In Step 1, we celebrated and put some distance between ourselves and the book.
In Step 2, we reassessed the book, and decided on its future.
Now comes Step 3: Publishing.
(I broke step 3 into 3 sub-categories to touch on publishing with a large publishing house, publishing with a small press, and self-publishing. I address the first two options in this post.)
Step 3a: Publishing with a Large Publishing House
Getting your novel published by a major publishing house is a long arduous process. It is also the option that gives you the least control and nets you the smallest profit per book sold.
So why would you do it?
First, reach. If your book is published by a major publishing house, it will be on the shelves of bookstores around the country. It is more likely to be at libraries. And you will have at least some level of marketing support. When you are working with a publishing house, you will likely sell a lot more copies of your book than you could by yourself and with a small press.
Second, the advance. Large publishers pay advances, so you get a portion of your profits upfront, rather than having to wait for the royalty check to roll in.
If this is the route you choose to take, here is the process you will go through:
Write a query letter
There are lots of resources online for how to write a good query letter for your book, so rather than rehash what those resources say, I am just going to share this video from the BookEnds Literary Agency on the subject:
(I have found many of BookEnds’ YouTube videos to be very helpful. You can check out their channel here.)
Write a synopsis
Many literary agents will ask for a synopsis of your book along with your manuscript, so make sure you have that written and ready to go before you start sending out queries.
Quick note: There is a difference between the blurb in your query letter and the synopsis! The blurb should read like the cover copy on the back of the book, and should serve as a hook to draw someone into your story. It should be about three paragraphs long. The synopsis, on the other hand, should simply be a summary of all of the major plot points in your novel, including the ending. Don’t leave the twists out of the synopsis! And make sure it is no longer than three pages, single-spaced.
Query literary agents
The first part of this step is research. Literary agents are not all the same. You want to find literary agents with good reputations, who represent books in your genre, and who are currently accepting queries.
Once you find some good possibilities, start sending out your query letters a few at a time. Make sure you follow those agents’ particular query protocol. Do they just want the query letter? Do they want the first ten pages of your manuscript? The first chapter? The first three chapters? Make sure that what you send matches that particular agent’s requirements. You don’t want to give them an easy reason to reject you.
(Only send out a few query letters at a time, at least at first. That way, if agents give you feedback indicating that there is a problem with your query, you can fix it while you still have agents on your list.)
Be Patient
As you wait for agents to get back to you, keep researching other agents to find others you can query. If you get a rejection from an agent, then send out another query to replace that one.
Chances are you will get at least some rejections. That’s okay. Many of the best, most popular books had rejections at both the query stage and at the submission stage.
This process might take some time, so it might not be a bad idea to start writing your next book while you wait. DO NOT write the sequel to the book you are querying! You want your new book to be one you can query, regardless of whether you are able to get the book you are currently querying published.
Hopefully, at some point, an agent will request a full or partial mauscript, and often a synopsis of the novel as well. (Aren’t you glad you already wrote that synopsis?)
Once they request the manuscript, you could receive one of four responses:
- Rejection (This is just like it sounds. Time to query new agents!)
- Silence (Unfortunately, sometimes agents don’t send rejections, instead, they just never respond. That being said, DON’T assume that they have rejected you until the timeframe they give on their website for responses is up.)
- Revise and Resubmit (They like what they see, but there are some problems. They want to see how you fix those problems before they decide whether to offer you representation.)
- Offer Representation (This is it! This is what you’ve been waiting for! We can move onto the next stage!)
Representation
So an agent has offered you representation. That is wonderful! Still, you shouldn’t just sign with the first agent that offers representation. There are a few things to consider:
- Does the agent ask for payment upfront? Agents get a cut of your earnings. You should not have to pay them before you get paid. If they want you to pay, do not walk, RUN away from that deal.
- What percentage of your earnings does the contract say is the agent’s cut? The standard agent’s cut is 15%. A different percentage in the contract could be a red flag, possibly indicating inexperience, or just trying to fleece inexperienced authors. Just be aware of that, and be willing to ask why there percentage is different.
- Is the contract for this single book or for you as an author? This question is about preference on your part. It means that, when your next book is ready to be published, is it assumed that this agent will represent you? It is opt-in vs opt-out. Either way, though, authors and agents go their separate ways all the time for all sorts of reasons, so even if the contract is for more than just one book, you should be able to get out of it for future books if you want to.
