So you’re thinking of writing to the dozens of book publishing companies in Singapore, and you’re wondering where to start from.
Well, take it from me.
I’ve written to more than 6 different publishing companies in my initial desire to publish a book, and out of those 6, only 1 replied me.
Write Editions.
You might have written your manuscript, and you’re now wondering where to head to next. You might have heard about how horrid the publishing industry in Singapore is.
Mixed means that you can pay to publish, or if the manuscript is really good, the publisher might just do the whole thing for free
But I’m here to share an insider’s perspective of where the bright spots are.
Fiction
If you’re doing fiction, there are only two reputed places to go.
Ethos Press, and Epigram.
Let’s start with my friends at Ethos Press, whom I’ve met on 3 separate occasions.
Ethos Press
The first time I wrote to the husband and wife team at Ethos, I was a confused, young man. In May 2020, at the grand age of 25 years old, I had just finished my first manuscript, and I wanted someone to publish it. I wrote a heartfelt letter to Ethos, and heard nothing back.
I personalised the message to Wai Han, the ex social worker who eventually became an editor with Ethos.
But still, there were only crickets.
I was tempted to just let things slide, but as luck would have it, I met them again in June 2024, four years later, during my church’s annual church camp. This time, I had pushed out 4 books, but I was still lacking the marquee publisher as an author.
That evening, on the way back from Kuala Lumpur, where our church camp was held, I heard that there were some publishers on board.
Amazing! It was even more surprising that they were Ethos, who had rejected me all those years ago.
Wai Han, one of the editors behind Ethos, gently sat me down on the journey and told me how to grow as an author.
I was stunned.
Why would they take time to nurture me, as a potential competitor to their business?
When I asked him how she made money from her authors, she said that wasn’t the topmost priority. Rather, it was about publishing voices. That’s why they still did Kirsten Han, even when she was seen as a rebel voice in the Singaporean system.
If you want to get published by Ethos
If you have an alternate voice and view, which is well backed by research, you might want to try Ethos. Just look at the success of You Yenn, who sold more than 50,000 copies of her book, This is What Inequality Looks Like.
If you’ve a good voice, look at Ethos.
Epigram
Edmund Wee, the publisher behind Epigram, is another publisher who’s looking out for voices.
In fact, he’s so heavily invested in the voices of authors that he set up shop in London, trying to publish the first Man Booker Prize-winning Singaporean author. It didn’t pan out well.
That’s why when I met him at an author’s workshop in November 2024, the first thing he said about publishing abroad was that most authors wrote for a local market.
Meeting him together with other local writers who had been published by him, helped me to see that he was still out for contrarian voices.
But was it really possible to make a living as an author in a tiny market like Singapore?
I will be the first one to admit that it can sometimes seem impossible. Above, you can see the earnings I’ve had from selling my 4 books online. They have only sold about $700 over the whole year. That’s not enough to make a living off.
But our recommendation is that you still get published first, before you start thinking of making money. Think of it this way. If you’ve not even gotten published by local publishers, why would a big publisher pay you?
Armour Publishing
So I submitted even more to places like Armour Publishing. They were willing to work with me, if I paid money.
That said, they have been responsible for books by Singaporean Christian luminaries like Dr Kenny Tan.
Premier Singapore publishers
Then there are the homegrown publishers that have grown to become quite a global tour de force.
Amongst those are World Scientific, which you’d be surprised to know is actually Singaporean. They have done books like the ones on Goh Chok Tong, and diplomat George Yeo.
But if you want to make money, you might just go for your bigger, traditional publisher.
This is where the likes of Wiley and Times come in.
Write Editions?
Oh, you mean you paid to be published.
I had just explained to the publisher at Times Publishing that I had been published by Write Editions. But she stopped me.
She immediately pointed out that I had paid to be published.
I didn’t know how to react. Was I supposed to apologise? Yes, everything she pointed out was true. I had paid to be published. I still didn’t receive royalties.
But… was it not counted?
What was the appropriate response?
