Finding a Publisher

Persistence Pays Off ...

What publishers are interested in new authors?  How will you ever know unless you give it a try? Ask yourself: 

Do I want to be published so bad I can taste it?

If you do, then go to a bookstore either in your community, or online. Invest in a copy of the “Writer’s Market” book for the genre you write. These books come out once a year and they will tell you who is accepting submissions and where and how to submit them to magazines, periodicals and publishers.

When it comes to submitting, be careful. Always read their rules. Each publisher is very specific about how they want to be approached by writers. Some only want agented material, so you'll have to forgo those, unless you want to take the time to try and get an agent. (There are “Writers Market” books for finding an agent, too).

**This is a Catch 22, in my opinion. There are publishers who require an agent before they will even look at your work, and most agents won’t represent someone who doesn’t already have a publisher.

Some publishers will only accept exclusive submissions. This means you can only send your manuscript to them and then wait for them to either accept, or reject it for publication. That can take anywhere from three to six months. There are some cases where it takes even longer and still others where you won’t hear back --at all.

You will also find a few who require you to submit a query letter first. If they are interested in hearing more, based on what you said in your query, they will invite you to send your entire manuscript to them.

*Never send your original manuscript, only a copy.
*Always make sure it’s spell-checked.
*Always double space.
*Put the word count in the top right corner.
*If the publisher says no staples, they mean no staples. Use a clip.
*Always include a self-addressed stamped envelope, or you will never hear from them.

Nothing will get your manuscript trashed faster than sloppy work, spelling errors, and not following their submission rules. Again, each publisher has very specific guidelines. Refer to your “Writers Market” book for every publisher you plan to send to.

The competition is fierce. Publishers often have three-foot piles of manuscript submissions, sometimes monthly. (I’ve seen the piles). The rub is, they get so many of them, they can afford to be picky.

One of the most important steps is edit. You have to be cruel!  Cut out all unnecessary dialogue, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns —anything not crucial to the story and especially the word, “that”.  99% of the time it isn’t needed anyway.  

Read your manuscript out loud. See how it sounds and edit again. Read it out loud to others and get their opinions. Edit again. Then read it aloud to yourself one last time, before taking it to the post office.

I know this seems extreme, but if you don't tighten it up, be assured, their editors will -- and your finished book might not end up the way you want it to be.

One more thing. If you're like me, you'll get a pile of rejections before you get that one 'yes'. You can’t take it personally! A rejection may only mean what you sent to that particular publisher on that particular day wasn't what they were looking for at that particular time.

You may have sent the perfect story about a little purple duck, when they were looking for one about a big green pony. They never tell you. Be persistent and persevere.

Remember, it only takes one 'yes' and you’re published!

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please share it and consider a paid subscription to “CJ’s World” on Substack. You won’t miss any paywall posts and you will find some nice gifts.  Hugs, CJ.