Assignment for DU class, due 3/18/13

1. (click mouse or hit “enter” to continue)

2. Literary Market Place: The Directory of
the American Book Publishing Industry
• What is LMP?: It’s an annual
two-volume reference guide
with listings and
information about and for
the publishing industry
• Where can I find it?: LMP is
available at the Reference
Desk of this library.
• This presentation will guide
you in using LMP!

3. Okay, I have
borrowed Literary
Market Place
from the reference
librarian.
There are two
volumes and over
1800 pages…..
It’s heavy!
….HELP!!
Where do I start???

4. Start with Volume One
• Volume One most likely
has the information you
need, so this presentation
will discuss that volume
only.
• Note the five sections:
– Book Publishers
– Editorial Services &
Agents
– Associations, Events,
Courses & Awards
– Books & Magazines for
the Trade
– Indexes

5. Now, Read the “Preface”
• Why should I take the time
to read the preface?
– It gives a good overview of
what the two volumes
contain, how they are
indexed, as well as provides
helpful guidance for you as an
author.
– It also explains how the book
is compiled and updated—
one of the reasons LMP is
invaluable is the integrity of
the information found here.
Publishers do not pay to be
included, and they have to
meet particular criteria to be
listed.

6. ABA…Ed….Juv…Mss…
• Note the handy listing
of abbreviations and
acronyms that follows
the preface.
• As you use the LMP, you
may need to refer to
this list to understand
an entry.

7. Now you’re ready
to get down to business!

8. I’m an
aspiring writer….
how can
Literary Market
Place
help me?

9. Learning Opportunities
• The section on
“Associations, Events,
Courses & Awards” will
provide you with a host of
opportunities to refine
your writing skills.
• Check out the “Writers’
Conferences &
Workshops” and the
“Courses for the Book
Trade” listings!

10. Reading and Research about Writing
The section on
“Books & Magazines
for the Trade”
provides extensive
listings of resources
about general and
specific areas of
interest and
assistance to
writers.

11. I’M WRITING!
My book is
nearly done
and I know it’s
going to be a
bestseller!

12. How Do I Find a Publisher?
• The section on
“Book Publishers” is
the place to look.
• There are profiles for
more than 2800 U.S.
publishers, listed in
alphabetical order.

13. Each profile provides contact
information, key personnel,
types of books the company
publishes, and other useful
information.

14. Publishers are also
cross-referenced by
geographic location
and what they
publish by type and
by subject.

15. The listing of
publishers by
subject may be the
most helpful of the
cross-reference
indexes.
The “Subject Index”
and the other cross-
reference indexes
are arranged
alphabetically.

16. For example,
use the
“Subject
Index” if
you’ve written
a romance and
want to find
publishers for
that genre.

17. Look up
Romance
You’ll find a list of
publishers for that
genre.

18. For each
publisher
you’re
interested
in, refer
back to the
profiles to
see the
information
you want to
know.

19. Other Information You Can Find in LMP
• Does a particular publisher I’m interested in
accept unsolicited manuscripts?
• Do I need an agent? And where can I find
one?
• I’m an illustrator; is LMP a resource I can use?
• Are there contests and awards for writers?
• These and many other questions can be
answered in this one resource: the Literary
Market Place.

20. Our reference librarians are
here to help….. just ask if
you need further
assistance.
Thank you for visiting your Hometown Library!