Advice on Publishing Your Novel
by Linda Rodriguez
I
receive emails all the time asking me how the emailers can get their
own novels published. Usually, they know just about nothing of the
business of publishing, which always surprises me. If you took a year
or so to write a book that you hoped to publish and sell, wouldn’t
you owe it to yourself to research and learn something about the
business of publishing that you hope to join?
receive emails all the time asking me how the emailers can get their
own novels published. Usually, they know just about nothing of the
business of publishing, which always surprises me. If you took a year
or so to write a book that you hoped to publish and sell, wouldn’t
you owe it to yourself to research and learn something about the
business of publishing that you hope to join?
I
try to answer with a detailed listing of things they can do to
educate themselves about the business and to begin to connect with
the professional literary community. I have a feeling that some of
our blog friends and followers out there may be in the same
situation, so I’ve decided to write this blog post. Here’s my
resource guide to publishing a novel. It won’t get you published,
but it will give you a good foundation in the business of
publishing/being a professional novelist and get you started in the
right direction.
try to answer with a detailed listing of things they can do to
educate themselves about the business and to begin to connect with
the professional literary community. I have a feeling that some of
our blog friends and followers out there may be in the same
situation, so I’ve decided to write this blog post. Here’s my
resource guide to publishing a novel. It won’t get you published,
but it will give you a good foundation in the business of
publishing/being a professional novelist and get you started in the
right direction.
Pitching
a novel to a major publisher today can be very difficult without an
agent. Most of the New York trade publishers won’t look at novels
unless they’re represented by an agent. Smaller specialized
presses, literary presses, and university presses will take unagented
queries during their open submissions period, if they have one. Often
they can be the best bet for a first novel that’s not necessarily a
commercial novel. Poets
& Writers has
a database of small, literary, and university presses.
a novel to a major publisher today can be very difficult without an
agent. Most of the New York trade publishers won’t look at novels
unless they’re represented by an agent. Smaller specialized
presses, literary presses, and university presses will take unagented
queries during their open submissions period, if they have one. Often
they can be the best bet for a first novel that’s not necessarily a
commercial novel. Poets
& Writers has
a database of small, literary, and university presses.
Many
of these won’t do novels, so you’ll have to sort through them.
Here’s a list of 16 small presses that do novels.
of these won’t do novels, so you’ll have to sort through them.
Here’s a list of 16 small presses that do novels.
You
can also do an internet search for small presses that specialize in
your particular genre of novel, if you write in one of the genres.
can also do an internet search for small presses that specialize in
your particular genre of novel, if you write in one of the genres.
For
agents, I would suggest that you check the website of the Association
of Author’s Representatives.
agents, I would suggest that you check the website of the Association
of Author’s Representatives.
This
is the professional association of reputable agents. It’s very easy
to get involved with folks who call themselves agents and are really
running scams to part authors from their money. Members of AAR have
sworn not to do this stuff and are kicked out if they do, so you can
trust them.
is the professional association of reputable agents. It’s very easy
to get involved with folks who call themselves agents and are really
running scams to part authors from their money. Members of AAR have
sworn not to do this stuff and are kicked out if they do, so you can
trust them.
Another
good site to educate yourself and protect yourself from scammers is
Writer Beware.
good site to educate yourself and protect yourself from scammers is
Writer Beware.
This
is a site provided by the SFWA and MWA as a service for all authors,
science fiction or not.
is a site provided by the SFWA and MWA as a service for all authors,
science fiction or not.
But
the first thing you want to do is to get current copies of Poets &
Writers, Writer’s Digest, and The Writer magazines.
These magazines often talk about which publishers are looking for
what kinds of books at the moment. P&W focuses more on the
academic and literary writer, while WD focuses more on the
commercial or freelance writer. If your library has them, also read
back issues of P&W, The Writer, and WD.
You’ll learn a lot about the business that way.
the first thing you want to do is to get current copies of Poets &
Writers, Writer’s Digest, and The Writer magazines.
These magazines often talk about which publishers are looking for
what kinds of books at the moment. P&W focuses more on the
academic and literary writer, while WD focuses more on the
commercial or freelance writer. If your library has them, also read
back issues of P&W, The Writer, and WD.
You’ll learn a lot about the business that way.
Look
for professional authors groups to join. There are groups for
children’s writers, mystery writers, romance writers, sf/fantasy
writers, etc. These groups are usually tremendously helpful in
learning the publishing business and making useful contacts. If there
is a chapter of a professional writer’s organization near you and
it’s not your kind of writing, it can still be useful to you in
learning the business. I once belonged to the local chapter of RWA,
Romance Writers of America, though I didn’t write romance. I
learned about agents, what editors want, what is and is not
acceptable behavior in the publishing world, what are and are not
good contracts, and tons of other things that became useful to me.
Now, we have a chapter of Sisters in Crime here, and I’m active in
it, but that time in RWA laid a very good foundation for me. The same
goes for SFWA or any of the others. The purposes of these
organizations are to help their members with the business of
publishing and being a professional—and that’s very similar
across the boards.
for professional authors groups to join. There are groups for
children’s writers, mystery writers, romance writers, sf/fantasy
writers, etc. These groups are usually tremendously helpful in
learning the publishing business and making useful contacts. If there
is a chapter of a professional writer’s organization near you and
it’s not your kind of writing, it can still be useful to you in
learning the business. I once belonged to the local chapter of RWA,
Romance Writers of America, though I didn’t write romance. I
learned about agents, what editors want, what is and is not
acceptable behavior in the publishing world, what are and are not
good contracts, and tons of other things that became useful to me.
