Straight out of the comments from this previous post about writing unconventional fantasy settings, author Joe Cooke asked:

If we write stories that are outside the bounds of the tried-and-true, how do we get them to market?

Dear readers, that is the million dollar question and one that I have heard many, many times. It’s also the reason why I’ve been extraordinarily hesitant to make leaps and bounds into the foray of (what has been described by some) as “writer’s purgatory.”

How the Market Has Changed

Before I talk about how to bring an unconventional work to market, I’d like to first cover why and how much the market has changed. Simply, three factors have reshaped the industry forever; the internet, the rising costs of publishing, and new forms of electronic media like the eBook readers. No longer do publishing houses have hosts of “readers” who glance through slush piles; several have “closed” submissions to first-time authors and even more prefer “named” authors only. There are a few that still have an open door policy, and agents do still exist.
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