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How to Get Published

As writers, we often like to write for ourselves, but show me a writer who says they don't ever want to be published and I'll show you a fibber.

It's one of the most thrilling experiences imaginable - seeing your own work in print - but the road to success is long and curves in some strange directions, so just remember to brace yourself.

HOME ALONE

The commonest way of approaching a publisher is by going solo. If you're planning to send your novel off there are a few rules you should follow. Don't just send it to the first publisher you come across or the only publisher you know. Do some research, find out which house or imprint is most likely to publish your style or genre - a romance publisher won't accept your horror novel even if it's the best thing they've ever read. Get hold of a publisher's catalogue to see what kind of books they publish. Alternatively, buy a yearbook that provides information on what a publisher accepts and the guidelines for approaching them.

ON TARGET

Once you've decided which publishers you're aiming for, make sure you follow the correct procedure. When Aztecs approached Montezuma they had to take off their clothes and put on cheap blankets, enter his chamber barefoot and with their eyes cast down, and bow three times saying 'My Lord, my great lord!' If they didn't, they'd get their heads lopped off. Publishers are perhaps a tad less demanding but there are ways of submitting your work without becoming an irritation. First, don't send in your entire manuscript. Nothing's more likely to get your work sent back unread than an unsolicited novel plopping onto the welcome mat. Instead, write a brief letter to a publisher detailing who you are, and including any information about your past successes and your future plans (publishers like to invest in novelists, so it's always wise to claim you want to make a career of writing, even if you're not sure you do). With this letter, include a 300-word synopsis of your work, and two sample chapters (usually the first two). And never send a proposal to more than one publisher at one time: it's considered very bad form.

A NOT-SO-SECRET AGENT

If going it alone seems too daunting, you might want to think about getting an agent. An agent is somebody who does their utmost to find a publisher for your book, who gets to grips with a contract to make sure you're not getting ripped off, and who incessantly pesters companies to keep publishing your work long into the future. And you get all this for a 10% cut of the earnings from any book they represent. Not bad.

Of course finding a good agent can be just as hard as finding a publisher. If you know somebody with an agent, ask them to recommend you: it's the quickest way to becoming represented. Otherwise, look through a listing of agents (they can be found in writers' yearbooks) and send them a short letter, synopsis and sample chapters. It may seem easier to devote your time to the search for a publisher, but if an agent takes you under their wing your work will be prioritised when it arrives at a publishing house, and you've got a guardian angel who can harass an editor to give you a chance without the risk of making them angry.

A SHORT WORD ABOUT FAILURE

What do Catch-22, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Time Machine, Sons and Lovers, Moby Dick, The Lord of the Flies, Northanger Abbey, Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Animal Farm have in common? They were all rejected by publishers, often many times. Some famous writers have literally been able to paper their walls with rejection slips. The moral of the story? Never give up, always try, try, try again: every good book will find its home eventually.


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