- Finally, is the agent editorial? Again, this one is about preference. Some agents are editorial, meaning that they will work with you to improve your book before they start submitting it to publishing houses. Others are not, and are just there for submissions and finding the best deal they can get you. So figure out what you want, and ask which the agent is.
If all of these things are to your satisfaction, send a message to all other agents who have your query and/or your manuscript, but who haven’t accepted or rejected you yet. Give them a couple of days to get back to you with a better offer than you currently have. Then sign the contract for representation! (Or, if you have multiple offers, sign the one you like best!)
Submissions
If your agent is editorial, they will work with you to make your novel better before beginning submissions. Otherwise, they will just jump right in.
During submissions, the agent is basically querying your book to editors at the various publishing houses and imprints. You should let your agent know if there are particular publishing houses that you are interested in, but they are really the ones who are running point for now. It is time to get back to writing that new book while you wait.
I figure now is a good time to address why you got the literary agent in the first place. After all, why should they get 15% of your advance and your royalties? Here is the thing: most the of major publishing houses do not accept un-agented submissions. And beyond that, the agents have working relationships with the editors at those publishing houses. They know what those editors are looking for. You may know that you would like to be published by TOR, but do you know which of the editors is most likely to like your novel? Probably not. So agents are going to be better able to get your novel in front of editors who will like it than you will. Then, they will work to get you the best deal possible, once you receive an offer from a publishing company. After all, the more money you get, the more money they get. And they know the industry, so they have a better sense than you do what is a good deal and what is a bad deal.
Eventually, if everything goes well, you get an offer. Now, you are in the home stretch.
Publication
And by home stretch, I mean we still have a long ways to go. Now, you are working with the actual publishing house. Now, there is a decently high likelihood that your book will be published (though deals can still fall through). But it will still take usually anywhere from 12-18 months of working with editors, formating, marketing, etc. before actual publication. But once all of that is done, your book finally goes on sale! You can finally walk into bookstores and see your novel on the shelf! You’ve done it!
A final note on publishing with a major publishing house:
As I said at the beginning, this is a long and arduous process. It also has no guarantees. You could strike out in your attempt to find an agent for your book. Your agent could strike out in their attempt to secure an offer for your book. And even after that, something could happen that causes your deal with the publishing house to fall through, and you have to start one or all of the steps over.
So why go through all of this?
Simple: It is the best chance you have at reaching a large audience for your book. Large publishing houses can put your book in more places (both online and in bookstores) and so put it in front of more eyes.
If your book has the potential for wide appeal, if you are willing to give up some control over your book in order to have a large support system for it, and if you are willing to put in the time and effort to publish it this way, then this is the publishing choice for you!
Otherwise, consider the other options.
Step 3b: Publishing with a Small or Independent Press
This option is the in-between option, and has a lot of similarities to the major publishing house option above.
The major differences are:
- You will be querying directly to the publishers rather than to literary agents (and so will skip the submissions process).
- You will likely have more input about things like cover art.
- You will likely not receive an advance, only royalties (or, if you do, it will be small).
- More of the marketing process will fall to you.
- The offers you receive might be e-book only, and even if they do include print copies, they will probably only be for sale online or at the small press’ tables at conventions. They probably won’t be on the shelf in Barnes & Noble, even if your publisher can get them to sell it in their online store.
This option is particularly a good one if your book will appeal to a very niche audience. Major publishers are less likely to take a chance on books that don’t have wide appeal, but if you can find a small press that specializes in books that fit your niche, then they can help you find an audience for your book.
Another positive is that it does not cost you (much) money upfront. The only money you will spend before you make money will be on marketing, since you won’t get an advance you can use to cover that. And how much you spend on marketing is up to you.
(If a small press tries to get you to pay them to publish your book, then they are a vanity press, a “self-publishing” press, or a scam. Find a different publisher.)
Small presses sit at a nice mid-point between the big publishing houses and self-publishing, balancing control and cost, reach and royalty percentage.
QUICK NOTE: If you are planning on going the traditional publishing route, spending a lot of time building your platform before you finish the book isn’t the best way to spend your time. A big social media following might help you sell more copies once you do have a book deal, but unless you have a following that rivals that of minor celebrities, it won’t influence agents and publishers to buy your book in the first place.
Of course, if you have the time, money, and inclination, then Step 3c: Self-Publishing is a more viable option than it has ever been.
Or, maybe you have put in all the work, you’ve queried dozens of agents, and at some point, either in the querying or submissions stage, things fall apart. That’s when you move on to Step 4: Back to the Drawing Board.
