How to Get a Book Published
Choosing the Right Publisher
When writing a novel you can write what you like and think about publication late, or aim your work at a particular publishinghouse from the start. Which you choose depends on the type of novel.
If you aim to write category fiction, romance novels for Harlequin Mills and Boon, for instance, you have to abide by very strict guidelines as to length, limits on the number of main characters, concentration on relationships and so on. The publishers send out guidelines for potential authors but send a stamped A4 self-addressed envelope if you want any of these.There are many such publishers of category romances in the USA, and they all want different things, so you need to know their requirements first or your chances of success are minimal.
- 'Be professional: do your homework - submit work to a house which publishes material of the same nature as your own.' (Deborah Smith)
- Do your 'market research, then use your own choice.' (Elizabeth Johnson)
- 'Select the publisher on the basis of the kind of books they publish.' (Richard Todd)
- 'My first published novel was rejected by fourteen publishers before being accepted. Conclusion: Determination is just as important as talent. (it would have helped, of course, to have taken more care in the choice of a suitable publisher.)' (Anne Melville)
Many publishers have several imprints, each usually publishing a limited range or type of book.
Action Point
Make a list of the most likely publishers for your novel.
As with agents, there are sometimes new publishers and new imprints which will not have a ready-made list of authors, and will be more willing to consider newcomers. to hear about these opportunities you need to mix with other writers, to read the specialist magazines, to network. Where better to do this than the internet? There are hundreds of writers on the internet.
