6 Tips for Submitting your Manuscript to Publishers

 

If you are considering submitting a manuscript for publication these tips will help you to achieve the success you are looking for and will reduce the chance of your work ending up in the rejection pile.

1. Do your Research

Before submitting a manuscript to any publishing house you will first want to know:

• if they are currently accepting manuscript
• whether they accept unsolicited manuscripts (those submitted by authors, not agents)
• if your work fits with the content they are currently looking to publish
• what manuscript format they require
• their submissions policies

Once you have identified a specific publishing house to submit your work to you will be able to find all of this information under the “submissions” section of their websites.

If finding the right publisher/s for your work seems like a daunting task and you are unfamiliar with all the ones available to you, you can find them in the books below. These resources include all the information you will need in a way that is organized and complete. These are a must-have for every writer who is seriously seeking publication and they will save you lots of time and open up many new opportunities that you did not know even existed.

2. Network

Take the time to get to know other authors in your genre. This can be done by:

• joining writing groups
• visiting and participating in online writing communities and forums
• attending writing conferences
• participating in workshops in your community and online
• using social media such as Facebook or Twitter to connect with other writers

You will learn valuable information from other published authors. Their advice and connections may go a long way when it comes to getting your own work published. We have personally found that just as misery loves company, so does success! Once a person finds success in the publishing world, they cannot wait to share their advice, experience and joy and to help others obtain this same success! So if you have not done so already, reach out! You’ll be glad you did.

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3. Format your Manuscript

Prior to submitting your manuscript to any publishing company, it is first necessary to make sure that it is formatted to their specifications. You can find their requirements on their websites. If there are no specific requirements listed you can be sure that the standard formatting is sufficient. When formatting your book make sure to adhere to the proper font, text size, margins, spacing, headers, footers and page numbers.

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4. Submit it to Editing Services

You want to make sure that when you are submitting your manuscript to a publishing house it is as flawless as possible. It is very distracting for editors when they are reading a manuscript when typos, misspellings and grammatical errors keep popping out at them. To ensure you are sending a polished work, consider hiring an editing service to catch these errors so that they are not present to distract the editor and take away from the overall quality of your work.

5. Tailor your Cover Letter

Make sure that when you are submitting your cover letter you are addressing the person that will be reading your manuscript – this is not the place to write “To whom it may concern.” Take the time to show each individual publishing company that you know who they are, understand their needs and how your work specifically provides them with exactly what they are looking for.

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6. Know the Standard Policies for Manuscript Submissions

More and more publishing companies are getting with the times and allowing for online submission of manuscripts, either directly through their website or through email. This saves time, money and paper. However other publishing companies still prefer (and require) the traditional method of using traditional mail. It is important to know which policy your publishing company of choice is using and to format your manuscript accordingly. You will be able to find out which policy they are using on their websites under their “submissions” sections.

To learn more about how to submit your manuscript, whether it is via the Internet or post office the following articles will provide you with what you need to be prepared to do either:

By using these 6 tips you will be able to find the appropriate publisher for your manuscript and tailor it to their requirements, setting you up for success and a real shot at being offered a contract.

Culle from Think Written

Book Promotion on a Budget — Tips for a Beginner Writer

 

Writing and publishing your own book is such an exciting experience, filled with incredible ups. However, many writers, amidst the excitement, fail to realize that they’re responsible for promoting their own book – leaving it to the last minute. Promoting your book isn’t as difficult as you may believe, but it does require determination, motivation and a little head start.

Don’t let the thought of book promotion deter from the excitement of writing your own book. It’s all part of the process, whether you’re walking down the traditional publishing or indie publishing path.

Here are a few little tips on how to promote your very own book, even if you don’t have heaps of money to push you along.

The Internet Saves the Day

With social media and websites, the internet is single-handedly the greatest thing for promotion on a budget.

Most authors, especially first-time authors, only have a small following on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. There is a way around this, though. When you’re planning on writing a book, you should also start working on building up a following.

Growing your social media following isn’t the easiest thing, but it’s not impossible. There’s an array of authors on the internet, desperately trying to sell their books and, in all honesty, if you do it wrong, you can risk being unfollowed.

With the right profiles, bios, and content, you can create your very own brand for free. Posting too often or being too aggressive can have an adverse effect. Use your social media accounts as more of a networking type of role, attracting interest in your work, rather than a powerful promotion tool. We promise you’ll see the benefits.

Author promotion is helped greatly by a blog too. We know, you might be wondering how you’ll write a full book and blog, but the long-term rewards are just incredible.

Kelsey Benson, content editor for Resumescentre.com explains: “With every single blog post, you are exposing your character, showing your skills and creating new content online. It opens new doors, more followers and improves your SEO rating.”

The more you post, the better your articles and the more interesting your blogs, the higher you will list on Google. Before you know it, a great percentage of your visitors will be coming in, directly from Google. When your traffic begins to increase, why not create a pop-up or mailing list about your new book?

Search Engines prefer articles that are longer than 1,000 words — just a little tip.

Tap into Networking

Networking is pretty much a mandatory part of the equation. It’s mutually beneficial, and that allows people to be inspired, work together and gain an acknowledged reputation.Introverts everywhere, you don’t have to panic. Networking doesn’t mean attending multiple social events (although, that wouldn’t hurt). It is just as simple as networking with one person at a time. Focus on quality rather than quantity. One good, helpful connection would be more advantageous than ten ghost connections.

Social networks and niche websites like LinkedIn, BumbleBizz, and Onlinewritersrating are brilliant ways to connect with people and fellow writers. However, many make the mistake of clicking connect and, then, never really connecting. Make sure that you reach out to people, send messages and even ask for a coffee.

As an author, the best thing that could happen for you is a co-promo agreement. Another author will promote your book or recommend it, and you do the same for them…when the time arrives.

Start in Advance

We recommend that you start promotion at least six months before its release date. This includes all the networking, teasers, website building, social media marketing and everything else you could possibly think of.

We can’t stress this enough, your promotional efforts should never be left until the last minute. Moreover, the earlier you start, the more interest you will generate, producing more sales.

Creating an author platform should be one of your main goals, as well as writing your book, obviously. Growing this platform requires building your own unique brand, building relationships and getting really serious about social media.

It doesn’t matter how new you are; you can grow your author platform from scratch if you just put the effort in. The first step is to create your own website. From that, you can create content, guest post and direct people to your site. This will take time, hence the recommended minimum of six months.

Focus on Content

Content marketing is one of the most important things, really, any business can do. As an author, you should treat this new venture as a trade, marketing, and advertising just the same.

“Content marketing might just seem like another buzzword, but it’s vital — and it’s here to stay,” states Hellen Lewis, a social media manager at Canada-Writers. “It basically revolves around creating and sharing of online material – something which we’re all basically experts at anyway.”

This material should be used to attract attention to your profile or website, not explicitly market your book. When people check out your content, they might just sign up to your mailing list, follow your work or research you. Ultimately, you might eventually gain new book customers.

