How do I go about trying to get my newly completed fiction published.?

Question

Not even sure if it is laid out in the correct format. Is it better to go through an agent or sent the hefty tome directly to the publisher . Or is there some other way it should be done? Not got a clue.

Answer 1

You could try publishers direct, however, it is very difficult to get 'Your foot in the door'.

(They will not want to see the whole book, usually a synopsis of the book and a couple of sample chapters).

Going through an agent, has its problems - They may take you on & charge you a big fee. I also heard that they go along to publishers with dozens of manuscripts all at the same, so yours may be part of a larger batch.

Check out the writers & artists year book also check this link below.
http://www.excaliburonlinepublishing.com/

Good luck

Answer 2

OK, you have to do this right the first time around, publishers/agents keep the names of people and tend not to look after the first submission you give them.

There is allot to take in with this, i may not be able to fit it all in so e mail me if you need any more info.

First: Read, re read, re re read and spell check what you have written. ANY bad spelling etc can ruin your chances.

Second: write your final draft, use the set boarders on word, double space between words, use the tab button at the start of each sentence, page numbers at the bottom that say 1 of 100 so no pages get lost, put your name at the bottom of each piece of paper......
Use GOOD quality white paper.

Third: Get your book ready for sending to AGENTS and by all means NOT publishers! You can get writers hand books that list agents etc. Target agents that will take your genre of work!

Forth Check before sending, first class stamp, a good envelop that won't bend, check you have a cover letter, a synopsis (short and sweet) a cover paper that has the book Title, your address etc on the front.
Also the first page should be set half way down the A4 page, like they do in books.
Only send the first three chapters, they will ask for more later IF they like it.

Fifth: A strong mind, it will take MONTHES for people to contact you and you will get turned down but NEVER lose faith in your book.
Keep trying.

Sixth: IF and when you get there keep your mind, don't sell the world rights and each time the book gets published in a new country you get royalties etc.

There is allot to remember.

Try taking a night class in writing to get all this info, it may give you new ideas to add toy your book.

Answer 3

There are two basic paths you can take.

1)The traditional method - Looking for a talent agent. You do this by sending query's to talent agents. You basically talk about your book in the query and a bit about yourself. It's good to get some professional advice and you get find lists on line of agents.

If you are going to go this route, then go to your local book store. "Novel and Short Story Writer's Market." Make sure you get the 2006 edition if it's still in print. Or you can ask someone who works there about getting a book with literary agents listings.

2)Self-publishing - If you can afford to, you can try self-publishing. That's where you pay a publishing company to design the book and print it for you. The downside is that it costs money and you get stuck with the marketing. Self-publishing works for people who have a good business sense and have the time to put into marketing. iUinverse.com is one of the best and there are many other good ones too.

I'd advise you to try to get a literary agent first. They don't get paid until you do. They will help you fund a publisher and also handle all the media stuff. It may take a while to get your work published, but it's the safest and most affordable method.

Answer 4

Borrow The Writer's Handbook 2006 from your library (or buy it, in paperback), and find out.
Never send any manuscript directly to a publisher, they no longer read them. You will have to find an agent who wishes to represent you. There are lists of these agents in the Handbook.
Choose about 20 and send the first three chapters of your book, and an outline of the entire book, to each of the twenty agents.
Your manuscript should be printed in double-spaced pages on one side only. No need to bind. Enclose return postage if you want the manuscript back. I think it is better to send out fresh, un-thumbed pages each time.
Try at least 25 agents. If no-one wishes to represent it, give up and write another book!
Good luck!

Answer 5

If you send your book driectly to the publisher it will go into what's known in the trade as the "slush pile." This means some low-level assistant elf will take a look at it... um, I dunno... eventually. Not soon anyway, that's a fact. So some people suggest you send it to an agent first. The problem is that many agents don't want to represent writers with an unproven track record, and those that do read material by new writers have a slush pile, just like the publishers. You see the problem.

There are ways to get around the slush pile. You can go to trade conventions, shake hands with industry insiders (writers, editors, etc.) until you make a connection within the business. If you can't spare that kind of time or if you live too far away to travel, you might start by publishing short stories or poems in magazines. Many editors and agents troll through literary and small-press magazines to find new talent. And you can always send fan letters to writers you respect, who write in your field—some writers actually respond to fan letters, and if you can strike up a correspondence with an established name in the business, that can be a good way to cultivate connections within the industry.

In today's highly charged publishing environment, some new writers prefer to publish their own work. The reasoning is that, if the writer can publish and promote a book and drum up enough sales independently, the major publishers may look at the work as having an established track record and see it as less of a gamble. Many established industry insiders regard self-publication as akin to masturbation, but that's because they are established insiders and haven't had to go through the slush pile in years. If an avenue works for you, don't let snobbishness stand in your way.

And of course, in the electronic age, it's cheap and easy to create your own electronic publishing company. You can sell your work online through electronic vendors like Amazon.com or your own website. Not very many books that have been published electronically get picked up by mainstream publishers, but if you can prove your work has market viability, this could be a valid option. E.E. Knight's novel "Way of the Wolf" started out as an e-book, got picked up by a Penguin subsidiary, and went on to become a bestseller.

Anything you can do to publicize yourself and your name is a leg up in the publishing industry. Leading an on-line workshop for fellow writers may help you cultivate valuable connections. Teaching a class can be valuable, too—even if you don't have academic credentials, many schools, churches, and community centers offer evening classes for adults who want to improve themselves, and if you can wave your manuscript as proof that you can write, you may be offered the chance to teach an adult writing course.

There's no guarantee any of that will work, of course. The publishing industry is turning out books faster than most people can read them today; more and more writers are competing for a smaller and smaller share of the pie. There are newer and more creative ways to get your name known; with time and experimentation you might even come up with something nobody else has done before.

Answer 6

Publishers will not look at "over the transom" submissions, so save your postage. You need an agent who can evaluate your possibilities of having a salable product, and shop it around for you. And before you submit it to an agent, make sure that it's edited, revised, proofread, polished, and correctly formatted (double-spaced, 1" margins etc.).

I'm a freelance writer/editor. Contact me if you'd like more info.

Answer 7

in the UK trying to find let alone get an agent is a nightmare.. plenty places offering vanity publishing where you pay to publish but very hard otherwise to try and get a book into print and for sale.. i have tried and cant get anywhere.. plenty of new ideas and one novel complete!!!

Answer 8

would recommend self-publishing. I self-published a book of poetry through http://www.lulu.com/
Lulu are completely free and very easy to use. You can then buy a global distribution, or ISBN, which will put your book on Barnes and noble, borders, amazon.... i really like lulu, i think they are great. They also offer a great customer service if you get stuck. Once published with them, you automatically get the copyright, and u keep all rights to it.
If you think they are too good to be true (which was my original opinion) you can view my book at http://www.lulu.com/dchooper
Hope this helps. Good luck with your writing.
For any more information about Lulu you can contact me at [e-mail] (if you do contact me, put Lulu in the subject line, or i might report as spam)
Cheers, Deanna.