Hello, friends!
This is a blog post that focuses on the steps of How to Get your Book Published — from getting it into the hands of agents and even a book deal. This is actually more of a big reference post to other posts of mine that are about the publishing process as a whole, but made it to an easy guide.
A lot of people I know have asked for resources, as well as ask that million-dollar question: “How do I get published?”
Well, this blog post is going to break down every single part of publishing. Yes, let’s get real. I’ll update as the links come.
The first thing you want to know about getting published is whether you’re going with the traditional route, or the indie one. One is not necessarily worst than the other, but they are different. While indie publishing you can control your work more and get more profit on copies sold, in traiditional publishing you sell your rights to a publisher which then will distribute the work for you. I’m oversimplifying things , but this post will focus on more of the traiditional side of publishing.
Let’s get to step one.
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Write a book.
Really. Write it. Finish the novel you’re working on.
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Revise it.
Reread it, rewrite it. Get some Critique Partners who’ll point out your mistakes. If you’re not overly confident, hire a freelance editor. Then rewrite it again and again.
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Prepare your query and research agents.
I did a whole series of posts on how to query agents and what to expect. You can find that series of posts starting here. After you’ve done all your research and written your query, it’s time to send them off! Remember to proofread your query and always follow submission instructions.
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Wait.
Writing is about patience. You’ll often be waiting months while you’re querying. Make sure you’re working on another project meanwhile (and no, not your sequel). If you don’t get an agent with this book and no offers come, go back to step one.
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Get an offer! Yay, you now have an agent!
Your agent is the person who will take care of your career and also give you good career advice. They’ll make sure publishers are paying you, that your book will land in the best publisher for it, and basically managing your writing life. It’s important you find an agent who helps you grow, and that will grow with you. You have to work together on the next steps thar are to come.
Remember, your agent is the person who you should trust. It’s someone who always has the best in mind for your career.
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Revise. Yes, again.
Your agent will usually make you revise your book at least once. I talk about what to ask your agent on the series of posts about querying, and you’ll have to make sure that your vision for the book matches. He might ask for more editorial revision, or just do some line edits. It depends on the agent’s style.
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Go on Submission.
Submission is one of the things least talked about in publishing. This is when agents will send your book baby out to publishers. Each agent has a different style of submission and what they prefer, so it’s nice talking to them before hand. My agent, for example, usually does three rounds of submission, meaning that she sends the manuscript to a batch of houses first, and then waits for their answers before moving to the next one. These batches could be both for smaller publishers or Big 5 publishers, and again, it depends on the agent.
Some will wait a whole six months before entering the other batch. Editors can take a while before they answer, and it can happen in several different steps.
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Get an offer. Or maybe not.
This is where it gets tricky. Some editors will read your book and love it. Then they’ll take it for other editors for second reads… and then the other editors don’t think your book is a good fit. Or maybe you get your editor, and second reads, but then you get to Acquisitions and… nothing. The publisher doesn’t think that your book is the right fit.
Once you’re out on submission, a lot of different things can happen. Your book may almost be acquired to be stopped at the last second. Sometimes you speak to your editor before going to acquisitions, and sometimes you get an offer in your inbox even before you talk to your publisher. Things vary. But remember, while you’re out on submission, start working on another book as well.
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You’re going to be published!
Yay! This is the best news any writer wants to hear! You’ll often have to wait until your contract is settled and your agent finishes negotiating your deal. You might also have to wait before you can tell anyone about your book. This industry is slow, and as I said, there is a lot of waiting around.
But once the news is out, you can tell everyone! Tell your friends, your neighbours, your enemies! And congratulations. You now just have to wait sometime till the actual book is in your hands!