Becoming a Published Author
Finding Representation and Publication in the Book Business
Apr 13, 2009
Dram Tree Books, a press out of Wilmington, NC, has even stopped looking at new authors as its output has been cut to roughly 40%, leaving what they feel is an unfair gap for the release any new books of two and a half years. In addition to this, successful authors such as William Christie, who expected to see his thriller, The Blood we Shed: A Novel of Marine Combat come out in mass market paperback last year will not see its release until next month along with his newest book Darkness Under Heaven, which he wrote as F.J. Chase.
Every year publishers and agents receive thousands of letters from aspiring authors, and, within months of them being received, form letters often accompany the replies. Many authors, in their pursuit to find representation or publication in the best of times, can wallpaper their bathroom with the rejection letters they've received leading one to ask, how does one get published?
Create a Fan base
Jeffrey Trachtenberg, author and reporter for the Wall Street Journal, stated in a Feb 15 interview with mediabistro.com that the avenue of blogging is leading many authors to being published. He said it is too early to tell whether web hits will consistently equate to book sales but does bring up a powerful point about publishers being able to read a fair amount of an author's work prior to committing to a deal. And 10,000 web hits a day doesn't hurt either.
Start Obtaining Writing Credits
A second means of obtaining representation or publication is building a respectable resume. This is very important because without it an author has nothing to prove that people who are not his mother will purchase his book. A great source of proof is publishing contests offered through various universities each year whose prize is a book deal. Any author who has sent in a manuscript and not won will often find that the winner is not making his literary debut with this ascension to the brass ring. They have often already published a book, and write regularly for a newspaper or magazine.
The painful truth is that even if another submission was a more powerful piece of literature the publisher will not publish it if it has no market appeal outside of its power. Publishers will more likely than not take the safe bet and publish the author that sold 5,000 copies of their first book with a regular article in a publication boasting a circulation of 100,000 subscribers over the author of a very nice manuscript and no background other than that. This is why Madonna can write children’s stories and Miley Cyrus can publish a memoir.
The question is, then, how does one build a resume if they cannot publish without an agent, and no agents want unpublished authors? The answer lies within small, less-than-glamorous venues such as local newspapers, magazines, and the web. Although it is true that a remark in the Washington Post's opinion section is not a very impressive piece to brag about, it is still a legitimate credit, and one that may prove a writer is becoming skilled in presenting arguments. From here they may be able to go on to write a feature article.
Make Your First Impression the First of Many
Lastly, an author must polish up their letter of inquiry (also called a query letter). This can be done by simply googling “how to write a query letter.” Some very common mistakes authors make is padding their credentials with credits that include anthologies published through poetry.com or their high school. These, along with books published through vanity or subsidy presses (where you pay for publication), are not considered to be legitimate. The best thing an author can do in this case is describe their book with passion and fury and when telling them about themselves, direct all information toward the means of which they are a credible source of information.
There are many intricacies to this process, but these three avenues are a great approach to getting on the right path. Without a presence created through legitimate credentials or proof that people will purchase what will be released, most publishers will not have the time to consider an author’s work.
 |
