How to Get Your Novel Published

How to Get Your Novel Published

I want to give a disclaimer here that I have never had a novel traditionally published. I have had poetry and articles published (some under other pen names). I also used to work at a small press, so I saw the process from start to finish there.

I wanted to write this blog post because I think there’s so much confusion and intimidation around getting published. Rightfully so. There are a lot of different ways to get from A to B and it can be really scary to put your book baby out there into the world.

For anyone out there who is really nervous about doing things “the right way,” I want to help de-mystify the process.

Finish the Book

So, there are some cases where you don’t actually have to write the book before you pitch it to agents/publishers. Unless you’re famous or a children’s book author and illustrator, then you probably need to finish your book.

Your book doesn’t have to be perfect, but it needs to be completed and it needs to have a really great first 5-50 pages. If you’ve written the book and you’ve read it a few times and you’re not really sure if it sucks or not, it’s time to call for help.

Find 5 Readers

You might be able to join a critique group of writers that will all read each other’s work and help whip it into shape. I know some people have luck doing this through Facebook. In fact, I used to help run a writer’s community once upon a 2018.

You can find beta readers in places like Goodreads or look for book bloggers that say they will do beta reading. A beta reader is anyone that will read your book and give you their brutally honest opinion. Sometimes authors will make forms for the readers to fill out with specific questions (“What do you like/hate about Character X?”). It kind of depends on your reader whether they want the freedom to send you whatever they want or if they prefer answering specific questions. You can ask your beta readers what they prefer.

Yes, family can be beta readers. But it’s not ideal. Unless they actually like the genre, you write in and can give you an unbiased opinion, their opinion might not be that helpful. And even if they love you to pieces, they might not care about your book. That’s okay. Loving your book is not equal to loving you. Also, if you write a sci-fi novel and Aunt Becky only reads Large Print Christian Fiction, she’s probably not your ideal reader anyway.

Decide Your Publishing Route

You are not limited to only pursuing one route in publishing. However, when you’re submitting a book, it’s important to weigh your options and go all in. It can be overwhelming to send your book 100 different places. So, pick one and see how it works out.

When trying to get traditionally published, you have some options:

• Query an Agent
• Submit Directly to the Slush Pile
• Submit to Smaller Publishers

Submitting to Big Publishers

I know it sounds harsh to say you’re submitting to the slush pile, but it’s kind of true. If you are submitting to a large publisher, you’re going to send it in to an acquisition’s editor. They probably have interns that will read the books and pick the cream of the crop and send the best ones to the editor. When I was an intern, I read a lot of manuscripts and analyzed them based on what the editor was looking for.

So, this is why it’s sooo important to read what they are looking for. Maybe you think your manuscript is “close enough” but it might just be a waste of time for you and the editor (intern, probably.)

If you follow the submission guidelines, then you give your manuscript the best chances of getting out of the slush pile.

Submitting to an Agent

What is even better than submitting directly to the publisher? Finding an agent.

An agent has a lot more pull when it comes to getting your book out of the slush pile. They can also help you find exactly the right place to send your manuscript. A good agent is worth their weight in gold.

And they will cost you over time. A legitimate agent won’t take payment upfront, but they do typically take a portion of your money once you get paid. Look over your contract carefully.

An agent is a valuable member of your writing team. But you need to find one that you share your vision for your book. And you have to get out of their slush pile too. When you query an agent, they typically request a query letter. I am no help here because I suck at writing query letters. I also don’t have an agent and that’s probably why.

If you can find an agent that will take you on, then you will have a MUCH better chance of publishing with one of the Big Pub guys.

Small Press Publishers

Submitting to a small press publisher is the same as submitting to a large publisher. You all need to follow the guidelines, you will pick an editor, and your book is likely to be read by an intern.

Small publishers have some benefits. Like the editors might have more freedom in what books they can accept. They might get less submissions than the Big Pub guys, so in pure numbers, you might have a better chance. But that’s not always true because they also have smaller teams and I’ve never seen an acquisitions editor that was like, “Man, nobody submits to me anymore!”

With a small press, you might not receive an advance. You will typically be paid in royalties. Sometimes they can offer higher percentage royalties than the Big Pub guys. Look at that contract!

In a perfect scenario, you’d find a small publisher that is super genre specific to your book. Like they only publish YA Horror. And they have an avid reader base looking for more books in that niche. And you would get a publishing team that cares about your opinion on the cover and major editing changes.

In a really terrible scenario, you get a company that has no idea how to market your book, has no other books in your genre on their back list, chooses a crappy photoshop cover that you are kind of embarrassed to show your friends, and you end up signing away the rights to your baby forever and always and you never make a dime on it. It happens. (Look at your contract……)

Your Book Is Accepted!!

So, what happens if the publisher calls you and says, “We love the book! Let’s do this!”

Then it’s kind of time to go to work. You’ll need to work with an editor and iron out any issues in the book. This can take a lot of time, especially if they want a lot of rewrites.

Then your book gets a cover. They might consult you or they might not, depending on who you submitted to.

Then they can work out a marketing and launch plan. You will probably need to do some leg work here too. Promoting your book, doing interviews, blogging, whatever you can do to give your book a really great launch.

And then magically, it all comes together and hopefully you will earn some money from it.

If you’re working with an agent, you might go through some editing to get your book in great shape before they try to sell it to publishers. I can’t speak to this process as much but I know there’s some kind of book auction situation where Big Pub 1 says, “we want it this much!” and Big Pub 2 says, “yes well we want it this much!” and agent comes in and says, “well, Big Pub 3 will take it for twice that!” and Big Pub 1 matches it and gets to go home with the manuscript. Or something like that.

To Sum It Up:

• Finish your book.
• Make it awesome.
• Write a query letter with a damn good hook.
• Submit it exactly the right agent / editor.
• Get published.

What about poetry? Articles?

My experience with submitting smaller works is a little simpler. There are a lot of submission opportunities on Submittable.com. If I have written a poem, short story, or an article and I think it’s worth sending in, then I’ll browse through the submission requests on there. I don’t submit to places that make you pay. Not all of these publishing opportunities will pay you either. Sometimes it’s worth it just to feel like you’ve been published. Ha.

Some publishers also use submittable for open submissions (when you don’t need an agent.)

I hope this helped make the process seem a little less confusing and a little more straight forward. I know it seems so scary at first, but after you’ve been submitting for a few years then it will probably seem more like an inconvenience than anything.

Good luck!!