On publishing

​Probably the most frequently asked question I get at book signings is: “How does the publishing process work?"
 
It’s a great question.
 
There are pro’s and con’s to self-publishing, but I always encourage young writers to at least consider traditional publishing first. Getting your book traditionally published requires several different steps versus self-publishing,

Assuming you don't have an "in" with a publisher, e.g., know a famous author who will vouch for your writing, then you'll follow these steps once your manuscript (ms) is ready (meaning, it’s complete and been professionally copy edited).  Note: While there are micro- and mini-publishers who will accept an ms directly from an author, these publishers can be just as hard to land as a literary agent.

• You will first research various literary agents (LA) that actively support your book's genre. An LA t typically works for a literary agency, meaning they work with other agents in the same company. The LA is someone who will legally represent (i.e., act as your agent) your ms to a major publisher once they agree to take you on as a client.  Good LAs understand the publishing industry and know how best to sell your story. LAs get “paid” through your book sales (you should not pay them a penny—run, don’t’ walk, if they ask for money)—so they have a vested interest in your success.
• Do your research!
  • You can find a list of active literary agents in the Annual Guide to Literary Agents" by genre which comes out every year around September  1st .
    • Note: the implication here is you understand the genre you book falls into. Note 2: if you’re book crosses genres (e.g., Star Wars is arguably a sci-fi/fantasy/family saga) that is generally seen as a good thing.
  • Read a potential  LA’s biography—they’ll have it posted somewhere. What sort of genres do they like? Books have they read? Ask yourself, is this someone I can work with-because if you do sign with her or him, you’re about to be joined at the hip.
• You must write a "query letter"  to the agent(s) you liked. Note: most LAs allow “simultaneous queries” meaning you can query more than one LA at a time. It is generally recommended you put out 5-7 queries/week to cast a wide enough net to hope and get an LA’s attention. These agents are being fair—knowing that they might not respond (if they respond at all) to your query for weeks or months, and if another agent beats them to the punch, they move on.
  • Warning! Agents receive hundreds of queries each month. As such, they’ll look for the slightest deviation from their query instructions for a reason to throw your query letter back into the “slush pile.”
  • Don’t expect to send your entire ms—most queries I saw wanted 5 pages or less of the first chapter. (This is one reason—and readers want it too—that your first chapter must grab the LA’s attention.)
    •  One agency I queried required a 9-part query. Two of those parts dealt with how I the author, would market my book and prove to them I understood my market.
      • BTW—after I did all the research, it was this query that convinced me to self-publish as it boosted my confidence.
  • Review each agency’s requirements. Note: Some LAs have their unique requirements on top of the agency’s requirements. Pay attention, or your ms will spend most or all of its time on the slush pile.
  • There are plenty of books and information on how to sell yourself in a query letter. I highly recommend you do further research to put your best foot forward.  Always be polite and professional.
• Once you’ve sent in your query (nearly all are via e-mail or electronic upload), you wait for the LA to respond. . .And wait.

      And wait. . .
                  And wait. . .
                              And wait. . .

• There are several things that could (or could not) happen:
  • You never hear from the LA. Ever. Not even a postcard—the ingrate!
    • Sort of dropped the previously mentioned need to be polite—but I’ll vent here for you.
  • You receive a form rejection—a generic letter that says, “Thanks but no thanks.” These have zero feedback, so it’s almost as bad as above—only more formal
  • You receive a personalized rejection—where the LA actually gives some feedback about your excerpt and how to make it better. These can be invaluable to improve your package
  • The best that can happen: the LA asks for more of all of the ms. This means you’ve piqued their interest enough that they want more.
    • So you send the additional information, and you wait. . .

                                           And wait. . .
                                                    And wait. . .

• If the LA is convinced that you have a book they can sell to a publisher, then you’ll be offered a contract. Odds are, the LA will also ask you to change some things—and making those changes are up to you; the legitimate fear that if you don’t make those changes, you lose the LA. It’s one of the chances you take
• The LA will then try to sell your book to a publisher(s) once they think it’s ready. Remember—the LA and the publisher are two different animals—just because they think it will be a good fit, doesn’t mean a publisher will.

 
Okay—that’s as far as I’m going to go with a traditional publishing, although this gives you a good idea of the road ahead. Keep in mind. if is not uncommon for readers to send out dozens (even hundreds) of queries before finally getting accepted.