You love to write. You think your stuff is pretty good, and you’re always coming up with new ideas. You’re starting to think that it would be worth looking into publishing of some sort. 

There’s just one problem: you don’t have an agent. 

As I was growing up, I had a dream that one day I would have an agent for my book and get published by one of the huge publishing companies. I thought that was the only way to be a successful writer! More recently, though, as I’ve worked in the writing and publishing world, I’ve realised that getting an agent and having your book traditionally published is just one way to get published—not the only way. 

Maybe you have an agent and enjoy working with them. Perhaps you’re unsure if you want one or are absolutely against ever getting one. Whatever the case, it’s important to decide what will work for you, not anyone else. Writing is a personal process that varies from person to person. Just as certain people prefer certain methods of writing a book, so certain people prefer certain ways to publish their works. There are a lot of reasons you might not want an agent like: 

• You want your book published soon
• You write in a very specific niche that’s not booming in the market yet
• You write content other than books
• You want complete control over how your books are published
• You want full royalties from your sales

So if this is you, I’m here to tell you that there are other ways to get your work out there—and these five are just the beginning!

1. Indie/Small Publishers

If you’re still looking for an option comparable to traditional publishing, a growing number of indie or small publishers will accept unsolicited manuscripts—just make sure you check before you send one in! These publishers work similarly to the big ones, only you often get a larger cut of the royalties. 

There are also publishing companies like Flying Wings, which I work for, that are more like assisted self-publishers. They help with getting your book out there and let you retain 100% of your rights to the work. Just be aware that you usually have to pay these companies, and don’t get them confused with “vanity presses.” Vanity presses will essentially publish anything as long as you pay them enough, and they keep the rights to your works. Contrarily, most hybrid publishers or assisted self-publishers might have costs attached, but they are still selective, put out quality products, and allow authors to keep their rights to the work. Essentially, vanity presses are just interested in your money, while hybrid or assisted self-publishers are more interested in actually helping you publish a quality book. 

All of that said, make sure to do your research before you decide on a small press to publish your book. 

2. Write for a Publication

If you’re not necessarily interested in writing a book, you might want to write for a publication like a blog or magazine instead. The cool thing about this is it can turn into a full-time job or just be a side gig that you do for fun! With the millions of publications out there, there’s bound to be one that fits your niche. This is a great stepping stone to publishing something bigger like a book because you’ll have published lots of content and established your credibility. 

3. Self-Publishing

It might be obvious, but this is one of the main options people turn to when they don’t want or can’t get an agent. The self-publishing business is huge nowadays, but that doesn’t guarantee your book will be successful. To find success as a self-published author, you must fall into one of these three categories:

• You’re a famous person, influencer, or someone with a big following
• You’ve written a quality book and will put in the work to make it professional and market it well
• A crazy miracle happens and your book goes viral

Obviously, you can’t control the last option and it rarely ever happens, so you either need to be in the first or second category. If in the first, you’ve got a pretty good guarantee of success as long as your book is within your already established niche. Most of us, though, are in the second category. Self-publishing takes a lot of work if you really want to do it right and make sales, but it’s all on your own terms. 

If you want to know more about self-publishing, take a look at my other posts about it here! 

4. Writing Competitions

If you’re dead set on getting published, I recommend looking into this option along with one or more of the others in this list, as you obviously can’t control whether or not you win. However, you can increase your chances by entering into several competitions at a time. 

Also, keep in mind that not every competition will actually get you published, so make sure to look for competitions that meet your needs. Reedsy is a great place to start, as their list of running competitions is huge and you can filter it by genre and cost.

All in all, competitions are fun and you can learn a lot from them. Even if your winning story isn’t published anywhere significant, it can still give you some credibility when you look into one of these other options. 

5. Start a Blog

What an idea! This may seem too simple, but don’t underestimate the power of a blog. You can find your niche, create your own posting schedule, and put out as much or as little content as you want. It’s one of the simplest ways to publish your work, but if you want to be recognised and make a living off of it, it will take some work. 

In addition to sites hosted by WordPress and similar companies, you can also look into websites that are specifically made for writers like Vocal and Medium. 

There Is a Way for You!

No matter what you write, there is a way for you to get published. You can even try several of these methods, or all of them! Start small, get feedback from your audience, and work your way up to something like self-publishing if you’re set on publishing a book. Or, if that isn’t your goal, you may be happy steadily writing for a publication, and that’s great, too!

The wonderful thing about the writing world of today is that there are many options. You can create your own path! And if you have any questions about how to do it, please don’t hesitate to drop a comment or contact me personally.

Happy writing!
—E.J.

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