How Getting Published Works

A post about the mechanics of traditional publishing

OK, so first things first, this is not a post about how to get published. Mostly because I don’t know exactly. Which is mostly because there is no single way. Or perhaps, it’s rather because the answer to that is “write a really good book and be very lucky” and there are an infinite number of ways to write a really good book and absolutely no ways to be very lucky.

Instead, this is a post about the motions and processes that you go through after you have written aforementioned really good books. I would love briefly pose as an influencer and say people have all been up in my DMs asking me this, but that is not true. It is probably the one question I’ve been asked the most as an author, but that just means I’ve been asked it about four times over the past twenty years. Still, I figured it would be nice to have something to point to when it comes up again on five years time.

So, let’s begin:

OK, you have finished your manuscript. You have edited your manuscript. You have had a friend or two read the manuscript, and listened to their feedback, and decided which parts you agree with and made the necessary changes. You have run a grammar and spell check. You have formatted it in standard Shunn style, It is as clean and as sparkly as it can be.

Before you lie two paths: agented and unagented.

Choosing to go without an agent removes a layer of submission and rejection. You don’t have to spend the time finding an agent who loves your book as much as you do. This in turn speeds things up. It also means that there won’t be someone who takes a 15% cut when you do sell the book.

However, taking the unagented path will limit the publishers to whom you can send your manuscript. A number of publishers, especially the bigger simply won’t look at un-agented submissions.

Going with an agent, means… you have to get an agent, which is a whole process. It also means that you have to give them 15% of any money you make on a publishing deal. However, this is typically offset by the agent getting you way more money up-front, so usually it’s a wash financially. Also, it means that your agent is the one doing all the financial negotiating up front, so if you’re uncomfortable with that sort of thing, or merely want someone more knowledgeable about the ins and outs of contracts, and agent is also very helpful here)

(For what it’s worth, I have an agent, and I am very, very happy with that arrangement).

Whichever path you choose, you now have decide who to send your manuscript to, be it an agent or a publisher. There's about a billion possibilities out there, so the best bet is to find some books that you think have some sort of similarity to yours. If it’s a funny fantasy, find some other funny fantasy books. If it’s a steampunk romance, find a few other steampunk romances.

Once you have your comparable book, if your taking the unagented route, you’ll want to find out who published the book. This is as simple as looking at the spine. Or back cover. Or near the front. Publishers are not shy about letting you know they published it. This is an easy one.

If you’re taking the agented route, you’ll want to find out who the author’s agent is. This sounds daunting, but good news, it’s really as simple as a google search. Or just typing an author’s name into this incredibly convenient database.

Once you have the publisher or agent’s name, go to their website and look for a submissions page. Or google their name and the word “submission.” On this page they will tell you how to submit to them. FOLLOW THEIR INSTRUCTIONS. Anything on those pages, wholly supersedes anything I say here. I will be speaking in generalizations. They will be speaking in specifics. Follow the specifics.

And so, the generalizations:

Typically, an agent or publisher (if they accept unagented submissions) will initially want a “partial submission.” A partial is made up on a synopsis and the first one to three chapters of the book.

A word on synopses: they suck.

There is no fun way to write a synopsis. No book reads particularly well when boiled down to its plot points. To a certain extent you just have to embrace the suck.

I will say, that I have had the most fun writing synopses when I have found a “voice” for them, which is not necessarily the same voice that I wrote the book in. But something similar. When I’ve managed to give them a little attitude. To be clear: I don’t know if these have been my best synopses. I just know that I’ve had the most fun writing them that way. Take that for what you will.

Anyway, off goes the partial, and then the waiting begins. It could be months. I’m sorry. This part also sucks. The good news is that TYPICALLY you can submit to multiple places at once. At least… you can with agents. I’m not 100% sure with publishers. Again, follow the specifics. If they say “no simultaneous submissions” that means you cannot submit the manuscript somewhere else simultaneously.

(Also, a brief aside: should you submit your manuscript to multiple places and have an agent agree to represent you, or a publisher agree to publish your book, then the decent thing to do is to reach out to the other folk and let them know, so they don’t waste time reading something they can’t have).

