How to get published — 6 steps to a traditional publishing deal

You’ve written a book. Now what? To build a career as an author you need to understand the publishing process as well as how to write. Follow these six steps to navigate your path to publication.

1. Identify your genre

What sort of book have you written? And which other books is it similar to? Your book may not fit neatly into an obvious genre such as science fiction; it may simply be ‘literary fiction.’ But think carefully about how to categorise your book — because agents, publishers and bookshops will.

Genre is a sales tool. When your book is finally ready to be read, it will help it find its audience. It’s something you should be aware of because you will, at some stage, need to explain what yours is to a prospective agent or publisher.

In addition to genre, think about which books — or even film or TV — your book might be considered similar to. A comparison will help you get published because it will help you pitch your book. It is a shorthand that helps communicate what your book is like — quickly, without anyone actually having to read it. Agents, publishers and readers want this:

• Agents want to be able to say to a publisher: “This author is the next Karl Ove Knausgård,” or “It’s a bit like The Da Vinci Code but set in 16th Century Japan,” or even “It’s Stranger Things meets Adrian Mole.” If you want to get published, think of an “X meets Y” that could describe your book.
• Publishers want a hook to hang your book on. An editor will first need to convince his or her colleagues to publish a book — partly with sales figures of similar titles. And a publisher’s sales rep will want to be able to say to bookshops: “You took X copies of our title Y. This is a similar type of story by an exciting new author.”
• Readers want reassurance that they will enjoy book Y because they enjoyed book X. For example, the Amazon.co.uk description for A Man Called Ove says: “Perfect for fans of Rachel Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project and David Nicholl’s US.“

None of this means you have to copy someone else. Your unique story and individual ‘authorial voice’ is exactly what agents, publishers and readers are looking for. But people in the book trade will always want to compare you to other authors and titles. Publishers always want something the same (because it provides a reassuring track record) but different (because they need something fresh and new to sell).

2. Showcase your writing

If you want to get published, first publish yourself. Building your online platform is an essential first step. Agents and publishers today want to know what ‘platform’ you have — i.e. what audience can you already reach. Use the following approaches to help you develop your craft as a writer, raise your profile — and, ultimately, get published.

• Start a blog. Start a blog now, rather than waiting for a book deal. A well-written blog can attract the attention of agents, and proves you can write for an audience. A blog can also become a book. If you regularly blog about a subject, this could be the starting point for a book. A book based on blog posts is often called a ‘blook.’
• Write on Wattpad. Use Wattpad to serialise your work a chapter at a time, adapting and reacting to readers comments along the way. Some authors reach millions of readers on Wattpad. Agents and publishers spot talent on the platform too — and will be impressed by the size of your audience as well as the quality of your writing.
• Self-publish first. Self-publishing can help you get published traditionally. This is another way publishers talent-spot: by looking for successful self-published authors. This happened with such self-publishing successes as Amanda Hocking, John Locke and Kerry Wilkinson. Or become a ‘hybrid’ author and do both.
• Write short stories. Many novelists started out by writing short stories. You won’t necessarily earn much money — but you will get published and gain a writing credit for each story. To earn money from writing short stories, enter competitions — and win them! Here are 15 short story competitions to enter to get you started.

3. Find a literary agent

Most publishers will only accept submissions via a literary agent. So, in order to get published, your goal is to get an agent, rather than a publisher. Your agent will submit your work to publishers on your behalf. And there are many other benefits to having an agent. They will:

• Know the market
• Have the right connections in the publishing world
• Get the best deal for you
• Handle contract negotiations on your behalf
• Manage your rights
• Handle media requests for you
• Take a fee of around 10–15% of your earnings (but you will earn more with an agent!)

Some (but not all) agents also offer editorial support. Some even have in-house editorial staff to do this. If this is important to you, find an agent who will support you in this way — but don’t automatically expect it. Research agents to find one you think will be a good fit for you and your book, and who you’d like to represenent you. Then prepare your submission materials.

Start with one of the directories of agents and publishers. The main ones are Writer’s Market (USA) and Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook (UK). These are invaluable reference books for when you’re ready to approach agents, and include details of each agent’s submission policy and what sort of books they’re looking for. Take a look at agents’ websites too. But don’t approach anyone yet: prepare your materials first.

4. Prepare your materials

You will soon start preparing your query letter (see Step 5 below). But not yet. Work on your supporting material first: your synopsis and sample chapters. Together these might be called your book proposal. They are the essential documents you need to get published.

