The first time historical fiction author and memoirist Madeline Sharples queried a publisher with her novel, Papa’s Shoes, it was rejected. She decided to start reaching out to small presses, and soon came across Aberdeen Bay in Alexandria, Virginia. Following her experience, Sharples offers two pieces of advice to authors hoping to publish their work traditionally:
1. Do not deviate from the publisher’s guidelines. Sharples had to follow a specific set of instructions to be considered by Aberdeen Bay.
2. Find a publisher that is already publishing books like yours. This can increase your chance of getting published by a certain press, as it did for Sharples.