How to Publish a Book

Preparing Your Book for Publication

Know whether you should prepare a manuscript or a proposal. Fiction writers should prepare a full-length manuscript, while non-fiction writers will have to write a solid book proposal instead. Knowing what you need to have written will save you time and will make you look more professional when you send your work out into the world. Many fiction writers try to publish their books before they have completed a manuscript — to no avail. If you are a seasoned writer working with a literary agent, then just a few chapters or even a proposal can get you a contract, but for most people starting out in the fiction business, the book should be 100% done before moving forward to the publication stage. If you're writing non-fiction, then you need to have a completed book proposal first. If you are writing a fitness book or a cookbook, then you should focus on the proposal. If you're working on more literary non-fiction, then you should work on more sample chapters or even a completed manuscript, in some cases. If you have determined that you only need a proposal for the type of nonfiction you are writing, then skip to step 6 and decide whether you want to hire a literary agent or go directly to the publishing house. If you are writing an academic textbook, then skip to the last section and learn how to publish your book by contacting a publisher directly.

Revise your book. Revising your book can be even trickier than finishing it. Once you've written a solid draft of your book, whether it's a historical novel or a thriller, you'll need to revise it so it's in the best shape possible before you take it to an agent or publishing house. Here are some things to do as you revise your book: Make sure your book is as engaging as possible. Though not every book is a spy novel or a page turner, make sure your readers are hooked from the beginning, and that they always have a reason to keep turning those pages. Get rid of any wordiness or excess. Many agents say that they rarely accept a debut novelist's book if it's over 100,000 words. Make sure you get your point across. Whether you're writing a romance novel or science fiction, you should have reached your objective and communicated your message by the end of the book. Make sure your thoughts are as clear as possible. Your ideas may be crystal clear to you, but would they confuse your average reader? Of course, your book may be targeted toward a certain audience, but members of that audience (such as college students or nurses) should be able to clearly follow your thoughts.

Get feedback on your book. Once you think you're really done, it's important to get some feedback on your book to know if it's ready for publication. You may feel that it's absolutely perfect, but there is almost always room for improvement. It's better to get feedback from a fellow writer or trusted professional than to get rejected by an agent or publisher. If you ask for feedback too early in the drafting process, you may feel stifled, so make sure your book feels really ready before you ask for help. Here are some ways to get feedback on your book: Ask a fellow writer. A friend who knows how to write will have some insight into what works and what does not work in a book. Ask a voracious reader. Someone who reads a lot will be able to tell you if your book was a page turner, or if they were asleep after the first chapter. Ask someone who knows your subject. If you're writing non-fiction about something in a field such as business, science, or cooking, ask someone who is an expert in this field to see if you really know your stuff. Submit your stuff to a writing workshop. Whether you have an informal writer's workshop with friends in your area or you're attending a writing conference, submitting a chapter of your work to a workshop can give you insight into a variety of perspectives at once. If you're in an M.A. or M.F.A. program in creative writing, you will have lots of resources for feedback, whether it's your classmates or faculty. Find a reputable editor and ask for a manuscript evaluation. This can be very expensive, but asking the right person can help you see if your book is ready. Remember to take your feedback with a grain of salt. Not everyone will fall in love with your book, and that's okay. It's important to get constructive feedback from people you trust, but recognize that you won't benefit from every opinion. Getting good feedback means knowing who to ask.

Revise your book further if it's necessary. Revise your book based on the feedback you received. You won't regret it. Take some time to absorb the feedback you received, and then get to work. Though your revision should take you in the right direction, you should ask for more feedback to make sure you made the draft stronger. When you've revised your manuscript again, put it away for a few weeks or even a month. Then take it out and read it with fresh eyes to see if it's in the best possible shape. Last, copy edit your book. Once all of the larger points are taken care of, make sure your manuscript is free of grammatical and punctuation errors. These errors will make your work look unprofessional and will keep your readers from appreciating your hard work.

Prepare your manuscript. Once you feel that your manuscript is completely ready, you'll have to format it so it meets the requirements of the agents or publishers you are seeking. There are a few rules of thumb you can follow, but you should also check the websites of the publishers or the agents' guidelines to ensure that your manuscript meets their standards. Here are a few things you can do: Always double-space your manuscript. Have one-inch margins on the left and right-hand sides of the manuscript. No fancy fonts. Times New Roman is the best font to use. Courier, or the font that looks like a typewriter, used to be more prominent, but TNR will do just fine. Number your pages. Number the pages of your manuscript on the top right-hand side, along with your last name and title before the page number. Ex: "Smith/WHITE SKY/1" Have a cover page. The cover page should include the following: Your name, email address, phone number, and address should appear on the left-hand side of the page. The title of your novel should be capitalized and centered on the page, along with your last name. Example: "WHITE SKY" on one line and "a novel by John Smith" written directly below it. Your word count should be centered on the bottom of the page. You can round to the nearest 5,000 words. You can write, "about 75,000" words.

