McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

Publishing Advice

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Richelle Mead:
tagnizkur asked about this over in another thread, so I figured I'd address it over here in the Author Craft section.

Note, of course, that this is just my opinion; everyone has a different take on getting published!  The first thing is to write the book and get it in the absolute best shape you can.  Agents and editors are flooded with books all the time, and if something's been turned out quickly and not honed, they'll pass on it very quickly.

When you're ready to submit, I heartily recommend an agent--especially for fiction.  Some people balk at the 15% agents get, but they often get you better deals than you'd get on your own--so it works out.  Plus, a lot of editors won't even look at unagented works, so you'll get more attention that way.  As far as actually getting an agent, do your research.  There are books and books on how to query.  Forums like Absolute Write and Backspace are also good resources. Most importantly, research the agents you're submitting to.  Make sure they represent what you write, and follow their submission guidelines exactly.

A key thing to remember is that this a business where you have to jump through many tedious hoops.  A lot of "old school" authors--Terry Brooks comes to mind--have stories about lucky breaks and how they knew someone who knew someone.  That is not the case nowadays.  I have a dozen other author friends with 1-2 books out like me, and we all came up through the slush pile.  The system really does work, but a lot of people are too impatient to go through it.  But you've got to.  Send your queries.  Be diligent.  Brace yourself for rejection.  Above all, keep doing it, and while you're submitting that first book, start writing another.

Good luck!

tagnizkur:
what would you consider the hottest genre right now...  my book is fantasy - urban fantasy as well.  I was told by a friend who edits that this book could easily be broken into two if i could just get all of my ideas written down in whole.  The overall story indeed does have a way to be broken apart quite easily...

Josh:
Asking what the "hottest" genre is, or the biggest publishing trend of the moment is kind of a futile chase. Sure, it's good to know what's selling, but the fact is you should just keep writing what you like to write. If you try to write to trends, first off you aren't going to be as original as you could be, and second, you are likely not going to reap any benefits of said trends. Publishing cycles and genre popularity all dip and swell, sometimes without any logic to them, so trying to squeeze a fantasy book into Harry Potter hysteria (aside from not wanting to get squelched by Rowling sales competition) isn't the best way to focus your career path. Just write what you love, and if it's good, usually it will find its place.

That being said, I'm seeing a lot of paranormal romance being "hot" right now. But maybe by the time I tried to write one, it'll be ghostly tragedies spanning multigenerational family epics. Meh.

tagnizkur:
Yeah, I hear you.  More question was more of a general one though.  When I do write its always about what im into...  LOL.. I have never been a follower.. ask any teacher...  friend or my wife.. they will all say the same thing. "he is who he is...."

RMatthewWare:
As to hottest genres right now.  I see a lot of paranormal/spec fic romance as well.  Young adult, with any genre (spec fic or otherwise) seems to be really hot.

According to Miss Snark, however, what is hot now is what they were selling two years ago.  When you talk to an agent, they're trying to get you sold for a 2009 book release.  So, yes, pay attention to what's selling, but don't be afraid to write what's on your mind.  It it's hot now, it might not be hot when your book is done.

As to publishing.  My WIP is finished, now I'm going to do my research on how to write a query letter.  This is something I kept on the back burner.  I knew it needed doing, but why bother with the query letter if you haven't written the book.  Seems like you're getting things out of order.  I googled 'query letter' and just bookmarked the first ten results so I can review them later.  I'm sure I'll get a lot of good results.

Once the query letter is written, I'll hit the agents.  Miss Snark says to query widely, or in other words, send your query letter to anyone who could possibly sell it.  If you have written a young adult vampire romance set on a spaceship, you should query young adult agents, fantasy agents, romance agents, and scifi agents.  The wider your audience, the more likely you are to sell.  The worst you could do is waste the 41 cents for postage (wretched postal increase  >:(!!!)

If all the agents reject you, you can either search again, submit on your own, rewrite your story, or work on the next story.  I read that Jim Butcher wrote his Codex Alera books before Dresden Files.  He had to sell Dresden Files, though, to get the Codex Alera books out.  That happens.

Matt

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