Gabe Redel's Blog: FRYING POTATOES BLOG - Posts Tagged "how-do-i-get-published"
From a Bird's View: Publishing Overview
I get a lot of beginner writers asking me for help. Two of the biggest things they want to know is one: how do I edit my manuscript? And two: how do I get my manuscript published?
Don't we all wish there was a magical formula to help us with those things? Well, there isn't a magical formula that will automatically get our book published if we follow it, but there is a formula that will, at least, make us competitive. And that formula can be found through research.
How do I edit my manuscript? The best thing we can do to learn how to make our manuscript competitive is pick up a book on how to write what we are looking to write. If we want to write a novel, pick up a book on how to write novels. If we just want to know how to simply write clean, interesting sentences, pick up a copy of Simon and Schuster's Handbook for Writers.
There are many books on how to write novels, essays, and short stories out there, so pick up the one that looks like it will help you best. But don't stop there. Go to writing seminars, go to writing workshops, read blogs like this one, search the web for tips on writing, and read what other authors have written.
Writing a clean manuscript that is, at least, competitive is far too complicated for me to explain in one blog. But know that editors of Literary Journals are looking for specific guidelines that each story needs to meet. If the story doesn't meet their guidelines, there is a good chance that the manuscript editor won't get past the first page before they throw your story into the garbage. You have to remember that publishers read hundreds of manuscripts a week, so they have to be very selective.
I'll write later blog posts to answer more specific manuscript questions. For now, however, I'll just stick with the overview. And, at a glance, the number one thing we need to do is submit a manuscript that has the least amount of grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes possible.
And now I can get to the second biggest question that people want to know. How do I get my story published?!?! Well, after we have written a competitive manuscript, the next step is to find a publisher who publishes the type of story we have written. To find a publisher, the two best resources out there are Poets and Writers Magazine and The Writer's Market book.
The Writer's Market is a big 'ole book that is basically a phone directory for book publishers, literary agents, magazines, and trade journals. It lists out most of the publishers here in the United States and even gives information on how to submit to them, what they are looking to publish, and, sometimes, how much they pay.
Any writer serious about getting his or her manuscript published needs to pick up a copy of The Writer's Market. Not only is it a directory filled with gold coins, otherwise known as contact information, but it is also a guide on how to navigate the world of publishing. In the beginning pages, it will show you how to format a query, how to pitch your manuscript in the query, and what to expect from many of the nation's leading publishers.
I mentioned Poets and Writers Magazine because it has a classified section in the back. In the classified section, hundreds of publishers are listed, and many of them are publishers who are currently seeking fresh talent. Not only that, but Poets and Writers Magazine is an excellent source of writing and publishing tips.
Don't we all wish there was a magical formula to help us with those things? Well, there isn't a magical formula that will automatically get our book published if we follow it, but there is a formula that will, at least, make us competitive. And that formula can be found through research.
How do I edit my manuscript? The best thing we can do to learn how to make our manuscript competitive is pick up a book on how to write what we are looking to write. If we want to write a novel, pick up a book on how to write novels. If we just want to know how to simply write clean, interesting sentences, pick up a copy of Simon and Schuster's Handbook for Writers.
There are many books on how to write novels, essays, and short stories out there, so pick up the one that looks like it will help you best. But don't stop there. Go to writing seminars, go to writing workshops, read blogs like this one, search the web for tips on writing, and read what other authors have written.
Writing a clean manuscript that is, at least, competitive is far too complicated for me to explain in one blog. But know that editors of Literary Journals are looking for specific guidelines that each story needs to meet. If the story doesn't meet their guidelines, there is a good chance that the manuscript editor won't get past the first page before they throw your story into the garbage. You have to remember that publishers read hundreds of manuscripts a week, so they have to be very selective.
I'll write later blog posts to answer more specific manuscript questions. For now, however, I'll just stick with the overview. And, at a glance, the number one thing we need to do is submit a manuscript that has the least amount of grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes possible.
And now I can get to the second biggest question that people want to know. How do I get my story published?!?! Well, after we have written a competitive manuscript, the next step is to find a publisher who publishes the type of story we have written. To find a publisher, the two best resources out there are Poets and Writers Magazine and The Writer's Market book.
The Writer's Market is a big 'ole book that is basically a phone directory for book publishers, literary agents, magazines, and trade journals. It lists out most of the publishers here in the United States and even gives information on how to submit to them, what they are looking to publish, and, sometimes, how much they pay.
Any writer serious about getting his or her manuscript published needs to pick up a copy of The Writer's Market. Not only is it a directory filled with gold coins, otherwise known as contact information, but it is also a guide on how to navigate the world of publishing. In the beginning pages, it will show you how to format a query, how to pitch your manuscript in the query, and what to expect from many of the nation's leading publishers.
I mentioned Poets and Writers Magazine because it has a classified section in the back. In the classified section, hundreds of publishers are listed, and many of them are publishers who are currently seeking fresh talent. Not only that, but Poets and Writers Magazine is an excellent source of writing and publishing tips.