Decide whether you want to enlist the help of a literary agent or to go straight to the publisher. Though signing with a literary agent is incredibly challenging, contacting a publishing house directly to try to publish your book is even tougher. The benefit of working directly with a publisher is that you don't have to use (or pay) an agent as a go-between. The drawback is that the publishing houses trust the agents to screen the submissions, so if you don't have an agent, they will be less likely to consider you. You can also try literary agents first and go to the publisher if it doesn't work out. However, if your work is rejected by many literary agents, it's even more likely to be rejected by the publishers.

Publishing Your Book with the Help of a Literary Agent

Research the market. Once you're ready to take your book to agents, you need to research the market to find your niche. Find books in your field or genre to see where you fit in, and see how well these books are selling and who are big names in your field. If your book doesn't neatly fit in one genre, research multiple types of books that your book may be like. Once you've researched the market, you should be able to find a way to neatly describe your book. Is it science fiction, literary, or historical? Is it a science fiction and a historical novel? Is it literary, or more of a young adult novel? Knowing what kind of book you have will help you contact the right agent.

Research literary agents. Now that you know what type of agent you're working with, it's time for you to find the perfect agent to represent you. The ideal agent will connect with your material, will be enthusiastic about your work, and will work with you to revise your book and sell it to a publisher. Make sure your agent sells books in your genre, or contacting that agent will be a waste of time. Here is how to find a good agent for you: Read a reputable guide to Literary Agents. This book will tell you more about thousands of literary agents and will also say which genres they specialize in, how many new clients they take on each year, and how many recent sales they have made. Check out Publisher's Marketplace. Though you'll have to pay $25 a month for full access to the site, you will gain insight into which agents made recent sales, what type of books they sold, and who is selling the most books. Check out Query Tracker. This site will help you see which agents respond to queries quickly, and which rarely respond or take months to respond. The statistics on this site are reported by other writers, so the data set isn't complete, but it can give you a good indication of how receptive some agents can be. The site can also tell you which agents specialize in what genres. Check out the websites of different agents. When you find an agent who sounds like a good fit, check out his or her website to get more information about submission policies and what genres and clients they represent. Make sure the agent is accepting unsolicited submissions. Unless you have a connection, you'll have to submit to the agent this way. Watch out for con-artists posting as agents. No reputable agent will ever ask for a reading fee to see your manuscript. The agent will only make money if he can sell your book. Check out Preditors & Editors to make sure the agent has a good rating.

Write a query letter. Once you've found your dream agent — or better yet, a handful of dream agents — it's time to prepare your query letter. Your query letter is your chance to introduce yourself to the agent, to get the agent hooked on your book, and to provide a very brief synopsis of the book. It can take a while to hear back from agents, so contact a few at a time (as long as they allow simultaneous submissions) and sit back and wait. The query letter should follow the following format: Paragraph one: an introduction of your book and your interest in the agent. Here is what should go in the first paragraph: Start off with one or two sentences that gives the agent a "blurb" of what your book is about. It should be specific, original, and gripping. Then, tell the agent what genre your book falls under, whether it's multi-cultural, young adult, or historical. It can fall into a number of categories. You should mention the word count in the first paragraph as well. Tell the agent why you've chosen her. Does she represent a lot of books in your genre, or does she represent a few authors whose work is similar to yours? Do you have a personal connection to the agent? If so, mention it right away. Paragraph two: a synopsis of your book. Here is what should go in the synopsis: Describe what happens in your book and what themes are highlighted. Make the description as accurate and gripping as possible. Show who the main characters are, what the stakes are, and why the book is important. You can do this in one or two paragraphs at most. Paragraph three: some brief information about yourself. Tell the agent if you've won any awards and how the book personally connects to your life. Paragraph four: tell the agent that the full manuscript or sample chapters (if you're writing non-fiction) are available upon request and give your contact information. Thank the agent for taking the time to consider your work. Follow directions carefully. If the agent also asks for an outline or sample chapters, send those along too.

