Getting Published

This page is designed to answer any questions you may have before getting your work published. I don't have all the answers to all the possible questions and I am in no way an expert, although I can give you the benefit of my own experience with REM as published by Minerva Press and what I have learned since then.

The Simple Terms

You'll get certain publishers asking you to pay to get your work published (see Experiences) and you'll get loads of rejections, so chin up, never pay and keep trying.

I would recommend finding an agent from the Writers and Artists Yearbook. Give them a call, tell them what you've written and that you want to get it published. They'll probably ask you to send it in. They'll tell you exactly what to send - and that's the first step. If when they reply they either don't like it, or can't publish it for other reasons, then don't give up.

Never be afraid of criticism, not everyone is going to like your book, although pay attention to their feedback.  The people who know what they like are your audience, listen to them, learn from them and then revise your work accordingly.

Then, try another agent and keep trying until you finally get someone who is interested.

I know a writer who sent his manuscript to every single publisher in the yearbook. When they exhausted the publishers they went through the process again and was accepted.

Its all a case of being in the right place at the right time with the right person reading it for the right publisher.

It will take time, so you'll need a lot of patience, but in the meantime, while you're waiting, go through your manuscript again and again, is it the best it could possibly be?

Be prepared!

What you need to be prepared for is rejection, more rejection and yet further rejection.  Some authors have had to submit and re-submit their work for years before they finally get noticed.  The key is to believe in what you're doing, obtain as much criticism and feedback as possible.  Listen to what people tell you, make changes as necessary and keep trying.

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