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| Hints and tips on getting published |
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Isabel Baptiste
Angela
Campion
Faith
Graham
Crystal
Humphries
Jade Williams
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1. You have a story to tell, but who are you writing for? When you start to
write, fix your reader in your head and write exclusively for her. If you
recognise your target reader, it’s more likely that a publisher will too and,
equally important, the person who buys your book will also recognise herself.
2. Most writers need to write and, equally important, rewrite. Keep
on revising until you are confident that your writing
says what you really want to say. You won’t be there to tell a commissioning
editor (or reader) what you really meant to say.
3. It’s worth researching your market and knowing what readers want even if you plan to
revolutionise their reading habits. Armed with the research, you might even be
able to convince a publisher that they really need to take your book.
4. It is a very good idea to consider creative writing courses or joining an effective
writing group or checking in to online groups such as www.unheardwords.com
in order to get other opinions about your work and to see what else is being done creatively.
Read extensively. Read the latest bestseller even if it goes against everything
you stand for; read advertising slogans; read newspapers, journals, magazines,
anything and everything—there may be insights to be gained even if it’s only to
entrench your determination to be innovative, daring and unique.
5. Read and re-read your writing—or get someone else to read it—before submitting it to a
publisher. Simple grammatical, typographical or spelling errors give the
impression that you cannot be bothered to read your work. If you can’t, then
why should a commissioning editor? Try reading your work aloud to get a sense
of the rhythm, music and poetry of your writing.
6. Research potential publishers. We think we’re the best in the field of women’s erotica,
but we may still not be the most appropriate publisher. Get hold of the latest
edition of the Writers’ Handbook or the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook.
Visit bookshops and find publishers who publish the kind of work you’re
writing. Of course, your work will be unique, but there’s no point in sending us
your self-help guide, your political treatise or your poetry—we just do not
publishing those genres. (And while we’re on the subject, a quick message to
you male writers: no, we won’t ‘just pretend’ that you’re a woman!)
7. Read the individual publisher’s guidelines (often available on the website) and follow
them. If they say ‘no unsolicited manuscripts’, they usually mean it. We, for
instance, ask for a synopsis and sample chapter. So please don’t send a whole
novel—especially if you expect us to return it to you and you haven’t sent an
SAE.
8. We come to the all-important SAE—stamped, (self-)addressed envelope… If you want your
typescript returned, then please include one, with enough postage. (From
overseas, you need to send an International Reply Coupon—stamps from your
country just won’t work.) Otherwise, you might not get your work sent back to
you.
9. If you are offered a contract, then please do read it very carefully. Every publishing
company will have a different contract. If you don’t understand anything, then
ask the publisher or, preferably, take independent advice. You can also get advice online or check out the
Society of Authors at www.societyofauthors.net.
10. If you sign a contract and accept an advance, you will be expected to deliver—and to a
deadline! Most independent publishers work on very tight margins and could
easily be sunk by authors who fail to deliver on time. Signing that contract is
exciting, but it is also a very real commitment.
11. If your work is rejected by a publisher and you are given a reason, arguing with the
publisher is unlikely to produce dividends. If you’re given feedback on your
work, just accept it or reject it as you will. Please don’t take criticism
personally. It may only be relevant to that particular publisher and you can
always try other publishers.
12. Consider why you want to be a published author. Is it the fame, an unquenchable desire to tell a story or
pass on a message, or the money? If it’s the latter, you’re very likely to be
disappointed. Writers who get six-figure advances are few and far between. The
vast majority of writers don’t survive on their writing alone. It’s worth being
very realistic about the financial rewards.
13. Remember that to ‘publish’ simply means to ‘make public’. So, depending on the
answers to the questions in 12, above, you may find that there are many
different ways to publish your work—a website on the internet is one,
self-publishing another and ‘vanity’ publishing one more. If you decide to pay
to get your work published (vanity publishing), then be extra careful. Do lots of research into which are the
reputable companies. Talk to people who have used their services and make sure
you know exactly what you’re getting for your money. For example, there is no
point in paying to have hundreds (or thousands) of copies of your book printed
if they will simply sit in a warehouse or your hallway. Ask the vanity publisher about
marketing your book and selling it to the bookshops.
14. Whoever publishes your book, producing the physical copies will be only the first step.
As an author, how much effort are you able and willing to put into promoting and marketing
your book? Do you have a network of contacts to spread the word? Will all your
friends review it online, place orders with bookshops, tell their friends about
it? Give it as gifts? Do you have a background, interest, or (printable) life
story that will fascinate journalists? Can you tour the
country doing signing sessions? Do you know anyone at your local library or
bookshop? Would they be interested in organising a reading for you?
15. Don’t give up. Just because one particular publisher has turned down your work
doesn’t mean that it’s unpublishable. If you’ve received feedback from a
publisher, then review it honestly and take what’s useful from it. Then, if
you’re confident about your writing, pursue your efforts to get published. Our
stories need to be told and if you’re committed and confident and talented
enough, you’re bound to succeed.
We don’t guarantee that any of this advice will get you a publishing contract and a
mind-bogglingly huge advance, but we hope that it will help. We wish you every
success.
© Brown Skin Books 2006
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