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Overview of Traditional Publishing 7/13/2007 2:19:08 PM
An overview of Traditional Publishling
Category: Writing and Poetry
I had a post a while back about self-publishing, here's an overview about traditional publishing.
So you've finished your book and it's been edited and rewriten and ready to go? You've decided that self-publishing is out for you so you want a stab at finding a traditional publisher. What do you do?
While some T-publishers will accept unsolicated manuscripts, the vast majority won't. So you'll need an agent.
That's the first step. You need an agent to bridge the gap between you and the publisher. The agent gives your work and voice "legitimacy" and "respectiably," in the word of t-publishing.
There are plenty of "bad" agents out there. Before you go agent hunting, check out the "Preditors & editors" website. They will give it to you straight - if the agent you're interested in is LEGIT. You don't want to be taken to tow by someone who isn't.
TIPS: someone who charges reading fees, might not be on the up and up as an agent.
Get a copy of the Writer's Digest guide to Literary Agents. That will help you to determine to target those agents who cover your genre. You can do internet searches to look for agents as well. http://www.agentquery.com is a valuable asesst here.
Once you make a list of those agents you're going to approach, follow their submission guidelines. Don't give them what they don't want. Most want a cover letter. (and that's probably another post, trust me) and a majority of them want a sample of the work.
Once an agent decides to represent you, you're on your way. Getting one - that's the challenge. You're writing has to be up to snuff. They know good stuff when they see it.
Mind you, you must have a lot of patience when pursuing an agent. These things take time. T-publishing is time consuming. In that regard, self-publishing will gratifity the writer who wants to get their product out there "now."