Times Publishing
Well, you would be hard pressed to know how to best work with Times too. I would be the first to point out that that first encounter where I was asked if I had paid for publishing left me with a bitter taste with my mouth. It wasn’t just that she had pointed that out. Nothing wrong with paying to publish. Big authors like Brené Brown also self-published their first book.
But what was more worrying was how she left no dignified way to exit that question. When you ask a question, it’s nice to leave some dignity with the person answering. Otherwise, the person will feel shamed publicly.
I felt as if the books I had paid to publish (yes, nothing wrong with that), were just putty in her eyes. As if there was nothing worth respecting.
A better way?
Maybe start by asking what the person had published, and how that experience had been, rather than immediately pointing out that the person had paid to publish.
Wiley and Sons
Well, someone better to consider might be Wiley.
Wiley and Sons, who’ve been traditionally known for their academic publishing, recently pushed out The Woke Salaryman’s book, and immediately sold more than 10k of its books. That’s a neat revenue of nearly $300k, considering that each book retails for about $30.
That’s no small margin.
What’s interesting is that they even pushed Rui Ming and co to the wider region, arranging meet and greets within multiple regions like South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia.
But Rui Ming and his team have also continually pushed out content that’s been top class.
Of course, if you want to work with better publishers, you can try the premium one in Penguin Random House SEA.
Penguin
In 2022, I met Penguin’s publisher at the Asia-Professional Speakers’ Convention. It was a varied conversation about what kind of books they were looking for.
They didn’t have a formula, but they generally wanted authors with a proven audience. After all, with tons of authors to choose from, just depending on authors with a simple manuscript wouldn’t work. They had to have people who would definitely buy their books.
Now now, not all of us can get onto Penguin’s list.
That’s where you might want to consider pay-to-publish.
Pay to Publish
Pay to publish has gotten a bad name, especially because you might be seen as someone who’s just paying to get his ego boosted.
But there have been many global bestselling authors today that started with self-publishing. Brené Brown is one of them. She wrote in Gifts of Imperfection about how scared she was of being scared of being exposed as a self-published author, despite her status as a PHD graduate.
We all know what happened with that story.
Candid Creation
Candid will forever hold a special place in my heart because they were the first people who gave me a chance.
Kok Hwa saw how egoistic I was with my persistent desire to write about myself, and still agreed to work with me. He pointed me in the right direction, telling me that I would gain far more credibility by trying to interview experts, than just focusing on my own story.
He quickly helped me to see the beauty of my writing. He gave me confidence, when I told him that I wanted to rewrite the book after I got negative feedback from someone I respected deeply.
Having published tons of books, Kok Hwa is the man to go to.
Graceworks
Graceworks mercifully shared their resources with me, when I was close to broke. In 2023, I had spent close to all my money publishing books for public good.
I had just splashed $11,500 on Vault with Candid Creation, and another $8400 with Write Editions for Take Heart.
I had no more money left and wasn’t sure how else to move things forward. Then Wei Hao, one of the editors behind the Generations Project, told me that a funder was willing to fund my work.
It was money from heaven.
I know it sounds ridoculous, but if you’re an author struggling to pay the bills, GraceWorks, with their network of donors, might just help with funding your book.
Speak to them.
Gutenhag
Gutenhag is us.
We’re laser focused on story. This means that our process often focuses first on the quality of the manuscript. We intervene through developmental editing to make the script stronger, and to help your story shine through the text.
What makes us different from other hybrid publishers is our incessant focus on story as the central, driving force behind the book’s sale.
Whilst other publishers would focus on how big your audience is, we often work with small authors to refine their story, and to make them stronger. We know that this isn’t the fastest way to make lots of money, but we believe it’s a good way to raise the profile of the younger authors that we work with.
Find a publisher who’s willing to be your Yoda
In Star Wars, Yoda is the guru who guides Luke to becoming a better Jedi.
He’s the one who ultimately helps points Luke in the right direction.
But that isn’t always easy, especially if you’re an author with a specific way of looking at your book.
Choose a publisher who’s willing to trust you, and work with you through the flaws in your book.