So, you’ve finished your book. Where do you go from here. This is the blueprint or steps for success that have worked for many aspiring writers when they are looking to get published and find an agent.
1. Write and Edit First 3 Chapters of Your Work.
Publishers and Literary agents usually request 1-3 chapters of your work. On occasion they may request your entire manuscript. It is important that the first 3 chapters be polished, free from errors and grab the reader’s attention immediately.
Make sure you at least have these chapters professionally edited or thoroughly reviewed by someone you trust.
2. Write an Excellent Query Letter.
Your Query letter must by attention getting with no grammatical errors or typos. Be clear in summarizing your work, but always leave them wanting more.
3. Locate a List of Reputable Agents that Can Handle Your Work.
Get yourself a good list. Try to locate 5-10 agents that will handle your type of work. Don’t worry about multiple submissions.
Good sources of lists are the ones provided at reputable literary agent list (Free Agent List on this page) or http://www.writers-publish.com/recommends/writersmarket.
4. Locate Publishers that Will Accept Unagented Queries.
Don’t forget to target smaller publishers who may be interested in your work. (Forget the big ones they need agents). You can find a list of publishers at http://www.writers-publish.com/recommends/writersmarket.
5. Send your Query Letter.
Send out your query letters. If the agent of publisher allows you to mail it then always choose mail over emails. Always include a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE). Mailing a query letter usually gives you a better response.
6. Wait for Responses.
Your responses from the publishers and agents will usually take 1-2 months. While you wait take writing courses and improve your manuscript.
7. Enter Writing Contests.
Find reputable writing contests that have agents and publishers on the judging committee. Enter the contests to give you further exposure to agents and to practise your craft.
8. Review Your Feedback.
Improve your query letter and manuscript based on feedback. Use any rejection letters from literary book agents and publishing editors to improve your query letter. Make any changes necessary and resend your query letter to 5 more agents and publishers.
If you receive no responses don’t dispair! Timing is everything in the publishing industry so a book rejected 2 months ago might be in demand next week.
9. Take Writing Courses. Improve Your Craft.
Always continue to improve your writing. No writer is perfect. That’s why every celebrated author hates their first book when they look back.
10. Enjoy Your Success. Be Realistic About Your Failure.
Congratulations. Celebrate if you were able to get an agent or publisher.
If you didn’t get accepted. Ask yourself if your book is marketable. You may also want to consider self-publishing.
photo credit: Earl - What I Saw 2.0
23 comments ↓
Keep writers inspiring and busy.
Hi thank you, I have had a very special finished manuscript ready for the next step and due to financial problems, I’m doing nothing with it after 10 years of work. So, this was a nice surprise article.
Thanks for the support. I remain young in age and all help is valuable. I would prefer not to go through with an agent and just like to go straight to a large publisher. I keep my fingers crossed and take all the advice you give me. . .
Simply invaluable and very helpful Professional advice! Your encouraging guide makes writing seem very much exciting fun and interesting.
Naturally I shall inform you of my progress and any breakthroughs which I am sure I should soon make.
Regards, Lily
A publisher has my manuscript exactly four months today. I haven’t heard a word. I’d like to move on. Should I call them? Wat you tink? Billy
Billy,
Give them a call and follow up with them.
My manuscript is pollished and complete, but i am unsure what market my book would fall under, what catagory it is. I have been calling it a sci-fi book, but it has nothing to do with science fiction, so i then called my book a fantasy novel. I am just wondering what sort of publishers or agents i should be looking for. who would best take attention to it?
Michael,
Choosing a category is very important. You need to do a bit of research and find books that are similar to yours (and if you say nothing is like my book — I won’t believe you!). See how those books are categorized and follow their path.
You should look for any legitimate agents or publishers that will take your book. Contact everyone that will represent your category of book. It’s no time to be picky. If they say yes, then decide whether you want to proceed with them.
Thanks Sydney, I have a short story manuscript written for the young teen and children audiance, and i have tried looking for an agent who is interested in children books. Time for me to keep my fingers crossed. . .
Thank you for all of the publishing tips. My first submission was approved and accepted by an agent, however, after having my attorney look over the legal ramifications, the terms provided within the agent’s contract were not suitable, therefore, I have remitted additional queries and book proposals to additional agents that specialize in the genre of my book.
