Many fiction writers try to publish their books before they have completed a manuscript — to no avail. If you are a seasoned writer working with a literary agent, then just a few chapters or even a proposal can get you a contract, but for most people starting out in the fiction business, the book should be 100% done before moving forward to the publication stage. If you’re writing non-fiction, then you need to have a completed book proposal first. If you are writing a fitness book or a cookbook, then you should focus on the proposal. If you’re working on more literary non-fiction, then you should work on more sample chapters or even a completed manuscript, in some cases. If you have determined that you only need a proposal for the type of nonfiction you are writing, then skip to step 6 and decide whether you want to hire a literary agent or go directly to the publishing house. If you are writing an academic textbook, then skip to the last section and learn how to publish your book by contacting a publisher directly.
Make sure your book is as engaging as possible. Though not every book is a spy novel or a page turner, make sure your readers are hooked from the beginning, and that they always have a reason to keep turning those pages. Get rid of any wordiness or excess. Many agents say that they rarely accept a debut novelist’s book if it’s over 100,000 words. Make sure you get your point across. Whether you’re writing a romance novel or science fiction, you should have reached your objective and communicated your message by the end of the book. Make sure your thoughts are as clear as possible. Your ideas may be crystal clear to you, but would they confuse your average reader? Of course, your book may be targeted toward a certain audience, but members of that audience (such as college students or nurses) should be able to clearly follow your thoughts.
Ask a fellow writer. A friend who knows how to write will have some insight into what works and what does not work in a book. Ask a voracious reader. Someone who reads a lot will be able to tell you if your book was a page turner, or if they were asleep after the first chapter. Ask someone who knows your subject. If you’re writing non-fiction about something in a field such as business, science, or cooking, ask someone who is an expert in this field to see if you really know your stuff. Submit your stuff to a writing workshop. Whether you have an informal writer’s workshop with friends in your area or you’re attending a writing conference, submitting a chapter of your work to a workshop can give you insight into a variety of perspectives at once. If you’re in an M. A. or M. F. A. program in creative writing, you will have lots of resources for feedback, whether it’s your classmates or faculty. Find a reputable editor and ask for a manuscript evaluation. This can be very expensive, but asking the right person can help you see if your book is ready. [2] X Research source Remember to take your feedback with a grain of salt. Not everyone will fall in love with your book, and that’s okay. It’s important to get constructive feedback from people you trust, but recognize that you won’t benefit from every opinion. Getting good feedback means knowing who to ask.
Though your revision should take you in the right direction, you should ask for more feedback to make sure you made the draft stronger. When you’ve revised your manuscript again, put it away for a few weeks or even a month. Then take it out and read it with fresh eyes to see if it’s in the best possible shape. Last, copy edit your book. Once all of the larger points are taken care of, make sure your manuscript is free of grammatical and punctuation errors. These errors will make your work look unprofessional and will keep your readers from appreciating your hard work.
Always double-space your manuscript. Have one-inch margins on the left and right-hand sides of the manuscript. No fancy fonts. Times New Roman is the best font to use. Courier, or the font that looks like a typewriter, used to be more prominent, but TNR will do just fine. Number your pages. Number the pages of your manuscript on the top right-hand side, along with your last name and title before the page number. Ex: “Smith/WHITE SKY/1” Have a cover page. The cover page should include the following: Your name, email address, phone number, and address should appear on the left-hand side of the page. The title of your novel should be capitalized and centered on the page, along with your last name. Example: “WHITE SKY” on one line and “a novel by John Smith” written directly below it. Your word count should be centered on the bottom of the page. You can round to the nearest 5,000 words. You can write, “about 75,000” words.
The benefit of working directly with a publisher is that you don’t have to use (or pay) an agent as a go-between. The drawback is that the publishing houses trust the agents to screen the submissions, so if you don’t have an agent, they will be less likely to consider you. You can also try literary agents first and go to the publisher if it doesn’t work out. However, if your work is rejected by many literary agents, it’s even more likely to be rejected by the publishers.
Once you’ve researched the market, you should be able to find a way to neatly describe your book. Is it science fiction, literary, or historical? Is it a science fiction and a historical novel? Is it literary, or more of a young adult novel? Knowing what kind of book you have will help you contact the right agent.
