Nine General Rules to Follow When Submitting
Your Book or Manuscript to an Agent or Editor: The Independent Authors
Tips to Success as a Writer
Becoming a successful independent author or writer
requires a lot of work: not only do you have to write, which is hard
enough, but you also have to get your work published. There are many
ways to see your writing in print, all of which are important if you
want to be a successful indie writer. In this article I’m focusing
on getting published by a book publishing company. For tips and resources
on getting published in other formats, you can check out the main Independent
Authors and Book Marketing Page here.
Getting your manuscript or book published by a book
publishing house is not as hard as some make it out to be. Beyond having
a solid idea and well written manuscript, there are nine general rules
that you need to follow for success.
#1: Know Your Competition and Explain How Your Book or Proposal Are
Better
Competition exists for pretty much any idea and every book ever written
or published. It is critical, therefore, that you as an author or writer
understand how and where your book fits into the market. Even if you
are writing fiction or a narrowly targeted biography - it’s unlikely
that there is not some other title that the potential reader may be
comparing to yours. On the other hand if your book truly has no competition,
is this perhaps a sign that there is no market? Likewise, you can’t
just argue that your book is for everyone and ignore the competition.
That is just not the case.
The key is to know your competition and explain to the editor or agent
how your book or idea is unique, better, and worth taking on. Furthermore,
your knowledge of the competition and the place that your book fits
within it can be successfully used to market and promote it once it
is published. Having competition doesn’t mean you don’t
write your book (in many ways it may be an incentive to write a book),
it just means you need to be aware of where your book fits in.
#2: Don’t Claim Your Book Will Be The Next Blockbuster
This is said all too often, usually accompanied by the statement “if
only it can get the exposure / marketing / shelf space it needs to succeed.”
While agents and editors look for a high level of author enthusiasm
and expectations, it is often a warning sign when an author expects
their book to be the next blockbuster. Here’s a slightly dated
quote from Publishers Weekly:
“…950,000 titles out of the 1.2 million tracked by Nielsen
Bookscan sold fewer than 99 copies. Another 200,000 sold fewer than
1,000 copies. Only 25,000 sold more than 5,000 copies. The average book
in America sells about 500 copies.”
– Publisher’s Weekly, July 17, 2006
That means that 96% of all books published sell less than 1,000 copies
- and 98% of all books published sell less than 5,000 copies. Agents
or editors don’t need you to try and convince them that your book
is a best-seller. If you want an agent or editor to take on your book,
they need to know that you have reasonable and thought-out expectations,
an idea of what goes into making a book a success, and the basics of
a marketing plan.
#3: Submissions Are Made For Books on Subjects That The Agent or Editor
Doesn't Handle
Sending submissions that agents and editors don't handle wastes everyone's
time. So don't send your memoir to an agency when the guidebooks and
agency's web site clearly state that it doesn't represent memoirs. Find
an agent or editor who represents exactly the type of work your book
or manuscript falls under. If they have handled a similar type of work
before, they are more likely to represent the same kind of work again.
#4: Correspondence Is Not Addressed To A Particular Agent or Editor
Don't address any correspondence, especially submissions,
generally or to "Dear Agent or Editor." It's impersonal and
it makes your communiqué or query look like a form letter that
you simply dashed off to a slew of agents or editors. Personalize it,
you’ll have a better chance of the agent or editor actually looking
at your query letter and manuscript; and in turn getting published.
#5: Writers Send Submissions In Strange Formats and Colors
Make your submission and queries as clear and easy for the agent or
editor to read. In some cases, agents and editors get several queries
a day or week. They already have a limited amount of time, and if the
agent or editor has to struggle to read funny fonts or colors, they
are more likely to just ignore your submission or query. Use Times New
Roman or some other standard font, make it 12 point in size, and double
space your work.
#6: Writers Call Constantly, Are Demanding, and Don't Let Up
It makes no sense to put undue pressure on agents and
editors. Be reasonable, patient, and understanding. Agents and editors
know how important your book is to you, but they also have other clients
and projects going on. A good rule of thumb is to send them a follow-up
query six weeks after your initial query letter.
#7: Writers Try To Be Cute, Instead of Being Direct and Straightforward
In children, cuteness can be adorable. In adults, it
seldom works; in fact, it usually becomes irritating. Agents and editors
don't have time for cuteness. They want to know, in a few words, what
your book is about, and why you're the perfect person to write it.
#8: Writers Have a Bad Attitude or Act Superior
There are times when you will need to be firm with your agent or editor
- it happens all the time, with almost every agent or editor. Just don’t
start out that way - if the poor soul you are calling dreads your calls…
how much better do you expect things to get? Constant, unrelenting confrontation
isn’t usually the way to get what you need. If you feel the need
to start the process in this manner, you’ve probably chosen the
wrong agent or editor to work on your book. Every person in the world
has their own personality - and it is certainly acceptable to say “Hey,
this isn’t working out; I’m not comfortable; we need to
move on…” If you’ve been through several agents or
editors and felt you had to use the same tactics or attitudes with each
one… well….
#9: Writers Reject Professional Advice
This sort of goes along with points six, seven, and eight above - a
good editor or agent will offer competent advice, from book content
and editing to design to pricing / wholesale discount issues to book
marketing. Ultimately, you may reject any and all advice and follow
your own path. You can go it alone, as the saying goes, and there are
plenty of examples of authors who rejected all conformity, advice, and
common practices to do something ‘unique.’ A few of them
make it big, but for every success story you hear about the author who
bucked the system and went their own way, there are hundreds who tried
and failed. There is a reason that your agent or editor does what they
do. They are professionals and they want to see your book be a success
just as much as you do. So think carefully before rejecting an agent
or editors advice.
Following these nine general rules greatly increases
the chances of your book, manuscript, or proposal being picked up by
an agent or editor.
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