best way for getting debut novel published?

Answer 1

Hi there. The biggest hurdle for a first time author is finding a bona fide agent to represent you. Most agencies have thousands of manuscripts sent to them every year and typically, they only select a few works that are worthy to represent. Submitting your work directly to publishers is almost a waste of time, as the slush pile for publishers is ten times what it is for most agencies.

DO NOT submit to anyone that requires up front money or "reading" fees. Most agencies will read your book for nothing if it's well presented and if they think it has merit. Reading fees are a rip off. You can check on legitimate agencies at the "Preditors & Editors" website. They keep an up to date list of current agents and any problems writers have had with them.

Now, once you find an agency, you need a great query letter to get their attention. Search the web for examples. If your query letter is sloppy or has misspelled words, you're TOAST. Get a qualified copy editor to help you, if you can afford one. Then, once the agency reads your query and agrees to look at your manuscript, MAKE SURE IT IS PERFECT before you send it off. Again, bad formatting, grammar problems or poor spelling will doom you from the start. Pay an editor to proof your work--it's worth a few hundred bucks to get your foot in the door with an agent.

After that, be prepared to wait up to 3 months for an answer from the agency. DO NOT submit to more than one agency at a time. If your work is good and the agency sees potential in it, they will offer you a contract. From there, it can be another 3 month wait for them to find you a publisher. Once you get a publisher, it takes about a year to actually see your book in print.

You can also go the eBook route, which is becoming more popular every day now that eBook readers and publishers are more readily available. I did that and it worked out very well for me. I went from a very small online eBook publisher to a major hard cover print publisher, but it took several years. These days, it's much more acceptable to start out with an electronic version and move into print. However, you should think about doing your own eBook instead of paying some company to throw it together for a fee. Most of those services could care less if your book looks good, has typos or whatever. They also OWN the ISBN's for their titles--you do not--so keep that in mind.

I hope this helps. If you're serious about getting published, you can make it happen. It takes time, patience and a lot of luck. And as a note of reality, of all the fiction books published in a given year, only about 13% ever sell more than 1,000 copies. Most (75%) sell fewer than 500. Contrary to popular belief, most authors don't get rich.

Jon Baxley, author, editor, proofreader and ghostwriter

THE SCYTHIAN STONE (a medieval fantasy eBook)
THE BLACKGLOOM BOUNTY (a medieval fantasy epic in hard cover from Thomson Gale)

Answer 2

Contact Publish America to submit your manuscript. My book "Boudreaux and His Buddies" was just published by them. I hope that you will also be interested in reading my newly published book. Boudreaux is a whimsical, cartoon alligator from Honey Island Swamp in South Louisiana. He goes on different fun-filled adventures with his buddies. His biggest adventure is a more serious one. It is about Boudreaux's experience of going through Hurricane Katrina. With the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaching in August, this book is sure to touch your heart. It teaches lessons about life, friendship and family through Boudreaux's wide-eyed innocence. it's full of cajun names, cajun places and cajun customs. Written for readers ages 9 or 10 years of age through adult, "Boudreaux and His Buddies" is a 100-page paperback. It is available for purchase now through amazon.com, barnes&noble.com and has distributors in Europe. It will be available through bookstores after August 7th. It is my wish that "Boudreaux and His Buddies" will bring a smile to the faces of the people of New Orleans and they will know that there is hope. If you decide to purchase this book, I hope you will enjoy it!!

Answer 3

it depands i dont think you should self publishe it that costs alot of money. it also depands on what kind of novel it is look at the books youve read say if its science fiction the you should send it to those publishers im also writhing as book and thats what im going to do

good luck on publisheing it

Answer 4

either do self publishing or submit a proposal to a publishing company.