When a person has an idea for a book they want published, not only must they write a great manuscript that will be sent to publishers for consideration, but they also need to make sure that they are following the submissions guidelines for that particular publisher. This is really important because some people submit without paying attention to how the publisher wishes to be approached.
Is it a bit annoying to have to customize your submissions to the way the particular publisher wants them to be done? Possibly. But this is business and the publisher’s stated desired way is important to them.
The global publishing landscape is a very competitive space. Very. New books are being written and published every day and it can be really hard to be “seen” through all of that. The main thing is that you have to keep working on being seen, on being noticed, on being booked for local media, and more. It is something you will need to dedicate yourself to doing. Setting aside time each day to make sure that you are putting content about yourself (because people want to know who the person behind the book is and if you are being authentic).
So check out the submission criteria for the individual publisher and submit based on what they have indicated is important to them. I am so grateful that all of the people who submit to us have followed our submission criteria really well and when the project is right for us, we are happy to work with the person.
Good luck with your writing and your submissions! If you feel so inclined, we are accepting new submissions and no, you don’t need a literary agent to submit to us.