Well, normally I'd say it's hard. Weather you get an agent or not, it would still be hard to publish a book, however... Looking at the amount of crap that has been published, really makes me lower my answer to moderate.
I suppose the best way is still to find a publisher, simply sending companies your manuscript would be tedious, and not as affective.
Self publishing is another option, but not recommended. It would be very hard to market the book by yourself.
The best advice I can offer is to try to credit yourself with smaller works first. Ex. short stories in magazines, or on websites etc. Continue to practice writing, and revising. Get your name out there, and get a writer's guide for finding agents.
It can provide a lot of the resources that you will need and give you some guidance.
Also, read Literary Marketplace (a thick book of literary agents). Look for those who specialize in your genre. Read, and follow, their submission guidelines. Expect it to take lots of time, and expect many rejections. Thats just part of the business.
In Order for your book to have a chance of publication:
You’ll need to know how to write an effective ‘query letter’ to a literary agent. The letter will also include a synopsis of your book, preferably one that will hold the interest of the agent. The idea is to make him or her ask for the first couple of chapters of your work. Do not ever send a manuscript to a publisher or literary agent without sending your query letter first.
You’ll also need to know how to format your manuscript. This includes the fonts (size and type) that most agents, editors, and publishers want. These are usually Courier New and Times New Roman (12 pt). Short stories and novels are formatted differently. You will need to follow submission guidelines just as they are laid down for your submissions. Anything less will result in your manuscript sent back or destroyed unread.
One of the most important issues in manuscript submitting is the proper ‘page set up’ for your work. This includes margins, indents, and paragraphs. Most editors will want to see your manuscript double spaced. This allows the editor to use his/her proofreaders marks between the lines. Most margins will be one inch all around with a ragged right margin and an even left.
If you decide to hire an editor, remember: Your manuscript will be double spaced, which means there will be twice as many pages. A 600 page novel could cost you around $1800.00, some even more depending on what the editor charges per page. Then there’s the hourly rate that some charge. Usually it’s within the range of $65.00. So, if they work on your book for 18 hours, that’s another $1170.00 + $1800.00 = $2970.00
As a side note, it’s a good idea to know some of the publishing laws. The use of names and places.
These include
o Delivery Of Satisfactory Copy
o Permission for Copyrighted Material
o Grant Of Rights
o Proofreading and Author's Corrections
o Advances and Royalties
o Author's Warranties and Indemnities
o Copies to Author
o Option Clause
Good luck
~Clarkie
--------------------------------------…
Additionally, you could self publish (this is called vanity press) but it is a more difficult, expensive, and time consuming option
It's not hard to do it badly. It's very hard to do it well.
If you're interested in self-publishing, you should look at the Yahoo Group Self-Publishing.
No matter whether you want to get published traditionally or self-publish, I recommend that you first read some books on the subject. It's critical that you learn more before you launch. I have a list of books for authors and for beginning self-publishers on the Reference Desk section of my site, so I won't recap here.
I also suggest that you read some blogs written by editors and agents. Try the late and much lamented Miss Snark for a start, and progress on to Agent Kristin, Nicola Morgan, and Jane Smith, perhaps.
Good luck, and good hunting, whichever route you try.
If you are looking for self-publishing companies to publish your book, I know of a few companies that practically holds court to everything a book needs from getting you your copyright, size preferences, book cover design customization, layout consultation, copyediting and even marketing – at affordable costs.
The difference with self-publishing is that you happen to send in your materials to the publisher and they will do all the work for you depending on which program you are on. Publishing packages are very affordable and investing on getting your book published is a good start. It is best if you send in the entire manuscript and should not worry about protection because publishers have an agreement to not use your material without your consent.
Publishing is synonymous to getting that copyright for protecting your book which is why it is highly important to publish it.
You can get free information sent to your mail here and even try to check the quality of their brochure because it is the same as how they publish books. The cost to publish is also listed in detail and in depth.
Depends on your definition of "publish". Legally, it's trivial. Find an internet archive site and post your book on it. Done.
In terms of what most people mean by "published" (i.e. a publisher buys the rights to your book), it's very, very difficult. 1 in 100,000 books which are started get bought by a publisher. Only 1 in 100 even of those which are completed, reread, proofread and edited to professional standards.
See, a lot of people say "but Rowling got rejected 20 times before she got published!" Yes, she did. They don't mention the people who've been rejected 20 times and NEVER get published - which is most of them.
Comments
Well, normally I'd say it's hard. Weather you get an agent or not, it would still be hard to publish a book, however... Looking at the amount of crap that has been published, really makes me lower my answer to moderate.
