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As I travel the country speaking to writer's groups in workshops and seminars, I'm struck by the amount of misinformation that is floating around. Having spent 25-years working for two of the largest publishers in the world, I thought it would be important to set the record straight and write about three of the most common myths.

It's not about who published your book, but will it make money

First, there seems to be this impression that if an author publishes with a print-on-demand company * or god forbid self-publish their own manuscript * the big publishers will never be interested in their book. This is wrong! The fact is that the biggest companies in the world are focused on making money. If they discover a title they feel has potential to gain widespread distribution and sell lots of copies, they don't care who published it, they want it. The big publishers rarely look at who published what, for them, it's about dollars and if they feel your writing has the potential, they'll publish it.

An agent is not required

Second, writers have the impression they absolutely have to have an agent to attract the attention of a big New York publisher. Again, this is wrong! If you have a book and a voice and a platform as an author, and a big company sees your potential, they will come to you without the need of an agent. Now, clearly more than 90% of the books the New York companies publish were bought with the assistance of an agent, but the truth is that the big guys are constantly looking for product. If your book, blog, or magazine article, attracts the attention of an editor or publisher, then you can save the 15% and sign without an agent. You do not have to have an agent to sign a publishing contract with a big company. But you're going to need plenty of patience, a whole bunch of perseverance, and lots of marketplace knowledge to make that happen, but it can happen without an agent.

The contract is only the beginning of your work

Third, most authors that I encounter through my consulting have the feeling that once they sign that big time publishing contract, they will be taken care of. In fact, this is the biggest wrong of all! The New York publishers are in the business of making money; if you can help them, terrific, but if not, you are as expendable as the next author. In fact once you sign a contract, your work is just starting. You must help your publisher market your book and that could many a number of things. So the contract is not the end, but the beginning. Your publisher is not in the business of taking care of authors.

The next time you hear something foolish at your writer's group meeting, or conference, send me an email. I answer them all personally and I'll be more than happy to pass along my 25-years of New York experience and give you the facts.