A lot of women our age start to think about writing a memoir or a novel, but it’s tough. Many women say to me, “I’ve written a book, but I don’t know what to do next. How do I get my book published?” I feel the pain of other struggling writers because that was me for so many years. Here’s my advice to other women trying to get their first novel published.
- Get an agent.
An agent is the way to go because publishers don’t want to deal directly with authors. Even in the rare cases where someone is picked up by a publisher directly, they’ll right away say, “Go get an agent,” because they don’t want to deal with you directly. - Not every agent will be the right agent to represent you.
Getting an agent is really, really what it’s all about–but you should do as much research as possible to make sure you get an agent who handles the genre of what you’re writing. Go online and do searches. Also, be very wary because there are some unsavory people out there who are trying to make a quick buck off frustrated writers. - Network with booksellers.
At my book launch, a woman came to me who was completely frustrated because she had written a novel, gotten an agent, and had been so excited–then within a week she received a one-line email saying the agent was dropping her. For this particular author I suggested she give a copy of her manuscript to the bookseller where I was having my book launch because a lot of times these people have contacts with sales reps from publishers, agents, etc. - Consult the website Preditors & Editors.
One of the best resources that I love to recommend to everyone is a website called Preditors & Editors. If you go there and type in an agent’s name, it will tell you if there have been warnings about the agent, if the agent charges for a reading. Any agent who charges for a reading is not a legitimate literary agent. - Use the book Writer’s Market.
A new edition of this book is published every year so it stays up to date. It not only lists agents, but also gives you sample query letters (query letters are one or two page letters that are a sales pitch of your book to an agent) as well as various dos and don’t and other valuable advice. - Read Jeff Herman’s Jeff Herman’s Guide To Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents: Who They Are! What They Want! How To Win Them Over!
I actually found this even better than Writer’s Market. It’s excellent. - Self-publish–as a last resort.
I self-published and it worked for me, but to other authors, I say that if you’re going to try to go my route, do it as a last resort. You definitely want to try get an agent first. - Above all, don’t give up.
You will have many setbacks and crises of faith along the way. Don’t give up. Make your work the best you can produce–and then believe in it.
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Sounds very interesting.
Spike, you are awesome! Love your perspective, thanks for sharing.
Very good advice, Maryann. A few other thoughts: 1. Go to a bookstore and look at books that are closely related to yours, and see who the agent is (lots of times, the author will thank people, including his/her agent, in the foreword). That way, you can find names of agents who are obviously representing books similar to yours. 2. My book is nonfiction, and I used The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published (Bykofsky). Very helpful in writing my book proposal (which you need to do if it’s nonfiction). 3. If your book is nonfiction, establish a platform – a way to sell your books – prior to submitting your book proposal. If you already have an audience willing to buy your books that is a plus. For example, I spoke at Adult Ed venues at schools and universities about choosing the best places to retire.
Jan Cullinane, author of The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life (Rodale)
Like MaryAnn, I realized I had a story (or several) to tell. I have completed my first novel and have started trying to get an agent while I work on my second. I feel so good about myself as I can say “I am a novelist!” (just not a published one — yet!)
Speaking as a publisher, I can say that if you can come to the table with demonstrated sales, you are MILES ahead. For this reason, I don’t necessarily think that self-publishing is all that bad of an idea. It’s definitely alot more work… alot more work, but for some, it’ll be the best way to convince a publisher that your title is worth the risk. If you need help self publishing, a great resource is Good Book Publishing (http://www.goodbookpublishing.com) they’ve got a great editing staff who can help you fine-tune your manuscript and get you distributed. Then, it’s all about you pushing the title. Good Luck!
Hi Maryann,
Thank you for helping would-be and beginner writers with advice. It also gave a dose of reality to read how long it took you NOT to get an agent…. Agents, like doctors, specialize in different fields–an agent that represents cookbooks may not be the one for a historical novel set in Regency England.
I suggest a great website with data and excellent applications to help writers land an agent: http://www.QueryTracker.net .
Good luck!
Talia Carner
http://www.TaliaCarner/com