I suppose the best way is still to find a publisher, simply sending companies your manuscript would be tedious, and not as affective.
Self publishing is another option, but not recommended. It would be very hard to market the book by yourself.
The best advice I can offer is to try to credit yourself with smaller works first. Ex. short stories in magazines, or on websites etc. Continue to practice writing, and revising. Get your name out there, and get a writer's guide for finding agents.
Well, first write a book.
Then read "The Writers Market."
"The Writer's Market" is the best resource I can suggest for an aspiring writer.
http://www.writersmarket.com/
It can provide a lot of the resources that you will need and give you some guidance.
Also, read Literary Marketplace (a thick book of literary agents). Look for those who specialize in your genre. Read, and follow, their submission guidelines. Expect it to take lots of time, and expect many rejections. Thats just part of the business.
In Order for your book to have a chance of publication:
You’ll need to know how to write an effective ‘query letter’ to a literary agent. The letter will also include a synopsis of your book, preferably one that will hold the interest of the agent. The idea is to make him or her ask for the first couple of chapters of your work. Do not ever send a manuscript to a publisher or literary agent without sending your query letter first.
You’ll also need to know how to format your manuscript. This includes the fonts (size and type) that most agents, editors, and publishers want. These are usually Courier New and Times New Roman (12 pt). Short stories and novels are formatted differently. You will need to follow submission guidelines just as they are laid down for your submissions. Anything less will result in your manuscript sent back or destroyed unread.
One of the most important issues in manuscript submitting is the proper ‘page set up’ for your work. This includes margins, indents, and paragraphs. Most editors will want to see your manuscript double spaced. This allows the editor to use his/her proofreaders marks between the lines. Most margins will be one inch all around with a ragged right margin and an even left.
If you decide to hire an editor, remember: Your manuscript will be double spaced, which means there will be twice as many pages. A 600 page novel could cost you around $1800.00, some even more depending on what the editor charges per page. Then there’s the hourly rate that some charge. Usually it’s within the range of $65.00. So, if they work on your book for 18 hours, that’s another $1170.00 + $1800.00 = $2970.00
As a side note, it’s a good idea to know some of the publishing laws. The use of names and places.
These include
o Delivery Of Satisfactory Copy
o Permission for Copyrighted Material
o Grant Of Rights
o Proofreading and Author's Corrections
o Advances and Royalties
o Author's Warranties and Indemnities
o Copies to Author
o Option Clause
Good luck
~Clarkie
--------------------------------------…
Additionally, you could self publish (this is called vanity press) but it is a more difficult, expensive, and time consuming option
It's not hard to do it badly. It's very hard to do it well.
If you're interested in self-publishing, you should look at the Yahoo Group Self-Publishing.
No matter whether you want to get published traditionally or self-publish, I recommend that you first read some books on the subject. It's critical that you learn more before you launch. I have a list of books for authors and for beginning self-publishers on the Reference Desk section of my site, so I won't recap here.
I also suggest that you read some blogs written by editors and agents. Try the late and much lamented Miss Snark for a start, and progress on to Agent Kristin, Nicola Morgan, and Jane Smith, perhaps.
Good luck, and good hunting, whichever route you try.
If you are looking for self-publishing companies to publish your book, I know of a few companies that practically holds court to everything a book needs from getting you your copyright, size preferences, book cover design customization, layout consultation, copyediting and even marketing – at affordable costs.
The difference with self-publishing is that you happen to send in your materials to the publisher and they will do all the work for you depending on which program you are on. Publishing packages are very affordable and investing on getting your book published is a good start. It is best if you send in the entire manuscript and should not worry about protection because publishers have an agreement to not use your material without your consent.
Publishing is synonymous to getting that copyright for protecting your book which is why it is highly important to publish it.
You can get free information sent to your mail here and even try to check the quality of their brochure because it is the same as how they publish books. The cost to publish is also listed in detail and in depth.
I hope I helped.
Depends on your definition of "publish". Legally, it's trivial. Find an internet archive site and post your book on it. Done.
In terms of what most people mean by "published" (i.e. a publisher buys the rights to your book), it's very, very difficult. 1 in 100,000 books which are started get bought by a publisher. Only 1 in 100 even of those which are completed, reread, proofread and edited to professional standards.
See, a lot of people say "but Rowling got rejected 20 times before she got published!" Yes, she did. They don't mention the people who've been rejected 20 times and NEVER get published - which is most of them.
it's very hard