So you have written something
great and you wish to see it published. I suggest joining writing groups first
and start seeking feedback that can help your career as a writer. It is most
likely mom and dad are telling you that your writing is the greatest thing since
Steven King and maybe it is but it doesn’t hurt to get some feedback from your
fellow writers.
Now once you are ready to take that plunge into the deep oceans of writing
and see your writing published for the first time the best place to start is
magazines and those looking for calls for submission. There are over 100
publishers listed on Today's Woman website
looking for stories and poetry. You are going to want to purchase a copy of
Writer’s Market that is published annually. This is an essential book for
writers who are interested in publishing their work.
You are also going to want to reach your market. You are going to want to see
just what kind of stories the magazine publishes as often time’s magazines will
receive stories that is just not right for their magazine. Each publisher will
have guidelines to follow. If you are looking to see your book published some
publishers will want you to send them your entire manuscript, while others may
only want a query letter outlining your book proposal, some may wish to see a
chapter from the book. If you're sending a full manuscript or sample chapters,
always include a S.A.E. (Self Addressed Envelope) with your submission.
Present a cover letter that is professional. Offer your short stories for
publication in their magazines, be sure to list your other publications if any
and thank the editor for considering your work for possible publication. I
suggest doing a
Google search for query letter to give you some examples. If you are
submitting by email make sure that you follow the guidelines on the website.
Stories posted on your website are they Personal or Publication?
In some cases magazines will consider a story posted on your website or an
open community to be already published. Therefore you will not be able to claim
first rights to it and most magazines; newspapers etc will not accept it as
submission. This will differ from publisher to publisher and it is a very grey
topic. I suggest if you are submitting work that has already appeared in the web
for publication, mention in the cover letter the forum's where the story has
been posted and let the editor make an informed decision.
Simultaneous Submissions?
There is a great debate in the writing community regarding simultaneous
submissions. I have had a few interesting discussion myself. Some feel that it
is the only way to get published quickly others feel that it could lead to a bad
reputation for you as a writer. This being that publisher 1 will invest time in
to reading your manuscript, only to find later it has been accepted by publisher
2. I do encourage writers if you are going to use simultaneous submission , the
best thing to do is to be upfront in your query letters to publishers that you
are doing this.
Look over the contract
Many first-time writers are so excited to just be published that they sign
their name on anything without fully reading the contract. With out carefully
reading over the contract you could sign yourself into a contract where for the
next seven years you are bound to it and your publisher is reaping the rewards.
Do not get trapped into this loop hole. Make sure you do an in depth check into
the background of any publisher.
Once you send off your manuscript now the fun comes. You sit and wait. How
long does it take? It could take from 8-10 weeks to 8-10 months. Don't be
discouraged by rejections, every writer gets rejected. Even Steven king was
rejected. One published author say's every story, on average, must be submitted
to 100 markets before it is accepted.
You are going to want to no about rights, like first serial rights etc.
However that is another topic.
Getting published isn't easy. The editors get thousands of unsolicited
manuscripts all the time. However don't give up. Start at the bottom and work
up. I know some very talented writers who still aren’t published. They’ve been
trying for years. Writing is all about creating a name for yourself and that
takes time.
If you are really eager about having your book published you may wish to
consider Self -publishing or Pod publishing.
If you are considering this I suggest developing a budget of how much you
want to spend on printing your book. You are going to want to shop around and
look at the different prices of pod publishers or printing companies.
If you are going to go the self-publishing route you are going to need your
own ISBN number and cover designer. In Canada you can get an ISBN number through
http://www.collectionscanada.ca/isbn/s11-202-e.html . If your looking for a
print on demand publisher I suggest doing a search in google for Print on demand
publishers. You can also check out
http://www.instantpublisher.com if you want to start on a small budget.
Remember self-publishing is just what it says self-publishing you do all the
marketing, advertising, distribution, and sales.
It might be good to get some writing credits under your name before you think
big. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you much success.
