Five simple tips on how to get published

Posted on July 17, 2007, by dazzer67, under perspiration, preparation, writing.

So you have lots of ideas, your creativity has gone into overdrive and you believe you can be a successful writer, and why not.  The next stage, unless you are going to publish yourself (and that is not a bad idea, check out www.lulu.com), is to get your ‘book’ into the wide world. With this in mind I thought I’d share a few tips with you.

1. Research your publisher. It is no good sending your ideas off to any and every publisher on the list. Find a publisher who has published similar books and also, if possible, ask them what their publishing policy is. What books do they publish, just in case you’ve got the wrong end of the stick.
2. Grab the publisher’s attention. A plain brown envelope, with a neat resume and outline is very fucntional, but believe me, you need to do a little more in order to get noticed. But remember subtlety works very well too.
3. Send in a synopsis and two chapters. A publisher needs to know how you write, what you write and a little about you (only because they are nosey). Send in a couple of chapters but they don’t need to be the first two, perhaps the best chapters are hidden away within your tome.
4. If you haven’t finished the book, estimate the time it will take and double it. It is highly likely that you’ll miss your estimated deadline and so build in some time. Then when you send it in ahead you’ll be loved and the you’ll know how long it really takes you to write without any added pressure.
5. Write about what you know. It is no good writing about the history of voles if you know nothing about them. So research what you write. There is nothing more annoying to an editor than someone writing about something and getting it all wrong.

And remember, all these tips come from me, a publisher, so get going.

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