STRATEGIES FOR PUBLISHING YOUR NOVEL

The Leap from Writer to Published Author

How do you make the leap from writer to published author? It takes more than talent and hard work. You'll need persistence, thick skin, and a plan to get your manuscript traditionally published. I'll give you my best advice. 

Write Your Best Story

Let's pretend you wrote an entire novel. ( If you did, wonderful!) Go ahead and release a long overdue sigh. Now take a deep breath because you have a lot more to do. So far, you finished a first draft. If you want, take a short break from working. Eventually, you must edit, edit, rewrite, and edit. 

What feels ready probably isn't. It might take ten edits or more before it's ready to share with professionals. Check your manuscript for plot holes. Does the story make sense? Get rid of every typographical error. Check for inaccurate tense issues and other problems. If you don't know where to start, read a craft book on the subject. I liked one titled Fix Your Damn Book! by Jame Osiris Baldwin. The book provides a no-nonesense method to make the process easier. 

Reading your story out loud helps to find missing words, duplicate words, or unneeded words with double meaning. Microsoft Word has a free download called Read Aloud. It's simple to use. Search your own files with it, and let the software read to you. It has helped me find mistakes in my own work. 

Print out the story and mark it up with a red pen. Go back to the file and make changes. Edit, edit, edit. Work on it until it is as good as you can make it. If you decide to self-publish instead of traditionally publish, you will need to hire an editor. Every writer needs an editor, even those with editing skills. 

The Query

After completing your masterpiece, give some thought to where to send it. If you want an agent, consider sending queries to seven agents at a time. Most of them have a full plate of stories, so they're picky. You must convince them your book will sell. Think of literary agents like book realtors. They help books find a publishing house.

Your query letter makes the first impression. Go to Query Shark at https://queryshark.blogspot.com/  if you need to see examples. Your cover letter must stand out from the crowd. If you can distill an interesting story into a few sentences, you can grab an agent's attention. 

Never send queries to random agents. Always research the agencies first. If their website says they want romance submissions, don’t email a letter describing a horror novel. After they receive it, they’ll tap the delete button, sending the file into the dreaded black hole.  

Give the recipients a few months to respond. No response means she has rejected the work or she’s swamped with submissions. If you don’t get an answer within twelve weeks, consider sending another seven. 

Direct Submissions

Some writers send submissions directly to publishers. That’s okay too. Sometimes writers can pitch to publishers at conferences. If they ask for the manuscript, you may get a contract offer. Fewer people are using agents these days. Small to medium presses have great editors that can help you publish a fantastic book. 

Follow Directions

Always read the publisher's or agent's submission guidelines before sending your query. They are busy people and will reject your work if you fail to follow their instructions. 

Never Give Up

While in the query trenches, write the next novel or a short story for a literary magazine. Sending a few to open call anthologies will improve chances for publication as well. Never give up. I recently signed a contract with The Wild Rose Press. Dreams really do come true, so don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t beat the odds.