Last week was neat:
You may be thinking, “What does that actually mean, though?”
So I broke down the trad publishing process in 10 easy* steps.
*They’re not easy. They’re ridiculous, time-consuming, and inconsistent. But if you’re the kind of quirky person who can obsess over a dream for years, this may be your process.
1) Write a book. This is the easiest and hardest part. But most people get stuck here. If you finish this step, you’re already incredible.
2) Revise the book. Study the craft of writing. Get feedback from the readers in your life. Learn from great stories. Mute the little voice that says, “I’m special and my writing is special and no one is like me and I deserve a book deal.” The first three things are true for you and for every human who’s ever existed—and the fourth one doesn’t actually mean anything.
Most people who get past step 1 fall apart here. No shame if that’s you!
3) Get ready to query. Look for agents on Publisher’s Marketplace or MSWL who represent books like yours. Put together your query materials—query letter, synopsis, one-sentence pitch, comp list, etc. Polish your first five pages until you can see your reflection in them.
(This takes time and work and research.)
4) Submit to agents. Every agent has instructions for querying. Follow them and keep your expectations low. You may get partial requests (e.g., 50 pages of your manuscript) or full requests (all of your manuscript). You will get rejections. Accept that.
This is where I am now.
5) Sign with an agent. An agent may sign a handful of authors out of thousands of queries every year. If they want to represent your manuscript, that’s incredible—but make sure their goals and business practices align with yours.
6) Revise the book. Yep, we’re back here. Your agent will help your book shine even more. Their goal is to get your book on shelves with other books, and they’ll know what it needs to fit in and stand out. Both of those elements are crucial.
7) Submit to publishers. Yep, we’re back here too. It’s like querying, except you have a professional teammate who only makes money if your book is sold.
8) Sign with a publisher. Study the contract. Hire a lawyer if you have to (though your agent should be able to help you understand what everything means). Don’t sign away your rights unless you’re willing to live with the consequences.
9) Revise the book. Just like before, except with more professionals and more money behind the process. You might have to wait two years between your publishing contract and your first book being published. Decide if it’s worth the wait.
10) Publish!
That may look like a lot.
It is.
And it’s why I self-published my paranormal heist fantasy series, which is coming back to Kickstarter:
If my cozy fantasy manuscript gets through all of those steps, it may be two years or more until it’s published.
Stories That Bleed comes out in September.
So if you don’t want to wait for the trad train…
Addison