We’ve already briefly mentioned blogs, but we’ll discuss them again because, well, they’re important. As a writer, not only do you have all those amazing skills to showcase, they can really help you. Writing relevant blog posts, perhaps even relevant to your book, could be the best advertising you could do.

Importantly, using your blog as a personal diary, sharing holiday pictures and talking about your life, yes, is blogging, but it isn’t content marketing. For promotion, you should focus on useful, specific blogs, targeted to a particular niche.

Another effective way to market your book is through video. Did you know that Google owns YouTube? This has led to online videos increasingly becoming the go-to for many users.

It’s not just 7 second Vine videos either, we’re talking long-form, hour-long interviews, Q&As, and documentaries. If you need any proof, just take a look at Shane Dawson’s viral 40-minute documentary-style videos that stormed the internet.

Don’t overlook audio content either. The majority of the world carries around a smart device, everywhere they go. People have really taken to downloading and listening to podcasts in their free time.

Imagine how many loyal followers you could gain from talking to people for thirty minutes every week. Whether it’s about books, marketing, feminism or being a mum, there’s a space for you in the podcasting world.

Last but not least, photos. The internet is exceptionally image-heavy, don’t ignore it.

“Images with witty, fun captions can easily go viral – especially on Facebook and Twitter. Keep it down-to-earth, relevant and on-brand, and you could gain new followers, that may just be interested in buying your book.” — Alan McGill, senior marketing manager at EssaySupply.com.

Below is a little content marketing schedule, which will prove priceless in your book promotion endeavors.

• Things to post every single day– Make a simple effort to post every single day on Twitter and your Facebook page. This could be something really simple, that will only take a few minutes of your day. Don’t forget to respond to comments and replies on your posts, engage with people and follow new people.
• Things to post every two to three days– Instagram and LinkedIn posts should be kept to every few days. Users of these apps don’t respond the same to regular posting. Posting too much might be considered “spam” and people will unfollow. These posts should be more thoughtful. Take the time to like, share and connect with new people on these apps too.
• Things to post once a week – We recommend a blog post a week. However, don’t be scared to post more than once a week, if you have the time. If you have a YouTube and Podcast, your content for these platforms should be scheduled for once a week…usually at the same time. This way, people will tune in.
• Things to do once a month– check your analytics once a month, consider what you did well and where you could improve. You should also aim to guest post, collaborate or network at least once a month. You’ll be surprised at how many new followers you can get, just from appearing on somebody else’s podcast.
• Things to do once a year– This is entirely your choice, but a book a year isn’t the craziest thing you could do. If you love writing, you’ll love your job.

Reach out to your Readers

It’s not just about gaining readers, it’s about keeping them too. It’s a lot like a real-life relationship – it takes effort, communication, and engagement. Mastering the art of engaged marketing will be sure to benefit you and your sales.

“Social media has made reaching out so much easier for modern authors. With the use of ‘live’ features, polls and stories, you will be able to really involve your audience, an invaluable aspect of book promotion.” — Ethan Coy, social media manager at Best Writers Canada.

Don’t forget to use your brand to engage. By ‘brand’ we mean your personality and voice. Act as a friendly friend to your readers, show interest in their lives and reach out to them. There are many ways that you can do this, these include:

• A reader of the month section on your website
• Contests or giveaways
• Handouts at events

As the author, you are ultimately responsible for the relationships with your audience. Engaging, kindness and authenticity will be sure to profit you along your writing career.

Join Forces with Influencers

Influencer marketing has taken the marketing world by storm. You’ve probably seen it yourself – people online with a large following, making sponsored posts. Well, you can use this to help promote your book.

Influencers are already doing a great job at connecting, promoting and engaging an audience. Consequently, you can benefit from this.

Influencers aren’t a one size fits all type, though. You have to find an influencer that will genuinely gain you new and interested followers. There’s really no point reaching out to a fashion influencer if your book revolves around gardening, for example.

Look for popular authors, bloggers, bookstore owners, organizations and relevant people in your niche, reach out to them and just see what they can do, it can’t hurt, right?

If your book is revolving around the world of heartbreak, targeted at young women. There are many lifestyle influencers with tones of young female followers. In those cases, it could be good to reach out to a range of prominent Instagram or Twitter personas.

Many authors send free copies to influencers. Let the writing speak for itself.

Don’t Forget about Press Releases

You are a writer, after all. Why not cut the costs and write your own press release? Here are our top tips on writing the best press release:

• Have a hook – the best news stories grab the reader with something really interesting.
• Focus on your headline – this will be the breaking or making point.
• Include quotes and testimonials – this will add efficacy.

Not too wordy – a press release should be about 300 to 400 words long, enough to grip the reader and keep them interested.

Don’t Forget about Email Lists

With the help from content marketing, it would be absolutely worth building up your own email list – a vital resource for promotions, launches, and getting reviews.

With a little help from your website, blog posts and social media, people will, hopefully, happily enter in their email, to receive updates from you.

You will have to create a compelling opt-in /popup. Perhaps offer a free chapter, guide or course, or even a free book in your series. Once people have given you permission to email them, you’ll be able to let them know about new blogs, books, and products.

Take your Book Promotion to the Next Level

It just shows you don’t need all the money in the world to promote your book, simple efforts, engaging with your audience and regular posts will do the work for you – and get you started without needing to invest huge sums in advertising.

Promotion is a really important component in book publishing. Don’t leave it to the last minute, and use your ingenious creativity to elevate your brand. You did write a whole book, after all…

Culled from Your First 10K Readers

4 Techniques for Improving Your Writing Style

 

Not all these strategies will be right for everyone, but it can’t hurt to at least consider them.

Focus on the whole as well as the parts

Any time you add or revise some words, reread what surrounds them to ensure that everything else still fits. Often, a change in one place will necessitate a change in another. Naturally you must focus on each line as you create it, but as soon as you have the first draft in place, back up a few lines and read through the earlier text again. You will sometimes find that the latest addition doesn’t fit in quite as it should—perhaps it restates a point already made, or doesn’t make a smooth enough transition from what came before.

 

As you form each new sentence, keep going back and rereading it from the start to ensure that all its elements mesh together. (Don’t worry about the technical stuff, like whether or not you should underline book titles in your writing or how many spaces to leave after a period). As you form each new paragraph, keep rereading it from its first line to see how its sentences fit together: perhaps the topic shifts enough that the paragraph should be broken up, or perhaps a particular word now is repeated too many times within a short space.

 

Put your work aside for a while and then come back to it

You may be confident that you have polished your words into their final form, only to find that when you look at them a little later, problems jump out: illogical connections, clumsy sentence structures, a strained-sounding tone, subtle grammatical errors. A lapse of time enables you to come back to your work with a more objective eye. A day or more away is ideal, but even a few hours can make a difference.

