Beginer, novice (writer want to be) I have just cmpleted the final draft of my first manuscript I know the mar

Question

I know the market is brutal, especially for the "un's" unknown, unpublished authors. I know that my novel (mystery/legal/medical fiction) is good & that if given the opportunity it will sell. It is about corrupt polotics , murder and the unorthodox relationships between doctors&Lawyers/Judges/Politicians. The material is fresh, it is ripe b/c of the upcoming Louisiana elections. The nation is focused on La., b/c of hurricane Katrina & the improper, poor way that the Govt responded. I am a Lawyer by day, but have a passion for writing. I write everyday. THIS IS THE FIRST MANUSCRIPT I HAVE WRITTEN THAT I KNOW IS AWESOME & WILL SELL, IT WILL CAPTIVATE READERS AND KEEP THEIR ATTENTION. I need advice on how to get published. Is it literaly impossible to go the major publishing house route? Is self publishing akin to suicide. This book will keep readers up all night , you will not put it down. Please advise , HOW & WHERE DO I BEGIN TO MARKET MY BOOK, GET A LITERARY AGENT, EDITOR, ETC.

Answer 1

Very, very, VERY few professional authors have their first manuscript published. There are exceptions to every rule, but for the most part, the first novel is more "practice" than anything. I would recommend first setting the MS aside for six months to a year and work on something else, then come back to it and see if it stands up.

Writers' Digest guides to novel & short story markets and literary agents (http://www.writersdigest.com/) are a good place to start, but to be honest, you're at a slight disadvantage with big companies if you haven't any publishing experience. Large publishers usually won't take mss from unagented authors, and most of the agents that deal with those large publishers get their new authors from referrals, or because they have a proven track record in publishing (a "resume," so to speak, of short stories and articles that sold well). Now, some smaller press companies are more willing to take a chance on newer authors, so you might want to try there, although the reputable ones have the same high standards as large companies and require the author to do a lot of marketing work his/herself. At the very least, look into Preditors & Editors http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/ and research potential publishers and agents to ensure you find the right one.

Self-publishing is only akin to suicide if your novel sucks, 'cause you'll just piss off all the self-pup authors who work hard to be taken seriously, and they might kill you, lol. Self-publishing authors have a lot of extra work to do, beyond the marketing and distribution aspect as well--it's a constant fight for respect from readers and other authors. If you choose that route, do it well: have your novel professionally edited (yes, drop the five-six hundred bucks to get it done well), have a nice cover designed (again, a few hundred bucks is worth it), and make sure you have everything covered like an ISBN number and distribution channel.

Lastly, I'd also recommend in any cover/query letters that you refrain from carrying on about how great *you* think your book is. No one (publishers/editors/agents) cares what you (or your local librarian/spouse/neighbour/etc) think about the ms. Have a firm hook and tight summary of your novel, and if you have credentials related to the subject matter of your work, mention that. Otherwise, keep it simple and don't make it all about you. Anything else comes across as amatuerish, and you'll be rejected without a read-through. And yes, as someone else recommended, a thorough proofread would probably be in order. There are a lot of online groups and resources that can help with that (like http://www.critters.org/ ).

Much luck to you. :-)

Answer 2

I suggest you do more proofreading on your novel than you did on your question here. (I'm a semi-professional proofreader, and it's sort of an obsession for me, but it really is important... The sentence should be "I write every day," not "I write everyday.")

Get a copy of the current Writer's Market Guide, particularly the one for novels and short stories, and look for publishers or agents to send queries asking if they'd be interested in seeing your finished manuscript.

For novels, self publishers are not taken seriously. (Poets, on the other hand, pretty much have to go that route.) I think you should get an agent first, but not everyone thinks that way.

Having confidence in your work is good, but back off on the hype when telling people about it and let the work speak for itself. If you send all-caps hyperbole in your query letter, no agent or publisher is going to ask to see the full manuscript.

Answer 3

Get a copy of Writer's Market, write a query letter and synopsis and send those to agents or publishers (with a SASE) who handle your type of novel. Make sure your spelling and grammar are perfect.

Answer 4

I don't know, but it sounds great!!! I'll read it.