Get Published - How to Get Published

Like some of you out there, I used to ask myself "How can I be a published author?" I had this question at perhaps a poorer time than you, (I asked it before the Internet had truly taken off). And so I did the research. Today, I will pass some of that research on to you, my faithful (sic) readers. Here I will explain the steps to get published in detail that I wish someone had laid out for me when I had started writing.

The "Book" on Writing!  The first thing I want you to do is go out and buy (or find online) the book on writing.  This book doesn't talk about the writing craft (though it has some great advice throughout), it doesn't tell you how to build a plot, and it doesn't mean that you will get published just because you read it.

The book that I am talking about is pictured to the right.  The Writer's Market.  Make sure you buy the most recent copy, and I'll tell you why in a 'bit.

This is the first step. This is before you do your writing, before you send anything to anyone, and before you can (most importantly) make any money with your writing. If you have followed my advice, you will have bought the Writer's Market for the current (or next) year. You can buy the 'standard' or the 'enhanced' version (the enhanced version is useful for the updates alone), but you need to buy one. If you are reading this, and have followed my first step, then you probably have an idea of what you want to write, whether that is short stories, creative non-fiction, novels, poetry, etc. So your first step is to read the first few chapters of this book (it will include definitions of phrases, and other 'general' information you will want to know about the writing world.

Then move on to your particular section of the book. Read the publisher's guidelines for the different genres that you are interested in thoroughly. This is going to tell you some of the primary (and secondary, tertiary, etc.) publishers for your market. You should mark up this book, make notes, use post-it flags, and more. Mark the publishers that you are interested in, because you will be doing some more research soon.

You will notice that most publishers will have writer's guidelines available on their website, or for an SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope). You may be thinking to yourself, "But I bought this book! It TELLS me the Writer's Guidelines!" Well, it is kind of the cliff notes of guidelines for this publisher, and even though you bought the current year's Writer's Market, a lot can change in a year! The publisher may be out of business by now, or they may have had a change in editor (who inevitably changes the writer's submission guidelines for a publication). "Then WHY did I buy this stupid book?!?" Well, I will let you know some specifics in a few short paragraphs, but would you really have heard of this publisher if not for the book you now hold in your hand?

Ok, my tangent is finished! Next, you will request the Writer's Guidelines for the specific publishers that you are interested in. If they are available on the web, you can get them in minutes. If you request them by email or 'snail mail' it could take weeks to months to get them! Sorry folks, but it is a necessary step in 'the publishing process'.

(Time passes)

So you have gotten your writer's guidelines for a few of the publishers you are interested in. Read them, study them, and memorize them. They will help you in writing your magnum opus, and help you to get it published. This may be backwards for most people, but I usually write my initial manuscript for one publisher (my favorite), then modify it as needed for others. Some purists may suggest that you write it how you want to write it, and then format your manuscript to each individual publisher you are interested in. These Writer's Guidelines are exactly how this publisher wants you to format your manuscripts, what they want you to send, (sometimes) the rights they purchase, and where to send it. You can usually also find an editor's name, and other useful information. If you are lucky, you can find a copy of their publication online or in the SASE you sent. Read as many copies of their publication so you can get a 'feel' for their publication. This will let you know if your style of writing and topic is even of an interest to this publisher. Warning! If you do not follow a Publisher's submission guidelines, you will often have wasted your time and postage in submitting it. Readers are trained to discard or automatically reject submissions that do not follow their specific standards.  Even an amazing, astounding, masterpiece that could be a Best Seller will get tossed out with the trash if you don't submit it correctly!

At HubPages, you hear this a lot, and the same holds true for getting your writing published. You need to have an area (or for fiction, a genre) of expertise. If you are writing, and getting published, you will be far more credible to your readers if you have multiple publishing credits on the same subject, or in the same genre. Of course, first time writers can and DO get published, but it is far more difficult for a first time writer to get published.

Do NOT let that discourage you, though. If you follow some of these steps, and if your writing is solid, you will get published if you put the work in. This is in no way a get rich quick scheme, and it does take talent and hard work.  You may have to submit your article, poem, or manuscript to dozens of publishers before it gets published.  Sticking to it will only pay off.  If you are lucky (and submitting to smaller publishers/publications), you may even get feedback on your manuscript.  You may need a thick skin for this part of the process, but take what they say to heart.  If they have taken enough time out of their schedules to comment, it is worth hearing!

What it comes down to is: Write about what you love, write about what you know, or write about what you want to know more about!

It is time to put pen to paper (or more likely finger to keyboard) and start writing! Remember those Publisher's Guidelines! This is my favorite part of the process, and the least exacting of the process. You need to be good to succeed. You are competing against hundreds, sometimes thousands of other submissions. Polish your craft using online article sites like HubPages, and let the community there share with you how you can improve your writing!

After checking that your manuscript meets a specific publisher's Writing Guidelines (see a trend here?) they will glance through your writing for spelling and grammar errors. You may ask yourself, "Isn't that what an editor is for?" Well, technically speaking, yes. But they are not going to edit your writing for grammar and spelling. They are going to edit your work to make it the best fit (sometimes literally) for their publication. They will not bother with a work or a writer who does not bother with spell check, proof reading, and a hefty dose of editing. Have a friend edit your writing! It is sometimes very difficult to edit your own writing, especially if you are heavily invested into it. What you believe to be perfect is often riddled with simple typos that can be fixed by having a separate pair of eyes going over it.

Put it in a drawer and come back a few days, then edit it again. A little space will help separate you from your work. Then read it carefully, word-for-word, and try to find any errors yourself. Then find your local English Major friend, and have them go over it with a fine toothed comb. Do not let them tell you "this is awesome!" without telling you some ways you can fix it, first.

Only then will you be ready to submit your Magnum Opus to a Publisher.

First Rights: (typically dependent on the publisher's country): You are selling first time publication rights.  If they want your work in an anthology or publish it again in a different medium (ie the internet), they will typically need to negotiate those new rights with the author.

One Time Rights: This is for when you submit something to a publisher that has been published previously, and you still hold the rights to.  It is non-exclusive in the fact that you can then get it published again (typically after it has been published - make sure you let your publisher know if something has been published previously).

Electronic Rights: CD Rom, Internet, etc., etc., etc.  This is pretty much a catch-all for electronic based medium.

Full Rights: The work you have written is no longer your own.  This is normally what publishers buy, especially from new writers.

If you find that no one 'has been smart enough' to purchase your work, and you know that it is something that the public needs to read, there is always self-publishing.  This can be as simple as printing it on your own printer, or the far more economical 'print-on-demand' method of publishing, where you submit it to a self-publishing company (ironic, I know) and they print and bind it when people order it.  You typically split the revenue per sale, and probably have to pay up front to have this service.