 

Have someone else look your work over

Any writer, no matter how skilled, can benefit from getting a second opinion, because by definition one is always too close to one’s own work. Given that any writing is ultimately intended for other people’s consumption, it only makes sense to find out how other people perceive it. The individual whose opinion you seek need not be a better writer than you, since the goal is not necessarily to have this person correct or revise what you have done. Rather, it is to provide you with feedback on how your points and your tone are coming across. If your critic doesn’t get your jokes, or finds a character you meant to be funny and sympathetic merely irritating, or can’t follow some instruction because you left out a step you thought would be perfectly obvious to anybody—at least consider the possibility of making changes (and do your best to remain on speaking terms afterward). A professional editor is ideal, but if this is not practical or affordable, select someone whose opinion you respect and who represents your intended readership as nearly as possible.

 

Read your text aloud

This strategy will be super helpful if your writing is intended for oral presentation, but can be useful for other genres as well. Hearing your own words, as opposed to looking at them, may change your impression of them and expose weaknesses such as pretentious-sounding terms, wooden dialogue, or rambling sentences.

 

Writer's Digest

 

Beyond Writing: 5 Reasons You Should be a Published Author

 

It is possible you are a very good writer, and you have written many books, but you haven’t published any, because you are yet to see a reason to publish one. Aside from the obvious: Why would you write a book and then not share it to the world? Or why would you write a book and then nobody reads it?  Here are five reasons why you should become a published author:

1. It is an opportunity for you to build a personal brand: The best and easiest way to build a personal brand is to write a book about who you are, what you stand for, your challenges and how you have overcome them; then, get it published. Once you have done that, it would be easy for people to see you for who you are and not make speculations about who they thought you were.
2. It is an opportunity for you to establish yourself as an authority in your industry: The best way to establish yourself as an authority in your industry is to write about what you do. It is easier for people to see you as an expert, when you have actually published a book in that line.
3. It is an opportunity for you to become an inspiration to people: In a world filled with so many people with struggles, and thus, yearning for inspiration, your book can reach millions of people; and you can become an inspiration to some or most of them. That is also one way to change lives and make an impact, without necessarily having to talk to millions of people in a face-to-face conversation.
4. It is an opportunity for you to make a passive income: The royalty you can get from a published book can be a big deal. Even if you don’t sell a large bulk of book at once, you still get to make some money on a frequent basis.
5. It is an opportunity for you to have a legacy: The best part of publishing a book is that you live on through it. You may die, but your book can never die, so far it’s still in existence. So, it is an effective way to have a legacy.

Aside from the benefits and opportunities mentioned above, your writings deserve more than being stuck in a folder on your computer, or on some leaf in your notepad at the corner of your shelf; they deserve to be read and enjoyed by millions of people who can benefit from them. So get a copy of books you have written, and get them published!

Beyond writing is to be a published author.

How to Describe Characters in a Story

 

The way a writer describes characters in a story can either bring the characters to life or make them seem flat. Finding the right words for the description of your characters can be a bit tricky. Especially if there is so much to convey about them. However, you would not want to give everything away in a single paragraph. No reader enjoys hindered immersion when reading a fictional book. This is more reason why you should learn how to describe characters in a story using these simple and appropriate techniques.

Avoid listing out a character’s features:

Writers who don’t have descriptive adeptness tend to list out the features of their characters. Some even skimp on their character description. While the former doesn’t only seem boring, and forgetful, the latter might make readers build for themselves the imagery that counters what you intend to portray.

For instance, “Chelsea was a girl with blonde hair. She was tall and had dark knuckles.”

The above character’s description looks boring. More so, it doesn’t give room for adequate visualization.

Choose details that show your character’s personality:

You need to decide the personality of your character, and weave your description around it. You might choose to focus on your character’s profession. You might also choose to describe why he does certain things the way he does them and so on.  You should however be careful not to choose so many details to lump together. Choosing a single detail to focus on is usually advisable.

For example, “She had chosen the black hijab over the red one because she perceived red to be a harbinger of evil. This was the perception of every maiden in Umutu. It doesn’t even really matter to her if she was in a different town. She was definitely not going to thrash her life precept because… ”

The above description obviously portrays a stark religious female who found herself in a different town. Readers are immediately aware that this particular character may not welcome civilization over her beliefs.

Also Read: How to Create the Perfect Antagonist for your Story

Use similes and metaphors over adjectives:

While adjectives will tell what your character looks like, similes or metaphors will show your character. It will even make them step out of the book pages because of the imagery deposited in the imaginative minds of the readers.

Rather than write; “Ade was a very tall man”, you could write something like; “Ade’s feet loomed as the baobab tree in Benson’s Park”

Because the tree used is a very tall tree, your readers can begin to imagine how tall Ade really was. You don’t need to have a strong suit in descriptive writing to get this right. Employing simple similes or metaphors in your character description will go a long way in bringing your characters to life.

Describe your character through another character’s point of view:

Here, you simply need to adopt a character’s perception of another character. It should however be noted that gender has serious roles to play here. For instance, what makes a woman alluring to a man could be: hips, breasts, facial beauty, or generally the physique. While fragrance, command of respect, level of intelligence, or general masculinity could make a woman find a man attractive. Whichever gender’s point of view you choose to describe a character with, you should consider the popular perception. That way, your story seems more real.

Read Also: How to Choose the Right Diction for your Manuscript

Express your character’s emotion through action:

How people react to certain things goes a long way to show their personality. If your character is impatient, or one who is short-tempered, let it reflect through actions rather than in narrative.

Rather than simply state that a character got angry, show your reader what he did to show he was angry.

With the above tips on how to describe characters in a story, you might as well discover you don’t need all the finesse to write an appealing character description for your story.

Chima Rachael J.

How to Write a Bestseller

 

Many authors crave to have the title ‘bestseller’ attached to their books, I mean who doesn’t anyway? However only a few authors tend to know what it takes to write a bestseller, and if you plan on writing a bestselling book, then read on to get a full glimpse into how to write a bestseller.

Writing a bestseller shouldn’t be all that difficult if you follow these steps below.

1. Don’t regurgitate an old idea.

If you’re writing a book to make it a bestseller, then you should be able to bring out a new ‘big idea’ that will interest your audience as well as lure them to pick a copy of your book.  Put ample efforts into research before writing; don’t just write because you want to write.

2. Have your audience in mind.

If you want your book to become a bestseller, then your audience needs to be duly considered. Don’t write like you are your main audience. You need to consider the thousands or millions of people whom you want to pick up your book and enjoy it. Have your audience in mind; give them something to talk about and make your book memorable.

3. Invest in developmental editing.

It is not enough to write and edit for grammar and spell check, invest in developmental editing. That way, you can easily expunge phrases or clauses that might be posing some kind of distractions to your readers. Remove irrelevant and redundant words and edit your manuscript with clarity of mind.

4. Choose the right book cover.

I cannot emphasize this enough. Your choice of cover for your manuscript can either make or mar your entire book. You might want to read my article on Choosing the Right Book Cover for Your Manuscript  to help you learn how to select a befitting cover for your manuscript.  Nobody will pick up a book with a bad cover, and how else do you want to make your book a bestseller if it doesn’t attract readers.

