Tips on Getting a Novel Published

By Lanee’ Blunt

A proposal is a tool for selling a novel--
Lupoianfla

A novel proposal is the first thing that you need to get your novel published. It is a tool that will help you get your novel sold. Your proposal must look professional and make your book look publishable. Think of a novel proposal as a snapshot of your novel and it consists of a query letter, a synopsis and the first three chapters of your novel.

Revise

The novel must be completed before it can sell by proposal because it is different from selling nonfiction that can be sold with a proposal. If you are still in the first draft stage of your novel and just curious if it is marketable try to resist the temptation of shopping the book. If they are interested in the book and ask to see it, then it will be very unprofessional to say, “Well I can't send it now, but I’ll send it to you in a few months.”  Revise the novel before sending it. Make sure that you have left nothing out of place and if you are unsure of a section of the novel write it over. Check the book for typos and proofread everything before sending it.

Literary Agent

Get a literary agent to sell the book because this will give you more free time to write another novel. You won’t have to worry about the marketing end and can concentrate on what writers do best--writing. Finding a literary agent can be as hard as finding a publisher for new writers because they don’t like to take new writers on. You may find one that is just starting-up their business and looking for writers for their list.

Mail to Publishers

If you don’t have an agent it is perfectly fine to sell the book yourself. Put the following package together: cover letter, 5 to 10 page synopsis, three chapters of novel, return postage, return envelope. Mail it out to your market list. Most publishers don’t want you to simultaneous submit your novel and want you to wait before sending the package else where, but it is up to you. Some writer’s submit to three publishers at a time and others submit to one and wait.

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How to Get Published: Researching the Market

By Lanee’ Blunt

Research your market--pear83

Writing your first non-fiction book or novel is very rewarding. It is a great feeling to have a completed 60,000 or 80,000 word manuscript in your hand. Getting a book published is very challenging. If you are a new writer and want to break into the publishing market, you must have a book proposal. Most publishing houses want to see only a proposal and not the full manuscript until they request it. The first thing you must do is to research your market.

Know the market

If you are writing a non-fiction proposal or book you must know your market. You must know what has been done on your topic and if you can add a new spin to it. Find out what the editor has bought recently. If you are a fiction writer stick to your genre for example, don’t send a romance that has a  mystery sub-plot to a mystery publisher.

Read on your subject

Read at least 6 to 10 books in the genre that you are writing. A horror writer should read every horror book that has just come to the market. Don’t just read it, but read it like a writer taking notes on what worked and what doesn’t work.

Read books similar to yours

Visit book stores and read books from the publishing house that you want to send a query to. How has your subject been covered and can you add something fresh?


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How to Get an Article Published Online

By Lanee’ Blunt

Get Published Today--
Channah

Getting an article published on the internet is an excellent way for a new writer to experience publication. There are many opportunities for new writers online. Decide what is important to you, is it seeing your by-line or is it making money online? This is a question you should ask yourself early on.

Write an excellent article. Article length should be at least 400 or 500 words. The article should benefit the reader; a how to, list, or topic view.  Your reader should gain something after reading your article.

Write a resource box in your article. Tell about the author what you do, your education, your website Url and give the link back to your site. Readers may find your article interesting and want to read more, so they will visit your site.

Submit an article to article directories if you are looking to get traffic to your website. Most directories don’t pay anything, but you can display your articles on Ezinearticle.com, Buzzle.com, Selfgrowth.com, Articlealley.com, and Promotionworld.com for the traffic they deliver to your site. Submit to 9 or 10 popular sites to gain rankings from the search engines.

Some pay up front money, or royalties, and you must apply before you can write articles for them for example Associatecontent.com, Constant-content.com and Suite101.com

Reference:

Writer’s Digest: 25 Best Places to Get Published Online; Katie Struckel Brogan; 2008

Idea Marketers: How to Get Your Articles Published Online More Often; Titus Hoskins

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Where to Find a Literary Agent

By Lanee' Blunt

Finding a literary agent can be a challenge. Here are a few places to look for an agent for your book.  Having an agent helps you to free up your time and concentrate on what a writer does best and that is write another book.

Guide to Literary Agents
The Guide to Literary Agents is published by Writer’s Digest Books. It list most of the literary agents the big ones and the smaller ones that may handle new writers. It will tell you what types of books they handle, how to approach them, and what they are looking for.  It lists their agencies, phone numbers and addresses and websites.

Literary Market Place

The Literary Market Place is a reference book that you can get at some libraries. It list literary agents and publishers. It is a thick volume that list publishing houses and it breaks down the divisions and conglomerates.

Yellow Pages

You can use the Yellow Pages to find the names, addresses, and phone numbers of literary agents. This is useful if you know the name of the agent, but it doesn’t tell you what to submit, and what they are looking for.

Writers Conferences and Workshops

Writer’s conferences have information about the publishing industry and sometimes literary agents attend. The Complete Guide to Writers Groups, Conferences and Workshops can be ordered online and should tell you how to attend conferences in your area.

