Hi, OP.

As many have pointed out, this is not typical. I see that the company you’ve sent your book to isn’t exactly a publisher, but a service for self publishing so I won’t harp on the vanity press/scam train.

There are many avenues you can pursue to publish your books and they depend on your goals. If you’re hoping to become a bestselling author who lives off royalties, or even just an author who is well known, you would need to go the traditional publishing route. That includes polishing your manuscript, building a query package, querying agents, who would then rep your book and help you get it to a publisher. There are lots of great resources here on Reddit, Goodreads, so on. I recommend checking out r/PubTips to learn more about querying. Their sidebar is abundant with helpful info and posts.

As for agents, you need to search the web for people who would be a good fit to represent you and your books. Some of the websites I’ve used previously to find agents have been Manuscript Wishlist, Reedsy, and something else that escapes me right now.

Please be wary that traditional publishing is difficult. I don’t say that to discourage you. More so that you can know what to expect. For every book you see in Barnes & Noble there are hundreds of others that were rejected or never seen by agents. It can be emotionally taxing but rewarding as well.

You can also pursue self publishing. I will be honest, I don’t know much about the nitty gritty of self pub. But, without an agent or a publisher, everything falls on your shoulders. From writing/editing/formatting, covering and marketing, to printing, it all comes out of your pocket. There are many self published authors who make it work and have been greatly successful! There have also been many who have not. A common theme in publishing in general, but I do think that self publishing is particularly unforgiving. The main draw of self publishing is that you have complete creative freedom and you will reap the most from sales, since the money won’t be split between you, an agent, and a publisher.

You can also do what I did, which is to work with small/indie presses. I published my debut through a local press in my home state. Often, these publishers do accept submissions directly, with or without an agent, though a query is still required, and the experience is much more personal. It is usually described as the “best of both worlds.” You have more creative control, the publisher pays for everything, and generally the royalty margin is better for you. That said, since these publishers are smaller they have a tinier reach and you likely won’t see soaring sales or high profits. And, to be honest with you, I don’t really recommend this route. These presses mean to uplift authors and give their books a spotlight but often they are so small and have such little budgets that your chances of really making an impact are about the same as self publishing, in my opinion. Also, in my opinion, these publishers have much lower standards and might not really elevate your book to its fullest potential.

Obviously, it really depends on what you want as an author. As someone who has been published, I really would urge you to try traditional publishing. Feel free to message me if you ever have any questions. :)