Anyway, some time after submitting to the agent/publisher you will hear back. The sad truth is, most of the times this will be a polite version of “thanks, but no thanks.” It is worth stating that at this point, the correspondence is done. Do no respond to a rejection. Don’t. No. No. Don’t. Bad writer.

However, sometimes, you will get a request for a “full submission.” This means they want the full manuscript. So off it goes to them, and then… you wait. And wait. And wait. For months again.

And then you hear back, and if it’s a rejection, you DO NOT RESPOND. But if it’s an acceptance then you should feel free to express all your squee to them, and to celebrate in whatever goddamn way you like.

If you have chosen the agented path, this is where things differ slightly, because now your agent will submit the book to the publisher. However, before that, your new agent is likely to have some editorial advice based upon their years of experience, and their distance from the book. If you hate their advice, this may be a sign that this is not the right agent for you. I have been fortunate enough to not experience this, but I imagine that this is tremendously disheartening given all the time and ego-bashing required to get an agent. However, if the agent is not right at the start, then it is not going to get better from there. It’s better to make a clean split early.

OK, assuming you like your agents advice, and have incorporated it, they will then send the manuscript to a publisher. They get to skip straight to a full submission, so that’s nice. They also typically get to jump ahead of the unagented submissions so you will probably hear back a little quicker. But you may still hear a “no” from a publisher. Having an agent does not guarantee publication.

OK, so let’s assume we’re finally at the point where a publisher is publishing your manuscript. Now the editing begins. First off you will receive an editorial letter (actually a long email) from your editor. This will list all the changes they want you to make based on their experience and tastes. In my experience, these are not always fun letter to read. However, they have also always made my books significantly better. A good editor is worth their weight in gold.

Again - if you radically disagree with what they want to do with your book… perhaps now is the time to bail? Have a conversation first. Editorial letters are not carved in stone. They can be discussion starters. it’s worth considering.

Once you’ve incorporated all the changes from the editorial letter that you and your editor agree upon, and you’re in a place where both you and the editor are happy (there may be more than one round of editorial letter), then it’s going to go off to the copyeditor. This means your book will be scrubbed hard for spelling, grammar, inconsistences, and the publishing house’s style. It will then be sent back to you for you to sign off on the changes, or to explain why you don’t want a change made.

It’s worth saying that copyeditors generally work miracles, but they are human. They may miss something. That’s not their fault. But if you’re up for giving your book one more close read, it won’t go astray.

Once you’re good with the copyedit. It will go to page proofs. This basically means it’s laid out for publication. You will get to review this one more time (typically as a pdf). Any changes you make at this point should be SMALL. If you can avoid changing the number of lines on the page, avoid it. The time for large radical changes has past you by.

A note on cover art: I have never had much of a say in what I’ve got. It has really always been shown to me as a heads up. That said, I’ve been very lucky, so that’s never been a problem. But just so expectations are set.

At this point, pretty much the whole writing part is done. However, the work is not. Now the promotion cycle begins. It is also where any expertise I have ends. I have not ever done this part particularly well. It is very much a work in progress. So… everything here comes with its grains of salt.

A traditional publisher is likely to do some promotion for you. They will usually send out review copies. The bigger the publisher the more likely people are to review it, and the more likely a prominent site will review it. Your publisher may also arrange an interview or two for you. Or they may arrange for you to do a guest post somewhere.

This will not be enough promotion.

You have to hustle at this point. You have to find blogs and podcasts and sites that have even the smallest whiff of association with your book and reach out to them. You have to offer to send them a copy. You have to offer to provide them with relevant content. You have to scrunch up all your pride and go begging.

(As another aside, this—I assume—is why traditional publishers like to publish successful self-published authors. Those authors have already proven they have the chops to promote their books and generate an audience. It’s a much safer bet for the publisher.)

(I have also not talked about self-publishing here at all. That is because I really don’t know that much about it. I was once on a panel about traditional vs self-publishing, and I was the only traditionally published author so there’s a bunch in there about self-publishing if you’re interested in that path).

And that’s pretty much that. There’s definitely more that can be said on the subject, in terms of stuff to do with contracts, and watchouts, but I have taken up enough of your time. I’m happy to answer any questions you want to put in the comments.

And good luck!