You're Finished! Tips and Tricks on Editing & Publishing!

Okay, so you've finished your novel, novella ,etc and you want to get it published! One problem. What do you do? You have NO CLUE where to start! Crap! Hopefully, this will help.

Okay, so picture this. You've just finished writing (or typing) the LAST line of your novel. You feel a great wave of self-accomplishment rush over you. You are so proud of yourself for finally sticking with one plot LONG enough to finish it!

Now what?

You're grin falls. You have no clue what you want to do with it. Crap! Just then, a single word skimms your thoughts.
P-U-B-L-I-S-H

Woo! You feel the light blub flash on atop your head. Its all clear. You want to get your book PUBLISHED!! YES! That's it! The empty hole in your thoughts is finally filled!

Just one thing. YOU HAVEN'T THE SLIGHTEST KNOWLEDGE OF THE COMPLICATED (and possibly frightening) WORLD OF PUBLISHING!!

NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, luckily, I'm here to help. *Dramatic Music Plays*

I believe that there are four steps to get your self ready for the world of bindings, agents, paper, and hardback.

The Steps are as follows:

1. Re-reading (hey, if you expect others to read your work, you better be willing to read it yourself.)
2. Editing (yes, this task is tedious, but it'll pay off in the end and you'll thank me eventually for making you do it.)
3. Your Query Letter (we'll discuss this later)
4. Finding a Publisher
and *drum rolls*
5. GETTING IT PUBLISHED!!

Okay, so there's 5 steps. My bad.

Step 1. Re-Reading

So you've finished your novel. Congrats. Think you've seen the last of the thousands of words on those many pages? Think again. Every good writers re-reads their work BEFORE they even CONSIDER having it published. You have to love it yourself to even think that others will like it. (Yes, it is true that not all who read your book will like it.) Don't be afriad to critique yourself. Just don't over do it, okay? Ask yourself something along these lines: "is it all I want it to be?" "Are the characters interesting, believable, and well-developed?" "Is the plot easy to follow? Or will the reader get lost and begin thinking 'huh? where did that come from?'" "Is it ORIGINAL?" there's nothing that ticks off a writer more than having thier ideas stolen.

Re-read it, and make sure you love it. Make sure its what you like to write about. Something that portray's what you believe is amazing and fantastical.

Got it? Good.

Step 2. Editing

You know all those things your english teachers used when they corrected your essays? Like the three lines under a letter, or a slash through a letter, or a line with a curl on the end? These, my friends, are all editing marks. Yes, this is going to be tedious, and you'll probably go half-blind and get carpal tunnel but it's necessary.

I would reccommend printing out a complete copy of your novel (or if its already on paper, easier for you.) and getting your handy dandy red pen. (if you don't want to waste that much paper, edit it while its still on your computer. I admit, it'll take longer, but it'll save paper.) Start with spelling. ( or grammar, which ever you prefer.) Fix all the errors you find! (or, if you're bad at spelling ask a friend or parent or teacher. Or you can go to http://www.spellchecker.net/spellcheck/ )

When you've finished with that time to move on to grammar! Now, we all know that grammar is what makes up a sentence. What makes it flow. Here are some examples; Bad Example: Billy did real good on his grammar test friday but he didnt do to good on spelling. Good Example: Billy did well on his grammar test Friday, but he didn't do so well on spelling.

See what bad grammar can do to a perfectly good sentence? First, I would read over the sentence a time or two. To make sure it makes SENSE first. If it's completely wonky, you may need to re-write it. Next, fix punctuation. (I.E. commas, semi-colons, colons, periods, etc...) Then, fix capatilization. Lastly, make sure your sentence is as strong as it can possibly be.

Instead of: Mary walked through the garden, smelling the flowers and letting the sun shine on her face.

How about: Mary strolled through the enormous garden, the scent of lilacs, fressia, and roses filling her nose. The sun's rays felt wonderful on her skin; they were so warm.

Now, be honest. Which sentence do you like better? I thought so.

