Have you self-published a novel you had originally intended to send to literary agents (to see how it did)? Or, did you self-publish a novel, decide that publishing path wasn’t for you, and now want to send that book to literary agents?
Let’s talk about why sending previously self-published books to literary agents (or publishers) may not be the best idea.
As you are probably aware, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to go about publishing. Meaning, you can self-publish books, send unpublished manuscripts to agents, you can publish with an indie press… There are so many (great) publishing options in 2019 that weren’t available in previous years. >> Check out my previous blog, How Should I Publish My Book?, to learn more about the publishing paths available to you.
In addition, with so many high-quality books being self-published, the stigma around this publishing path has been slowly fading over time. Though, I wouldn’t say it’s gone away entirely (yet).
However, there is one persistent question I see in the comments for almost every YouTube video I publish, and that is: “Can I query a book I’ve already self-published?”
The short answer is: No. Or, I don’t recommend it.
The long answer is one I’m going to attempt to get into today.
When I worked at the literary agency, the authors who queried me with a self-published project usually were querying that manuscript because the book didn’t sell well.
If a book didn’t sell well—meaning, readers had a chance to check out the story and decided they weren’t interested in it—why would industry professionals be interested in that book (again, if readers weren’t)?
The role of a literary agent is to find books they think they can sell to editors at publishing houses. Agents only make money when an author does. Once a book is sold, agents take a fifteen percent cut of what the author makes. (And good agents earn that fifteen percent!)
The role of an editor is to find books they think they can sell to readers. They want to find a fantastic story that they think they can edit, package, market, and hopefully make a profit on. If publishers don’t make money on the books they publish, they will have to downsize or eventually close their doors.
Therefore, if you have previously self-published a book that didn’t sell… well, most publishers won’t be interested in it for that very reason.
The typical response I get to this is: “BUT BUT BUT I’m not good at marketing. If this book had been traditionally published and had marketing support, it would have sold better.”
Perhaps. But, then again, perhaps not.
While a good marketing strategy can absolutely help spread the word about a book, it’s not just about marketing.
Publishers considering whether or not they want to purchase a book will look at:
- The quality of the writing: Because, obviously!
- The uniqueness of the story: Has it been done in a similar way before? If so, how is this story unique?
- The marketability of this book: Do readers want to read this type of story?
- Trends in the marketplace: Where do they think the market will be in two+ years?
- Whether or not the publisher can make a profit
Most publishers also want rights to first to market. Meaning, they want to be the ones to introduce a story to the world. By an author previously self-publishing a title, the book has lost its “newness.” People have had a chance to see it. If they didn’t purchase it before, why would they purchase it in two+ years after a publisher has published it?
In addition, even if a book is published traditionally, authors are still expected to participate in the marketing efforts. A common misconception writers have about traditional publishing is that they only have to write stories and the publisher does the rest (including marketing). While that may have been true in the past, it’s no longer true today. Therefore, if the book didn’t sell well before (with your marketing efforts), why would publishing it now be any different?
Now, if a book performed well and sold many copies, you will likely have agents and/or editors knocking at your door (without having to query them). Don’t forget that publishing is a business. Publishers are always looking for books that will earn them a profit. If a self-published book is selling thousands of copies, all bets are off for everything I said before. Again, if a title is doing well, industry pros will likely be coming to you (rather than the other way around).
An alternative approach to querying a previously self-published title would be to write a new manuscript and query that. You can always write another book and send it to literary agents in the hopes of getting it published traditionally (should that be the publishing path you’d like to pursue). Just because you previously self-published books doesn’t mean you can’t traditionally publish titles later on. (Hello, hybrid publishing!)
It’s always going to be sticky territory (and likely a big fat “no thanks”) if you try to garner interest from a literary agent (and ultimately a publisher) on a title that has already been published.
*Please Note: This conversation doesn’t apply to self-published authors who work with literary agents for foreign rights and sub rights. Everything mentioned above is geared toward authors who want to remove a book from the market (for example, North American, English rights) and try to sell those rights to a publisher.
Meg LaTorre is a writer, YouTuber, host of the free query critique platform, Query Hack, developmental book editor, writing coach, and former literary agent with a background in magazine publishing, medical/technical writing, and journalism. To learn more about Meg, visit her website or follow her on
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Meg, I was wondering about the following scenario. I self publish books on Amazon, I then unpublish them (You can’t delete them). I rewrite them in a major way and change the title; I then try to find an agent for them. Thanks.
You have beautifully explained why a self-published book shouldn’t be sent to the literary agents. I am sharing this post with a friend who is an author by profession.
The incredibly difficult path to traditional publishing, even for excellent new authors, might account for the rise in self publishing. Writers get discouraged with rejection letters, especially when the Query process can be so complicated. The majority of writers never land a deal that would give them access to a professional editor. Voila! A glut of sub-par material floods Online bookstores. The writers I know who self-published have not done well with sales.
I have tons of plotlines themes concerning diffrent blends of pop themes and nostalgia lore,I think a revolution will happen on a class based contingent and the readers will get raw uncut pure storylines and real drama,not this “who likes me era ;which if you studied history us a fad that will end ,rewarding people with no talent but alot of sully friends
moral and reeks of relativism ,rewarding silly people because they have friends this garbage must stop
Thanks, Meg. This is sound advice. There’s always an exception to the rule, but it’s almost always better to try and get an agent with a new book, both in the case of a well-shopped book (if one had an agent previously who shopped it widely) and a previously self-published book. If down the road the author’s career is booming, then that self-published book may become easier for their agent to try and sell, who knows.
Well said, Angela! There are certainly always going to be exceptions to the rule. But I find having the mindset of you being the exception to the rule almost always isn’t helpful (and, in many cases, that mindset hurts the writer). In addition, it’s often a better long-term strategy to write a new book rather than query a previously self-published book or a heavily queried one (as you described) since garnering an agent’s interest is so tough.
I so agree. I think it is a trap to believe we are “special” and the rules don’t apply. The best thing we can do is prepare for the market by studying it and investing the time into learning strong writing craft. If we discover we’re an exception because opportunity and preparation collide, that’s terrific, but we shouldn’t bank on it.
It seems to me that if your self-published book does well enough, the publishers will approach you.
HI Iola, Yes, this is definitely the case from what I have seen.
Yes, I agree with Angela. If a self-published book sells well, publishers and/or agents often approach the author directly.