How do I get a book published in the UK?

Question

I have written a book but have no idea as to where to begin regarding having it published. Obviously I do not want to spend a fortune on trying to get it published. Anybody out there have any advice. I really would appreciate it.

Answer 1

I have been trying to get a literary agent for years. All they want to do is make my work marketable. I wanted to publish my work my way and did it with lulu.com for free.
It sharpens your wit into realising for sure what a publisher or Literary agent expects from you, because at the end of the day once you click the button on the publishing section to say available to the public that is your name on the cover and you want it to be right. This may lead to publishers being interested in you.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How do I get a book published in the UK?
I have written a book but have no idea as to where to begin regarding having it published. Obviously I do not want to spend a fortune on trying to get it published. Anybody out there have any advice. I really would appreciate it.

Answer 3

Complete your manuscript. Make sure it is the best it can be and start researching publishing companies. You will want to find a company that publishes your type of book. You wouldn't want to send a science fiction manuscript to a company that is looking for romance novels. Each publishing company has their own "submission guidelines." You can sometimes get those right from the company website or you may have to send a s.a.s.e. to them with a request for the guidelines. It is very hard to find publishing companies that accept unsolicited manuscripts anymore. Most only take submissions from agents that they are used to working with. You may submit your manuscript and never hear a word back or it may take a year just to get a form rejection letter. It's a difficult field to break into. You will have to be dedicated and very patient. I wish you the best! You might want to look into getting a copy of the 2008 Writer's Market. This book includes lots of useful information for writers and a detailed list of publishers and what they are currently looking for. If you decide to look into self publishing be careful. You mentioned you have limited funds. Self publishing can have a lot of hidden costs and most of the time you have to buy large numbers of books and market them yourself. That means you could end up with cases of your own book and no buyers. Self published books are expensive and cannot always offer the large discounts that large book stores expect. If you seriously think that you have the next best seller, then go through the proper channels and submit to actual publishing companies or find an agent to do it for you.

Answer 4

First job is to get a professional reading. Professional readers are objective and honest. They will tell it to you 'as it is' as they have no interest in whether your book is published or not, just whether it is any good or not. It will cost you a few hundred £ depending upon the length and subject matter, but it will be money well spent. Writing books is a business, like any other (unfortunately) so learn how the business works. After the professional reading you will know whether you should approach an agent or not. Can't offer advice on a reader, that's part of the business & research you'll need to do for yourself. But it is a great place to start. Best of luck.

Answer 5

How to get Published

This article is intended for potential authors. We hope it may help the talented and determined author to find a publisher for his or her book. We also hope that it will reduce the number of disappointments caused by rejection slips.

Like the acting profession, one sees and hears of the rich and famous,but little of the thousands who struggle to make a living. The world of authorship is every bit as hard as that of the stage. If this helps you get published while reducing the number of unsuitable works being offered, the book trade will rejoice.

If you are serious about getting your work published you must do your groundwork carefully. Two books are an invaluable resource and you should buy, beg or borrow at least one of them.

The first is:

Writers and Artists Yearbook 2000
Publisher - A & C Black
Price £ 11.99
ISBN 0713640313

Michael Ridpath, now a bestselling author said of the book " I know of no foolproof way of getting a first novel published. But there are ways of shortening the odds and careful use of the Writers and Artists Yearbook is one".

Now in its 92nd edition it is a book that has been described as the essential guide to markets in all areas of the media. The markets covered relate to:

articles and short stories
books
poetry
scripts for theatre, tv, radio and film
illustration and design
cartooning
photography
music
agents

The topics covered include:

preparation of materials
copyright and libel
income tax and allowances
writing courses
publishing agreements
word processing
desktop publishing
indexing and translation
books for writers
societies and prizes.

Two sections of great value to the determined (or desperate).

The first explains how Self-publishing works. Apparently some very well known authors chose this route, either because they had been turned down, or their work was technical, or out of fashion, or for many other reasons. This select group includes Alexander Pope, Robbie Burns, James Joyce and a host of others.

The second section is just a page, entitled Vanity Publishing. It explains that reputable publishers very rarely ask authors to pay for the production of their work. Put simply, you DON'T pay someone to publish your book.

The second book is:

The Writers Handbook 2000
Publisher - Macmillan
Price £12.99
ISBN 0333719255

This is the eleventh edition of the guide to all markets for creative writing. It's been described as 'a comprehensive map of the literary market place. It covers book and magazine publishing, newspapers, poetry, radio, theatre, tv, video and film, as well as giving information on agents, prizes, writers' circles, associations, festivals and more.

If you study and take advice from these two books you will have given yourself the best possible chance of getting published. And if that fails, you can always pay for your own web site!

Answer 6

Good luck, getting published is really hard.

Have a look at this site
http://www.excaliburonlinepublishing.com/

You could also check out Writer & Artist year book.

Answer 7

I would suggest getting an Agent. Look in the Writer's and Artist Year Book.

They know how to get publishers to look at a book.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

Go to a publisher. Be prepared for a little bit of negative feedback. LOL

Answer 10

Send a draught to a publisher. It would depend on what your book was about, (ie), fact fiction, etc, in order to advise which publisher(s) to send it to.