In this blog I’m returning to the mechanics of writing and getting published.

I’ve self published, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to be published the old fashioned route. I’ve learned about getting published the hard way – by figuring things out as I went along. So I thought that a post for newer authors on the route to getting published might help. So here are my 9 tips on submitting novels for publication.

Tip one – get your work checked before you send it

As an absolute minimum, get someone to read your manuscript for typos and repeated words. Agents don’t mind the odd typo here and there – we’re all human – but if you send in work that’s littered with poor spelling, poor grammar, typos, repeated words, half finished sentences, and so on, it will be binned.

Tip two – use a professional editor

A professional editor is someone who understands how stories work, and can read your work and give specific feedback on its structure, characters, stories, and the central concept or ‘hook’ of the story. They can also identify typos and grammar issues if you ask.

Beware that professional editors tend to be self-employed and that this is their job, so they rightly charge for their services. A typical cost for a sample of your manuscript to be reviewed, and to receive a report, is £500. Check editors’ fees with them in advance, and make sure you identify your budget in advance. If you only have £200 available, tell them up front, and ask what you can receive for that. If you have £1000, you can obviously have more in depth feedback, or more of your work read.

Authors should consider this an investment in their work. But like all investments, it’s a gamble on the author’s side.

Tip three – ignore the publishers

This is a tip for newer authors who might not – yet – have much insight into the publishing industry. There are two ways to get published – the first is to self-publish on Kindle, Lulu, FeedaRead, iBooks, Nook or other platforms.

The more traditional route is to get published by a publishing house, like Random House/Penguin, Orion, Picador, and so on. But many first time authors make an unwitting mistake in sending their complete manuscript to these publishing companies.

If you’re approaching completion of your first novel or short collection, hold back. Here’s the route to take.

Literary agents are the people to focus on. They are like the gate keepers – they look for work and decide which books they want to publish. Publishing houses will approach agents for material, and also let agents know what kinds of books they’re looking for.

To be clear – in general, publishing houses will not accept direct submissions of work (there are a few exceptions, but this is the norm).

A literary agent acts as the first line of formal quality control in the publishing ecosystem. Their quality control includes identifying books they can sell to publishers. This means first time authors really need to write for the market. Identify what’s selling, and write a book that pitches to those successful markets. For example, crime books are still selling well, but the interest in teen vampire books is on the wane.

I’ve been to many talks by agents who talk openly and passionately about the many brilliant books they receive for consideration and which they choose not to represent. They talk with genuine regret about not being able to pick up books that have no existing market into which they can be sold.

Newer authors might think this is unfair – it suggests that the industry is conservative and favours existing authors, or stories very similar to what’s already sold. There is some truth to this. Authors like Neil Gaiman have spoken openly about the publishing industry needing to take more risks. But we also have to accept that we live in a world where people need to pay their rent or mortgage, which means they need to be able to predict sales from books they publish. Authors need to accept this is the case.

So, if getting a literary agent is the way in, how do you get one?

Tip four – getting a literary agent

The general approach for agents is this:

• check their website first to see if they are currently accepting submissions from new authors. There is no point sending material to an agency which is closed to submissions. Your work won’t be read.
• if they’re accepting submissions, send a query to them either via email or in print, depending on what they prefer.
• Your query should feature: a cover letter giving brief details of your book; a 1 or 2 page synopsis of your book (with the ending!), and usually the first 3 chapters or 50 pages of your book. Do not send the full manuscript.

At the end of this post, under my sign-off, is a list of literary agents I’ve submit work to so far.

Tip five – writing a cover letter to agents

Here’s a cover letter I use when submitting to agents. I’m not saying it’s perfect, however I get responses from 90% of the agencies I contact, so I believe it isn’t putting them off. Please feel free to use the format if you think it’s useful.

• Literary agent cover letter sample