READER’S FORUM

August 1, 2025 at 04:06 pm Reply

Rachel

Hi Mr. Korman,

My name is Rachel, and I am a rising sophomore in high school. I am working on a book about Women in STEM,, but I'm having trouble finding an illustrator, publishing this book affordably, and understanding how to market this.

I am a big fan of your books (my favorites are Masterminds, Ungifted, and The Unteachables), and I recently learned that you published a book when you were my age. It would be amazing if you could provide me with some tips regarding how to manage this process and overcoming the challenges mentioned above.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Rachel
August 1, 2025 at 06:37 pm Reply

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Hi, Rachel,

Thanks for posting and for being a fan as well as a fellow-writer.

I should start off by explaining that I know nothing about self-publishing, and have never done it. My first book, THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING AT MACDONALD HALL, was sent to Scholastic Canada, which was the only publisher I knew. They bought the rights from me, published it, and paid me, apart from an advance, a percentage of the sales price of the books. That's how my career has gone and still goes. So I know nothing about finding editors, illustrators,or publishers and marketers. At the time, Scholastic provided the works. So affordability never entered into it. My expense was zero. (Ditto for Hyperion, Harper-Collins,and McMillan.)

Also, I have always written fiction, and even though I understand the basics of researching a topic (like STEM), I choose to continue with fiction.

My advice would be to research vanity presses in general, and contact writers' groups for advice on self-publishing. There is TWUC (The Writers'Union of Canada) and Writers' Guild of America in the USA. Or you might want to get a book on Writers' Markets and try to sell your manuscript to one of the publishers listed there. It's a treasure trove of info on who is publishing what, and how to submit your work.

Good luck to you. Sorry I can't be more helpful. -----Gordon Korman-----
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Hi, Rachel,

Thanks for posting and for being a fan as well as a fellow-writer.

I should start off by explaining that I know nothing about self-publishing, and have never done it. My first book, THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING AT MACDONALD HALL, was sent to Scholastic Canada, which was the only publisher I knew. They bought the rights from me, published it, and paid me, apart from an advance, a percentage of the sales price of the books. That's how my career has gone and still goes. So I know nothing about finding editors, illustrators,or publishers and marketers. At the time, Scholastic provided the works. So affordability never entered into it. My expense was zero. (Ditto for Hyperion, Harper-Collins,and McMillan.)

Also, I have always written fiction, and even though I understand the basics of researching a topic (like STEM), I choose to continue with fiction.

My advice would be to research vanity presses in general, and contact writers' groups for advice on self-publishing. There is TWUC (The Writers'Union of Canada) and Writers' Guild of America in the USA. Or you might want to get a book on Writers' Markets and try to sell your manuscript to one of the publishers listed there. It's a treasure trove of info on who is publishing what, and how to submit your work.

Good luck to you. Sorry I can't be more helpful. -----Gordon Korman-----
August 3, 2025 at 10:25 pm Reply

Rachel

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That's okay. Thank you anyways!

Sincerely,

Rachel
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That's okay. Thank you anyways!

Sincerely,

Rachel