If you get an offer with an agent, sign a contract — if it feels right. If the agent liked your query letter, they will ask you to send along some sample chapters or even the whole manuscript. If the agent falls in love with your work after that, you will receive what you've been dreaming about: an offer of representation! But before you sign with the agent, you have to make sure he really is the dream agent you've been seeking. Talk to the agent over the phone. If you can, meet with the agent in person. If you live near Manhattan, this will be easier, since many literary agents are based in New York City. Get a sense of this person's character and how enthusiastic he is about your book. Trust your gut. If something is telling you the agent sounds too busy, too eager to get off the phone, or not very excited about your work, don't sign with him. It's better to continue your agent search than to put your book in the hands of the wrong person. Ask if you can talk to some of the agent's clients. A good agent will be glad to give you the names of a few of his clients, so you can chat with them and get a better sense of whether or not the agent is a good fit. Double-check your research. Make sure the agent has made sales and has a solid client list before you get on board. Read over your contract carefully. Once you see that the contract is pretty standard, and that the agent gets around a 15% of your domestic sales and 20% of your foreign sales, and you feel good about signing with the agent, then sign your contract, put it in the mail, and celebrate a job well done.

Revise with the agent. Even if your agent is bowled over by your book, you will almost always have to revise the book once, twice, or even three times before it's ready to go to the market. You'll have to do things like trim down the word count, make your narrator more likable, and address any questions your agent may have. Remember that the book is still yours and that you don't have to change it completely to suit the needs of the agent. Only make changes that you're comfortable with.

Take your book to the market. Once your agent is happy with your manuscript, and you have prepared a package for the book, she will take it to the publishers. This is the most nerve-wracking part because your book's fate will be out of your hands. Your agent will pitch your book to a list of trusted editors at various publishers, and if you're lucky, you'll end up with a deal with an editor at a publishing house! Sign the contract that includes you, your agent, and the publishing house. Judy Blume Judy Blume, Writer The revision process is an essential time to elevate your writing. "I'm a rewriter. That's the part I like best ... once I have a pile of paper to work with, it's like having the pieces of a puzzle. I just have to put the pieces together to make a picture."

Work with an editor. Now that your book has been sold, you'll sign with a publishing house and will continue to work to revise the book with an editor there. You'll work until the writing is exactly where it should be, and then other aspects of publishing will be decided, such as when and how the book will be released, and what the cover will look like. But you can't just sit tight and wait for the publication date. There is more work to be done!

Market your book. Once the fact that your book will be published has sunk in, you'll need to work your butt off to market your book, whether it's through your publicist, your website, Facebook, informal readings, and word of mouth. Do what you have to do to get the word out there so your sales are high when the book does come out. Don't ever stop advertising for your book — especially not after it is published. You can bask in your glory for a little while, but remember that promoting your book is just as important as writing it!

Publishing Your Book by Contacting the Publisher Directly

Research publishers. Check out the websites of different publishing houses to see if they accept query letters or if they only accept solicitations from agents. Many publishing houses only accept work that has been brought to them through an agent. Find publishers that not only accept unagented submissions, but which specialize in the type of book you are writing.

Write a query letter to the right publishers. The method for writing a query letter for a publishing house is the same as it is for contacting an agent. You'll have to introduce your book as well as yourself and to provide a brief synopsis of the work. If the publishing house is impressed by your letter, you will be asked to send along part of or all of the manuscript.

If your book is accepted, sign with a reputable publishing house. If the publishing house is impressed by your work, you will be given an offer. Look at your contract carefully and sign it if it meets your demands.

Revise with an editor. Work with an editor to revise your book until it is ready for publication.

Market your book. While you're waiting for the book to be released, market the book to everyone you know — and people you don't know. Once your book is published, you will have to continue to advertise for your book. You can enjoy your publication, but remember that marketing should never stop. Promote your book through blogging, interviewing, and reading from your book. Develop a Facebook fan page and website to advertise your book. Your publisher will help market your book so it's the most successful.

Self Publish Your Book

Look up self-publishing companies.

Create an account with the company that works for you.

Write your book on Microsoft Word or other programs like that. Most self-publishing companies will require you to upload a Microsoft Word file of your book.

Choose the size and type of book you would like (paperback vs. hardcover).

After completing the steps it takes to self-publish your book, make it available for people to purchase it. Make sure to provide a choice of a payment method so you can receive the money you earn from each book sold.

Advertise your book. Begin by telling friends and family. This will increase your chances of having your books purchased by others. Use social media and online advertising to get your book known even further.