Read a reputable guide to Literary Agents. This book will tell you more about thousands of literary agents and will also say which genres they specialize in, how many new clients they take on each year, and how many recent sales they have made. Check out Publisher’s Marketplace. Though you’ll have to pay $25 a month for full access to the site, you will gain insight into which agents made recent sales, what type of books they sold, and who is selling the most books. [5] X Research source Check out Query Tracker. This site will help you see which agents respond to queries quickly, and which rarely respond or take months to respond. The statistics on this site are reported by other writers, so the data set isn’t complete, but it can give you a good indication of how receptive some agents can be. The site can also tell you which agents specialize in what genres. [6] X Research source Check out the websites of different agents. When you find an agent who sounds like a good fit, check out his or her website to get more information about submission policies and what genres and clients they represent. Make sure the agent is accepting unsolicited submissions. Unless you have a connection, you’ll have to submit to the agent this way. Watch out for con-artists posting as agents. No reputable agent will ever ask for a reading fee to see your manuscript. The agent will only make money if he can sell your book. Check out Preditors & Editors to make sure the agent has a good rating.
Paragraph one: an introduction of your book and your interest in the agent. Here is what should go in the first paragraph: Start off with one or two sentences that gives the agent a “blurb” of what your book is about. It should be specific, original, and gripping. Then, tell the agent what genre your book falls under, whether it’s multi-cultural, young adult, or historical. It can fall into a number of categories. You should mention the word count in the first paragraph as well. Tell the agent why you’ve chosen her. Does she represent a lot of books in your genre, or does she represent a few authors whose work is similar to yours? Do you have a personal connection to the agent? If so, mention it right away. Paragraph two: a synopsis of your book. Here is what should go in the synopsis: Describe what happens in your book and what themes are highlighted. Make the description as accurate and gripping as possible. Show who the main characters are, what the stakes are, and why the book is important. You can do this in one or two paragraphs at most. Paragraph three: some brief information about yourself. Tell the agent if you’ve won any awards and how the book personally connects to your life. Paragraph four: tell the agent that the full manuscript or sample chapters (if you’re writing non-fiction) are available upon request and give your contact information. Thank the agent for taking the time to consider your work. Follow directions carefully. If the agent also asks for an outline or sample chapters, send those along too.
Start off with one or two sentences that gives the agent a “blurb” of what your book is about. It should be specific, original, and gripping. Then, tell the agent what genre your book falls under, whether it’s multi-cultural, young adult, or historical. It can fall into a number of categories. You should mention the word count in the first paragraph as well. Tell the agent why you’ve chosen her. Does she represent a lot of books in your genre, or does she represent a few authors whose work is similar to yours? Do you have a personal connection to the agent? If so, mention it right away.
Describe what happens in your book and what themes are highlighted. Make the description as accurate and gripping as possible. Show who the main characters are, what the stakes are, and why the book is important. You can do this in one or two paragraphs at most.
Talk to the agent over the phone. If you can, meet with the agent in person. If you live near Manhattan, this will be easier, since many literary agents are based in New York City. Get a sense of this person’s character and how enthusiastic he is about your book. Trust your gut. If something is telling you the agent sounds too busy, too eager to get off the phone, or not very excited about your work, don’t sign with him. It’s better to continue your agent search than to put your book in the hands of the wrong person. Ask if you can talk to some of the agent’s clients. A good agent will be glad to give you the names of a few of his clients, so you can chat with them and get a better sense of whether or not the agent is a good fit. Double-check your research. Make sure the agent has made sales and has a solid client list before you get on board. Read over your contract carefully. Once you see that the contract is pretty standard, and that the agent gets around a 15% of your domestic sales and 20% of your foreign sales, and you feel good about signing with the agent, then sign your contract, put it in the mail, and celebrate a job well done.
Remember that the book is still yours and that you don’t have to change it completely to suit the needs of the agent. Only make changes that you’re comfortable with.
Sign the contract that includes you, your agent, and the publishing house.
But you can’t just sit tight and wait for the publication date. There is more work to be done!
Don’t ever stop advertising for your book — especially not after it is published. You can bask in your glory for a little while, but remember that promoting your book is just as important as writing it!
Don’t ever stop advertising for your book — especially not after it is published. You can bask in your glory for a little while, but remember that promoting your book is just as important as writing it!
Find publishers that not only accept unagented submissions, but which specialize in the type of book you are writing.
If the publishing house is impressed by your letter, you will be asked to send along part of or all of the manuscript.
Promote your book through blogging, interviewing, and reading from your book. Develop a Facebook fan page and website to advertise your book. Your publisher will help market your book so it’s the most successful. [10] X Expert Source Alicia CookProfessional Writer Expert Interview. 11 December 2020.
Make sure to provide a choice of a payment method so you can receive the money you earn from each book sold.
