Thus far, you have finished your first literary masterpiece and sent it out to almost every possible publisher and agent which may be interested in signing unpublished writers. Ideally, since many months have passed, you ought to be getting some sort of feedback. Or perhaps, in a perfect world, a contract to publish your work could come and help make all of your dreams become a reality!
Unfortunately, for many of us unpublished writers, although we most likely do get feedback, we don’t usually receive contracts to publish our works. As a matter of fact, according to Writer’s Digest, less than 5% of the estimated total amount of manuscript submissions are published at all. Of that 5%, only 15% accepted are for debut books.
I understand that these statistics can be extremely discouraging. However, do not give up! These things don’t have to be that hard.
Typically, despite popular belief, many publishing houses and literary agencies like to find new authors. The problem that you find is that when you are looking at traditional publishing companies, the sheer volume of submissions is a stumbling block to any new author.
Many companies will not accept manuscripts from unpublished authors; many companies will not accept unsolicited manuscripts; and, several others refuse to accept manuscripts that are submitted by authors that are not represented by literary agents. Reading through the various requirements of the publishing companies can be both frustrating and very time consuming. That is why it is good to find a publishing company that is truly interested in publishing good writing, regardless of where it is coming from.
Make sure that your writing is grammatically correct. Make sure that it flows well and will be marketable. The last thing that you want is to submit a manuscript to someone that is just going to look at it as a mess.
To all unpublished writers, visit http://firsttimeauthors.org to get a FREE writing e-book. Life for unpublished authors does not have to be so hard.
Related Blogs
- What is a good free writing software download? | Download House
- 3 Great Ways to Start your Writing Career | Your FREE Portal
- #oneaday, Day 53: Freewriting #3, or What The Hell Is Going On In My Head? « I’m Not Doctor Who
- FREE historical fiction writing contest « Ask Wendy – The Query Queen
- Response to Query From Literary Agent – Kristin Nelson – Can I post your Rejection Letter – I loved it! « The Idea Girl Says Word Press
- Why Twitter is a Great Resource for Writers « The Graceful Doe's Blog
- Some “Agency” Math « Red Sofa Literary
- How to get your literary masterpiece included in The Poetry Bomb
- Mafia to Mormon: My Conversion Story
- Industrial Strength Friendship | Meditations
- How to get your literary masterpiece included in The Poetry Bomb | VX50.com
- I Love people screaming at the top of their lungs » Literary Air Guitar
- Ego, a writer’s engine « Jack SpyWriter King | Author of Suspense
- GirlChild Press accepting manuscript submissions « Ask Wendy – The Query Queen
- When the truth is graphic « vishwajyoti ghosh's thought balloon…
- Author! Author! » Blog Archive » The mysteriously mysterious strictures of standard format, part XIX: the end of the line this time, really. Unless anyone has any more questions?
- Do You Need An Agent For Your Book Project? | Publishing Your Book
- khandor’s sports blog » Blog Archive » Contrary to popular belief, Toronto is an urban hot spot
- Contrary to popular belief, we can still ride the tandem! « SpringfieldCyclist.com – Tracy Wilkins’ Cycling Weblog
- Amazing Animals Close Up theCHIVE
Posted under marketing
This post was written by Jessica Murphy on March 13, 2010