You won’t necessarily send your full book proposal with your query letter (this depends on each agent’s submission policy); but even if you just send a query letter first, you’ll need to have the following pre-prepared in case the agent wants to see more:

• Synopsis. Write out everything that happens in your novel, in the order in which it happens, in the present tense. Keep it to no more than two pages, and don’t hold anything back — let us know how your story ends! This is no time to be worrying about spoilers: your agent needs to know everything that happens.
• Sample chapters. Flesh out some of your synopsis and demonstrate your writing style. An agent wants to see that you can write. A couple of sample chapters is usually sufficient. But check the submission guidelines. Some agents might want one chapter, or 10,000 words. Some might want to see the whole manuscript.

5. Submit a query letter

A query letter is a one-page sales letter that you send to a literary agent to pitch your book and ask them if they would be interested in representing you. The ‘query’ is: “Will you be my agent?” And the ‘letter’ isn’t necessarily a physical one. These days it’s more likely to be an email — but check the submissions policy of each agent you approach.

A query letter is a form of cold calling. You’ve researched names of agents and checked their submission requirements. You might be sending out several. But be sure to personalise each letter: use the agent’s name (spelled correctly!) and include a short paragraph about why you’ve chosen to approach this particular agent.

You should also include an enticing paragraph of blurb ‘selling’ your book, a bit about yourself and any writing credits you have (such as published short stories), and something on your ‘platform’ — i.e. your existing (online) audience, if you have one.

You can query multiple agents. It may take three months for an agent to reply to you — you can’t wait around that long. Draw up a list of agents you want to submit to and send out queries to up to six of them. This will help you guage responses. If you get no requests for further material, your query letter needs work before you send it out again!

What happens next?

You’ll likely get one of these responses to your query letter:

1. A rejection
2. No response at all (also a rejection)
3. A request for some sample material
4. A request to see the whole manuscript (if available).

The last two of these responses may subsequently also result in a rejection. Don’t give up. Sometimes an agent will reject you simply because their list is full. You might get some feedback on your submission. More often you’ll get a standard rejection slip. If you hear nothing, follow up with a polite note after 6–8 weeks.

If you get several requests to see sample material but then get rejections, it’s your writing that needs work rather than your query letter. Seek more feedback — maybe by joining a writing group. Re-work it and re-send it. However, if an agent is interested in you and your book, the next step is a meeting with them to discuss it.

What happens when I get an offer?

Congratulations! Getting an agent is, understandably, the most exciting step for many aspiring authors. Finally the doors to the publishing industry have been thrown open to you — big advances, bestseller lists and literary prizes await!

Well, maybe. But don’t get carried away just yet. Don’t let your head be turned by the first agent who offers to represent you, and don’t underestimate your value as a new writer. Debut fiction is very saleable! If you have more than one expression of interest, weigh up the pros and cons of each, ask questions, and be honest with yourself about what’s important to you. Crucially, do you get on with this person?

Once you accept an offer, the next stage is to sign an agreement with your new agent — and for them to start working for you!

6. Get a publishing contract

As a newly-minted author, you will quickly become used to legal paperwork. There are two main contracts to be aware of:

1. An agency agreement — this is a contract between you and your agent, setting out their terms (their fee is usually around 10–15% of your earnings). Always ask for a formal, written agreement.
2. A publishing contract — your agent will handle this, and negotiate the best deal, in discussion with you. This will usually be a royalty on the publisher’s net receipts, plus an advance on those royalties.

Your agent will try to ‘place’ your book — i.e. sell it to a publisher. The basis for this sale will be the materials you submitted earlier, plus a formal pitch from the agent, which will include some information about the market and commercial potential of your book. When a publisher makes an offer your agent will handle the contact negotiation.

If you want to get published, get educated!

If you want to get published, it pays to learn not only about the craft of writing, but as much as you can about the pubishing industry. Arm yourself with knowledge. Read blogs, articles and books, listen to podcasts, subscribe to trade magazines, go on courses or attend events. Maximise your opportunities to meet people who can further your career — whether they’re authors, agents or publishers.

Your hard work will pay off. Once it has, and you’ve landed your first publishing deal, enjoy the moment. As soon as your first book publishes, the pressure will be on to publish your next!

A longer version of this article is available on the Publishing Talk website.