The path to getting published the old fashioned way can be long. In the evolving literary market place it is not for everyone. But it is for some, and for those it is important to know the rules about publishing procedure. Sometimes it helps to be able to see the steps laid out, from the first draft to the final proof.
First, you need to have written your novel. Only then can you begin to really work with it.
The first draft of any novel will be far from perfect, and nothing short of perfect should be sent to the publisher. That would be like sending someone a half-grown shoot instead of a thriving vine. Give your novel time to breathe and grow. The more time you leave for the ideas that make up the first draft to mature and develop, the clearer the second draft will be. And the more drafts you give your work, the better the finished novel will be. It might take small changes or big changes, and it will take less or more time, depending on how you work. For example, Salman Rushdie had to redraft Midnight’s Children into the first person before it won the Booker Prize, whereas Dickens hastily scribbled and reworked A Christmas Carol in just six weeks.
As well as being dependant on the novel itself, the extent of the drafting process depends on you, the author. But even if you are the incarnation of Shakespeare (notorious for leaving no evidence of any drafting process), it’s worth sitting down and going over your work; only you and your novel will lose out if you don’t give it the chance to be the best it can be. Don’t worry if it takes a while to figure your novel out. It took James Joyce seven years to complete Ulysses, after all.
Once redrafted, your novel will stand a chance. You should consider researching which publishers would be interested in your work. For example, if you were to send the next best-selling fantasy novel to a publisher who specialises in romance, the chances are it won’t interest them.
Having made a shortlist of possible publishers, you will need to contact them. To do this, it is recommended throughout the publishing industry that you send a letter of query. Gone are the days when it was possible to submit an entire manuscript, bound in brown paper with a length of string, to a publishing house and end up with a clothbound masterpiece. You can send a letter of query either direct to the publisher or to an agent first. The choice is yours; however some publishers refuse to accept any solicitations other than through an agent, so it is best to check this first on the publisher’s website.
The letter of query should convince the agent or editor that they need to read your proposal; a proposal should convince them that your book is the next bestseller. One mainstream publishing house lists the requirements for a letter of proposal: “Ideally your proposal should contain a detailed synopsis and chapter outline with two sample chapters in case of novels and other narrative non-fiction.”
It may be a long wait, and if you only contact one publisher at a time actually achieving publication could never happen. Send your letter of query to multiple publishers or agents, and the chances of a timely response immediately multiply.
Hopefully, your query letter and proposal will entice the editor to read more, in which case they will ask to read a sample of the novel. At this stage, it’s worth making sure that the chapters you send them are even better than perfect. Check your writing is engaging, and well-crafted, or you’ll lose the publisher’s interest just when you’ve finally grabbed it.
If the editor likes what they read when you send them more of your story, the long wait is over. Now you can begin to work with the editor on proofs and the final stages of getting your book published.
This concludes the old fashioned publishing process. It’s for some, but not for everyone, and the literary marketplace is quickly evolving so that the old way is not the only way to get your book to readers. The internet is a powerful tool, and it makes reaching readers far quicker. The important thing to remember is that different authors do things in different ways; whatever your choice, always persevere.
Rebecca Drake