Dr. Chantel,
Great news! I am happy to hear your initial success in finding an agent. No doubt you will find another suitable agent shortly.
Hello Sydney Guishard:
Thank you for your words of encouragement, for your thoughtfulness will never go unspoken and will never be forgotten.
Great suggestion. I’ll learn so much! Thanks
You can skip some of those steps at Leadstart Publishing. We are accepting un-agented manuscipts in non-fiction category. We have a fast turnaround time for manuscript evaluation.
If the author has a good idea, but was struggling to put it into words, we have an excellent service called ideas-to-books. We help you to publish your idea into a book and you enjoy all the previleges of a regular published author.
The more I am entering into the world of publishing and literary agent, the more I am learning a good lessons. I did not find any small or large publisher for my first non-fiction book, but to go to the self-publishing houses.As a trial and error, I got published the book “How to Avoid Tension and Achieve Peace in Life” by more than one publishers including createspace who gave the ISBN and distribution channel like amazon.com. The sad portion of the story is this that no body sent me the sales report regularly despite my requests. When I pressurized them, I got a sales report with NIL sale. Then comes a traditional publisher who got signed a contract from me with no cost for publishing.I was much encouraged. Now they are asking me to by minimum number of 20 book@ $10.00 to get fast publishing and first royalty. Really, what a wonderful land the publishing world.
Now I have been writing a fiction book upto 62,000 words, and it may lengthen more with a few thousand words to complete. I have started to send query letter to both agents and publishers. A few of them regretted very tactfully wishing my success in other agents, some body requested to wait for a few months, rests are yet to respond.
i really enjoy the information that i receive it really informs me of the things that i can do to get my book out into the world the way i am wanting it to. thank you very much lakeisha davis
it was always my passion to write a book of my life cause i really had a very hard life it finally has been finished in a first stage has taken me four years but i cant seem to get it going with the publishers hope i will learn more on how to go about it and im sure i will get somewhere its a true story of my life if i could get an agent or publisher it will be great going cause this is my first edition of my book!
Reading your list of selected writers and their comments has inspired me to share some support and understanding in my own waiting. Thus reading other people enquiries made me feel one of them and involved. I have often wondered if there is a site were by answering some questions genre can be analgized and found. Though in my waiting like everyone else, it’s in one’s tenaciousness to learn inspiring others that can hopefully will a difference. Thus I feel privileged to have come this far.
Reading your list of selected writers and their comments has inspired me to share some support and understanding in my own waiting. Thus reading other people enquiries made me feel one of them and involved. I have often wondered if there is a site were by answering some questions genre can be analgized and found. Though in my waiting like everyone else, it’s in one’s tenaciousness to learn, inspiring others that will make a difference. Thus I feel privileged to have come this far.
My second book and first novel(women’s fiction) WOMEN WOMEN WOMEN is now complete in my sense without any editing. The interesting part of my new experience is a few publishers and agents demand a huge amount of money in the name of joint venture or entry fees etc. But I came to know that a good and genuine agent or publisher never demand any money. Agent gets his or her commission from the publisher(s). I have not agreed to any of their above proposals. So, let me first be more competitive and polished writer.
For a new writer, this is a good experience which can guide others like me.
Hi! Everybody,
I have been wondering if this site will allow us to consolidate all our queries. Thus to say on reflection on from all I have read from comments including my own need to present a perfect introduction in the right genre. It could be an idea that we review each other’s genre, cover letter and synopsis. However, not the manuscript, that would be too time consuming.
A free innovative help line reported openly on this site. What do you think?
Hi Victor,
What did you mean by “A free innovative help line reported openly on this site”
My idea of a free innovative help line is that we relate to our problem more specifically and get everyone involved together with our publishing coach. We can express our problems openly. For example, send a synopsis so that it can be read with the genre in mind, or something else. As we speak, I gust received a nice refusal from an agent which read? Thank you for sending us this proposal, which I read with interest. I
considered it carefully, but I’m afraid on balance it just doesn’t quite grab my imagination in the way that it must for me to offer to represent you.
My point her is if I knew what balance this agent is looking for in my manuscript, I might have been accepted. Thus my question can we learn from this statement by sharing our responses openly and get a feed back?
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