Now, we have a chapter of Sisters in Crime here, and I’m active in
it, but that time in RWA laid a very good foundation for me. The same
goes for SFWA or any of the others. The purposes of these
organizations are to help their members with the business of
publishing and being a professional—and that’s very similar
across the boards.
A
book I always recommend to students and aspiring writers is Carolyn
See’s Making
a Literary Life.
I’ve written about this book on Writers Who Kill before.
book I always recommend to students and aspiring writers is Carolyn
See’s Making
a Literary Life.
I’ve written about this book on Writers Who Kill before.
It’s
the best book for looking at how to be a professional writer and work
on getting published, how to get established within the literary
community, how to make a career as a writer without living in NYC,
and much else.
the best book for looking at how to be a professional writer and work
on getting published, how to get established within the literary
community, how to make a career as a writer without living in NYC,
and much else.
If
I were you, friend with a book manuscript under your arm, I’d start
with these resources. I’d also go to every writer’s
appearance/reading/event that occurs in your town if it’s a small
one or a good selection if you live in a big city with an active
literary community. Buy a book, if you can. Introduce yourself to the
writer. Follow up with emails or mailed notes talking about what you
liked about their reading or book—not asking for help
with your own. Friend writers on Facebook, and follow them on
Twitter. Don’t spam them about your own book. What you’re doing
is building relationships within the community of writers. These are
the folks who can answer questions for you or later (if you’ve
built a good, real relationship) give blurbs that will help your book
sell. Basically, my advice is to educate yourself about publishing
and become a contributing member of the community. Getting a novel
published is a long, hard haul, so arm yourself with information and
allies.
I were you, friend with a book manuscript under your arm, I’d start
with these resources. I’d also go to every writer’s
appearance/reading/event that occurs in your town if it’s a small
one or a good selection if you live in a big city with an active
literary community. Buy a book, if you can. Introduce yourself to the
writer. Follow up with emails or mailed notes talking about what you
liked about their reading or book—not asking for help
with your own. Friend writers on Facebook, and follow them on
Twitter. Don’t spam them about your own book. What you’re doing
is building relationships within the community of writers. These are
the folks who can answer questions for you or later (if you’ve
built a good, real relationship) give blurbs that will help your book
sell. Basically, my advice is to educate yourself about publishing
and become a contributing member of the community. Getting a novel
published is a long, hard haul, so arm yourself with information and
allies.
The
best single piece of advice I could give, however, is this—make
sure you write a good novel. Get professional feedback and revise,
revise, revise until it shines before you ever try to send it out. I
suspect that a certain number of folks who are looking for a
publisher for their novel have never had anyone professional look at
it and haven’t done much with revision. Writing is an art and a
profession. Learn about publishing, the business, while you learn
about writing, the art and craft. Editors and agents have long
memories. Don’t stick out in theirs from sending an amateurish
manuscript out. Make sure that what you send is the very best it can
be submitted in the most knowledgeable and professional way you can.
best single piece of advice I could give, however, is this—make
sure you write a good novel. Get professional feedback and revise,
revise, revise until it shines before you ever try to send it out. I
suspect that a certain number of folks who are looking for a
publisher for their novel have never had anyone professional look at
it and haven’t done much with revision. Writing is an art and a
profession. Learn about publishing, the business, while you learn
about writing, the art and craft. Editors and agents have long
memories. Don’t stick out in theirs from sending an amateurish
manuscript out. Make sure that what you send is the very best it can
be submitted in the most knowledgeable and professional way you can.
Best
of luck!
of luck!
Linda Rodriguez’s Dark Sister: Poemshas just been released. Plotting the Character-Driven Novel,
based on her popular workshop, and The World Is One Place: Native
American Poets Visit the Middle East, an anthology she co-edited,
were published to high praise in 2017. Every Family Doubt,
her fourth mystery novel featuring Cherokee campus police chief,
Skeet Bannion, and Revising the Character-Driven Novel will
be published in 2019. Her three earlier Skeet novels—Every
Hidden Fear, Every Broken Trust, and Every Last
Secret—and her books of
poetry—Skin Hunger
and Heart’s Migration—have
received critical recognition and awards, such as St. Martin’s
Press/Malice Domestic Best First Novel, International
Latino Book Award, Latina Book Club Best Book of 2014, Midwest Voices
& Visions, Elvira Cordero Cisneros Award, Thorpe Menn Award, and
Ragdale and Macondo fellowships. Her short story, “The Good
Neighbor,” published in the anthology, Kansas City Noir, has
been optioned for film.
Rodriguez is past chair of the AWP
Indigenous Writer’s Caucus, past president of Border Crimes chapter
of Sisters in Crime, founding board member of Latino Writers
Collective and The Writers Place, and a member of International
Thriller Writers, Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and
Storytellers, and Kansas City Cherokee Community. Visit her at
http://lindarodriguezwrites.blogspot.com
Indigenous Writer’s Caucus, past president of Border Crimes chapter
of Sisters in Crime, founding board member of Latino Writers
Collective and The Writers Place, and a member of International
Thriller Writers, Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and
Storytellers, and Kansas City Cherokee Community. Visit her at
http://lindarodriguezwrites.blogspot.com
a useful reminder!