Publishing Stuff

[Maverick]

Okay I have a very very general question that I hope you will all just jump on and answer for me.

This summer I am going to start the task of getting the novel I wrote published. I have no clue where to start. Does anyone have any advice?

the only thing I have ever had published is a short story and that was through school! they should have a class at school Getting Stuff Published 101

thanks guys

[amuse]

none. :( but you might ask instructors at school how they got stuff published (not their dissertations, other works. and you could browse through some magazines specifically geared to writers - the only one i know of is "Poets and Writers" but there are others out there.

and then the ever present search engines. i liked this tip:

4. Go to a bookshop. Have a look at six books of the same genre as yours. Write down the publisher's address.
from http://www.jackiefrench.com/firstnovel.html

does this help? http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=how+to+get+your+novel+published+professionally (i typed it in without "professionally" and was dissatisfied with the results).

very, very good luck to you! may i ask what your novel is about?

[Nightshade]

they should have a class at school Getting Stuff Published 101

:lol:
OKay Im sure that someweher in my house we have a book that tells you this unfortunatly its 100 am and I cant look for it now!
But I think I remeber that you need to find a literary agent first. Dont know how you would do this.
anyway Google"how to get publised" or first time authors or smthing because ther are web sites that explain this !

ANyway good luck!!!!!!!!!

[Admin]

I don't believe you need an agent. You can simply send a manuscript to a publishing house.

[Loki]

There are lots of books on how to get published out there - perhaps you could go to a bookshop/library and at least browse them. Usually they have a whole writing section in big bookshops. I'm pretty sure there are at least two books out there called "How to write a novel and get it published"....

Other than that, what Amuse said - write down some addresses of publishers of works of a similar genre to yours. Search the internet, perhaps...make sure to get the publishers' submission guidelines: usually they want everything double-spaced (apparently it makes it easier for to read), with indents of either...was it three? - or five centimetres (that's roughly three spaces/five spaces)...you can make make a document double-spaced on Microsoft Word by pressing Ctrl+J (discovered this by a fluke), but it's not altogether reliable. I find sometimes at the top of the page it tends to stay single-spaced...

I don't think having an agent is necessary - if I was publishing a book I think I'd try without one first...J.K. Rowling recommends them, of course...but still...I think it's a waste of money.

Just keep in mind that for every accepted manuscript there are a thousand or so rejected; don't get discouraged by one or two (or six, or nine, or twenty!) rejections. Keep on sending and sending and sending until you've exhausted just about every publishing company you could find! And if after sending it to many, many, many publishers, and always having it rejected, I suppose that's when you try revising it again...

Even Jane Austen and a myriad of other successful authors had their works rejected at some point of their career. The main thing is to keep positive and trust that somewhere out there is a publisher who would love to publish your novel...and those who reject it simply aren't the right ones.

Well, I think I've said enough. :D The best luck to you!

Loki

[Maverick]

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!!!!!

this is GREAT!

my novel is a big combination of things. It has bits of action, mystery, romance, fantasy...

It tells the story of a man looking for the man who killed his father. what he doesnt know is that the clues take him not only in our world, but in another as well. evil is playing on both sides, and he cant tell if he can trust anyone.

its very cool.

i am quite proud!

[Rachy]

That sounds really good! Can't wait to read it when it is published! :D