The Aspects team regularly receives enquiries about publishing and submitting manuscripts. I have provided some helpful tips and advice below, which should aid first-time novelists in navigating the process and increase their chances of securing a deal and getting started as a professional author.
Many first-time authors send out the same proposal to each publisher at the same time, using a scattergun approach. The process should be more refined than that. Know who you are submitting to first. Check over their website and submission requirements carefully and research their suitability, in terms of genres they publish, their offering and profile. Different publishers will have varying yet strict guidelines. Make sure you follow them, as they may just ignore your proposal. Curate each proposal. Round robin letters are often dismissed.
Ensure your ms, synopsis and any other submission material are proofread and polished. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Avoid inserting unwanted information. For instance, do not include your entire life story in a bio. A publisher will not care how many cats you have. But, do ensure you include any information germane to promoting your work, such as if you write for any relevant publications, or have helpful media contacts. Do not wait to develop a network and contacts until you have a deal. You can grow your online presence and network beforehand, so when the book is published, you are in a stronger position. Avoid calling your novel unique, or that it could be made into a film. Be polite and professional. Avoid asking excessive questions. Often, the answers to your questions can be found on their website or through a Google search. Publishers are often busy. They will not always have time to give feedback or explain how aspects of the publishing industry work.
Most mss are overwritten. This can be the case for established as well as new authors. You will likely be told that your work will need editing. Accept it. Even embrace it. Do not be taken aback if a publisher suggests significant cuts and amendments. Reductions in word counts are a good thing. If your ms is over 150 thousand words and you have experienced several rejections, then there may be an argument for turning the long novel into two shorter books. Repetition and overdescriptive writing are often rife in a debut ms. You should train yourself to be the best editor of your work. Be harsh with yourself. As a result, your novel will be pacy and polished. If you feel that your work should not be edited, then you may want to go down the route of self-publishing or using a vanity publisher.
Wait a fortnight to a month before chasing a reply for any submission. Accept that some may not even reply (and this could be the case if you have ignored their submission guidelines). Accept rejection with grace. It may be the case that you receive contradictory feedback from some publishers, but if a few say the same thing, then it is important to take on board the criticism and work on your ms again accordingly.
Should you get to the position of receiving a contract, then do not try to overplay your hand and send an unrealistic list of demands or amendments to the terms. The publisher may have second thoughts, and you will scupper any deal. Be careful not to send a list of too many questions as well, which can be answered easily by checking the contract thoroughly or consulting Google.
As well as managing your manuscript and the submission process, it is important to manage your expectations. You may think that your novel deserves to be made into a film, but this may be of no concern to a publisher. Most publishers will not be able to arrange events for you, or radio interviews or book reviews. Most established authors know only too well how they are largely responsible for promoting their work. Do not expect that your novel will be a bestseller or win an award, or even that a publisher should submit your novel to win an award. Do not expect the cover you may have envisioned. Avoid offering to design the cover. You will come across as an amateur. The great expectation for authors is to think that they will see swathes of copies of their novel in bookshops. This will unlikely be the case, even for new authors who have secured deals with major publishers. Should you be writing commercial, genre-strong fiction, then your focus should be on selling the Kindle edition of your book. If your primary aim is to see your novel in your local bookshop and to tell your friends you are an author, then you are limiting the scope of the readership for your work. For most authors, the best way of selling physical copies is to turn the Kindle edition into a bestseller and raise visibility and sales that way.
Take on board the advice of publishers in relation to promoting your work. If you ignore their advice or remain passive, then it could prove that you will not generate sufficient sales to secure a follow-up deal. Again, if your strategy relies on winning a writing competition or promoting yourself through a local bookshop, then you will likely sell far fewer copies than you might expect.
I have no doubt that there will be exceptions to the rule in relation to some of the above advice. But any exceptions do not necessarily disprove the rule. As a reader and scout for publishers, I have been able to help authors improve their manuscripts, proposals and chances of securing publishing deals. It can often be a difficult journey, but it is one worth taking.
Which brings me neatly to my last piece of advice. Enjoy being an author. Enjoy storytelling. Enjoy being interviewed. Enjoy promoting your work and engaging with readers. Be grateful for readers. Be grateful to your publishers and fellow writers who have helped you along the way. Be obliging. Be humble. Make friends. Make contacts. The best way to secure a deal for a second book is to make the most out of the opportunity when publishing your first.
Charlotte Rose works as a reader, scout and freelance editor. Should you be interested in contacting Charlotte about your work, then please email her at editor.charlotterose@gmail.com
