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How Do You Get A Publisher To Read Your Book?
by Mary Bauer Contrary to what some writers may think, publishers really do want to publish books. They desperately seek great new literary voices and commit a hefty share of their time, treasure, and sanity wading through unsolicited emails and slush piles that if stacked end-on-end, would stretch to the sun and back five hundred thousand times. It is your job as a writer to stand out from the wannabe hopefuls and get that prized submission invitation. Here's how to get a publisher to ask for your work: Understand the business Before penning even one word you need to understand this enormously important fact about publishing—it is a subjective business and an expensive one at that. Publishers must make a profit or they won't be in business for long. On average, it costs publishers $10,000-$25,000 to produce a book; therefore, they are picky about what they buy. They won't publish flawed writing or information not tailored to their interests. Know the market The best way to attract a publisher is to have something they want and that requires a ton of research. You must know the publisher's needs, as well as the current market trends. Begin your research in libraries and bookstores. Talk to the librarians and find out what books get checked out most often. Ask bookstore managers what niche is lacking and what they'd be willing to buy for their stores. Read and reread the books that are similar to yours (or the one you'd like to write), then think of a way to tell the concept better. Keep in mind that all publishers say they are looking for something unique and different, but what they really mean is that they are looking for the same tried and true thing told from a fresh angle. For example, you can write a book about hiking in your state, or you can tweak the idea and write a book about the twenty greatest hikes for kids in your state, complete with a scavenger hunt. Same idea, just told from a different angle. Keep a list of publishers You can kill two birds with one stone during the research phase by jotting down the names, addresses, phone numbers, and websites of houses who publish your subject or genre. This information is on the copyright page, as well as on jacket flaps and covers. Read the author acknowledgments as they often mention their publisher or editor by name. You'll need this list later when your manuscript is ready for submission. Get your work edited You cannot objectively edit your own work. Why? Because you've spent months locked away in your four by four office, 'er, "writing sanctuary" personally taking every breath for characters that have become more real to you than the flesh and blood people you live with. In other words, you've gotten really weird in your long absence from reality and it shows in the editing. How can you guillotine pages or chapters perfected by your tear-stained, bloody sweat? You won't do it. You can't do it, and that doesn't make you a bad writer, just a bad editor of your own work. Get your work edited by people who read the genre you write. Pay for it if you must. If you are writing for children, schedule a reading at a local school or library for the age level appropriate to your story's material. Notice when the kids get restless. Fix these areas. Your readers (listeners) must be fully engaged in your story at all times. Follow publisher submission guidelines Okay, the easiest part of the whole publishing process is finished—you've written the book. It's a killer concept that's been edited, rewritten, then edited and rewritten ten more times. You are finally ready to submit your "baby" to a publisher. Remember the list of publishers you researched earlier? The ones who publish works like yours? Most have websites detailing exactly what they're looking for and how they want to see it. Some are open to query by email, but others prefer written queries. Some want the first thirty pages of a manuscript; some won't look at anything unless submitted through an agent. Whatever the publisher's guidelines are, follow them to the letter. One of the biggest publisher complaints is that the material they get is inappropriate for what they publish. Know what the publisher wants and submit it exactly the way they want it. Period. The query letter It's difficult to convince a publisher your book is the next New York Times bestseller if your query is a rambling, boastful, grammatical stinker. What is a query letter? The query is your calling card—a professional, one-page opportunity designed to pique the publisher's interest sufficiently enough to invite a submission of the work. If you can write one coherent, interesting page that is addressed to the appropriate person, publishers are more inclined to believe it's possible for you to string together a few hundred coherent, interesting pages. Don't take rejection personally If your work gets rejected, there is nothing personal about it; it simply did not fill the publisher's needs. Lose the idea that your feelings matter—they don't. The work matters, and just like any other business it's up to you as a writer to provide what your perspective employer (the publisher) wants. If the publisher/editor makes a comment about your work, seriously consider the advice offered. Publishers are already in the business you are trying to break into. Experience is on their side. Study and hone your craft. In the end, you must write the story you feel compelled to write, but if you wouldn't invest twenty-five thousand dollars of your own money in your book, then it's not ready to submit to a publisher. Copyright 2007 – Mary M. Bauer. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
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