So you completed the manuscript for your novel. You've edited it, shown it to your friends, family, or anybody else, and like the way it is. You're anxious to get it published but are not sure how to do so. You don't know anybody in the publishing world. What do you do? Camerson Blythe, author of Careers in Writing, tells you how, step by step.
Steps to Getting Published
There are six steps to getting a novel published, according to Careers in Writing. The first step: Target your submissions. Do your homework. Study the market guides and meet with editors and agents face in person, talk to writers, etc.
The second step: Craft your query letter, which is your letter of introduction to editors and agents. It’s a little proposal, of getting agents or editors.
The third step: Send them what you want. A successful query letter will produce requests for more writing. The agents and editors will tell you what to send, whether it’s sample chapters, a synopsis or the whole manuscript.
The fourth step: Craft the synopsis. They should one page written in present tense, with the main character and their conflict as the main focus. It should summarize your novel’s plot, written in the same style as your novel. This should include important plot points but not the details or subject.
The fifth step: Submit a professional package. Manuscripts should be double-spaced; every letter and synopsis should be single-spaced. Right margins should be justified. Your name, book title and page number should be in a heading of every page.
The sixth and last step: Wait. It can take weeks and, more likely, months to receive a reply. Sometimes the reply will be a rejection. You should bet busy writing the next novel. Your success is more likely to happen if you keep writing while waiting for a response.
Literary Agents
Agents have inside knowledge of what publishers are looking for. Good agents handle the marketing and financial aspects of a writer’s work, as Careers in Writing states.
It is not easy in getting an agent to represent a writer. A good query letter and an excellent novel will usually attract an agent’s attention.
In order to approach an agent, a writer should not target one and an editor at the same time. If a writer can’t get an agent to represent him, than they can try targeting smaller publications directly. But writers should pay attention to their query letter and their manuscript for imperfections, in order to better their chances at getting an agent.
Short Stories and Poetry
New writers often wonder if they can get into the novel market by submitting short stories or poetry. As mentioned in Careers in Writing, writing short stories and poetry is not worth the effort in financial terms, because of the lack of demand for such genres. Yet, having some credit at writing some form of fiction can help show an agent or editor that the writer is a professional. If a writer’s short piece is featured in a magazine or some other small publication, it doesn’t matter how great it is considered by the publisher. That doesn’t make the writer’s novels just as worthy. Writing short stories or poetry should be more of a hobby, with some financial incentive, not as a career.
After a Book Deal
Most new writers think that novel writing will make them successful and rich. Careers in Writing warns that the average advance for a first novel ranges from $2,500 to $5,000. Million dollar book deals are quite rare. There are only ten to twelve slots on the best seller’s list, with most of those taken up by well-known authors. Middle list authors, coming out with two or three books a year, can make a comfortable living, but the largest groups earn less than a family would need to survive.
In most cases, a writer is given a check in advance when the manuscript is accepted; half of that amount at that time and the other half after the editor may have requested any revisions. Then a royalty percentage is offered, sometimes from the retail price of the book, sometimes form the net price. The royalty percentage could start from six to seven percent and then increase with the number of copies sold. To receive a royalty check, the book first needs to earn back its advance, which could take awhile.
With short stories and poetry, earnings usually are quite low. Smaller magazines might offer a few dollars or just complimentary copies of the issue where the writer’s work appears.
As with any self-employment, writers should take care of their own taxes, health insurance and other benefits.
The more work the writer produces, the more money they can earn. Also, the time spent marketing a piece of fiction, will be as much as the time spent on writing it.
Tips to Keep in Mind About Getting Published
Careers in Writing summarizes three tips to keep in mind when it comes to getting a novel published.
The first one – Write in the genre you love to read. You must know the requirements of that genre.
The second one – Don’t be in a rush to send out your material. Polish your work. Get professional feedback on your work before you send it.
The third and final tip – Familiarize yourself with all the things that you should do and things that you should not do, when it comes to approaching editors and agents. The query letter and manuscripts should be professional.
Summary
Writing fiction is not an easy way to earn money, says Careers in Writing. But if a person loves to write fiction and is good at it, then they should try to do it for a living if they are willing enough to put the time and effort into it, in order to be successful in the end.
Citations:
Blythe, Camerson. Careers in Writing. Chicago.VGM Career Books, a division of NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc. 2001. http://www.netlibrary.com/Reader/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2002-2003. Indianapolis. IN Jist Publishing. 2002.
Daniel Cunningham - Daniel Cunningham graduated from Hudson Valley Community College in 2006 with an Associate in Arts degree in Individual Studies. His ...
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