I was recently contacted by a rep at Writer's Digest Books & Magazine. If you are not familiar with this awesome writer's resource, be sure to check it out after reading this guest post written by Scott Francis, a Content Editor. Then go to my website and check out the page they sent me about writing YA Fantasy.
Ask anyone. The biggest
question when you're a writer is likely "how do you get published?"
Some writers start thinking about it way before they should—before they've
focused their attention on improving their craft and writing a good story. In
my opinion that should always come first and if you're serious about getting
published, well, then that's your first step, isn't it? Make sure your writing
is good and write something worth reading.
That said, when you are
ready to get published, what do you do? There's plenty of advice on how to get
published out there—volumes and volumes written on the subject. But within all
that wealth of information that's available, how do you know which advice is
right for you, especially if you
write within a specific genre like fantasy (or an even more specialized niche
like fantasy YA or say paranormal YA romance)? The key (aside from having a
really great manuscript) is in being detail oriented and communicating well.
Sounds easy enough, but if you've been writing for any length of time at all,
then you know it can be tricky. Here are a few tips that I hope will help you
in your search for publication.
Do Your Research
Before you approach a
book publisher with your novel submission make sure you research the kinds of
books they publish—you don’t want to send your futuristic cyberpunk novel to
publisher looking for dragons and swordplay.
Obviously you should know
the subject matter they deal with (and you can often find this out easily
enough from their website or a market listing). But beyond that, I recommend
dipping into a few of their books. See what the voice of the writers they tend
to publish is like. What tone do their books have? It may sound obvious, but if
you like what you are reading, then it's more likely that your book will be a
good fit. If something about the books turn you off then maybe your writing
isn't a good match for what the publisher is looking for. It doesn't mean your
writing is bad—only that you're not compatible. As with dating, maybe it's best
to just be friends.
This applies to short
fiction as well. Before shopping your short story around make sure to read the
publications you intend to submit to. Reading other stuff out there will help
you zero in on the right publications to target your stuff to, and chances are
it will also help your writing. After all, to write well you should read a lot.
Read the Fine Print
I can't stress enough the
importance of carefully reading the submission guidelines. Everything you need
to know about the way a publisher (or publication) wants to see material
submitted will be outlined there. If you don't read them, you're setting
yourself up for failure. It's like showing up for a test in school without
having studied. Sure, you might skate through somehow, but the odds are
definitely not in your favor. Guidelines exist for a reason. Read them. Follow
them.
Query Letters
The query letter is your
admission ticket. This gets you through the gate, so it's important to do it
right. The best way to do that is to keep it short and to the point. The agent
or editor who reads your letter wants to know in the fewest words possible what
your book is about. Period. My advice is this:
- address the agent or editor by name
- deliver a short sentence or two that
tells them who the main character is and explains the crux of the plot
- offer any relevant details about yourself
(this should be short and only be included if it seems like something that
might be helpful in selling the book)
- and finally ask them to contact you if
they are interested in seeing a submission package
For short fiction you can
ignore this last point since for most short stories you'll be submitting the
piece itself along with a cover letter. (All of the above info works just as
well for a cover letter as it does a query.)
Submission Package
Your submission package
is what you send when you get a positive response from your query, asking to
see more material. This may vary from publisher to publisher (which is why it's
important to read the submission guidelines). Some publishers may want to see a
synopsis (a short summary of the entire book's plot), some may want sample
chapters, some may want the first 50 pages or so, and some may want the entire
manuscript. Their response (or their submission guidelines!) should outline
what they'd like to see. Follow those directions as closely as possible.
Submitting Fantasy Stories
So, what is different
about submitting a fantasy, science fiction, or paranormal story?
The real answer is “not
much.” The process is the same. The kinds of materials, the types of
correspondence, the attention to detail—all of these things are pretty much the
same no matter what genre you write in.
However, one important
thing about fantasy stories is that there is often a great deal of information
that needs to be conveyed in order for the story to make sense. After all, in
many instances you've built an entire world that is different from our own, or
you've invented a system of magic that has an intricate set of rules, or maybe
you've created an entire culture or belief system. Such large concepts can be
difficult to convey concisely, but that's exactly what you have to do. You need
to boil down your fantasy world's setting or the natural rules that govern your
characters' supernatural powers to a simple description.
Agents and editors have
short attention spans (they have to do a ton of reading). Your fantastic planet
filled with seven different warring races that are unlike anything known to
mankind may sound amazing to you, but to an agent or editor it can sound like
the other 10 projects that crossed their desk just this morning. What makes
yours special? What the essential thing about your story that makes you want to
tell it? If you can answer that question, then you have what you need to put in
your query letter (hint: it usually comes down to your main character and his
or her internal or external conflict). The other details are secondary and you
should explain them in a way that is short and to the point, leaving out
anything that might confuse matters or bog down your pitch.
………………….
Scott Francis is the editor of Novel & Short Story Writer's Market,
the premiere resource dedicated to helping writers get published and find a literary agent. He is an editor for
Writers Digest's writing books where he works to develop
resources to help writers advance their writing careers in numerous ways
including: improving writing skills and writing techniques, getting published,
building an author platform, and learning to be a better writer. He is also the
author of Monster
Spotter's Guide to North America and co-author of The
Writer's Book of Matches.