5. Don’t stop promoting your book

The journey to making your book a bestseller doesn’t end in a single promotion stint. New books are published daily, and you need to continue pushing out your book to the public. If you had launched it before, then organise a discussion fest for your book. Talk about your book more often on social media, create a hashtag for it, and just don’t stop promoting your book.

Now that you have learnt how to write a bestseller book, congratulations in advance on becoming the next bestselling author.

Chima Rachael J.

Labeling the Chapters in a Work of Fiction

 

Labeling the chapters in a work of fiction deserves a lot of thought and creativity. However, it shouldn’t be something to fret about. If you have struggled in the past with finding the right title for each chapter in your novel, these easy-to-use tips will make the task of labeling your book chapters much easier.

Use thematic chapter titles for fiction

Just like there is a primary theme for your whole manuscript, there is also a subtheme for each chapter. The subthemes can be twisted into short words or replaced with words nearest in the description for the chapter. However, you should be careful not to spill out everything about the chapter in the label. To avoid spillage, use few words. It could be a word or two to three words.

For example, if a chapter in your book deals with a certain expedition, or even a search for something, whether abstract or not, using a label such as “The Quest” will do just fine.

Another example is if a chapter talks about how a character finds it difficult to forgive another character, then employing the name of the character receiving the action is OK. e.g. “Forgiving Brian”

Other examples include, “The carnival” “Birthright” and so on.

 Use chapter settings

Another way to get creative with your book chapter label is by using the settings. Don’t forget settings in literature deals with time and place. So labeling your chapters with titles such as: “After Dawn”,  “When the moon embraces the sun”, “Oji River” and so on will give more life to the chapter.

While the first example simply talks about sunrise, the second talks about the evening. The last example, however, is the name of a place.

Also Read: Five Types of Fiction That Get the Attention of Publishers

Use suspense-filled words

Your label is not just meant to sit above your chapter content; it can play an effect on your reader. Using labels that arouse the interest of your readers can make them read a whole chapter at once no matter how long it is, in search of answers.

Check Out these Four Common Writing Mistakes Authors Make

For example

Labels such as “Heaven can wait” will spur a reader’s interest to find out how and why, especially for readers who are so avid about religion.

Also, a chapter with a label like “A dance with the devil” can create some thrilling effect for readers.

Finally, you can combine numbers with words when labeling the chapters in a work of fiction. Whichever way you choose, be sure to do it the right way.

Chima Rachael J.

5 Ways to Combat Author Anxiety

 

It turns out Author Anxiety is a Thing. It’s not just me.

I discovered this on the eve of publication of my debut novel, DECEPTION ISLAND, when I was silly enough to Google my shiny new title. Up popped a Netgalley reviewer live-tweeting as she read it. Only she was hating it—pulling it apart chapter by chapter.

I’d had loads of great reviews—in Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, RT Book Reviews, on dozens of blogs—but this one hobby reviewer withered my fragile confidence. It was the intimacy of it. I could see what she looked like, I could see what page she was reading, I could certainly see exactly what she thought of the story. And I couldn’t stop refreshing. Because I’m an idiot.

I’ve been a journalist for two decades and I’ve published a bunch of nonfiction books, so public criticism is nothing new. Why, then, did this rattle me?

I did what any 21st century dweller does when faced with a 21st century dilemma. I Googled. And I discovered I wasn’t alone. Not only is Author Anxiety a Thing, but it’s such a Thing that, yes, it deserves initial caps. I set out to find a remedy before this vile feeling paralyzed me from writing another fictional word. In the interests of author solidarity, I’m sharing five of my best cures.

1. Find perspective

Many years ago, to finance my journalism degree, I worked as a TV publicist. A fun job but intensely shallow. (Ask me anything about “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Melrose Place.”) Even so, like all jobs, sometimes it got stressful. The most important lesson I learned from that two years was from a boss who was fond of saying, “It’s entertainment. It’s not f***ing brain surgery.” Same goes for my novel. It’s a romantic thriller. It’s not important. My bad day at work is when a reader isn’t entertained or moved and I lose that reader. I’m not a doctor who has lost a patient or an air-traffic controller who’s lost a plane. The worst-case scenario? This novel tanks, everyone forgets about it, and I write another one.

2. Embrace imperfection

Don’t tell my publisher this, but DECEPTION ISLAND isn’t perfect. There, I’ve said it. What a relief. I could have spent three decades rewriting it and it still wouldn’t be perfect. There’s no such thing as perfection in creative endeavor. At some point—usually when a deadline hits—you must step away from your manuscript and say, “There, it’s done. It’s the best I can do right now.” That book has become your past, not your future. It’s not even your present, anymore. The only thing that remains wholly in your control is your next book.

3. Get productive

If I read a bad review, suddenly I don’t feel like writing. But you know what? A good writing day blows away my doubt and fear. And studies into motivation have found that the muse kicks in after you begin a task, not before. Don’t feel like writing because someone just told the (virtual) world that you suck? Open your WIP and start somewhere, anywhere. Tinker with a paragraph you wrote a year ago, write a random exchange of dialogue, change the font. Just. Start. Your brain will light up, the motivation will come and the angst will evaporate.

4. Log out

Only one thing will make you a successful novelist: writing novels. Let the virtual world live without you—especially if it drags you down. Forget the rules that you must regularly post on social media and engage online. If bad reviews on Goodreads or Amazon discourage you, don’t read them. If you can’t help flicking onto them—because validation is addictive— but you hate yourself for it, get a productivity app and block those sites, and any others that routinely make your heart soar and sink. (If a review falls in a forest…) Ray Bradbury once said: “You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance.” And if you just want the boost without the pain? Ask a friend to email you only the great reviews, in a monthly digest. It’s not a cop-out. It’s sensible.

5. Escape

If that sniping little head of yours is not a pleasant place to hang out, get out of it. Do something immersive: play a card game with your kid, see a movie, whack a tennis ball around a court. When you return, you should find your mind is a more agreeable—and productive—environment. Keep it that way by throwing a little love into the world to offset the negativity. Tweet an author about how much you enjoyed her book—because she may be feeling Author Anxiety today, too.

How do you deal with anxiety and fear? Share below.

Culled from Writers Digest

What Are the Major Advantages of Online Book Publishing?

 

Traditional book publishing methods have long been a lengthy and difficult process. Getting your book printed and published can be challenging, not to mention expensive. Have you got a great book but you don’t want to spend the time and money on finding a publisher to print it? Instead, you should consider online book publishing.

The number of ebooks purchased reached its peak last year as there were over 266 million units sold. Now is the best time to start publishing online.

Why Should You Consider Online Book Publishing?

Online book publishing could be the best and cheapest way for you to get your book out there. You won’t have to pay any ridiculous fees, and you get to keep the sales profits!

So, what are the advantages? Here are some reasons you should consider online publishing for your book.

