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Yep, you guessed it. We are talking about fish. ;p Just kidding.
Yep, you guessed it. We are talking about fish. ;p Just kidding.
Hello Readers, A.G. Silver here and my, oh my do I have some news and advice for you. So first off…
Hello Readers, A.G. Silver here and my, oh my do I have some news and advice for you. So first off…
Even though I have only recently sent out my requests for publishers and/or agents, I’ve already had my first ‘yes’!?
Even though I have only recently sent out my requests for publishers and/or agents, I’ve already had my first ‘yes’!?
Crazy, right? Normally, authors will be sending out at least 30 queries and take a year to wait for a positive response. Yours truly has sent out eight queries and already gotten a positive response. I’ve been communicating with the publishers and I got to say its one heck of a rollercoaster. So first off let me explain the process, that way everything makes sense, but also so you future authors out there can have a little something to help you.
Crazy, right? Normally, authors will be sending out at least 30 queries and take a year to wait for a positive response. Yours truly has sent out eight queries and already gotten a positive response. I’ve been communicating with the publishers and I got to say its one heck of a rollercoaster. So first off let me explain the process, that way everything makes sense, but also so you future authors out there can have a little something to help you.
Okay so after you finish writing your novel, and it has to be a complete novel because agents and publishers won’t accept an unfinished novel, you categorize your novel by its genre and main themes. You have to do this because when you are looking for an agent, you need to send your manuscript to an agent who specializes in your specific genre. For example, you wouldn’t send your High-Fantasy novel to a non-fiction agent. Most likely, the agent wouldn’t even look at your manuscript.
Okay so after you finish writing your novel, and it has to be a complete novel because agents and publishers won’t accept an unfinished novel, you categorize your novel by its genre and main themes. You have to do this because when you are looking for an agent, you need to send your manuscript to an agent who specializes in your specific genre. For example, you wouldn’t send your High-Fantasy novel to a non-fiction agent. Most likely, the agent wouldn’t even look at your manuscript.
After categorizing your book, then you start the search for agents who represent your genre. Literary Agency. Com is a pretty good place to start looking for agents because they have specific lists of agents who do fantasy, agents who do non-fiction, and even agents who are good matches for new authors. Gather a list of names and agencies that would suit your book, and go to their websites, looking to see if the agent is currently open to queries, and what the requirements for sending them your manuscript are.
After categorizing your book, then you start the search for agents who represent your genre. Literary Agency. Com is a pretty good place to start looking for agents because they have specific lists of agents who do fantasy, agents who do non-fiction, and even agents who are good matches for new authors. Gather a list of names and agencies that would suit your book, and go to their websites, looking to see if the agent is currently open to queries, and what the requirements for sending them your manuscript are.
Most agents will ask for a query letter, which basically consists of a short synopsis, and then a paragraph telling the agent the word count of your book, and the potential audience. There will also be a short bio included. Some agents will ask for a cover letter, which is the same thing but a little more formal and written kind of like an essay. It even has a heading!
Most agents will ask for a query letter, which basically consists of a short synopsis, and then a paragraph telling the agent the word count of your book, and the potential audience. There will also be a short bio included. Some agents will ask for a cover letter, which is the same thing but a little more formal and written kind of like an essay. It even has a heading!
So you have your cover letter/query letter. Great. Now, you have to put that in an email, addressed to the right person. Below all that most agents will ask for the first 5-10 pages of your book pasted into the BODY of your email. The agents will not look at the script you sent unless you have it in the body of the email. Files are a huge no-go, unless the agent specifically asks for a file. Put in the proper header and address, and your email is ready to be sent.
So you have your cover letter/query letter. Great. Now, you have to put that in an email, addressed to the right person. Below all that most agents will ask for the first 5-10 pages of your book pasted into the BODY of your email. The agents will not look at the script you sent unless you have it in the body of the email. Files are a huge no-go, unless the agent specifically asks for a file. Put in the proper header and address, and your email is ready to be sent.
Now for the waiting.
Now for the waiting.
