Business

Happy Monday, my friends! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend, and are ready to face the week with a smile on your face.

As you well know, this month I’m giving you my tips and tricks on how to get yourself from Point A to Point B when it comes to sending your work to publishers, and eventually getting published. How do you get from manuscript to finished work, anyway? How do you find a publisher? How do you even know where to start?

Well, that’s where this month’s series comes in handy. I have a lot of things for you to keep in mind, believe you me.

Last week, we focused on the manuscript itself. Now, you’ve written it, you’ve self-edited, and you’ve had a friend or two look through it as well. The manuscript is done. But then, now that it’s done, how do we know what to do with it?

Step 4:

Learn the business

There are a lot of things you need to know and do, before you dive all the way in. This is just the short list, but they’re all things I highly recommend that you do before you even consider sending your manuscript to a publisher.

• Figure out your genre

Not knowing this, is a problem. A lot of publishers these days only publish books within a certain genre, so there’s no point in sending your work in to any publisher that doesn't even deal with your genre. So, figure out your genre. If you don’t know for sure, talk to the frienditors who read your work in Step 2—they might have some different opinions from you. The more genre options you have, the more publisher options you’ll have. That’s sometimes a good thing, don’t worry.

• Look up publishers in that genre

Google is your friend. Search for publishers who specialize in your genre, as they’ll be better able to market your work in a way that will get it into the most hands. Do your research on every publisher you look at, and don't just look at the big boys. Small presses are great for beginners, and they're better at being one on one with you, which at this point, is probably what you need. Go read through their terms and conditions, check every single section of their website, and don’t be afraid to contact them and ask questions. This is a company you might be contracted with for life—there is no harm in being cautious before you even send them something to look at. You'll appreciate it down the line, believe you me.

• Ask for sample contracts, from a few different publishers

There are many publishers out there who have no problem showing you what they expect from an author, upon signing—so ask! Email your top five options, and read through whatever contracts you get back with a fine-tooth comb. Find out everything you can about what you’ll be required to do if you work with them, about what standards they hold themselves to, anything and everything. If you’re working with this company for life, these are things you need to know. Too many authors ignore that, in this phase.

• Do a Google search on what publishers and agents are looking for right now

Again, Google is your friend! There are plenty of publishing houses with blogs, or with editors who talk about what they’re looking for these days. So go find them. Look for bloggers who talk about publishing houses, or agents who are looking for new talent. Maybe even see if you can get a consultation with someone, to see if they have any pointers on where to take your work.

The point is, don’t go into it not knowing anything. Make sure you know your stuff, before you ever send your work to a publisher. Know the business, know what’s expected of you, and know what standard you can hold your publisher to.

They’ll respect that you did your homework, if you end up signing. You will, too.

[love]

{Rani D.}