1. It’s Much Easier

The biggest reason why people choose online book publishing is that it’s so much easier. You could either self publish it or go to an ebook publisher.

To do self online book publishing, all you need to do is have the finished book ready to convert into a PDF. Then, all you need to do is make it available on your website. We also recommend you copyright it, which you can do online too.

With an ebook publisher, you’ll need an ISBN for your book and to format it to the publisher's guidelines. After you submit it, it will be available on their website immediately.

Ebook publishers are great for getting your book to a wider audience. They can make your book available in popular online bookstores like Amazon.

2. Get Your Book Seen

If you wait for your book to be printed via traditional methods, you could be waiting for a very long time. It could take many years for publishers to even see your book, never mind publishing it.

But online publishing means your book is available for people all around the world in an instant. It makes it so much easier for people to see and read what you’ve written.

Traditional publishing is ‘the old-fashioned way’ for a reason – it’s outdated. Up to 40% of book sales revenue is down to e-book sales. Online publishing will ensure your book is available to everyone, everywhere.

3. It’s a Great Marketing Tool

Ebooks aren’t only a great way to get your book out there, but they’re awesome marketing tools. An ebook is a great way to express your expertise in your niche. It can help establish your brand as a reliable one.

It’s also a great way to expand your reach. If you have company magazines that are available in print, turn them into digital. Digital magazines mean you can reach a wider audience and boost your readership.

Ebooks can also contain links, so they can boost click-through rates and SEO rankings!

4. You Can Make Edits After Publishing

The problem with traditional print media is that once it’s published, you can’t go and change it. If you want to amend a statistic or add new information, you can’t..

With online publishing, you can make changes whenever you’d like. You can revise your writings as much or as little as you’d like online, that’s the beauty of it.

If you want to add links or amend sentences you don’t like anymore, it’s easy to go in and make those changes.

5. Reach a New Audience

The best thing about the Internet is that it has the ability to reach everyone. With print media, you may have a tough time breaking through to a wider audience or new demographic.

Online publishing lets you push your ebook to a much wider audience. You can promote your book via social media and on your website. If you have an ebook publisher, they can make your book available on popular platforms.

You can also check analytics to see how many people have followed the link to your ebook and who is reading it. You can use this information to further define your demographic and adapt to it.

6. Make More Money

If you publish your book via traditional methods, the chances are you won’t see most of the royalties. If your book does well, you can expect to see only 10-15% of the price of each book sold.

If you choose to publish online, you’ll be able to net most of the profits made. If you go through a company like Amazon you’ll keep up to 70% of the listed price of each book.

7. Longer Shelf Life

When you publish via traditional methods, your book may only be available in stores for a few months. This means there’s not a lot of time for an audience to grow and you could lose out.

But if you opt for online publishing, your book will stay available forever. What goes on the Internet stays there, and this is a great thing for your book. It gives it the chance to build an audience and for people to find it years down the line.

Your book will be available to read at the click of a button. You can write as many as you’d like and people can still find your earlier works with ease.

8. Keep the Rights to Your Book

If you go with a traditional publisher and your book does very well, it can be great! But, it sometimes means you’ve signed away a lot of rights to your book.

When a traditional publisher takes on your book, they will partly own it. If your book does well and has the possibility of becoming a TV show or movie, they will profit off it too. It also means you won’t have full creative control.

With a self-published online book, you keep all the rights. You can do whatever you want with the book at any time. If you do get opportunities like these, you’ll keep your rights to the book.

Online Book Publishing Is the Way to Go

If you’ve been considering whether to publish your book online, now’s the time to do it. Ebooks are a great way to get your book out there without having to rely on anyone else. You can reach a greater audience and keep full control of your book.

Culled from Mag Loft

20 Writing Tips from Fiction Authors

 

Writing success boils down to hard work, imagination and passion—and then some more hard work. Fire up your creative spirit with 20 writing tips from 12 bestselling fiction authors.

Use these tips as an inspirational guide—or better yet, print a copy to put on your desk, home office, refrigerator door, or somewhere else noticeable so you can be constantly reminded not to let your story ideas wither away by putting off your writing.

Tip1: "My first rule was given to me by TH White, author of The Sword in the Stone and other Arthurian fantasies and was: Read. Read everything you can lay hands on. I always advise people who want to write a fantasy or science fiction or romance to stop reading everything in those genres and start reading everything else from Bunyan to Byatt." — Michael Moorcock

Tip 2: "Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you." — Zadie Smith

Tip 3: "Introduce your main characters and themes in the first third of your novel. If you are writing a plot-driven genre novel make sure all your major themes/plot elements are introduced in the first third, which you can call the introduction. Develop your themes and characters in your second third, the development. Resolve your themes, mysteries and so on in the final third, the resolution." — Michael Moorcock

Tip 4: "In the planning stage of a book, don't plan the ending. It has to be earned by all that will go before it." — Rose Tremain

Tip 5: "Always carry a note-book. And I mean always. The short-term memory only retains information for three minutes; unless it is committed to paper you can lose an idea for ever." — Will Self

Tip 6: "It's doubtful that anyone with an internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction." — Jonathan Franzen

"Work on a computer that is disconnected from the internet." — Zadie Smith

Tip 7: "Interesting verbs are seldom very interesting." — Jonathan Franzen

Tip 8: "Read it aloud to yourself because that's the only way to be sure the rhythms of the sentences are OK (prose rhythms are too complex and subtle to be thought out—they can be got right only by ear)." — Diana Athill

Tip 9: "Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." – Anton Chekhov

Tip 10: "Listen to the criticisms and preferences of your trusted 'first readers.'" — Rose Tremain

Tip 11: "Fiction that isn't an author's personal adventure into the frightening or the unknown isn't worth writing for anything but money." — Jonathan Franzen

Tip 12: "Don't panic. Midway through writing a novel, I have regularly experienced moments of bowel-curdling terror, as I contemplate the drivel on the screen before me and see beyond it, in quick succession, the derisive reviews, the friends' embarrassment, the failing career, the dwindling income, the repossessed house, the divorce . . . Working doggedly on through crises like these, however, has always got me there in the end. Leaving the desk for a while can help. Talking the problem through can help me recall what I was trying to achieve before I got stuck. Going for a long walk almost always gets me thinking about my manuscript in a slightly new way. And if all else fails, there's prayer. St Francis de Sales, the patron saint of writers, has often helped me out in a crisis. If you want to spread your net more widely, you could try appealing to Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, too." — Sarah Waters

Tip 13: "The writing life is essentially one of solitary confinement – if you can't deal with this you needn't apply." — Will Self

Tip 14: "Be your own editor/critic. Sympathetic but merciless!" — Joyce Carol Oates

Tip 15: "The reader is a friend, not an adversary, not a spectator." — Jonathan Franzen

Tip 16: "Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. If you have the knack of playing with exclaimers the way Tom Wolfe does, you can throw them in by the handful." — Elmore Leonard

Tip 17: "Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong." — Neil Gaiman

Tip 18: "You know that sickening feeling of inadequacy and over-exposure you feel when you look upon your own empurpled prose? Relax into the awareness that this ghastly sensation will never, ever leave you, no matter how successful and publicly lauded you become. It is intrinsic to the real business of writing and should be cherished." — Will Self

Tip 19: "The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you're allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it's definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I'm not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter." — Neil Gaiman

Tip 20: "The nearest I have to a rule is a Post-it on the wall in front of my desk saying ‘Faire et se taire’ (Flaubert), which I translate for myself as ‘Shut up and get on with it.’" — Helen Simpson

Even famous authors sometimes have a tough time with writing; they also go through periods of self-doubt. Despite this, they always manage to come up with the goods. So take a lesson from them and stop putting off your writing plans and get started on your publishing journey today.