Ah, yes my favorite (not) part. Agencies have a typical wait time of 4-6 weeks until they get back to you on if they want to represent your book or not- remember, a lot of other people are also submitting queries, so the reply is going to take a bit longer than normal. Some agencies even have a wait time of 6-8 weeks. This is why you normally send out quite a few queries at one time. Warning: do not send multiple queries to the same agency, even if the queries are to different people. You are only allowed to send one query at a time to each agency, even if there are two or more people there you would like to possibly be your book’s agent.
Ah, yes my favorite (not) part. Agencies have a typical wait time of 4-6 weeks until they get back to you on if they want to represent your book or not- remember, a lot of other people are also submitting queries, so the reply is going to take a bit longer than normal. Some agencies even have a wait time of 6-8 weeks. This is why you normally send out quite a few queries at one time. Warning: do not send multiple queries to the same agency, even if the queries are to different people. You are only allowed to send one query at a time to each agency, even if there are two or more people there you would like to possibly be your book’s agent.
And that’s about it for the process. Once you sent your stuff out, you just wait for the replies. Sadly, there will be a lot of rejections, but don’t get discouraged! The agency isn’t choosing your book because it’s not the right fit for them. They aren’t saying that your book isn’t good enough, its that the people working there don’t specialize in your type of book.
And that’s about it for the process. Once you sent your stuff out, you just wait for the replies. Sadly, there will be a lot of rejections, but don’t get discouraged! The agency isn’t choosing your book because it’s not the right fit for them. They aren’t saying that your book isn’t good enough, its that the people working there don’t specialize in your type of book.
So I’ve been doing this process for maybe a month and a half now, and thankfully I’ve already gotten a positive reply. Now, for this reply, it actually wasn’t from an agent, it was from one of those few publishers that accept manuscripts without the agent as a go-between.
So I’ve been doing this process for maybe a month and a half now, and thankfully I’ve already gotten a positive reply. Now, for this reply, it actually wasn’t from an agent, it was from one of those few publishers that accept manuscripts without the agent as a go-between.
You can actually send out a bit of both queries when you are sending emails out, just because its best to maximize your options. Most publishers, especially the big name ones, require contact through an agent, so you have to get an agent if you want to publish with them. There are a few good publishers that don’t require contact through agents, so look into those if you want.
You can actually send out a bit of both queries when you are sending emails out, just because its best to maximize your options. Most publishers, especially the big name ones, require contact through an agent, so you have to get an agent if you want to publish with them. There are a few good publishers that don’t require contact through agents, so look into those if you want.
For those of you who prefer to do traditional publishing like I am aiming for, there is a fun word called ‘royalties’ that gets smaller when you work with more well-known publishers. Pretty much, the royalties are how much you get paid for your book. If you self publish you get most, if not all the money from your books because you are in charge of everything. But if you traditionally publish, you may only get $1.75 for each $12.50 book you sell. On the bright side, because you are publishing through a publisher, they do a bunch of marketing on your book so that a lot of people will buy it.
For those of you who prefer to do traditional publishing like I am aiming for, there is a fun word called ‘royalties’ that gets smaller when you work with more well-known publishers. Pretty much, the royalties are how much you get paid for your book. If you self publish you get most, if not all the money from your books because you are in charge of everything. But if you traditionally publish, you may only get $1.75 for each $12.50 book you sell. On the bright side, because you are publishing through a publisher, they do a bunch of marketing on your book so that a lot of people will buy it.
Wow, so that was a hefty bit of information that I just spieled. I hope it all makes sense. Trust me, when I was first starting out, like 80% of this made no sense. To be honest, not all of it still makes sense but hey, I’m learning something new almost every day. So that’s all I have for this week (I say ‘all’ as if I didn’t just type out a 5,000-word essay of information). I hope y’all are staying safe and having fun! See you on the writing side! Ciao!
Wow, so that was a hefty bit of information that I just spieled. I hope it all makes sense. Trust me, when I was first starting out, like 80% of this made no sense. To be honest, not all of it still makes sense but hey, I’m learning something new almost every day. So that’s all I have for this week (I say ‘all’ as if I didn’t just type out a 5,000-word essay of information). I hope y’all are staying safe and having fun! See you on the writing side! Ciao!
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