When you embarked on the journey to writing and publishing, I bet you never imagined that becoming a marketing expert was in your future. Yet, success in the writing industry depends on a person’s ability to master a few business skills, marketing being among them. For the aspiring novelists, the daunting task of “breaking in” can seem an insurmountable task. However, as the many published authors in our roster will tell you, persistence and know-how will eventually pay off in the form of a contract. Following are some tips for writers who have just begun to navigate the publishing waters:

Finding Markets

When I speak at women’s groups or conferences about my writing interests, it is not uncommon for someone to ask, “How do you find publishers? How do you know who will publish your books?” To the person unfamiliar with the publishing process, the prospect of finding a place among the hundreds of publishing houses can be intimidating. But in truth, gathering information about publishing houses and their acquisition interests isn’t as difficult as it may seem.

• Sally Stuart Christian Writers’ Market Guide
This must-have book provides invaluable information about book and periodical publishers. Alphabetical and topical listings allow you to locate publishers whose acquisition interests match your offerings. Each year, hundreds of publishers receive questionnaires, asking about their needs. The answers are then compiled and organized, giving you quick access to information you need to successfully submit your manuscripts.

• Online Search
Researching publishers is easier than ever thanks to the availability of the Internet. Most publishing houses have Web sites and many include pages for writers interested in submitting work for consideration. Search for sites of potential publishing houses, then cruise the pages looking for links that say “Writers Guidelines” or “Submission Guidelines.” Print off publishing guidelines that you want to keep handy.

•Trip to the Bookstore
It may seem old-fashioned, but making a trip to the local bookstore to do some market research is still an effective way to gather information. Take a small notebook along and head for the fiction shelves. Look for books in your genre that appear similar to your work in progress. Make note of the length of the book, number and length of chapters and other relevant details. Jot down the names of publishers that might be worth approaching about your work. When you get home, send a letter with SASE to those publishers asking for writers’ guidelines.

Making Contact
Once you have a list of publishers you’d like to approach about your work, you need to begin a dialogue with them. The writers’ guidelines you found online might give you a clue as to how the editors would like to receive your submission. Some prefer queries, some want a full proposal. Others like electronic submissions and candy-grams. Read the guidelines carefully and follow the directions. If no instructions are given, you can try one of these methods:

• Mail
This tried and true method of communication has worked for thousands of years, and it’s an effective way to contact editors and agents. Of course, nowadays, your mail might be sent through cyberspace rather than parcel post, but either way, editors have mailboxes and they’ll likely read your letter. If you choose to contact an editor through mail, remember to keep your letter short and concise. Due to time constraints, they cannot afford to read a long rambling letter. Give them the pitch in one page or less along with some basic info about yourself.

• Agent
If you are fortunate enough to have a literary agent working for you, your agent will contact editors and submit your work for you. Funneling work through an agent is the ideal situation. Not only does it save a writer time, allowing him or her to focus on writing rather than spending hours on the submission process, but it also gives a writer a slight advantage. In this industry, the agented writer gets preferential attention over those whose manuscripts are in the slush pile.

• Conference Appointment
These days, many publishing houses have closed-door acquisition policies, meaning they won’t look at a proposal or manuscript unless it comes through an agent. For the agentless among us, this can be a discouraging situation, however, there is a loophole that will allow authors to get a manuscript through a closed door. Many writers’ conference offer editor appointments. Aspiring authors can sign up for a 15-minute session with an editor during which they can pitch their work in progress. If the editor likes the idea, he or she may ask to see a proposal or even the full manuscript. By attending a writers’ conference and taking advantage of this service, you may find brick walls transforming into open doors.

Preparing a Submission
With just a little effort you can unearth hundreds of great articles and books explaining the rudiments of submitting to editors. Rather than belabor an already well-made point, I’ll simply refer you to several of my favorite resources.

• THE WRITER’S GUIDE TO QUERIES, PITCHES & PROPOSALS by Moira Allen, Allworth Press, 2001

• FORMATTING & SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT by Jack & Glenda Neff, Don Prues, Writer’s Digest Books, 2000

• Alive Communications Web site (www.alivecom.com) where you will find sample proposals for fiction and nonfiction books.

Tracking Submissions
Once you begin submitting, you will want to keep record of what information you’ve submitted to various editors. If you are sending submissions frequently, chances are you won’t remember every query, proposal and manuscript that you’ve launched from your mailbox. And you don’t want to make the unprofessional error of sending the same information to the same editor twice.

• Notebook
If you choose to track submissions with the notebook method, you can use a spiral bound notepad or a three ring binder depending on your preference. Either way, designate one page per WIP by writing the working title of your novel at the top. Each time you send out a submission related to that WIP, note the date, the type of submission, and the recipient on that page.

Example:
1-10-05
Sent query
ABC Publishing, Jane Brown
Asked for proposal

Leave some room between entries to make notes about the editor’s response. By spending a few minutes noting your submissions, you will have all the information you need at a glance.

• Index Cards
Similar to the notebook method, using cards and an index file allows you the extra freedom of being able to move cards around in the file box. Track one work in progress on each card. If the card fills up, simply staple another card to it. Perhaps you’ll want a section for active submissions that are on editors’ desks, one for WIPS that have been rejected and need to be sent to another publisher for consideration, and even a “sold” section.

• Spreadsheet
In this technological age, there exists among us those people who greatly prefer electronics to paper and pen. If you are such a person, perhaps you’ll feel more comfortable tracking your submissions on a spreadsheet. The ability to insert columns and rows means you can easily change or add information. Just don’t forget to back up your file on disk so you don’t lose your records in the case of unexpected computer woes.

Now that you know a little more about the submission process, what are you waiting for? Go! Submit, submit, submit!