How to Begin the First Steps of Publishing

Many would-be book writers feel their prospective book has to be completely finished before they can send it off to a publisher, and this is true to a certain extent. But if you are an experienced writer or have a literary agent working for you--the table of contents, an outline, and the first chapter or so is quite sufficient. Of course, self-publishing is always an option, but there will be no royalty checks or advancements other than through your own meager pockets. Publishers have their individual rules whether with books, articles, or short stories--but their entire goal is to buy something they think can sell. Self-publishing authors feel their book will sell because they wrote it, while publishers think a book will sell because of extreme marketing expertise experience. The choice is always yours.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• The current "Writer's Market" book with the latest book listings of publisher information and literary agents. Amazon has them decently priced and are always up to date, or you can purchase back order
• A computer with writing software that does spell checking and grammer.
• Injet printer
• Novel writing software (optional) for lining up characters, sorting out chapters and their divisions, and so on.
• Find a list of publishers who work in the field your book is in. Not all publishers work within all areas.
• The best is to see if a literary agent will take you on as a client.

1. Whenever I receive an ebook order, the first thing they want is a table of contents to look at the overall idea. My first order gave me massive "heebie-geebies" but now I can whip one out pretty quick. Book publishers are no different as long as the prospective writer is not new to the publishing game--where it will be hard to "get in". Just because you think you are good does not mean the whole world will, or a decent percentage anyway. This was a serious blow to my writing ego when I first became a freelancer, believe me! New writers face a long series of rejections when first getting their foot in the door of any publishing company, but persistency does eventually pay off if the book is good, there is a market for it, and the manuscript is printed out properly according to the chosen publisher's submission guidelines before sending it off.
2. Sending the correct query letter to the publisher before the manuscript is an art, and researching the best "how to do it" is very wise--avoiding an instant rejection. And book proposals are the only place where a query letter can state the word "proposal" with the genre being stated in the query. Proposals are ideas, not finished manuscripts. If you sending in an idea to a publisher, other than the book form, they will reject it. And send a "strongly written" query one-page letter through first class mail, not through the Internet email, enclosing additionally a SASE for their response.
3. Sending the full manuscript is not done at the beginning of the publishing process unless the publisher specifically requests it. Most will state sending a query letter first. The typical turnabout time for a response will be one month or more, with a two year or more publishing date. In comparison, magazine articles publish in approximately six months.
4. When we are copyediting our own work as we write, we are pretty sure our work is good and there are very few type-errors or grammer problems, regardless what the software we are using has to say. The rule of thumb is to print it out double-spaced and correct with a red pen, preferrably when our mind is the brightest and less exhausted--say, early in the day before beginning. Let the novel rest awhile before jumping back in, and the proofing will be like doing a different novel.
5. When done, consider hiring someone to professionally proofread your manuscript, considered as one-step above copyediting. There are editors who specifically do such as thing at a fee of $60 to $100 an hour, but they can prevent a instant publishing rejection. Called "freelance editors" they can save lots of time. Once this done and the correct publisher is found, make sure that the guidelines are followed to a "T". Some accept electronic manuscripts while others do not. Some want query letters first, some want a table of contents and the first chapter, while other want the entire manuscript. Research them carefully.

Tips & Warnings

• You will need to research your book idea before beginning to write. Other people may have already written on the same idea. Try to be original.
• Know language and how to use it. Rita Mae Brown in her book, "Starting from Scratch" had quoted Mark Twain in it, saying that "the difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and lightning-bugs."
• Remember a good writing agent will deduct about 15% or more of their share off the top.
• Most commissioned books take about three years or so to finish.
• Out of $100,000 fee, the possibility after taxes may be a $55,000 gross income. Yet, the freelance writer received $35,000 gross on the average.
• Research traveling usually comes out of the writer's own pockets.
• Remember that if the sales gimmick sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Go to the library and book stores to see if your chosen publisher has been published.
• Major publishers do not accept "unagented" submissions or unsolicited manuscripts.