TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING

Write like no one is reading. Get that first draft out of your head! Then revise, revise, revise! Use copyediting tools to improve readability. The following tools offer suggested edits to your work.

• Grammarly

• ProWritingAid

• Microsoft Word Editor

If you land an agent who sells your book to a publisher, then they may provide a professional editor for your book. If you are on the hunt for an agent with your debut work, you might consider hiring an editor to help you polish your manuscript first. 

• Jane Friedman - What is a Developmental editor?

• What are the different types of editors?

You will need three things before you start querying agents: a logline, book description, and a synopsis.

Logline

This is one sentence that describes your entire book.

Book Description

This is a few paragraphs that describe what your book is about. It should have a hook (you can use your logline) and is designed to persuade someone to read your book. 

Synopsis

This is a larger description of your book from start to finish in about 500-800 words, including spoilers and ending. If you are having trouble encapsulating your entire story in a few pages, then that may tell you there is something wrong with your story.

• How Writing Your Synopsis Can Fix Your Book

Make friends with another writer who writes in the same genre or style as you. You can be Alpha readers for each other. Here are some links to critique questions that may be helpful when tell your Alpha reader what kind of feedback you are looking for.

• Writing Critique Checklists

• Writers Group Critique Questions

• Tips for an Effective Creative Writing Critique

Think about who your ideal reader is (other than yourself). This is a good time to look at the demographics for your audience.

• Self-Publishing School - Target Audience

• Ingram Spark - Target Audience

Once you have identified your ideal reader, then it’s time to find some Beta readers that fit that profile. You can find them at local book clubs, on social media, or even in our writing group. Just like with Alpha readers, you will want to prepare them with the type of feedback you are looking for.

• Writing Cooperative Beta Reader Questions

• Beta Reader Questionnaire

A lot of agents will be looking at your platform to evaluate if you are going to be a good investment on their part. They will be looking at your author website, public social media accounts, awards you have won. If you have published before, they will want to know sales information from your first run. No matter what you write, they will be looking to see how engaged you are with your community (potential readers).

A query letter has basic components but is an art form in itself! As you start sending out query letters, you might get some feedback that causes you to revise it. It is good if you have a couple different query letters to try out to see which one is the better lure for your hook!

• Opening

  • Dear [insert agent's name with proper spelling]

  • Do you know the agent from a conference, or is this a referral? Do they represent someone you admire? If yes, use it!

  • Present your book's key data. "I am seeking representation for my [insert word count]-word [insert genre] novel."

  • Who's going to want to read this? "This book is perfect for fans of The Martian by Andy Weir." 

• Middle

  • Use the book description you wrote before. Hook them in!

• Ending

  • Short writer bio. Did you win any writer awards? Do you have any other experience as a writer? If non-fiction, what makes you an expert in this field.

  • Thank them for their time and attention.

  • Include your name, phone number and email address(es).

MasterClass - How to Write a Query Letter an Agent Will Read in 9 Steps

Tools

There are a few tools out there to help you find agents to query. 

QueryTracker

AgentQuery

Manuscript Wish List

You will probably want to keep a spreadsheet to track who you have submitted to. 

Research

Make sure you read everything you can find about an agent before you reach out to them. 

• Twitter Feed - Most agents are very active on Twitter, posting about what they like (and don't).

• Manuscript Wish List - Don't send them your historical romance if all they represent is middle grade fantasy.

• Blog - Lots of agents like to put their words out into the universe. 

• Agency Website Bio - The agency website will typically tell you what each agent is open to and if they are closed to queries.

• Submission Guidelines - Read this several times!!! Each agent/agency has a unique submission process. If you make a silly (preventable) mistake, they might not even look at your masterpiece.

Be careful of scams. Make sure your agent is legitimate.

After you get an agent, it is their job to find a publisher for your book. They may provide an editor to help you revise your book, again. The agent is following a similar process you did with the query letter. They have their own query process and access to the big publishing houses and film studios.

Now your agent has sold your book to a publishing company. They will often provide an editor to work with you on yet another revision. They will also hire designers to create your book cover and other marketing materials.

Even with a publishing house behind you, you will still be expected to perform some marketing tasks.

Pre-orders

Tell everyone your book is available for pre-order. This is when your book is listed for sale, to be released at a future date. If you have anyone lined up to post a review based on an ARC, this is when they can get in there and do it. Your publishing company and agent may be able to line up blurbs from other authors as well as professional reviews.

Plan a Launch Party!

You wrote a book! It’s time to party! Invite all your friends and neighbors. Ask your local bookstore or library if you can host it there.

Social Media

Are your readers on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, or other? Tell the world you have a book coming out!

Author Website

If someone googles your name, what comes up? Hopefully, it is your author website. This website should have information and links to your books for sale! It will be your reader’s way to find out more information about you. So make sure they can find you on social media, sign up for your newsletter, and most importantly, buy your books!

Newsletter

If you host a newsletter, make sure you tell them you have a book coming out!

Book Tour

Your publishing company and agent may schedule a book tour for you. This can be physical locations, virtual, blogs, podcasts, etc.