I'm Trying to Get a Book Published! discussion

Hello to everyone. Congratulations to Sonja for her success and best wishes for her writing career. During a lengthy unemployment, now eighteen months and counting, I penned my first novel, a semi-autobiography called Silence. Edited and polished, it has been submitted to agents and publishing houses since June. My advanced readers all loved it. No one else has stepped forward to make it marketable, though. I'm now seeking out small publishing houses, my hope being just to get it published and gain even a small profit thereby allowing me to add to my queries the coveted "published" and allow me to start the next. From the angst that I see all other writers suffering, I know that my plight is normal. But circumstances really make me covet that "published" prize. I would certainly welcome any suggestions or leads. Thanks to all.

It's not a good idea to submit to publishers yourself. That's what the agent's there for. By doing it yourself, you're holding up a sign that says, "I have never done this before, you can bury me in the slush pile." It also means that any future agent cannot resubmit to a publisher who has already rejected your ms. Finally, it sounds like you may have sent them a first or second draft, which means it wasn't ready to be sent yet. Wait AT LEAST 6 weeks (write something else) and then dig it out of the drawer. Then go to http://www.cherylklein.com/id24.html and do a search for the word "TRUCK." Follow the directions on her worksheet. This will be an invaluable tool in learning how to self-edit. Then check out a copy of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers (I know, yours isn't fiction, but good writing is good writing.) by David King. There's good stuff in there, too. Good luck!

I've targeted small publising houses for many reasons. One being the honest advice of an agent who said that in this economy, unless you are previously published, you have almost no chance of getting an agent to represent you. She cited Nick Sparks, rejected more than twenty times, his Notebook landing in a slush pile because the agent to whom he had submitted had died. The agency nearly overlooked him because he was unpublished. When I research recently published books, especially by new authors, the books are either self-published, e-books, or published by those small publishing houses. Even though I have written for thirty-three years, I've never submitted for publication. My encouragement has come from college professors and friends who devour my writing. As far as editing and refining the novel, my advanced readers all made suggestions which I took to heart, modifying as necessary. The novel was edited by a grammarian who has edited several books in her eighty-three years. Patience, however, is not my greatest virtue and I have had to find several distractions to keep my sanity. I am encouraged by the small publishing houses that are open to new writers and that do have a record of good sales, but, as I said before, this first novel was simple proof that it can be done, its public acceptance mere encouragement for me to continue typing.

Congratulations! I'm just getting started with all this, so no experience to share yet. However, Orson Scott Card has written about the publisher/agent situation in his book "How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy" that would be good for all writers. Best of luck!

Michele