Getting Published: Step 1

[The Dark One]

I didn't mean to imply that it's a good idea to half-finish your book and start shopping it around; most of what I've read implies that traditional publication is such a long process that getting someone interested can happen well before the finalized stage. But maybe that's changed with the continuing evolution of the publishing industry; I guess publishers/agents are no longer interested in the hard work of helping an author develop a promising piece of writing.

As I said above...if you have the right product it's easy to get published, and it doesn't absolutely have to be finished. If you have a great idea and have enough of a showcase of your writing (first few chapters minimum) to demonstrate that you can carry it off, you might be surprised. The first book I had accepted by a commercial publisher, I'd only written about two thirds when I contacted a publisher and he accepted it within four days of first contact. The first publisher to whom I sent it.

I know how unusual that story is - but it rather proves my point. Prior to that I had been trying to get published for 15 years, sending stuff out with all sorts of different synopses and cover letters etc. None of it mattered because I'd never had quite the right product before. Get the product right and all the rest takes care of itself.

 

[Telcontar]

@Dark One: Just to be sure we're all on the right page - your published work is fiction, correct? The "rules" for nonfiction are substantially different...

"Get the product right" may sound good on the face of it, but methinks it is a dramatic oversimplification. Which product? The book? Even the best book won't get published unless it is presented properly, and to the right people, to get it read. Is the product, then, both the book and the sales pitch (query letter)? This is more accurate to my thinking.

Not finishing a book that you are querying isn't a poison pill, but it could be risky. If you start querying a book you haven't finished, DO NOT mention that in the query letter. Also, be sure that you won't be making any significant changes to what you already have written. The process can take awhile, so if you are certain you can stay one jump ahead of the requests then great. What if lightning strikes, though, and the agent responds faster than you anticipated with a request for a full manuscript - which you do not have? You could lose what could have been an offer on the table.

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

As I said above...if you have the right product it's easy to get published,

Sure, but having the right product is incredibly difficult. That's like saying, sure, if you have a ten-ton gold nugget, it's easy to exchange it for cash. The hard part is acquiring the gold in the first place.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

As I said above...if you have the right product it's easy to get published...

I believe he's speaking of a product that's right for the current market & a good piece of writing at the same time....

 

[The Dark One]

Yeah, sorry if I sound a bit glib. It's something that occurred to me shortly after my first book was published. Someone asked: was it hard to get published? And I thought: no...it was easy. The first publisher I sent it to snapped it up within days of me sending an exploratory email.

Of course, everything that went before that was hard. 15 years of writing - seriously trying to improve my art - several novels written or half written. At least a hundred rejections after god-knows-how-many different versions of synopses and cover letter, all agonised over as though they were more important than the novel itself. And I went really close a couple of times - even got as far as the publishing committee meeting with one book - only to have it outvoted.

But the following things worked for me. I slowly found my natural writer's voice and improved out of sight at generating original engaging prose. I learned how to pace a multi-thread story and keep the reader guessing and turning pages. I had developed a small network of industry professionals who took me seriously and (despite rejecting me) wanted to see my next project. All I needed was the right project.

When the idea struck me, I knew immediately how strong it was and the first draft just seemed to write itself. When I was about two thirds of the way through, I decided on a whim to send it to the fellow who had championed my cause but been outvoted. He had started his own publishing company, but alas, non-fiction only. Nevertheless, he read it, and said: this might appeal to X from Y Publishing. Why don't you send it to him?

So I googled the company (I'd never heard of them) and sent off an email describing the book...and was absolutely gobsmacked when the phone rang 20 minutes later. It was X from Y Publishing, really interested in my project. That was a Monday morning and by Friday afternoon he had read the incomplete draft and told me he wanted to publish it.

It took another 6 months to finish the draft and a further 18 months to edit into a shape we all agreed on. But the point is...if you have the right idea and enough of it expressed in good enough shape to demonstrate you can write, then there are no hard and fast rules about when and how to send it out.

An agent or publisher may be disappointed to learn you haven't finished the draft but if it's good enough to arouse their interest in this unbelievably overcrowded and competitive market then they'll still want to see the final product. And I guarantee, if you have a professional keenly anticipating the finished product, it will really inspire you to get cracking.

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

Yeah, sorry if I sound a bit glib. It's something that occurred to me shortly after my first book was published. Someone asked: was it hard to get published? And I thought: no...it was easy. The first publisher I sent it to snapped it up within days of me sending an exploratory email.

Of course, everything that went before that was hard. 15 years of writing - seriously trying to improve my art - several novels written or half written. At least a hundred rejections after god-knows-how-many different versions of synopses and cover letter, all agonised over as though they were more important than the novel itself. And I went really close a couple of times - even got as far as the publishing committee meeting with one book - only to have it outvoted.

Sorry, I'm confused; in your first paragraph you said that the first publisher you sent it to bought it, but in your second paragraph you said you spend 15 years getting rejected. Do you mean that the novel you DID sell, sold to the first publisher you sent it to; but this was after 15 years of getting rejections for other novels?

Even if that is what happened, I wouldn't call that easy. You spent 15 years developing your craft to the point where you were able to write a novel good enough to sell. I'm not sure what's "easy" about that.

 

[The Dark One]

That's why I apologised for being a bit glib.

But after all that work I did finally have the right product and the first fiction publisher to see bought it. It's the right product that matters - whether it took 15 weeks or 15 years.

 

[Delem]

After I finished the work on the first circle of my saga I decided to send out synopsis to many agents, but what I got in return are polite auto replies with apologies, recommendations to keep on and polite refuses. First it made a bit sad, now that kind of sadness changed into some different kind of emotion. After all, if you want the cart to ride - just make a push. So I decided to tell the world about my work on my own. Because I believe and here goes my recommendation: in the world of numerous agents, publishing houses and agencies one must have one - belief.

Cheers!