Credit: iUniverse

Learn to Use Social Media to Sell your Books

 

As an author, do you struggle with using social media to sell books and connect with readers?

Not sure how much time you should be spending on social media and what you should be doing during that time?

Can you really find more readers using social media?

How do you promote my book properly on social media?

If you are wondering about any of these questions, then you are not alone. Many authors struggle with the same sorts of questions.

So, let’s a look at a few of those questions and get tips on how to command the social media ‘beast’ and tame it.

How Long Does It Take for An Author to Build a Presence Online?

This is a popular question for any business, especially authors. They have spent months and months (sometimes even years) writing their books, and they want to find an audience for their books right away, it often doesn’t happen like that!

“It doesn’t take any time at all to BUY an audience. There are easy ways to… there are a lot of marketing strategies that allow you to amass huge followings. I want to be very careful to encourage authors, especially, to BUILD their audience. Slow and steady definitely wins the race!”

Many authors think that they need to find an audience for their book after they already wrote the book. This is the wrong way to look at it!

“As you’re writing your book, I want to encourage people to build that audience in tandem with that. Don’t expect to just write your book and say ‘Okay, I’m going to start shooting it out to an audience!’ I want to really encourage people to build your audience while you’re writing your book.”

Now, if your book is already done, you’re not able to start building that audience while writing so definitely start building an audience now, but if you’re planning on writing another book, start building that audience now!

The best part about building an audience while you are writing, is that you can share bits and pieces about your book as you write it. You can share the covers, you can share samples, you can give teasers. This allows your audience to become invested in your book. If they have spent months becoming invested in the book as you’re writing it, they are much more likely to buy the book when it’s released!

What do I talk about on social media? Do I just talk about my book?

Many authors struggle with what to write about on social media so they end up defaulting to some variation of “Buy my book!”. As many authors notice, that doesn’t get you more sales. People aren’t invested in you, they don’t have a connection with you, so they aren’t going to buy your book!

“You want to be approachable to your readers… I break the mould. Whatever is on my mind, whenever it is on my mind, I post it… I allow my readers to know me, all of me. I am not just going to feed them this part of me.”

Being an author is like running a business. You’re marketing a product: your book.

“Writing a book, that process, it IS a business. How do we manage good social media? How do we manage a business? How do we brand? All of these concepts are going to play into the marketing of your book.”

Which social media platform is best? Should I be on Facebook? Should I be on Twitter? Is Google+ the best for me?

“Is your reader on Facebook? If he is, great, then build out a social media strategy for Facebook! If you find tips for Pinterest, but your reader isn’t on Pinterest, then you shouldn’t invest in trying to get your reader onto Pinterest!”

First you have to define who your audience is, and once you have done that you can take the next step.

“You scroll through bios, and you literally do research. It’s no different than going to the library to do research.”

You have to determine where to find your readers and devote as much attention to that platform as you would engaging individual readers one-on-one.

We’re glad you dropped by. If you have questions or want to be a part of our upcoming training for writers, leave a comment or send a mail to mail@soipublishing.net

 

8 Brainstorming Strategies for Generating New Writing Ideas

 

Writers sometimes experience a shortage of writing ideas, chaotic floods of ideas or no ideas at all, which stalls writing projects. If you are experiencing this writers' peeve, try these proven brainstorming strategies to generate or organize new topic ideas, approaches and revive your stalled projects.

 

1. Freewriting

Freewriting involves letting your thoughts flow freely on paper or your computer screen. Set aside a time frame like 15 minutes for writing or determine to write and fill a certain number of pages and get down to it. Write whatever comes to your mind. Don’t worry about typos, spelling or any other surface-level issues of grammar and style. Just write until your time is up or your page goal is attained.

When you are done, read through what you have written. You will no doubt find a lot of filler in your text, but there will also be golden nuggets of insights, discoveries and other little gems in there that you can pick out and develop for your projects. Even if you don’t discover any new idea nuggets, you will stir up your creative mind and unearth tit bits of raw concepts buried deep in your mind you can develop.

 

2. Looping

Looping takes freewriting a step further with the aim of zeroing in on raw ideas and insights buried deep in your subconscious mind. Move in loops between one free writing exercise of between five and 10 minutes and another until you have a sequence of several freewriting pieces. Make sure you adhere to the rules of freewriting in this exercise so that each result is more specific than the other.

Read through what you have produced in all the freewriting looping cycles and analyse all interesting sentences, ideas or phrases. You will likely discover a recurrent topic idea or theme you are unconsciously thinking about has taken precedence. You can develop this topic idea or theme and use it in your next writing project.

 

3. Listing

If you want to write about a specific topic or communicate a certain idea, jot down a list of single words and phrases that relate to the general topic you are thinking about off the top of your mind. For example, if you are thinking about producing a work of fiction, make separate lists of elements, characters or scenes you want to convey. If you are writing nonfiction, list facts, arguments, question or any other related ideas you want to cover.

Don’t outline or edit at this point. Let the activity be uninhibited. When you are finished listing, group the items on your lists in a logical manner and provide a label for each group. Write a sentence about each group and you will have several topic or theme sentences you can develop. Build on the topic sentences and define associations of the groups to get broader topics or themes with possible points to write on.

 

4. Clustering

Clustering, also known as idea mapping, is a strategy used to explore relationships and associations between ideas. If you have run out of ideas on a subject or topic, write down the subject in the center of a page. Highlight the subject either by underlining or circling it. Think of an idea that relates to the subject and jot it down on your page. Link the idea to the central subject.

Think of another idea that relates to the new idea you just created. Link this new idea with the previous idea. Repeat the process until you have a web of ideas on the page that are all derived from the main subject. Now you can visually see ideas that relate to your main subject. Identify clusters of ideas that interest you and use the key terms you attached to them as the departure points for your writing project.

 

5. Nut-shelling

Nut-shelling entails discovering and laying out in a few sentences the gist of topic ideas in your head. It helps you distinguish major and minor ideas in your thoughts and identify how the ideas relate to each other. This way you are able to test how different ideas can affect what you want to write about.

Pretend you are being interviewed by someone and they want to know what you want to write about. Start your explanation with a phrase like “I want to write about...” or “I want to show….” Put down your answer concisely in writing. Make your answer no more than two or three sentences maximum to capture the essence of your topic and you will have just developed your topic statement or premise for what you are thinking about writing.

