Sending Out Your Book

So you’ve written the next great American novel. Now what?

The sad fact is that most people who write novels or nonfiction books will never have them published, and it often has nothing to do with the actual quality of writing. You can just send out your manuscript willy-nilly. Well, you can, but the chances of it ever getting read are slim to none. You need a complete submission package, and this package has to be impressive. Some companies won’t even consider a submission unless it is done properly.

Imagine: sxc.hu

So what do you need? Every agent is different (so is every publisher if you go the non-agent), but for the most part, here’s what you need:

• A sample of your work (usually one chapter)
• Market research
• A query letter (cover letter)
• An annotated table of contents
• A synopsis of your book
• Your resume

Make sure you do your research so you know EXACTLY where (and to whom) to send your proposal, and whether or not to include a SASE – err on the side of yes if you don’t know.

You may think that your work should stand alone, but the people who get these queries are extremely busy. I’m not saying that every book that has ever been published had a great submisson package, but I’m sure 99% of them do. Taking the time to put together a great submission package will really make your work shine.