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..)