How to get published
Step 1: Write
This seems obvious, but many people try to publish on the basis of a chapter and a proposal. That's possible if you're (1) an established author or (2) a recognized authority on your subject. Most people, though, will have to do the writing.
I hear people saying…. I have a idea better than this or better than that or that can change the course of Indian writing but I don’t know how to put it on paper…. My advice: START WITH ONE SENTENCE AT A TIME BUT START.
At this stage you mainly want to get the book down. Make your way to the end and then see what you've got. Don't obsess about polish. Don't worry about whether it's good enough (it isn't — yet).
Don't obsess about formatting or length. Unless you are writing very strict genre fiction it's all about making it work, not hitting some magic number of words.
Most people slag off in the middle of the project. There's an excitement about beginning, and this will sustain you for a while. It's at the middle where you start to fear that you've painted yourself into a corner, that your work isn't good enough, and that you will never finish. You've got to suck it up and work through this middle patch. When you hit the home stretch things will pick up again.
The most common cause of failure in writing is dropping out.
Step 2: Edit and re-write
Ernest Hemingway supposedly said "“The first draft of anything is shit."*
And let's be clear about what a draft is. Sure, you've scratched and scribbled and emended your way through the whole manuscript. But that isn't rewriting — that's working up your initial draft.
Now that you have a manuscript you need to put it aside for a while and then appraise it critically. Change the point of view, move the first three chapters to the middle — that sort of thing.
Step 3: Write a synopsis
Look for a synopsis at the books of your genre in every book stores…. People mistakes synopsis for something which is in fact nothing (I mean it is a nameless thing). Synopsis should not be more than 10 lines or at the max 15 sentences.
For fiction books look at the synopsis of my book at the same link under Debut Novel:::Beyond Love
Step 4: Write a proposal
Check this link for more help
Step 5: The final wait
Some people advise waiting six months before following up on a submission, and then dragging the business out at least a couple of more months with various follow-ups. That's fine if you don't mind being published posthumously. If you do three publishers in two years it might take you a decade to find the right house.
In my opinion two or three months should be plenty of time. Most manuscripts only get their first few pages read anyway. How long can that take?
So politely request a progress report. The response you get can tell you a lot about whether there is enthusiasm for your manuscript.
Don't mistake slow response for interest.
If you're serious about writing the main thing is not to give up. Remember most people drop out after a while. So just by keeping at it you're getting ahead.
Also when your book is published, mail me a copy!
This seems obvious, but many people try to publish on the basis of a chapter and a proposal. That's possible if you're (1) an established author or (2) a recognized authority on your subject. Most people, though, will have to do the writing.
I hear people saying…. I have a idea better than this or better than that or that can change the course of Indian writing but I don’t know how to put it on paper…. My advice: START WITH ONE SENTENCE AT A TIME BUT START.
At this stage you mainly want to get the book down. Make your way to the end and then see what you've got. Don't obsess about polish. Don't worry about whether it's good enough (it isn't — yet).
Don't obsess about formatting or length. Unless you are writing very strict genre fiction it's all about making it work, not hitting some magic number of words.
Most people slag off in the middle of the project. There's an excitement about beginning, and this will sustain you for a while. It's at the middle where you start to fear that you've painted yourself into a corner, that your work isn't good enough, and that you will never finish. You've got to suck it up and work through this middle patch. When you hit the home stretch things will pick up again.
The most common cause of failure in writing is dropping out.
Step 2: Edit and re-write
Ernest Hemingway supposedly said "“The first draft of anything is shit."*
And let's be clear about what a draft is. Sure, you've scratched and scribbled and emended your way through the whole manuscript. But that isn't rewriting — that's working up your initial draft.
Now that you have a manuscript you need to put it aside for a while and then appraise it critically. Change the point of view, move the first three chapters to the middle — that sort of thing.
Step 3: Write a synopsis
Look for a synopsis at the books of your genre in every book stores…. People mistakes synopsis for something which is in fact nothing (I mean it is a nameless thing). Synopsis should not be more than 10 lines or at the max 15 sentences.
For fiction books look at the synopsis of my book at the same link under Debut Novel:::Beyond Love
Step 4: Write a proposal
Check this link for more help
Step 5: The final wait
Some people advise waiting six months before following up on a submission, and then dragging the business out at least a couple of more months with various follow-ups. That's fine if you don't mind being published posthumously. If you do three publishers in two years it might take you a decade to find the right house.
In my opinion two or three months should be plenty of time. Most manuscripts only get their first few pages read anyway. How long can that take?
So politely request a progress report. The response you get can tell you a lot about whether there is enthusiasm for your manuscript.
Don't mistake slow response for interest.
If you're serious about writing the main thing is not to give up. Remember most people drop out after a while. So just by keeping at it you're getting ahead.
Also when your book is published, mail me a copy!
