Finding a home for your story can really be tough. I know a lot of authors out there get really frustrated at the number of rejections they receive saying the story is just not right. This is equally as frustrating when authors are getting mixed messages. On one side, they are told to write the story of their dreams. On the other side, they hear the cynics out there saying that "traditional publishing doesn't allow you to keep your own voice." I am here to say, that there are ways you can do both.
There are actually two approaches you can take to increase the chances of your story getting picked up by a publisher.
The first is to focus on the publisher first. I have said this over and over again here on the blog. Every publisher has a unique voice. What works for one publisher is not going to work for another. Some have more of a commercial feel and others have more of a literary feel. Please understand that I am not talking about the genres they represent, but the voice and the style of the writing. So, with that said, if you have the desire to write for a specific publisher, you have to make sure you style is in sync with that publisher. You can still keep your voice, but you do need to shift HOW you are putting together your story.
On the second side of the coin, you can write the story of your dreams. Stick to what YOU want to do. Now, here comes the hard part. It is time to start researching publishers and hoping to find a publisher that matches what you are doing. This is a bit harder than you think. You have to look for patterns and it will require a lot of time. Also, understand that you may find that there are limited or no publishers that use your style. Your "dream publisher" may now be off your list.
This is part of the reason why I always recommend starting with the publisher. Learn that style of writing. Work with what you already have in your tool-kit and build on that. You may find you have better chances of getting published.
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