I'm writing a book, can any other aspiring authors or those who have already written a book give me advice?

Question

The first agent I called turned me down flat because she said I had no authority on the subject (a religious theory) she said unless I had some degree in theology noone would want to represent it and a question that kept coming up was 'who are you to tell me about God?' and they didn't mean it in a bad way-they are trying to make it clear that I'm no expert SO I've decided to make it into a story book although I have some big ideas I'm unsure how to tie in my religious theory.

My question is basically what is a good way to get my book on the shelves, that includes getting an agent etc

Answer 1

Hi Frankie. Welcome to the wonderful world of publishing.

You seem to have essentially answered your own question, but I'll see if I can help shed some more light on the way publishing fiction vs. non-fiction works, and what this means for you.

There's bad news and good news.

The bad news is, your first would-be publishers are correct: in the world of non-fiction, the identity and qualifications of the author are paramount. Even if you were to study religion for the next 10 years, you would be unlikely to develop the credentials necessary to publish a book on theology, unless you became widely recognized as an EXPERT on the subject.

The process for publishing non-fiction is entirely different from publishing fiction for this reason. In general, non-fiction books are pitched to prospective publishers as a proposal first, and are not written until a publisher has agreed to publish it. They do this because unlike with fiction, the credentials of the author are the single most important thing, and that is what vouches for the quality of the book even before it is written.

The good news is that you don't necessarily have to be an expert in anything to publish fiction.

If you have an idea or theory that you would like to share with the world, fiction is often a MORE EFFECTIVE platform than non-fiction.

Some of the best novels ever written have been used to carry a message. Take George Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984 for their political ideology; take Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead for their political and social ideologies. There are many others - in fact, almost all great literature has some form of moral, religious, political or social agenda behind its writing.

One option at your disposal is to self-publish, but then you will run into the same issues that cause established publishers from shunning non-fiction words written by non-experts: the book is unlikely to sell, or even be carried by most booksellers.

Your second option, and the one I recommend to you if you ever want to see your book on the shelves, is to transform your work from non-fiction to fiction. You might just find that it's better and more enjoyable than the original.

Good luck to you!
.

Answer 2

It will depend on your tale. I could now not propose breaking it down into 2 smaller books until every has a certain opening, center and finish. Of direction, the moment ebook will must construct as much as a greater and bigger climax than the primary, as that is the last showdown, however there nonetheless demands to be a few variety of climax and finishing within the first ebook. However, as Michelle has mentioned, it isn't web page duration that a writer shall be focused on such a lot as phrase rely. In my (confined) revel in of publishing, a writer prefers a MS to be among 50,000 - eighty,000 phrases. If good written, a sequence can be of curiosity to a writer - quite often lovers of a sequence will wish to learn the moment ebook while it's published and those that begin with the moment ebook will by and large search the primary to uncover out wherein the sequence started, as a result producing further earnings. On the opposite hand ... Don't holiday your tale into 2 books if it appears as although it's going to spoil the plot. Many best books had been released that experience long gone over one thousand pages. The Pickwick Papers (Charles Dickens) Possession (AS Byatt) and Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand) are all popular examples. However, those books are the exception, now not the guideline. Do what feels proper to you. But realize what the dangers are.

Answer 3

If someone is telling you you have no expertise, then I suggest you do some research and get educated. She's likely telling you this for your own good, not to be cruel. You need a thick skin when it comes to writing or else you will be eaten alive.

Do your homework instead of trying to turn it into a story. Regardless of how it's written, you'll still need expertise and solid research.

Answer 4

Look up a user named Persiphone_Hellecat.
http://answers.yahoo.com/my/profile?show=uOL4qscUaa

She is a published author and has given TONS of great advice in this forum You can also e-mail her from her profile page.