The step to becoming a published writer involves more than simply sending off a manuscript you've written to a publisher or agent. You have to be able to function as an author. Ask yourself this question: "Am I ready for this?" It's not something that can be taken lightly. The life of an author is not all glamor, you have to possess certain skills in order to function properly.
An author has to be able to come up with a finished manuscript of a professional quality. When you approach a publisher with your first novel, you should be able to send them the very best quality work you are capable of. The manuscript you offer them not only reflects on your writing, it will be an indication of the type of author you are. Avoid submitting anything that is not edited to the optimum standard. You may only get one chance, so don't blow it.
When you have completed your writing, find some time to re-examine it to check for mistakes. These could include typos and spelling mistakes, grammatical bloopers, disparities in plotting, time-frame, the cast of characters, their relationships and so on. Don't blame your spellchecker for mistakes: it's only a few lines of computer script and doesn't know that you meant to say "their" and not "there". A new author will first be estimated on the look of the manuscript. Make darn certain it is the very best you can do.
Assuming you want your book published by a publishing company, there are several routes to getting it on to the desk of the right person. The old-fashioned way is to simply submit it by post. But, this is not always that straightforward. Most publishers receive literally hundreds of hopeful manuscripts every single month. It's important that you give yourself an advantage.
The majority of published writers are represented by a literary agent. It is also true that most published books arrived via an agent. It's clearly a no-brainer to say that you ought to get yourself the services of a literary agent. Sadly, that's another "mission near-impossible" situation. At least it would be if I didn't have a really cool tip: find a recognized author who writes work that's in approximately the same field as your own and find out who they are represented by. Provided you don't opt for a very well-known author and, assuming your writing is good enough, an advance to them has a good chance of succeeding. If not, repeat the process until you find success.
The most obvious advice anyone can give a writer is to make sure you are sending your manuscript to the right publisher. As every agent worth their salt will know, a firm specializing in legal text books is hardly likely to want to publish a graphic novel; by the same token, a mass market paperback publisher would be a strange choice to send your history of Welsh regiments in the Boer Wars.
An author has to be able to come up with a finished manuscript of a professional quality. When you approach a publisher with your first novel, you should be able to send them the very best quality work you are capable of. The manuscript you offer them not only reflects on your writing, it will be an indication of the type of author you are. Avoid submitting anything that is not edited to the optimum standard. You may only get one chance, so don't blow it.
When you have completed your writing, find some time to re-examine it to check for mistakes. These could include typos and spelling mistakes, grammatical bloopers, disparities in plotting, time-frame, the cast of characters, their relationships and so on. Don't blame your spellchecker for mistakes: it's only a few lines of computer script and doesn't know that you meant to say "their" and not "there". A new author will first be estimated on the look of the manuscript. Make darn certain it is the very best you can do.
Assuming you want your book published by a publishing company, there are several routes to getting it on to the desk of the right person. The old-fashioned way is to simply submit it by post. But, this is not always that straightforward. Most publishers receive literally hundreds of hopeful manuscripts every single month. It's important that you give yourself an advantage.
The majority of published writers are represented by a literary agent. It is also true that most published books arrived via an agent. It's clearly a no-brainer to say that you ought to get yourself the services of a literary agent. Sadly, that's another "mission near-impossible" situation. At least it would be if I didn't have a really cool tip: find a recognized author who writes work that's in approximately the same field as your own and find out who they are represented by. Provided you don't opt for a very well-known author and, assuming your writing is good enough, an advance to them has a good chance of succeeding. If not, repeat the process until you find success.
The most obvious advice anyone can give a writer is to make sure you are sending your manuscript to the right publisher. As every agent worth their salt will know, a firm specializing in legal text books is hardly likely to want to publish a graphic novel; by the same token, a mass market paperback publisher would be a strange choice to send your history of Welsh regiments in the Boer Wars.
About the Author:
If you need to know how not to write a novel I recommend you check out this website for help: how to plot a story.
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