The Path to Publication

Question: How do I get published?

Writing your story is only the first step of many steps on the path to professional publication. So, let’s say you have finished the first draft of your story. Now what?
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So, let’s say you have finished the first draft
​of your story. Now what?​

Start Marketing Now

Start your marketing campaign the moment you type ‘The End’. In fact, you might be better off to start marketing your story even before it is finished. The essential first step is to establish yourself online with an author website if you have not already done so; I find that both Weebly and Wix are excellent options for building a basic site that looks professional. If you buy your own domain it may include an email, depending on what package you purchase. If not, it is important to get a professional email through which you can correspond with agents, publishers, and future readers. 

Start creating a mailing list early on as this will be your most essential marketing tool once the book comes off the printing press. Most authors I know use MailChimp which is slick and secure; it also happens to be free until you get over two hundred and fifty subscribers. While social media presence is looked upon favourably by agents and publishers, I suggest choosing one platform and focussing on it exclusively.
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Start creating a mailing list early on as this will be your most essential marketing tool
​once the book comes off the printing press. 

Edit, Edit, Edit

Agents and publishing houses are not looking for frazzled first drafts; they are expecting manuscripts polished to a shine. Now, my wife happens to be a free-lance editor but not every author is so lucky. If you have the skills to edit the manuscript yourself that may suffice. However, most authors, especially new authors, would be wise to hire an editor for their first novel.
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Agents and publishing houses are not looking for frazzled first drafts; they are expecting manuscripts polished to a shine.
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I suggest searching through lists of editors provided by writers unions (The Federation of BC Writers has an extensive list of suggestions) or through freelance work sites like Upwork. While editors on social media may advertise significantly cheaper rates, considerations of accountability, quality assurance, and tracking payments leave freelance websites and vetted professionals as the prefered options. 

Get Beta-Reviews

​No matter how deeply your story resonates with you, it is not ready to send to agents or publishers until at least a few people have read it with a critical eye. This is difficult to achieve as reading a full length manuscript of 80-100 thousand words is no small task for most individuals. Your spouse or partner is likely invested in your success and so may provide very detailed feedback about things like spelling errors and story inconsistencies. 
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...your story [...] is not ready to send to agents or publishers until
at least a few people have read it read it with a critical eye. 
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​ However, for an honest review of how your story lands as a whole you need to look outside your immediate circle of close friends and family. If you are really desperate to find a beta-reader then search for authors in a similar position. Many newer authors are willing to ‘beta-swap’; this means that they will read your manuscript and give you feedback if you do the same for them. Twitter is a great place to connect with other authors for these purposes and Facebook hosts many regional writing groups that number in the tens of thousands.

Write a Stellar Pitch

​Writing is, of course, about ideas and characters, about transformation and passion, about discovery and adventure; most of all it is about telling a truly great story. However, agents and publishers are not in the passion business. They are selling books.  To customers. For money. It is very important to keep this in mind when you write your pitch.
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However, agents and publishers are not in the passion business. They are selling books.  To customers. For money. ​
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Your job in writing a pitch is to do two things: get the reader excited and convince them that there is a very large body of customers ready to buy your book. Point to the commercial successes of similar books; draw on current political or cultural trends; mention popular movies or video games with related content; do whatever it takes to make the case that people will be willing to spend their hard-earned money just to get their hands on your story. This may sound crass, but if you truly believe in the power of stories like I do then it is not an exaggeration to say that a strong narrative can change the course of someone’s life. 
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Get the reader excited and convince them that there is a very large body of customers ready to buy your book.
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A few ‘Do Nots’:

• Do not begin by stating that you have 'always dreamed of being a writer'.
• Do not give a full summary of your story, just enough to get them excited.
• Do not make claims you can’t back up.
• Do not include a quote from your boyfriend, girlfriend, roommate, mom, best friend, or grandma. 

A few ‘Dos’: 

• Include a specific target audience (e.g. YA Fantasy for boys ages 12-15 or NA Crime for women ages 19-24), the exact word count of your novel, and information about any sequels.
• Do state your previous sales if you have any.
• Do include your contact information and a one to two sentence summary of your marketing strategy and social media presence.
• Do include a quote from an established author if you can manage to get one.

Set up a Query Schedule

​When I started to query for The Gatewatch I had a strict schedule: every Monday morning I would sit down, research an agent or publishing house, and send off a query. Some days I managed to send two. I kept this up for three months before I got a single response which, by the way, was a rejection and not a request for my manuscript. Persistence is key at this stage. A long term investment of time and energy wins over short bursts of query flurries.
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Persistence is key at this stage. A long term investment of time and energy wins over short bursts of query flurries.
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In addition to consistency, target your queries and craft each one to suit the agent or publisher your are contacting. Two or three well-researched queries are better than ten generic emails which I can assure you will be duly ignored. I suggest starting with a bit of research on who represents or publishes your favorite authors or those who write in a similar genre similar. Recognize also that there are many (many, many, many) people trying to achieve the dream of publication. Therefore, each query you send must be unique and memorable if it is to be worth sending at all.
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Each query you send must be unique and memorable if it is to be worth sending at all. 

Start Writing the Sequel

Cover for Steven Pressfield's The War of Art

​My creative idol and artistic mentor is Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art. When I finished my first novel I actually sent him an email describing how his book helped me finish my first full length novel. He very graciously responded with a short congratulatory message followed by this: “Now, onto the next one!” 
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He very graciously responded with a short, congratulatory message followed by this:
​“Now, onto the next one!” 
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Consider this: What if your book does get published? What if it is a success? What then? If all you’ve done for six months or a year is work on all the steps listed above then you may have sunk your own ship. Once readers hear of you they are waiting for the next book in the series, the next stage of the journey, or the next big idea from their new favorite author. You don’t have another year or two to write that story. Fans, while wonderfully supportive, are not known for being a patient crowd.
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You don’t have another year or two to write that story.
​Fans, while wonderfully supportive, are not known for being a patient crowd.
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​You need another manuscript ready for your agent or publisher as soon as your first book starts to attract attention. At this point, you have put so much time and energy into getting the momentum of your writing career started that you must keep it going. And so the cycle continues. 

A Final Word

​If all this seems overwhelming, I unfortunately must admit that it is. However, one small reassurance is that in writing your next book and the one to follow that, you have already established a fanbase, a mailing list, and an online presence. Getting reviews will get easier as you become known in a wider range of literary circles. Most sequels sell far better than the first book in the series (as long as the first book was well received). Last, but not least, know that while there are many barriers to overcome on the path to publication, no one can stop you from writing your story. So muster your courage and write it. 
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No one can stop you from writing your story. So muster your courage and write it. 
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