Tips On Getting Published

[Axel Alloy]

( This was an article I was asked to write for the company I used to work for. I didn't know whether to post it or not, but I figured it may be of use to some people on here. )

If you are a budding writer, there will come a time when you will want to get your works published. This is, however, not as easy as it sounds and, for a great many writers, it can be the most frustrating part of their writing career. As a professional writer myself, I know how important certain things are and also how strong the urge can be to get yourself published. So, I shall try my very best to give good advice on how to get your works published in this article.


So you have a story? That's great. Now, what are you going to do with it?

Self-Questioning
Now think about this carefully.

Why do you want to be published? Is it for the money? Perhaps you just wish to educate people, or to make your opinions, your talent, or your ideas known? - Publishers will want to know that you know what you are doing and understand everything that is involved. They are only interested in the money side of things and will, in turn, expect you to know your financial stuff, so to speak.

Are you 'good enough' to be published? - If you, yourself, answer 'no', then don't bother. You are your worst critic, after all. But, don't worry. All that means is you have a lot more practicing to do to better yourself. There is no greater satisfaction than bettering oneself.

Are you 100% accurate in your depictions etc? - After all, you wouldn't want to write a book with inaccuracies, now would you? If you aren't sure about something, always do your research. Talk to people who specialize in that area. If its about a war, see if you can talk to veterans, or maybe just look up as many websites as you can to be sure you have everything spot on.

Always question yourself before going ahead with anything.


100% Satisfied?
Are you 100% satisfied with your work? I mean, seriously... If you are not happy with it, then how can anyone else be? Sure, it can be a real pain in the butt having to edit it and come up with new things for it, but it is really worth it in the end.

ALWAYS make sure you are happy with your work before you even CONSIDER getting it looked at by a publishing house


Errors
You will have to be sure that you spell-check your work and 'proofread' it. Proofread it over and over again. Proofread it so many times that you are so certain that everything is in order, you'd bet your house on it. Also, get others to proofread it for you. They will often find mistakes that you will probably have missed. You can also send it to a proofreading service, who will give it a once-over and edit it accordingly. (This will, of course, cost you money, but it is a very good way of ensuring that your work is 100% mistake free. However, some services offer a no charge guarantee if they do not meet your expectations.)


Target Audience & Guidelines
Your publishing house will, of course, depend on your target audience. Many people actually start off writing with a view of being published by a specific house, but that often leads to disappointment and, more often than not, a heck of a lot of problems when they turn them down. If you have a publisher in mind, then all well and good, but do you know that they are going to like your work? Does your work adhere to their guidelines? Oh yes, there are guidelines. Most publishing houses will actually send you a copy of them, if you ask them nicely. The houses are often very strict with their guidelines. (For example, issues such as length, how many characters you have in your story, background stories, character development and so on and so forth.)

Here is a basic check list for you to follow:

• Write down all the potential publishing houses you can think of. (Make sure to keep on the lookout. Many new publishers will be more willing to accept new writers, as they will not have their own author list yet.) The best place to find lists are in writing magazines and such. Although, there is this new invention called 'the internet' which will be of remarkable in your quest.
  
• Do research into which would be the most suitable for your work. (IE: Do they publish similar works to yours?) Always choose the ones that have published similar works to yours and don't take risks by submitting writing to the wrong type of publisher. (Imagine the disgust that a publishing house that specializes in horror would feel if they received a story about a pink, fluffy unicorn called Bessie?)
  
  Check your genre carefully.
  
• If you find a suitable house, follow their guidelines to a tee. Try not to make too many mistakes, or they won't be very forgiving and won't publish your book.

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Its a sad fact, but most writers who submit their works to publishing houses will be rejected. If you are one of these people, don't be discouraged! Keep trying. Persistence pays off. Remember, it took Jacqueline Wilson (Author of 'The Story of Tracy Beaker') over 20 years before she even got her first book published.

However, if you really have given up all hope that you will never get your works published, then fear not. There is always another option.

Self Publishing


Self Publishing is one route that many writers go down after they have been discouraged by being rejected by publishing houses. There are many websites that will do this free of charge, but work on a commission-based selling system. (If you are familiar with 'CafePress', then you will know exactly what I am talking about.)

The best way of doing it is to write you book, market it (Advertise etc.), order copies of it to distribute among family and friends and so on and so forth. Some even find that they become better known by leaving copies around their towns (Like the 'Travelling book' idea that was popular not so long ago.), or ask if independent stores can sell their books.

You have to remember that if you decide to self-publish, you will be in charge of everything. You won't have a publishing house backing you up and advertising for you, you will have to do it all on your own.


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Resources

List of Publishing Houses

List of publishers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
List of publishers of children's books - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Children's)


Proofreading Services

ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. and copyediting


Self Publishing Links

Self Publishing - Lulu.com

Publish | book Publishers | books Publishing | books Publishers UK | Publishing a book

WRITERSWORLD - UK self publishing print on demand book publisher and book reprint company based in the United Kingdom (UK site)

[Tallulah]

Thanks for sharing this.

Writing has always be one of my big passions. It's fallen by the wayside in recent months due to my added responsibilities with having to run a house almost on my own (although my partner has just moved in; he has just seen me type this and piped up "Bloody cheek!"), but if I ever get a big idea, I would certainly love to write about it. Currently any ideas I get are fleeting and often related to fanfiction, but I associate with an incredible bunch of people at work and such; thee's bound to be some original characters come out of them.

Once again, thank you for sharing. Full of useful pointers.

[DragonHeart]

Your article has decent basic information, but on the whole it won't actually help anyone get published. However, it does work well as positive encouragement, something which all writers need at some point. I'd like to add a couple of points, based on my own publishing experiences and lots of research.

Yog's Law: Money flows towards the writer. Alternately, the only place a writer signs a check is on the back.

Any agent or publisher who asks for any kind of money upfront is at best clueless, at worst a scammer. Either way, run like hell. (A bad agent is worse than no agent.)

Do not pay for proofreading/editing services. A writer must be able to self-edit their own work. There are plenty of free or low-cost resources (like books! ) available to help develop this skill. Also, get beta readers. You'll likely have to beta for them as well, but it's well worth your time.

Avoid Publish America at all costs.

Research, research, research. Always check out any potential agent or publishing house before you submit to them. If they charge a fee, avoid. If their website is geared toward soliciting manuscripts from starry-eyed writers, avoid. An agent's job is to sell books to publishers. A publisher's job is to sell books to the public. Neither of them should be selling anything to an author (including dreams). This also includes writing contests.

Preditors and Editors should be your first stop when checking out a potential agent or publisher.

Get an agent. They will open doors you didn't even know existed. Plus many publishers no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts.

Slushkiller.

Miss Snark, or how not to be a nitwit. She no longer blogs, but the archives remain one of the single best resources you will ever find. Be sure to read the comment trails!

Self-publishing is never a viable option for actually selling your work. Do not use it as a last resort, or a last anything for that matter.

ETA: I should have clarified that while your article helps people determine their own motivations and goals for publishing, it does not contain a lot of practical step-by-step advice, making the title of the thread misleading.

~DragonHeart~