Deborah Malone
“Death in
Dahlonega” and "Murder in Marietta"
The Road to
Publishing
1. Finish That Novel:
Finish
the book. Publishers are not really interested in ideas. They want to see that
a would-be author has the skill, the stamina and the discipline to finish the
job. After finishing your book set it aside for a couple of weeks then go back
to it and start editing. Hire an editor if necessary. Two books I’ve found
invaluable for my writing:
“Write in Style”
by Bobbie Christmas and “Goal, Motivation and Conflict” by Debra Dixon.
2. Researching Publishers And Agents: Study books that are the same genre as
your book and see who their agent/publisher is. It is usually listed in the
front of their book. Look for publishers on-line and study their guidelines for
submissions. Find out what they are looking for. There are also books that are
helpful to find publishers such as: “Christian Writer’s Market Guide” by Sally
Stuart and “2012 Writer’s Market” by Robert Lee Brewer. Note: It is necessary
to have an agent for big name publishers. If you do not want to go this route
please do not forget the small presses. Please do your homework and check out
small publishers or self-publishing companies. If you go this route a book you
will want to read is: “Stress-Free Marketing” by Renea Winchester.
3. Write A Synopsis And Query Letter: According to
Kaye Dacus at www.kayedacus.com you should first and foremost familiarize
yourself with the kind of synopsis your targeted publishing house requests.
Most will want a “normal” synopsis (about one doubled-spaced synopsis per
10,000 words of your novel.) - Your
query letter is your introduction to an editor/agent. You do not want to
immediately label yourself as a “newbie” or an amateur when they open the
envelope. Spend time learning the correct way to write a query.
4. Prepare Your Proposal: The proposal is
where you really brand yourself as a writer. It’s where you show the
agent/editor that you’re so much more than just 100,000 words of a story
written down on paper. It’s where you show them you understand the industry,
you understand what they’re looking for, you know who your competitors are, and
you realize that 80% + of the marketing for a published author is done by the
author.
5. Send Out Queries:
Be sure and follow the guidelines of the publishers you’ve researched.
Send only what they’ve ask for – do not add anything unless they’ve requested
it. It is important to not send any photographs or illustrations. Do not use
fancy paper or elaborate fonts. These are the marks of an amateur, and will
only hurt your chances. (www.mythicscribes.com)
6. Be Prepared For Rejections: You will receive them. Most of the
rejection letters will be in form letter style. Do not let this get you down.
Keep sending out the queries. Every author has a story to tell about the
rejections letters they accumulated before being published. Consider a
rejection letter as a sign you are writing. How many people can say they’ve
even received a rejection letter? Keep writing and persevere. The writers who
persevered are the ones who are now published.
7. Continue Writing:
Don’t
stop writing. The more you write the more you improve in the craft of writing.
It will help you find out if you are able to write more than the “one hit
wonder.” It might be that it will be your second or third book that gets
published so don’t sit idle while waiting to hear from those publishers.
Deborah has worked as a freelance writer and
photographer, since 2001, for the historical magazine “Georgia Backroads.” She has had many articles and photographs published
during this time. Her writing is featured in “Tales of the Rails” edited by Olin
Jackson. She has also had a showing of her photographs at Floyd Medical Center
Art Gallery as well as winning several awards. Her debut cozy mystery "Death in
Dahlonega", a winner in the ACFW Category Five Writer's Contest, is now
available. She is a current member of the
Georgia Writers Association, and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.
Deborah has been nominated for Georgia Author of the Year 2012. She has
an established blog, Butterfly Journey,
where she reviews Christian Fiction. You can also
catch her at
Sleuths and Suspects, where she reviews mysteries. She also contributes to the Cozy Mystery Magazine every other Tuesday.
Sleuths and Suspects, where she reviews mysteries. She also contributes to the Cozy Mystery Magazine every other Tuesday.
Thanks for posting, Deborah. Me forgot! Slipped my mind like a banana peel on an icy step:) Your post is awesome!
ReplyDeleteSo, Deborah, are you traditionally published?
ReplyDeleteYes, Nancy Jill. I'm with Lamp Post Publishing out of California. They are a small press.
DeleteDeborah