I have FIVE book MANUSCRIPTS, I dont know where to start.?

Question

I have always loved writting novels, Now i have five manuscrips. I have tried contacting publishers but they ask for crazy amounts of money. I would love to publish all the five books one at a time.
Where do i start?
What can i do?.
Where can i get a realiable agent and How do i know am in safe hands?
Your answers are much Appreciated?

Answer 1

Hi, nice to meet you. I am a fictional writer, and I am working on the re-write of my first novel.
What you need is a reputable literary agent. Try the website of the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR):

www.aar-online.com

Check out their submission guidelines & what sort of books each of them specialize in.
A literary agent will negotiate a deal with a publisher. Don't bother approaching the big guns yourself; you won't get very far! Enclose a Stamped, Self-Addressed Envelope with your enquiry letter, or you'll never hear from him/her again.
Good luck. It's much harder than you think, but it's worth your best shot.
A literary agent doesn't charge you anything, until he/she has negotiated a deal for you.

Answer 2

Hi Simon,

Forgive the observation, but for someone who's written five manuscripts, you don't seem particularly clued-in to the subtleties of your would-be profession.

While there are a limited number of people (too few to mention really) who've scored in self-publishing, it's not the ideal way to get recognized -- nor is it the way to make a living. You need a "real" publisher, and not a vanity publisher.

Some small publishers will still deal directly with authors -- though I must tell you, their numbers are growing smaller by the day. Your best bet is to land an agent.

I'm including an all purpose website for you that has more information than any other, on ALL aspects of the publishing world. It contains pages and pages of agents -- many of whom accept online queries.

Yes, there are a lot of crooked agents out there. To make sure you're not being taken, make sure that your agent is a member of A.A.R. (Association of Author's Representatives), or if not, stipulates that he/she follows the canons of AAR.

Whatever you do, when you write a query, do not say that you've already got five novels done. I'm sorry to say this, but it makes you look foolish and unprofessional. If your books are a series, then say that you've completed the first novel, are writing the second, and that the others are in outline form.

Best of luck.

Answer 3

Your first step is to get Writers Market. This lists all the major publishers and what they are accepting and how to submit manuscripts.

You also want to reread your manuscripts to make sure they are properly revised (no spelling errors, good punctuation, and good grammar) and are in the proper format. A poorly prepared manuscript is usually rejected in 30 seconds.

Next ask yourself if the first scene of each manuscript will grab anyone. You have under a minute usually to grab the reader's attention at a publishing house and keep it. That first page is the hook and you can't afford to waste it.

Make sure the length of the manuscript suits the publisher's requirements. If they say they won't look at manuscripts under 80,000 words (about 400 pages), they mean it.

Oh, don't go paying money for publication. This is not being published in the eyes of the reading world and you'll end up with a lot of expensive paperweights. A true publisher has no upfront costs and will pay you royalties for copies sold. You cannot expect an advance on your first book, but if it does well, you might get one on the second or third.

When you get disgusted with New York, go to www.fictionwise.com and check out who is publishing books like yours. Note the publisher and see if they are accepting manuscripts. These are small publishers, but they are more open to new writers.

An agent is only required if the publisher says you need one. Many don't.

Answer 4

Might I suggest you look into writers' conferences in your area? Attending a conference is a great way to meet both publishers and agents. You can set up a meeting with a publisher there, and have him quickly critique part of your manuscript to see if you are truly ready for publication. If your feedback is less than positive, you'll be in a good place to discover what your next step as a writer should be.

Writing novels is one thing. Knowing the "business" of publication is quite another. It's fairly difficult to get a 1500 word article published by a small magazine, let alone an 80,000 word book.

And these publishers you describe are what we call "vanity" publishers, much akin to self publishers. Most of the time they charge you for printing, they don't offer any editing, and all marketing of your book is dependant upon you. You will want to have an appropriate reason for publishing this way (like say, writing your memoirs and having them professionally bound for your family and friends only) or you'll have difficulty making sales.

Google for writers' conferences in your area!

Good luck!

Answer 5

Why don't you self publish those books yourself. Publishers don't want to want to know you because you are not known. The first thing you have to do is get a business licence, because you can claim for not only the printing of the book, but also other business related expenses.Earnest Hemmingway and Mark Twain started off as self publiished authors, along with many other top authors. You don't hav to have only 100 books printed to start with to see how they go. There are companies that specialize in printing for the self published authors. Get to know other authors and they will be able to tell you where to get a good agent, or go on the net, and search for self publishing.

Answer 6

I would recommend self-publishing. I self-published a book of poetry through http://www.lulu.com/ (you don’t need an agent for self-publishing)
Lulu is 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 you keep all rights to it. You can have books printed in b/w or colour, hardback or soft back, and in a variety of sizes.
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.

Answer 7

it is not in all probability the 5th e book because of fact it already ended with Breaking daybreak. yet there's a 5th e book noted as hour of darkness solar, which Edward is narrating. In different phrases, that e book is in Edward's attitude.