Quick Tips; How To Publish A Novel

Okay, so I have decided that I am going to have regular 'And That's When It Hit Me' posts, and am now pondering over the idea of 'Quick Tips'. Let me know what you guys think of this revelation.

During a chat with Sophie Marris from Booktrust, she gave me a handful of tips on how to publish my own book. Now me, being such a great blogger, am sharing these tips with you.


"As I am sure you will know, many people have a go at writing a book, and – even though over 100,000 books are published each year in the UK alone – most of them do not make it into print. The major publishers are inundated with ‘unsolicited manuscripts’ (as they call them) and as a rule simply do not have the time or resources to sift through them all (although on occasion some do manage to slip through).

(An exception is Macmillan, who have launched the New Writing scheme for well written manuscripts that need little editing.)

Of course, this is not to say that you will not be successful in getting your book published, and there are several alternatives to sending your manuscript off to a big publisher:

You may, for example, have better luck sending your work to smaller publishers.

Or you could self-publish (but you would have to do all the work involved – and pay for it yourself).

By and large, however, it is advisable to get yourself a literary agent who will have contacts in the publishing world and help you (for a fee of course) to get your book published.

If you want advice about how to get published, visit www.spreadtheword.org.uk and click resources. Alternatively, please visitwww.train4publishing.co.uk/careers for further advice.

I would also strongly recommend you get hold of a copy of the “Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook” if you do not have one already. It contains invaluable advice and information for anyone wanting to get their book published, including lists of publishers and agents (with brief notes as to the type of books they specialize in publishing and representing). You can buy a copy via the official website www.writersandartists.co.uk you can also register yourself at this address, there is lots of useful information on the website along with forums where other authors can give you advice.

Best wishes and good luck!"



Thank you to Sophie Marris for the tips!

So, is Quick Tips staying, or like 'fetch' is it 'so not going to happen'? (Slight Mean Girls reference? No way..)


8 comments:

  1. I tried the conventional way before but kept hitting road blocks so i finally ended up self publishing my book "The Invisible spy" and was the best decision i ever made. A lot of writers now are turning to self-publishing because it has many benefits compared to traditional publishing which limits a writer.

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    1. I didn't know you published a book! That's amazing! How long did it take? Where can I read it? That's just... WOW. Congratulations!

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    2. Thank you so much! :D The whole process took about a few months and my book was published within the same year. For example, I think it was February 2013 when the process started and ended with my book being published on August 2013. You can read a sample here by clicking on the book image: http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Spy-Spying-lives-celebrities/dp/1477497285/ref=sr_1_35?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345252328&sr=1-35&keywords=The+Invisible+Spy

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  2. I like your blog :), your blog is the reason I get up every morning, the thing that gets me through everyday. Your blog gives me the will to live and I mean this from the bottom of my heart!!!!

    Thank you so much!!! :D

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  3. I have tried to write a book so many times and failed -_- I commend anyone who has actually managed to get theirs published which is further than I've got haha seeing as I haven't actually managed to write much to begin with :P Nice post :)

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    1. Thank you!

      And I myself have tried multiple times, I have about seven unfinished manuscripts...

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