3 Things to Take into Account Before Submitting Your First Book
Essential Tips to Navigate the Publishing Process Successfully
You've done it! You've just placed the final period on the last page of the little scribble of ideas you started a few months ago or, who knows, maybe even years ago.
Your very first book is finally finished, and you can be proud of it because completing such a project is not always an easy task.
Now, another idea might be haunting you: submitting your story to publishers to get published and, who knows, become a recognized author in the future. That's certainly what I wish for you!
While I can only encourage you to pursue your idea, I also want you to maximize your chances of avoiding common disappointments and getting your story published.
Shall I give you some tips?
A Word About Publishing Houses
You have a well-crafted manuscript, and getting it accepted by a publishing house should be feasible. Far be it from me to discourage you, but the outcome is sometimes more challenging than it seems
Publishing houses operate like employers looking for staff: they receive many submissions that cannot be treated with the full attention your manuscript deserves.
They are often overwhelmed by requests and might quickly dismiss your work if you don't meet certain, sometimes unspoken, requirements.
To maximize your chances, here is a checklist of important items to consider before submitting your manuscript, some of which will be detailed in the following sections:
Your manuscript must be finished and thoroughly proofread.
Choose your publishing houses carefully and ensure you match their editorial line.
Read the submission guidelines carefully, including specific requirements such as character count, font, cover letter, and biography.
Be patient and don't get discouraged by rejections.
Also, keep in mind that the standard response time is usually 3 months and varies from one publisher to another. Therefore, don't be discouraged if you don't receive a response within 6 months or if you face multiple rejections.
Remember, even J.K. Rowling faced numerous rejections for her brilliant Harry Potter.
Be wary of vanity presses; in summary, if you're asked to pay to publish your book, you should avoid such contracts as the costs often outweigh the benefits, and these types of publishers tend to include clauses that will require even more money from you.
Don't Underestimate Proofreading
Yeah, well, your advice is a bit obvious there, isn’t it? Maybe, but as they say, better safe than sorry.
Before diving into writing a novel, I couldn't imagine how significant the proofreading work would be.
Indeed, rereading, adjusting words, sentences, making changes, adding little details here and there to faithfully represent what you want to share with your readers is a substantial task, not to mention the orthographic correction.
I recommend having your work read by 3 beta readers; these are readers who will read your book and give you feedback. Take these suggestions into account and adapt them in your manuscript.
Note: There are professional beta readers who will provide a paid service, but there are also many volunteer beta readers you can find in writing or support groups. While it's important to choose them carefully and sift through their feedback, they are often invaluable.
Lastly, it is essential to use a proofreading tool such as Grammarly or Antidote. These tools will scrutinize your text and allow you to analyze it better.
Thus, you will have a better idea of tense agreement, repetitions, and, above all, these software tools are quite accurate in terms of orthographic correction, and their analysis is often very thorough.
Establish a Battle Plan and Avoid Rushing
If you waited before taking the plunge to finish a story and decided to publish it, you might be tempted to skip some steps under the fiery inspiration of having crossed that threshold.
Adopt the mindset of a marathoner, not a sprinter, because haste is often a bad advisor and will cause you to make sometimes simplistic errors with fatal consequences.
Structure the next steps, from proofreading to submission, avoiding doing things hastily. Here is my checklist:
Proofreading: revision and adaptation, use of a proofreading tool, beta reader feedback.
Adaptation: second reading after beta reader feedback, final proofreading.
Selection of several publishing houses to submit your completed manuscript that aligns with their editorial line.
Preparation of required documents (cover letter, biography, summary…).
I recommend organizing your work into folders to avoid getting mixed up with the various requirements.
Conclusion
I can't deny that realizing the remaining work needed to reach the holy grail of publishing can be discouraging.
But I can only advise you to persevere. You've already come further than you ever imagined, so it would be a shame to stop now. Give yourself every chance to stand out from the pile of manuscripts that publishers receive every day.
Be proactive, methodical, and organized. Take the time to do things properly, and you'll see that your efforts will pay off.
For some, discovering this whole new universe might seem vast. Keep your eyes on your goal, adopt a proactive, methodical, and organized approach, and take the time to do things properly. You'll see that your efforts will pay off.
And then, in a completely different style that needs to be addressed in a separate article, you can also opt for self-publishing, but the work involved is equally substantial and includes many of the steps outlined above.
I hope this article was useful to you. Feel free to comment, share your experiences, and your advice!
Thanks for reading.
Thank you for this helpful advice.