If you're not sure if you got all the mistakes, ask a friend, parent or teacher to fix it. Or visit http://www.spellcheckplus.com there you can fix spelling AND grammar!! And you can type a word into the "Vocabulary Enrichment" box and it will give you other (better) words to use.

Step 3. Your Query Letter

Ah, you've finshed re-reading and editing your novel. Time to relax? Nope. Now comes the task of writing this little thing called a Query Letter.

A query letter is a short letter persuading the publisher to want to look at your work. You only get one shot with the agent you send it to, so make it count!! Below is a rough outline of what a Query Letter should approximately look like. (every publishing company AND agent have their own specific details as to what they would like to see in a Query Letter.)


Sample Query Letter:

Date

Agent/Publisher
Angency
Address
Address


Dear (Agent's Name), [never, I repeat NEVER just use "dear editor" or "dear agent" that idiocy is prone to get your letter thrown in the trash -- or deleted]

[to start us off, state the name of your work, the genre, # of words, and if there are any other works after this one.] *stating why you chose this agent and why they would be the best to publish you wouldn't hurt*

I am seeking representation for my (insert genre(s) here) novel, (insert title here--in italics, perferrably), complete/incomplete at (insert lenght of novel in numbers) words. (if agent asks for sample chapter or synopsis, insert -- in words -- that you'll be enclosing it with the letter, here.) If there are other novels/ works that are sequals to this, you can say so here.

[This is where you really pull them in.]
Give a good opening line that summarizes your novel. It should be one to two lines MAX. Now give them the gist of your book. [Do you recall those teasers on the back of the books you see at your local bookstore? Yes. Keep that in mind.] Keep it short. Sweet. And to the point. Don't make it too short, your summary can give them an idea of what your writing will look like.

[Next, this is where you...brag. I suppose that's the right word. Tell them if your manuscript has won any awards, if you belong to any groups specified for writing, etc. If you don't have much, its best to keep this paragraph short.]

I have been writing for nearly (insert # of years here) and have found it to be one of my great passions. (more person details inserted here.) I belong to (insert clubs, groups, on-line groups here) and am proud to say that they have improved my writing drastically. (if they haven't, don't lie!)

[finally, you add your 'thank you' and a SASE -- if its a letter, not an e-mail --]

If you are interested, I will gladly send you either partial or the complete manuscript. I have enclosed a SASE for your reply (that is, if its a letter. A SASE is a Stamped And Sealed Envelope -- you don't expect them to pay for postage to send their reply back, do you?) If you prefer, you can reply by e-mail (if applicable) I thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Your name


Your name
Address
E-Mail
Phone #
Fax # (if applicable)

Step 4. Finding A Publisher

So you've finished re-reading, editing, and now you've written the BEST query letter in the ENTIRE universe! Are you done? No. Now you have to send it out to agents all around the country (if you wish) and hope -- no pray -- that their reply will be good. There are no guarantees that the first agent you send your query letter to will accept it. (actually, its highly unlikely) But don't get discouraged. Some of the best-known authors have gotten MANY rejections before.

To keep track of your Query's and find Agents that would most likely be interested in your work go to: http://www.querytracker.net Registration is free!

Now, you may need more info that what they give you on Query Tracker. So one of my favorite sites is http://www.AgentQuery.com there you can research the agents name and find a list of the most recent books they've sold, what their genre preferences are and more!

What is a Genre? It's the little sub-catagories your manuscript fits into. Like Fantasy, Suspense/Thriller, Erotica, YA (yound adults), Children, Adventure, etc...

Step 5. PUBLISHING!

So, you've finished re-reading, editing, writing the BEST query letter in the history of query letters, and you've found an Agent that wants to publish you! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Now, all you have to do is get it published and out in the market.....and the work doesn't stop there.

WOW! Does finding an agent seem like too much work? I've found an excellent company that helps you self-publish your manuscript for those who haven't been published before. Visit http://www.vantagepress.com for more info or call (212) 736-1767 and request a brochure! Or visit http://www.lulu.com

Hope this helped!!

XOXO
Inky