How to Get Published
68Avoid this guy's plight with a well-crafted query letter and proposal
This site has great articles from an insider's (agent's) view of how to get published by traditional publishers
- Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents
Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents contains meaty articles on writing a succesful book proposal, from the author of the classic How to Write a Book Proposal
This non-profit organization offers a very effective "meet the agents" event twice a year and both men and women are welcome
- The International Women's Writing Guild
The IWWG holds one of the best (and cheapest) "meet the agents" conferences twice a year in NYC. They also have great resources for aspiring authors.
This site offers support on how to write a book
- How to Write a Nonfiction or How-to Book
Here you'll find resources for how to write a book, particularly how to write nonfiction or how-to books.
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How-to Links
- How to Get Your Opinion Piece Published - wikiHow
wikiHow article about How to Get Your Opinion Piece Published. - Literary agent - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- How to Hire a Writing Coach (hubpages article)
The right book coach or writing coach can help you write a successful book proposal.
This article focuses on how to get published as a nonfiction, how-to or memoir author.
I remember going to a writer's conference and hearing several women complain that it's impossible to get published. Of course it's impossible if you think it is.
Lucky for me, back when I co-authored my first book, I was ignorant of the impossibility of getting published and got published by a major player--the same publisher of the Chicken Soup series of books--Health Communications.
So, the first key to getting published is to:
- Believe you can. The rest of the steps are as follows:
- Make sure your book is sellable. How do you do that? You want to make sure you're addressing a particular audience with a specific need or problem and offering a solution to that problem. You want your book to promise benefits that this audience is looking for. Unless you have a huge following, publishers are seldom interested in books that are written for everybody in the whole country. Focus is key. And your book has to be unique in some way--whether it's your special method, your playful tone or a new slant on a tried and true topic. Think of all the different slants people put on diet books--they work (the slants, that is, not necessarily the diets).
- Write a book proposal. There are books that tell you how to write an effective book proposal and you need to read at least one of these books and follow the instructions provided. No article is going to cover that subject in enough depth. Buy one or several. My favorite is Michael Larsen's How to Write a Book Proposal. It's also a favorite of many top agents. But don't send your proposal before an agent or editor has expressed interest. How do they express interest? By responding to your query letter or in-person pitch.
- Find an Agent: Can you get a publisher without an agent? Sure you can. And, actually, we did that with my first book. But there are lots of reasons to have an agent. If you are looking for a small publisher, you won't need an agent--just query the publisher directly after looking at their submission guidelines on line. If you want a larger publisher, you'll most probably need an agent. You'll find an agent by writing a great query letter (and the proposal books tell you how to do that) and following up with a positive response by sending your proposal. You also want to do some research to figure out what agents are most likely to be interested in your book. My favorite place to meet agents and pitch books (and what I recommend to all my book-coaching clients) is to attend the International Women Writers Guild's Meet the Agents event, held twice a year in NYC. (see links below) This is a great and inexpensive way to get a sense of several top agents and what they're looking for and pitch your book to them in person. You can also write a query letter. Larsen's book offers excellent advice on how to write a good query letter, as well. Once an agent says 'yes' to your query or in-person pitch, then you have the go-ahead to send your proposal.
- Establish a Platform: Publishing companies are businesses. And, with very few exceptions, they do not publicize new authors or do much to promote new authors' books. They see that as your job. Before they sign you on as an author they want to know that you're likely to do a fabulous job of promoting your book. One way they determine this is to look at how many people you are already reaching. By all means, create a website that offers value to readers who sign up and provide their e-mail address; start a blog; secure public speaking gigs; send out press releases and talk to newspapers, magazines, TV and radio hosts; do some social networking. Go wild. Do whatever you can to create a community of people who are interested in the information you have to offer, because this is crucial to publishers. One great way to start establishing that platform and build a fan base is...you guessed it..become a player on hubpages. Write some great, content-filled articles on your area of expertise and you will find yourself building a base of fans.
- Do your best. Make sure that the query letter and, later, your book proposal and sample chapters, are high quality. Hire an editor. Run it by an expert. If you get a "no" from an agent or publisher, ask why they weren't interested, and even what you could do that would make the proposal appealing. Take the answer to heart. You may need to rewrite the book proposal and sample chapter(s) several times in order to interest agents and publishers.
- Be persistent. If you have a great idea, or even the seed of a great idea, and you take any feedback seriously and continue improving your proposal, eventually your work will come to fruition. Some authors give up after the first "no." If you're tied to the book being successful, but not tied to all the specifics, you are on the right track.
Have any questions after reading this article? Please share them in the comments section and I'll be happy to answer them...or request for me to write an additional hub on a related subject in the box at the top right.
Are you a published author? Please share your publishing secrets in the comments section below. Thank you.
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Concise, engaging site that provides important guidance. The links enhance the hub. Thanks Lisa for compiling this information and presenting it in a format so useful
This article is remarkably inspiring in the fact that getting published isn't an impossibility at all, and, actually, with some determination and perserverence, quite achievable. I read Lisa's methods and I am filled with ambition and excitement.
I do have a question regarding #2. How would you know if you've successfully answered a problem that a particular audience might have? Could you develop a tester group of readers who could give feedback? Or is that a bad idea? How do you know you're book works?
