Her books have been translated into multiple languages. Two have been made into movies. She is the real deal.

And she loved my pitch and offered to connect me to her editor. I send my book proposal, anxiously waiting.

If you ask for it, you just might get it. After a month of radio silence, I asked the editor if she’d read my proposal and what she thought. She replied immediately that she loved it but that my style didn’t fit the publishing house. If I would make a few tweaks, it would, but she advised against it. She said other publishers would love it and to try them first.


Map out your network and angles

We’ve come to the most crucial step in getting published. This is how I did it, but you must be able to sell yourself and push. To not take no for an answer.

Analyze your network. Your friends, colleagues, acquaintances, friends of friends. Who do you know that are part of the literary world? 

Tell as many people as possible that you’re looking to get published. Ask if they know someone who might be able to help. It’s surprising how many people want to! You can also go one step further and post about it on social media. Take the shot.

I also looked at the people I met because of my research. I’d spoken to biographers, art historians, and authors. I expanded my network because of the book.

I made a list of 15 people I could approach directly or indirectly connected to the Dutch publishing industry. I had a friend of a friend who works as an editor at a publisher, another friend who knew someone who owned a publishing house, another whose grandfather is a famous writer, a few journalists, someone from high school who had published two books. I knew more people than I thought.

I was still sulking because I lost my agent and didn’t make any move yet besides making that list.

Because I spoke about my book at birthdays or events, people started to make connections for me. One friend pointed out that the bartender at our regular student bar was now in publishing. Do you know what the funny thing was? A week before she said it, I saw his face in the newspaper. He’d just published a book. I bought it and read it. And now it was time to reach out.

I messaged him on Instagram. Mind you, we hadn’t spoken in about eight years. I complimented him on his book and asked how he got published. He had connections since he is an editor at a publishing house as well. I told him about my project and asked him if he could help. I was scared to ask, but I had to because I didn’t want to give up on my dream.

He asked me to call him and pitch the idea. I did. After an hour, we hung up. He asked me to send over the book proposal. He would send it to appropriate publishers that matched my list in his network if he would like it. Barely a day after I’d send him the proposal, he called me. He already forwarded the proposal to three publishers! And because of him, I was on top of their desks.

Two of the three were enthusiastic enough to invite me over for coffee and discuss the book. I was astonished. Both buildings were packed with books from some of my favorite authors. The third publisher eventually backed out.

The first publisher loved the book but had different ideas about the book than I had. They asked for more chapters, so I had some homework to do. They promised me a contract after.

The other publisher was smaller than the first one, but the owner and I just clicked immediately. She understood what I wanted to write before I did. With one conversation, we found out what the story really should be about. She, too, asked for more chapters.

Weeks later, I emailed both new chapters. The first one suddenly said they weren’t interested anymore, but the funny thing was that intuitively I wanted to sign with the second. The second was even more enthusiastic than before and offered me a contract on the spot. I signed.

The first person in my network who I asked proved to be enough. It was beyond my wildest dreams! The book is scheduled to be released in the Spring of ’22!

Conclusion

Don’t take no for an answer on your journey to become a published author. Turn every stone. Never give up. 

Setbacks happen and suck. Swallow and move on. I left the project for about a month until I send that message on Instagram. He believed in me. Finally, someone in the industry who ‘got me’.

If your writing skills are good, if your story is good, and if you’re willing to put in the work, it is possible. Perhaps you can land a book contract the unusual way.