Of all the questions I am asked, here is the most popular one: How do I get my book published? My not-so-quick answer: there’s many things I can suggest but not enough room or time to do them justice.

That written, here are some first steps if you want to be published by a traditional publisher. (More about self-publishing over here!)

1. Please remember that many, many talented people want their books to be published—more than all the publishing houses combined in the world can ever hope to take on. It’s for this reason I believe persistence is sometimes more important than talent, though talent and professionalism are certainly a necessary component. Rejection is often part of the game. As the saying goes, you can’t get to “yes” without going through the “no’s”.

2. Research your market. It’s better to send one pristine submission to a one appropriate publisher than a dozen bad submissions happenstance. Please don’t waste an editor’s time by sending less than your best work, or by sending a children’s book to an adult house, or a card deck to a paperback house. Most publishers have stopped reading unsolicited submissions because the time and energy necessary to slog through inappropriate submissions wasn’t cost effective.

3. Make certain your book manuscript or proposal is as good as it can be. I can’t stress this enough. It always astonishes me when I hear aspiring authors excuse a less-than-stellar manuscript with, “Hey that’s what editors are for.” Nope, not so. Anyway, why would you want to showcase your less-than-best work? It would be like showing up for a cocktail party dressed in yoga pants and a grungy tee.

Not sure where your manuscript is at? Before you submit it to a literary agent or editor for consideration, ask yourself the following questions:

~ Is this manuscript as good as it could be? 

~ Is there anything else I can do to make it better?

~ Have I had an outside reader look at this, and given me honest feedback?  (By “outside reader”, I mean a critique partner, beta reader, workshop group, a publishing professional. In other words, someone who walks the walk and knows how to talk the talk. Not your mother, best friend, or partner who may be supportive but not critical.)

If your deep-in-your-heart honest answer to any of these questions is anything less than an emphatic yes, you know what to do. Hint: it’s not ‘hit send.’

4. Here are some books and sites I think are valuable:

~ Want an overview of the industry? Read Publisher’s Weekly. Subscribe to Publisher’s Lunch.

~ Looking for a literary agent? Check out Agent Query.

~ Want to self-publish? Here’s a great overview of the process from Jane Friedman. Plus here’s self-publishing resources I’ve used.

~ Uncertain whether traditional publishing or self-publishing is right for you? Here’s another post by Jane Friedman laying out reasons why self-publishing can makes sense for an author.

~ Interested in children’s publishing? Check out Harold Underdown’s Purple Crayon website. Harold is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s Books.

5. For more information, check out these posts of mine:

~ Do you need a literary agent? If so, how do you find one?

~ Is it better to work with a small or large publisher? Or even to self-publish?

~ How do you get started writing or illustrating children’s books?

~ Helpful resources for beginning novelists.

Finally, want to pick my brain about your particular situation? I offer hour-long publishing consultations via Zoom. Learn more here.