Great questions, Jen. Yes, I would definitely ask people who are in your niche audience (not necessarily other experts in your field, but the people who need your book) to read your early chapters and get their feedback. You need to realize some people offer constructive feedback and you want to listen to them. Some people are just critical and their feedback might not be so helpful--try to weed these negative folks out ahead of time, if you can.
You can also start a blog and ask your audience to let you know what they want about a particular subject/need.
Very helpful. Writers are sometimes at a loss to know how to be published because they spend so much time working on their craft as a writer. Lisa has given us helpful and practical advice.
Great tips on what to do. Writing is hard enough as it is, but it can get discouraging whenyou do not good feedback for publishing your material. This article is helpful since Lisa lets you know what to do so as to avoid the stress of publishing
Thanks for the great info! I often feel paralyzed when trying to get started writing. I feel that I can get moving easier with your straight forward tips!
good content Lisa
I certainly am honing in my skills in the craft of writing with these frank lessons on reaching the public. Thanks very much Lisa- you are a sage to writers.
Great hub and really interesting.
Wow, great article! Lisa is informative as always and shares her expertise with a generous and open spirit. The Conference link is priceless!
I feel confident that I can move forward with success.Thank you!
Lisa, you are the BEST! I always find any information you put out there so insightful. Thank you for your article and everything you give to us writers! I have to say it again...YOU ARE THE BEST!
Lisa, Thank you for this informative hub. I love the photo of you with the books! And congratulations on your own book publication.
Lisa you are so right. I went to an IWWG event and got feedback on the marketability of my first book idea...was told that it was too common a theme from the agent...but she loved my platform and encouraged me to keep looking for my unique message. It paid off. By getting feedback I did not spin my wheels, but changed the direction I was heading. My first book, From the Kitchen to the Corner Office: Mom's Wisdom on Leadership, is now in my hands and will be on bookshelves in May. Your advice is dead on.
Great Advice! I especially love your first step. You cannot underestimate the power of positive thinking. Of all the things I have learned from your wonderful retreats, writing groups, workshops and teleconferences, that is the one thing that has stuck with me. And right on schedule, helped me secure a book contract. Thanks again for your wisdom!
Lisa, I so appreciate the energy, expertise, and hope that you infuse all your offerings with! Thank you for continuing to inspire all of us to persevere to get published. And I enjoyed the YouTube links - especially the "change the light bulb" one!
Hi Lisa,
Another good book is by my former New York agent, Sheree Bykofsky: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published (4th ed).
In the first couple of editions of this book, Sheree used the Query Letter I wrote to her as the example of how to write a query for nonfiction.
I seem to remember that what she liked was that the query letter was 100% focused on what SHE needed to know, to make it sellable to a publisher ... rather than on what I thought was wonderful about my manuscript. ;-)
Yes, Sheila, that is a great point. The query letter should focus on the things the agent (and publisher) want to hear--who is the market, what size is that market, why is your book going to appeal to that market and why are you the person to write (and promote) the book?
Great content Lisa. I think lots of people will find these information complete enough that it will drive them to have their first book published. I'm one of them.:) Thanks for posting this!
This article offers practical, concise advice on key points toward getting published. In the midst of working on a proposal, I particularly appreciated your first point -- believe you can. It's easyfor me to become anxious and, at times, a bit overwhelmed while piecing the proposal together. Thank you for the reminder to stop, breathe, and trust in what I am writing.
Excellent advice for the budding non-fiction writer, you've spelled it out beautifully.
I believe it takes guts, determination and some I can attitude to stay with it until your luck changes for the good
Yes, you are right that it takes guts, determination and "I can." I meet many budding authors in my line of work and a few of the most talented give up way too soon. They take, "no," as a hard "no," rather than as an opportunity to ask more questions and refine their book concept or proposal. Others who may not even be as talented, are good at listening and determined to succeed and they do.
I'm not an aspiring writer by any stretch of the imagination, but I know well written content when I see it, and this definitely qualifies.
Good work!
It's ALWAYS nice to have the view of such a motivating insider!
Thank you.
The best way to establish a platform is to take a personal inventory. What do you know how to do that most people do not? It doesn't have to be something you enjoy doing. In fact, it can be something you dislike. Everybody is an expert on something. For example, if you are 16, you are an expert on being a teen at the turn of the 21st century. If you are a teacher, you are an expert on the problems and rewards involved in the profession, and you have some great lessons to share.
Yes, bluerabbit, that's a great point--everybody has a platform at some level. And it's important to know that if they want to get published, they need to work on building that platform--whether it's through posting hubpages, internet marketing, viral videos, public speaking or corporate training.
Well, yes, that is important. I do speak at conferences and I have an extensive web presence, but I have had more than 40 books published for major houses in my market, and my personal experience/expertise came first. It is easy to spend a lot of time marketing and lose sight of the fact that writing is the most important activity. Speaking of which, I have a deadline...
Keep up the great work, Lisa.
Thanks for all the great info - also try writing for University's (They develop new English Language testing for schools) ~ they keep your stories and passages (for a really good price). They must be well-written passages and you have to be able to follow very specific criteria.
I appreciate you sharing this, thank you, voted up!
Kathy LeMay 4 years ago
Smart, accessible strategic advice and tips. Thank you Lisa for de-mystifying the book publishing process. I feel I can now wrap my arms around it and get started!