PUBLISHING - Catch 22

Diana Mylek

In order to be published, you must be published. Yep. What you have to do is get your name out there, get publishing credits behind your name. Do this by submitting to magazines, trade publications, your local newspaper, anything! Every time your name is in print or on the web, it's a publishing credit. Agents and publishers are looking for proven sales and this helps to make you look like you know the business. Self published books are not considered a real book credit. Yep, stinks, I know. If you sell a lot of self-published books it will look much better for you, because it’s all about money and sales. So go ahead, write about anything and everything and get your name out there. Then you will be more likely to be picked up by a publisher or agent.

Two words that strike the fear in the heart of every author but are also your best friends: Query and Synopsis

Query

This is a short, one page or less pitch for your book. Study these online, look at others’ examples and especially pay attention to the publisher’s website instructions as to HOW to write these. Many—MOST publishers will only allow you to send them a query. This is your first impression and your big chance to catch the publisher’s eye about your book. I have a sample for you to see and general instructions about how to write these, see attachment.

Synopsis

This is the reader’s digest version of your book. It should be the story from beginning to end, no cliff hangers! But not more than two or three pages—again check with the individual publishers’ web site to see HOW they want it printed and sent. BE professional and act as if you have done this a million times even though you never have! They don’t know!

NEVER EVER SAY OR WRITE ANYTHING CUTESY ON YOUR QUERY OR SYNOPSIS. THIS IS ONLY A PROFESSIONAL DOCUMENT. DON’T USE CUTE FONTS OR SAY THINGS LIKE I REALLY WANT TO BE PUBLISHED TO SHOW MY FAMILY THAT I CAN DO IT, ETC. Both the synopsis and the query are a showcase for your writing and should reflect the tone of your novel or manuscript. Again, see attached samples.

Manuscripts

Never, ever send a complete manuscript unless the publisher or agent specifically requests it. It makes you look like an amateur and gets tossed in the garbage. So you’ve spent all that money for nothing. I learned this the hard way. Save all your receipts though—any money spent trying to get published is tax-deductible. If you are fortunate enough to have your manuscript requested, be sure to write boldly on the envelope, “REQUESTED MATERIAL”. They will be looking for it. Again, make sure your material is professional looking according to that publisher’s standards. Research this on the website. Most of them want your manuscript double spaced, Times-Roman 12 pt font.

You can get published. There are so many ways. This is just a quick summary. Be vigilant, research, and most of all, keep writing.

Diana Mylek is a Christian Fiction author who believes that God has a wonderful sense of humor and she uses this to guide and encourage her readers to a new or deeper relationship with the Lover of their souls. She has written and published quite a number of uplifting Christian novels. We have her permission to post her articles and we recommend that you visit her website.

www.dianamylek.com

SELF PUBLISHING
Diana Mylek

It's not the black sheep of the publishing world anymore! Many authors are finding that, since it's up to them to market and sell their books even with a publisher, why pay them for what you can do yourself? Especially if your book is non-fiction and you are able to give speeches on your subject. People looking for advice will want your book, or you can sell books at appearances and speeches. It’s good to have a stack of books on hand when you go anywhere and you see your book in print which is very satisfying. Printing your own book gives you complete control over the content—a double edged sword—you submit a book that is edited by you or a professional and if you have a typo IT STAYS THERE which can be embarrassing. However, you design the book jacket, the way it’s printed, all of that. Or the publishing houses help you. I had them design my cover and it’s “Okay”. Also, once your book is printed, that’s it for better or worse. To fix or change things can get expensive.

Your Choices For Book Publishing 

Diana Mylek

There are three ways to get a book published on paper. I say paper because there is also an electric option—an e-book, but more on that later.

• Through a publishing house. This is where you submit a manuscript for the publisher to decide if they want to sell it as a book.
• Through an agent. This is where you send a manuscript to an agent and ask them to sell it for you.
• Self-publishing. This is where you do all the work, send it to a printing house and pay for the books that are delivered directly to you.

Each of these options has its pros and cons.

Publishing House

Because they wish to sell books and make a profit, the publishing houses are very choosy about who they sell. They will always choose proven, house authors over aspiring writers but if you have something that really strikes them as sellable they will bite. HOWEVER—and this is a big however, there is this thing called the slush pile, which is literally a big pile of manuscripts sent to them by hopeful authors. Your job as someone who wants to be published and see your book make money is to somehow, someway get that book out of the slush pile and into the hands of an editor.

 

So the most important tool you will need is a big thick book called The Writer’s Market. You can get this at the library or buy it at any bookstore (or Amazon.com, much cheaper.) It is a worthwhile investment that you will need to purchase once a year to keep current. All of the publishers are listed in this book and more importantly, all the instructions for submitting a book for publication. There are so many options for an author, not just regular publishing houses, there are smaller houses, magazines and contests. More about these later. Each publisher has specific instructions about submitting a manuscript and YOU MUST FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LETTER. If not your manuscript will be simply tossed out, they don’t bother with unprofessional looking ms’s or those that have not bothered to read or follow directions. They don’t want to work with authors who don’t listen at the start! 

There are two things you must note also—if your book is fiction, it stands a MUCH lower chance of publication with a standard publisher, especially without an agent’s intervention. Even if you have the story of the century, the publishers are skittish about investing in an unproved author. It’s all about profit and book sales. That’s why we see so many sub-standard fiction on the shelves—these are authors who have already made money for the publisher and are riding on past successes. Names sell, that’s the hard truth. And very frustrating for those of us who have bled, sweated and cried over our perfect books. If your book is non-fiction there is a slightly better chance of publication. Publishers LOVE new and inspiring how to’s, coffee table books, something different. They are looking for authors who can go on television, speak and present their books and advice. This brings in a lot of revenue for them. So for non-fiction an agent is okay and good, but you can submit a well-printed, well-queried book and cut out the middle man. There is again a very specific way to present this to a publisher and you MUST follow directions of the editors.

In order to get the book to the right publisher you must also check with the publisher to make sure the editor listed in the Writer’s Market is still working with the publishing house. Check the website for the publisher for more in-depth instructions, usually by clicking on “Submissions”. Always, always rely on the website over the Writer’s Market. You can find the publishers in the Writer’s Market but you must visit their website to follow up.

Do NOT call them about your book! Don’t bug them to print! There is protocol about this and you can read about that in Writer’s Market or on the websites. You can sink your book by being a pain.

For the children’s market, some publishers will allow you to send pictures to go along with it, some not. You must check with them. Also there is a formula for sending your manuscript, more about this later but you will most likely send your story and artwork separate—they want to see the manuscript, not how it’s laid out on the page.

Diana Mylek is a Christian Fiction author who believes that God has a wonderful sense of humor and she uses this to guide and encourage her readers to a new or deeper relationship with the Lover of their souls. She has written and published quite a number of uplifting Christian novels. We have her permission to post her articles and we recommend that you visit her website.

www.dianamylek.com