 

6. Cubing

Cubing is a critical thinking process that involves examining a writing project from six distinct angles to generate ideas for your stalled projects. Describe your project: What is it? What is it like or unlike? What makes up its constituents? How can it be used? Finally, what are its pros or cons or how can you oppose or support it? At the end of the exercise you should have an angle or outline on how to approach your writing topic or project.

 

7. Journalistic 5W’s and 1H

When researching a story and the angle to take when covering the story, journalists ask the 5W’s and 1H questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? Use the same technique to generate topic ideas, possible angles to take on the topic and the most pertinent information to include when addressing the topic.

Write each of the question words on a sheet of paper and leave spaces to provide answers for the questions. Answer all the questions relating to your topic in brief and then review the answers. Do you have more to say about one or more of the questions, such as more on the "where" and "why" than the "what" or are your answers evenly balanced?

You will discover that you know more or little about particular question words relating to your topic. Leverage that awareness to generate new writing ideas. Research your topic further to improve on areas you are least knowledgeable in, build on areas you are most knowledgeable in or the best way to organize what you already know to balance your topic more.

 

8. Researching

Visit the library or go to a writing center near you and browse dictionaries, thesauruses, guide books and any other reference texts that you find. You will be surprised at how much background information, little-known facts and golden topic ideas relevant to your writing projects reference books can give.

Write down past or current events relating to your writing subject, historical or contemporary issues surrounding your topic and any other relevant information you gather in your library research for use in your projects. Also, browse online versions of the dictionaries and reference books to add to the ideas you have already collected.

If one of these strategies doesn’t work, move on and try another until something clicks. Oftentimes, it is a combination of these brainstorming strategies that yields the best results.

 

David K. William is a web writer, publisher and designer. He writes and publishes articles, reports and fiction for web and print media. David is also founding editor of WebWriterSpotlight.com.

10 Great Writing Tips from Authors

 

Writing success boils down to hard work, imagination and passion—and then some more hard work. Use these tips as an inspirational guide—or better yet, print a copy to put on your desk, home office, refrigerator door, or somewhere else noticeable so you can be constantly reminded not to let your story ideas wither away by putting off your writing.

 Tip 1: "Introduce your main characters and themes in the first third of your novel. If you are writing a plot-driven genre novel make sure all your major themes/plot elements are introduced in the first third, which you can call the introduction. Develop your themes and characters in your second third, the development. Resolve your themes, mysteries and so on in the final third, the resolution." — Michael Moorcock

 Tip 2: "In the planning stage of a book, don't plan the ending. It has to be earned by all that will go before it." — Rose Tremain

 Tip 3: "Always carry a note-book. And I mean always. The short-term memory only retains information for three minutes; unless it is committed to paper you can lose an idea for ever." — Will Self

Tip 4: "Interesting verbs are seldom very interesting." — Jonathan Franzen

Tip 5: "Read it aloud to yourself because that's the only way to be sure the rhythms of the sentences are OK (prose rhythms are too complex and subtle to be thought out—they can be got right only by ear)." — Diana Athill

 Tip 6: "Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." – Anton Chekhov

 Tip 7: "Don't panic. Midway through writing a novel, I have regularly experienced moments of bowel-curdling terror, as I contemplate the drivel on the screen before me and see beyond it, in quick succession, the derisive reviews, the friends' embarrassment, the failing career, the dwindling income, the repossessed house, the divorce . . . Working doggedly on through crises like these, however, has always got me there in the end. Leaving the desk for a while can help. Talking the problem through can help me recall what I was trying to achieve before I got stuck. Going for a long walk almost always gets me thinking about my manuscript in a slightly new way. And if all else fails, there's prayer. St Francis de Sales, the patron saint of writers, has often helped me out in a crisis. If you want to spread your net more widely, you could try appealing to Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, too." — Sarah Waters

 Tip 8: "Be your own editor/critic. Sympathetic but merciless!" — Joyce Carol Oates

 Tip 9: "Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. If you have the knack of playing with exclaimers the way Tom Wolfe does, you can throw them in by the handful." — Elmore Leonard

 Tip 10: "Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong." — Neil Gaiman

Even famous authors sometimes have a tough time with writing; they also go through periods of self-doubt. Despite this, they always manage to come up with the goods. So, take a lesson from them and stop putting off your writing plans and get started on your publishing journey today.

 

There has never been a better time than now to realize your dream of becoming a published author. Let your voice be heard and let your story be told. Never let your passion for writing wane. Let Sons of Issachar Publishing help make your dreams come true.

 

When Literary Agents Screw Up: 7 Ways That Things Can Go Wrong

 

We like agents. Like and respect them.

Their job is exceptionally demanding: nearly all reading work is done outside of office hours and since agents read a lot, that means they’re working late pretty much every night.

And they take risks. When an agent takes on a new writer, they’re committing upfront to a lot of work which will only be repaid if the agent is correct that the writer’s manuscript is or becomes saleable, with the agent’s help.

Given how fierce the competition is, it’s impressive that agents have the confidence and commitment to keep fishing from the slushpile – yet fish they do.

What’s more, an agent’s skills are very varied. Literary excellence lies at the heart of things, of course, but they need to be as pushy as car salesmen when it comes to auctioning a manuscript, as tough as lawyers when it comes to negotiating a contract, as silky smooth as a diplomat when it comes to smoothing ructions between authors and publishers and, of course, a good agent always has a firm strategic overview of their client’s career development.

So – we repeat – we like and respect agents in general, but there are always exceptions. Agents who are no good, or decent agents who mess up now and again. We’re not going to name names in this post but there are patterns that do recur and which really, really shouldn’t.

#1 The three-year-old good-bye

Sometimes, things don’t work out. That’s fine. An agent takes on an author. Tries to sell the manuscript. Can’t. Hates the second MS that the author produces. Decides that enough is enough. That story – or variants on it – are common enough. And that’s okay. Picking manuscripts from the slushpile IS a chancy business and agents can’t get it right all the time.

But it matters how an agent breaks the news. A professional client phones the author and says, ‘Look, I loved your first MS and made an honest effort to sell it. I didn’t succeed. In all honesty, I don’t like this second MS and I’m not sure that I’m still the right agent for you. I wish you the very best of luck in your future career, but I think we need to part company.’

Obviously no author loves that. On the contrary, any normal author will obviously feel upset and alarmed. But at least the conversation is direct, truthful and non-accusatory. It is, in fact, a professional way to break bad news. What we hate – and what is far, far too common – is that agents break the bad news in incredibly bad and stupid ways. The classic version of this is that the author emails the agent.

No answer.

Politely reminds the agent that he/she had a question, and asks for a response.

No answer.

Repeats the reminder, pointing out (still politely) that the question is (a) important and (b) still unanswered.

