Pinpointing a Publisher and/or an Agent

[image error] Let's face it, we all dream of that magic moment when a publisher or an agent loves our book and wants to enter into a contract. It's an exciting experience, but once we've finished our story, it's hard to know the next steps to make that dream come true. There are many outlets to search, but I'm going to share a few that are trustworthy.

Helpful Links:Writer's Digest has an ebook titled, Guide To Literary Agents 2019 PublishersMarketplace.com - is a great place to research literary agents; not only do many agents have member pages there, but you can search the publishing deals database by genre, category, and/or keyword to pinpoint the best agents for your work.AgentQuery.com - About 1,000 agent listings and an excellent community/resource for any writer going through the query process.QueryTracker.net - About 200 publisher listings, and 1,000 agent listings.WritersMarket.com - About 400 to 600 agent listings. $5.99/month subscription fee. Find places to sell your writing, whether you've got a book, manuscript, or article idea. Manage your submissions with our easy-to-use record keeping tools. Stay abreast of the latest publishing industry news. Gain advanced publishing and marketing knowledge from our Q&A's with publishing experts. Know how much to charge for freelance gigs with our popular pay rate chart. Industry listings updated in real time—subscribers are the first to gain access to the new opportunities. Use information specific to your writing needs—whether you're interested in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children's, scriptwriting, or agents—with our niche-specific pages.The Guide to Literary Agents Blog - is also an excellent resource for news and views related to literary agents. You'll need to do a lot of research to be sure that you're seeking an agent or publisher for the genre of your story. Make a list and be sure to read the writer's guidelines very carefully on how they wish you to submit the required information. If you market your book to large publishers, you'll almost certainly need to acquire an agent to submit the manuscript for you. There are many thoughts and discussions on this topic. You need to do what is best for you.

If you go the agent route, please stick to searching for one who belongs to the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR). This is a professional organization of agents, and all members must abide by its code of ethics. Again, be sure you follow their guidelines for your submission. Stay away from ANY agent requesting upfront money to read your manuscript! Also, beware of an agent reaching out to you. They rarely need new clients and virtually never solicit them. Good agents know writers will come to them. Remember to be persistent in your search. Don't get discouraged by the "no thanks" response. Believe in your book!

The Components of a Submission Package - While you'll find a wide variation in what agents or publishers ask to see, submission packages contain the standard components: query and/or cover letter, synopsis, and chapters. In my book, A Complete How To Guide for Rookie Writers , I share detailed information with screenshots to help you with what is needed for these components. But I'll give a brief description of these below:Query/Cover Letter - Is simply a brief letter to an agent or editor saying, "I am submitting my type of book. Are you interested?" You'll receive a "yes" or "no." If it's a yes, they should tell you exactly what they want to see at that point.Synopsis - They're written in present tense no matter what tense the novel uses, and they follow a single viewpoint character through the plot, even if the story involves more than one viewpoint character. I hope this information helps you move forward in the publishing process. Good luck, and remember...Keep on Writing!
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Published on January 28, 2019 04:00
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