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Article Title: Write a Novel - How to Get Published
Author: Robert L. Bacon
Category: Fiction, Tools and Resources
Word Count: 877
Keywords: write a novel, write, writer, writing, write a book, fiction writing,
writing fiction, novel writing
Author's Email Address: [email protected]
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
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To write a novel that will be appealing to a major royalty publisher involves
more than just talent and hard work. It requires creating a plan from the
outset and the discipline to follow it.
Everybody Has a Story Worth Telling
If you have begun reading this article, there's a good possibility you have
either been told this, heard this, or feel this way for your own reason(s).
And while it may not be irrational to believe that each of us has a story worth
publishing, doing so in a manner that is palatable beyond our family and
closest friends is indeed what separates writers. But is the latter part of
the preceding statement always true?
It's Often Not a Matter of Ability
I don't think it would be out of line to state that we've all read a novel
which we've paid our hard earned money for and later shaken our heads in wonder
and disgust at how the book every got published. You might have even said to
yourself (and often) that you've written material much better than what you
just read, but your story was rejected. So why did a writer's inferior
material attract a publisher when your superior work hadn't?
Specific Manuscript Faults that Can Cause Rejection
Assuming that basic grammar and punctuation were not an issue, several factors
can determine why a manuscript was never considered publishable. In no
particular order, here are some of those reasons. And please note that all of
these shortcomings are the result of inadequate editing.
- Certain plot elements seemed contrived
- The characters were not interesting
- The scenes were not fully developed
- There was not adequate conflict
- The dialogue was not realistic
- The pacing was slow
- The premise was poor
- Formatting was wrong for the genre
- Paragraphs and/or chapters were too long
These are some of the common reasons for rejection, yet you may have just read
material from a major imprint that contained some if not many of the very flaws
that are listed. How is this so? Read on.
The Not So Obvious Reasons Poor Material is Published
It is important to understand that today's publisher is interested in
readership potential more than ever, and an established author with a
guaranteed readership is key. The penchant to print books that will assure a
certain number of sales encourages the following:
- Books are written too fast, and this results in diminished quality
- Books are poorly edited, since many publishers do very little of this work
any longer
- Some of the most successful authors do not write all of their material
- Some of the most successful authors do not write any of the material under
their signature
The list is much longer, but the point is obvious. And this is why a plan is
critical for an unpublished author or an already difficult task can soon become
insurmountable.
Before you Commit the First Word to Paper, Formulate a Plan and Force Yourself
to Follow It
For those writers who have the foresight to create a plan and the discipline to
follow it, here are a few suggestions that will at least give each of you a
fighting chance to have your novel considered by a quality agent and a bona
fide royalty publisher:
1. Determine the genre or sub-genre in which you will be writing. If you
should be having difficulty with this, go to the free agentquery web site for
definitions.
2. Review current novels in your genre to determine the authors who are being
published and by whom. Make a list of these authors' agents (they are
generally referenced on the novel's Acknowledgments page). This will provide
you with a group of agents to query, and you'll likely find that some (or
another agent in their agency) will accept unsolicited material.
3. More important than any of the issues in this list, it is imperative that
you write your novel so it is an exact fit for the publisher's definition of
the genre.
4. Pay attention to word count, paragraph length, chapter length, and general
layout. Avoid long runs of italics and all parentheses (the latter is purely a
personal hang up of mine).
5. You can certainly take advantage of critique groups, writer's workshops, and
friends and relatives. But have a professional editor--whom you have
thoroughly checked out--at least read your manuscript before sending it off.
And if you do take my advice on this, find an editor who has experience with
royalty publishers in your manuscript's exact genre.
6. You will not get a second chance with an agent or publisher. And the list
of good ones who are still accepting unsolicited material in both arenas is
dwindling fast. So make your manuscript as perfect as possible in every way
prior to sending it.
Put the Cart in Front of the Horse and Create Your Liner Notes First
This is the time to put two short paragraphs of your dreams for your novel on
paper. Design beforehand what your liner notes (and ultimately your query
letter) should look like when your manuscript is finished, and your characters
will never be shallow and your scenes can never be weak. Now follow your
dreams.
Sign up for http://www.theperfectwrite.com/ Free Newsletters and join other
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that will be attractive to a major royalty publisher.
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