I appreciate that I am diving in and giving an all too brief account of trying to get published. Hopefully, I will have listed some of the salient points and these little blogs have been useful thus far. However, I take nothing for granted – and as suggested before, if you have a question, please feel free to ask. 😊
Back to the not so shiny manuscript…
In fairness, it took guts to send my manuscript, but it takes guts and conviction for a publisher to put their money where their mouth is. Even then, there is no guarantee it will sell.
Okay, you’ve slaved over your work. It looks perfect, to you, but is it.
Ask yourself do you believe in what you have written.
Would YOU pay good money for your book to be published.
If the answer is yes, and you feel time is running out, there is always the self-publishing / Indie / vanity press (be careful) routes. Especially as you have worked hard to create your masterpiece and want to see it in print before you die.
Try your best to ensure there are no glitches or grammatical errors.
Apologies. (Clearly no-one has proof-read or edited my blogs!)I would suggest:
Putting your fabulous piece of crafted art, as that is what it is, to bed for several months. Longer if you can bear it. Then pick it up and re-read. Can you spot glaring issues now? It happens to the best of writers, I’m sure of it.
If you haven’t already, join at least one writing group. Be prepared. Get someone you trust to read it – a first time reader usually see’s all the glitches. Ask for constructive feedback, warts and toads, and not what you want to hear. Like:
“Ooh its lovely, wonderful, fantastic. You’re so much better than JK, and as to Shakespeare… well…”
Whilst this may be kind – it really isn’t helpful.
Publishing is a business. They want to make money. Can they sell your book? Is it really that good? Are they going to pay good money to print your drivel? I asked myself those same questions a million times. Hence why I needed the kick up the bum to:
GET IT OUT THERE.