By Rupert R Trubshaw
If you have been through the draining process of writing, then publishing your book is the next natural step - after all what's a good story or biography worth if it does not have an audience?
When I had completed my first book, the enormity of the whole process dawned. How do you go about publishing your book? Who do you approach? What do you send with the manuscript? What should it actually look like at this stage - and how do you get it to catch the eye of hard to please publishing houses and/or agents?
At this point it's very easy to be overwhelmed and think you have no chance of publishing your book. Luckily I was able to learn some simple rules about the kind of things that are expected by publishers and agents. In the excitement of getting a manuscript sent off it's easy to forget about having a stamped and self addressed envelope with postage paid to get it back. You quickly learn if you miss that out you have given agents one reason to overlook you already!
There are also things you need to learn about the look of manuscripts, and especially the art of covering letters and synopsis. I soon discovered that short and pithy is always better than long and rambling, plus giving an idea of the genre and they type of reader you think the book will appeal to. Even then there were some rejections, but they contained enough detail to know that the book had at least been sampled.
It's amazing what difference following a few simple rules can make. It at least gets your foot in the door when it comes to publishing your book, as those months you have spent in putting it together should not be wasted.
I found that The Road to Publication was full of invaluable advice when it came to contacting agents and publishers and there is no doubt it helped with publishing my book
When I had completed my first book, the enormity of the whole process dawned. How do you go about publishing your book? Who do you approach? What do you send with the manuscript? What should it actually look like at this stage - and how do you get it to catch the eye of hard to please publishing houses and/or agents?
At this point it's very easy to be overwhelmed and think you have no chance of publishing your book. Luckily I was able to learn some simple rules about the kind of things that are expected by publishers and agents. In the excitement of getting a manuscript sent off it's easy to forget about having a stamped and self addressed envelope with postage paid to get it back. You quickly learn if you miss that out you have given agents one reason to overlook you already!
There are also things you need to learn about the look of manuscripts, and especially the art of covering letters and synopsis. I soon discovered that short and pithy is always better than long and rambling, plus giving an idea of the genre and they type of reader you think the book will appeal to. Even then there were some rejections, but they contained enough detail to know that the book had at least been sampled.
It's amazing what difference following a few simple rules can make. It at least gets your foot in the door when it comes to publishing your book, as those months you have spent in putting it together should not be wasted.
I found that The Road to Publication was full of invaluable advice when it came to contacting agents and publishers and there is no doubt it helped with publishing my book
