Sarah Parsons Zackheim

Getting your book published is an exciting milestone and one that requires preparation. First, you must write a great query letter or proposal to pique interest from literary agents (who can help sell your book) and editors. You have to explore submission strategies; compose a winning title; and consider adding a CD or DVD or something else of value to help attract readers and buyers.

Getting your work of fiction published is different from getting nonfiction published. A fiction submission (short story or novel) must be a complete manuscript when you submit it to a publisher. Create a query letter, along with plot synopsis, to submit with your manuscript. According to Marjorie Braman, a top fiction editor at HarperCollins, "We very rarely consider novels, especially first novels, unless there is a completed manuscript.

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A literary agent is one of the first people to enlist in your effort to get your book published. Having a good literary agent — one who has contacts with publishers who publish the type of book you write — goes a long way to giving you a chance to say, "Yes, I'm a published author." The following list contain

You'll get help from your agent or editor with composing a title that will help sell your book, but for your own knowledge (and when it's just you trying to find that agent or editor), use the tips in the following list to come up with a title with oomph: Keep it brief Imply a benefit Crystallize a wish

One of the steps to getting your book published is to write and send query letters to try to get a literary agent or an editor at a publishing house interested enough in your book to sign you as a client, and, hopefully, offer you a nice advance — a sum of money you can use while you actually write the book.

What's your plan when it's time to submit your manuscript to publishers for consideration? Your submission contains great writing — of course. Getting your book published, however, requires a strategy that includes getting on the phone and perhaps a bit of socializing. These tips can help you map your book su

If your book is going to be published (congrats!), offer some added value to amass legions of adoring fans more quickly. Your book's added value can be as simple as the recommendation of someone famous or one of these other attention-getters: Obtain celebrity endorsements Use a foreword written by a well-k

One of the most important tasks in getting your book published is to find an editor who's going to get behind your book and help it — and you — make your way in the publishing world. To find an editor who's a good fit, try these tips: Read acknowledgment pages of books similar to yours — authors often acknow