Reference:

Martin P. Levin; Be Your Own Literary Agent; Ten Speed Press

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How to Submit to a Book Publisher

By Lanee' Blunt

A new writer can submit a book to a publisher with a few tips. Here’s how to submit your proposal to a publishing house.

If you are a new writer and want to break into the publishing market, you must have a book proposal. Most publishing houses want to see only a proposal and not the full manuscript until they request it.

Write the Query Letter

A query letter is a one page letter that is addressed to the right editor.  The letter explains what your book is about and should tell the whole story leaving the editor with no unsure parts about you book. You must tell the beginning, the middle and the ending. Write a synopsis of the book: a five page outline that explains what the book is about, chapter by chapter.

Three Chapters

The proposal will include the first three chapters of your book, although I have heard of people sending their best three chapters, but I prefer the first three. Make sure you have no typos and that your pages are free of any spills. The editor can usually make a decision by reading three chapters of your book whether you can write and fulfill your topic.

Market List

Get the latest edition of Writer’s Market and find a publisher that publishes the type of book that you have written. Don’t send your nonfiction book to a fiction editor. Don’t send your romance book to a mystery editor.

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How to Get a Novel Published

By Lanee' Blunt

Getting your first novel published can be a challenge. You have finished your novel, congratulations. Now it’s time to find a publisher for your first novel. Make sure that your book is the best that it can be and that it can compete with the other books in its genre.

Rewriting

Rewrite your novel before submitting it for publication. Most new writers think that changing a word and running each chapter through spell checker is rewriting. Rewriting consists of much more. Check your plot points for weak construction. Avoid stupid motivations for your characters. For example, if you have ever read a novel and asked yourself why in the world would the character do that? Polish the first four chapters because they are the hook of the novel.

Write the Novel Proposal

Write a one page covering letter. Include the editor’s name and address. The synopsis is a description of what your novel is about. Write who the characters are. The synopsis should to sound like the back cover of a book. Hold the reader’s interest by making it sound exciting. Describe the beginning of the book, the middle, and the end. Describe the genre of the book and what you believe is going to be a good selling point. For example, you can compare your novel to the other novels in the same genre.

Find a Publisher

Go to the library and get the latest edition of the Writer’s Market. It is a directory that list different publishing companies, addresses, and what genre they publish. Write down the addresses, and editor’s name of the listing of books under the same genre as your own book. Go to your favorite bookstore and browse through novels that are similar to your book. Copy a list from the books and write down the publisher’s address.

Submit

Send a synopsis and the first three chapters. Never send the whole manuscript unless the publisher asks for it. A novel proposal and three chapters is enough for the editor to make a decision: to ask for more or reject the package. If the proposal is rejected send it to the next publisher on your list.

Finding a publisher for your novel is possible with persistence, and if your work is commercially viable.

Reference:

Writer’s Digest; Your Straight-Forward Guide to Publication; Brain Klems; 2011

Street Directory: How to Get a Novel Published-The First Step is a Query Letter; Dee Power

Jackie French: How to Get Your First Novel Published

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No Reply after Submitting a Short Story

You have submitted your short story, but you haven’t heard from the publisher.  Here are some tips on what you can do.

By Lanee' Blunt

New writer’s often worry when their short story has been submitted to a publisher, and they have received no reply. (What is the editor doing to my story? I worked hard on that story and deserve a personal letter).  Your imagination may play tricks on you about what is happening with your story. 

The short story market does not permit you to send multiple submissions to publishers, so waiting can be a hair pulling experience. A follow up letter is a means of helping to solve the problem of that story in limbo.  It is an effective professional approach to withdrawing your story and moving on.

Give the Short Story a Reasonable Time Period

Read the latest edition of Writer’s Market; find the entry for the magazine you sent it to.  What is the latest it says the editor can keep your story; you must allow the editor to have this time before you panic.

Don’t assume that the editor has stolen your story, or that she has used your story without your permission.  Usually, that is not the case. Resist the urge to pick up the phone and call the editor to ask her has she received your story.

The Follow-up Letter

The purpose of the letter is to get the editor to respond.  Maybe your short story is on the editor’s desk and she is undecided about using the story.  A letter from you might make her decide to use your story, or decide to send the story back to you.

Magazine editor’s are busy and have many other tasks besides reading slush pile manuscripts. Don’t expect the editor to remember your short story.

The Follow up Letter Should Look Professional

Write a standard business letter that contains the editor’s name.  You can use a template with your word processing software of a professional business letter. Write the title of your short story, and the date that you sent your story.  I usually write a letter stating when I sent the short story, maybe it was lost in the mail, and I am sending another story for their consideration.

Included in the envelope with the letter, attach another copy of that story and send a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE).

After waiting a month and still no reply you can move the story to another publisher. “After all, editors are remarkably like humans. They even want to be treated with the same dignity as you.  A kindly reminder can’t hurt; it might even prompt a more thoughtful second reading of your query,” according to Gordon Burgett’s book, How to Sell More Than 75% of Your Freelance Writing, (Prima, 1995).

A short story can only be sent to one publisher at a time, but after sending a follow up letter you may shop for another publisher.

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