If you have had a written work of fiction published, what helped you to succeed?

Question

What did you do that, in you estimation, made a difference...that made an agent or publisher take notice?

Answer 1

First off use 20 lb paper, 96 bright, is a good choice. If you put regular paper and this stuff side by side you'll be surprised at the difference.
Double space your work and use Times New Roman 14, Courier New 12. It's easy to read, impresses the heck out of editors.
Know your market. It seems a grand waste of time to send a horror story to a romance publisher.
Know the editor/agents name, that makes it look like you took two seconds to see who was still working at what place.
Write a synopsis-this is the entire story in about 3-10 pages. Tell them the end. They are never so curious that they have to buy your ms to find out how it ends.
Know grammer and the basics of good writing.
Check out the publishers web sites and read the Guidelines for Writers-a load of info here including if you have to have an agent, there are still a few that don't require this.
It might help to join one of the Writers Associations, they can give you a list of reputable publishers and agents-helps to not get burned.
NEVER:
Say "this is the next best seller you've been waiting for" "I'm the best thing since Stephane King" (Yeah, at least get the name right) "I'm the next xx" fifty other amateurs tell them this everyday.
Put the little copyright symbol on the bottom-fifty other amateurs, you know the rest.
Send a soiled or corrected page, read it over, print another if it messed up.
Beg. There is no reason for this and they don't like it. They read each and every ms, truly they do, they'll grab you if they like what you've done.

And last but not least, never give up. Be honest about your work, learn the craft and improve with each ms you finish. Steven King said he lined his walls with rejections.
Good luck.

Answer 2

Study the craft, keep writing, learn from your mistakes. I wrote short stories for years, submitted them to magazines (print and online) and learned a lot from that process and those editors. Then I wrote a book, tried to get an agent, couldn't. Wrote another, better book, and got an agent.

You have to have a thick skin and be willing to keep writing and not get stuck on one book.

Answer 3

i does not say it became into crucial, yet you would be making issues extra good for your self in case you do not examine lots fiction. Readers have dissimilar expectancies of ways issues would be accomplished. you'll be able to desire to be attentive to approximately plot shape and character progression, and the main sturdy thank you to verify it is to verify authors who do it nicely. you besides could could desire to have some thought of the conventions of your favored variety, so as which you do not write something you think of is brilliantly unique, just to locate that evidently throughout approximately eighty% of books in that variety. i don't be attentive to of any efficient author who isn't a prepared reader, yet that's to not say they don't exist.