At which point the agent tantrums back, ‘Well, if you keep hounding me like that, I think it’s pretty clear you no longer trust me as an agent, and without trust, what are we? GOODBYE!’ [And slams phone down, forever.]

That’s not okay. It’s just not how any professional behaves ever. Yet we do hear stories along those lines at least once a month, and involving numerous agents, some of whom work at very well known and prestigious agencies. For sure, sometimes the author in question has been too pushy, or even crass, in demanding excessive amounts of the agent’s time. But not always. Sometimes the agent has simply failed to deliver bad news in a professional way. That’s not fine.

How often does this happen? Often. It’s the complaint we hear most frequently.
How bad is it? 3/5 bad, where 5 is worst

#2 Agents don’t communicate key info

Agents are agents. You – the writer – are the principal. That means that while your agent may execute business on your behalf, they are only ever a proxy for you.

And obviously, you’re nicely brought up and you won’t ask stupid, excessive or intrusive questions. But you do, for example, have a perfect right to know things like this:

– how many publishers have seen my work?
– which editors at those publishers did you send it to?
– why – briefly – did you choose those editors/publishers?
– what (roughly, and maintaining any necessary confidences) did those editors say in response?

It’s YOUR work and you have every right to know those answers. Indeed, you shouldn’t really need to ask those questions: it should be completely routine for agents to discuss those things with you. You may, of course, choose to say, ‘Look, you know this area vastly better than I do. I trust your judgement, just go out there and do what you can.’ But if you ask the questions mentioned – or others of equal significance – then you should damn well get answers. Yet some agents are feeble about giving answers. Again, not okay.

How common? Fairly common – much more so than it should be.
How bad? 4/5

#3: Agents don’t guide you through the publication process

You’re an industry newbie. Your agent isn’t. So a non-negotiable part of their job is to hold your hand in your journey to publication. That doesn’t mean you get to talk over every tiny detail with them: agents have limited time and you need to be sober about how much time and attention you (and your particular project) can demand.

That said, we recently heard about an author who had never been to a meeting with their publisher, and hadn’t even seen their book cover prior to publication. That’s appalling behaviour by the publisher, of course, but an agent should not have allowed that to happen. It’s not okay. Ever. Under any circumstances.

How common? Very rare, fortunately.
How bad? 5/5

#4: Not properly considering an author’s priorities at auction

What does an author want from a book deal? Well, publication certainly. Money, yes. But what else? Might you want a prestigious publisher? Or an editor with whom you have excellent personal chemistry. Or one who has a more holistic and flexible view of your likely career path than another.

In short, you may have numerous motivations, only one of which is cash. And your agent has to respect that. He or she needs to get the best available offers, then lay them in front of you and ask: which is it to be? Obviously you’ll rely on your agent’s intelligence and advice in making that choice. You’ll want to meet, or at least speak to, your putative editor. Then you’ll make your decision taking everything into account, not just the money.

Most agents we know will totally respect this. Indeed, if you probed them about it, they’d suggest – rightly, in our view – that if Publisher A offers 10% less cash than Publisher B, but is a better fit in all other respects, that ‘lower’ offer would prove more lucrative in the long run, as your career prospects will be better. So most agents will respect your non-financial motivations and will work hard to find the right fit as well as the right cash.

But not all agents. Again, we heard about one agent recently who boasted to a senior publisher that she never allowed her clients to take anything but the highest advance. She made that seem like a feat of machismo, of negotiating prowess. But that’s bullshit. It’s terrible agenting and it betrays the client. It shouldn’t happen.

How often? Hard to know. We think rare, but we could be wrong.
How bad? 2/5

#5 Talking crap in public

Most agents we know are open, approachable and warmly encouraging of new talent. That extends even to those senior agents who, realistically, aren’t going to get most of their new clients from the slushpile. But even those guys know that some of the biggest stars on their roster started out as total unknowns, and they respect the huge community of unknown writers toiling away out there.

But.

There are also agents who – in public, and to audiences containing wannabe authors – speak incredibly disdainfully of unpublished authors. When agents do that, it’s incredibly corrosive. The stories instantly spread on the internet and a false, but highly destructive, meme gets spread that agents hate writers. That the industry is snobby and exclusive. That agents are always secretly laughing behind the backs of the as-yet-unpublished.

Our Festival of Writing is a place for agents to meet writers, offer feedback on work, mix and mingle, answer questions. That helpfulness, that warmth is the real truth about agenting, but one snobby and stupid comment can destroy those good impressions in a moment. We don’t like those attitudes and we wish they would vanish.

How often? Rare, it just gets highly reported.
How bad? 1/5 [it’s normally only a moment of stupidity]

#6 Consorting with muggers

Some agents have ties with vanity publishers – the old-fashioned sort who demand stupid money upfront for a product that they know damn well will never sell in any meaningful quantity.

We have no problem with self-publishing per se, but for almost all purposes these days the natural entry route is e-publishing. That’s cheap (or even free) and reaches a massive audience. The idea that agents, of all people, should be inviting writers to hook up with vanity publishers is simply disgraceful, yet we know at least one agent who has a habit of doing just that.

How common? Not too common, thankfully.
How bad? 5/5 This behaviour is utterly unethical in our view.

#7 Charging reading fees

No literary agency should ever charge you to read your book, to send it out to publishers, or levy any other compulsory upfront fee. This matters because agents are kept honest by having to work on commission. If they think your book isn’t going to make it with publishers, they won’t make money from it, so they will politely reject your work. If they could make a few bucks just by stringing you along, then unscrupulous ‘agents’ would no doubt do just that.

Luckily, the practice of charging reading fees is exceptionally uncommon these days. We can think of one US-based scammer and two UK-based ‘agencies’ operating like this in the last ten years. And fortunately, the agent-as-scam business model doesn’t work: the scammers always go broke.

How often? Very rare.
How bad? 4/5

Oh, and we know we promised you seven ways that agents can fail, but here’s one last one: a bonus to you for reading so far.

#8 Agents demand exclusivity and then never do anything

Sometimes agents demand your manuscript in a burst of excitement, ask exclusivity as they read it, and then, nothing. Nothing at all. An echoing void.

There’s probably not much more to that behaviour than poor time management, but it can really mess up your life. The good news here is that you don’t have to let it. First, you should never offer exclusivity for more than a week. Secondly, we’d gently suggest that you don’t offer exclusivity at all. If an agent wants your work, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t compete for it. (It’s different if an agent is working on a set of suggested editorial notes: then it IS reasonable for them to ask for something in exchange, like exclusivity.)

And if you feel you’re being ignored, then don’t do nothing. After a couple of weeks has gone by, just drop a simple note that says you want to go on seeking representation and, while you’d warmly welcome that agent’s involvement, you will be going out to other parties as from Monday, or whenever. Don’t pick a fight. Just make it clear that this pause is not forever. Any half-decent agent will totally respect your right to do that, so don’t be afraid to do so.

How common? Yep, pretty common, we’re sorry to say.
How bad? 1/5 – you can always just walk away

Culled from Jericho Writers