If you're just starting to write a book, you may not have considered if you even want to publish. But, eventually, you'll finish that book, and at that point, you'll ask yourself, "What route do I want to take with publishing?" (If you want to publish because writing for fun is totally valid.)
There are many options with the two most common being traditional publishing and self-publishing. We'll be talking all about publishing next month, but right now, we're talking about querying: the first step toward traditional publishing.
You may have heard the term "query" floating around on the interwebs. A basic summary is simply an email or form you fill out with information about your book to send to literary agents.
The first step in the query process is to have a polished manuscript. That means your book is completely finished, it's been through multiple rounds of revisions (beta readers, critique partners, and possibly an editor), and it's as close to perfect as it can be. While, if you get signed with a publisher, there will likely be more editing involved, publishing is a business. The less money a publisher needs to spend to publish your work, the more likely they are going to be to take a risk on your story.
That being said, agents aren't expecting perfection. (I know, I just said it should be perfect.) That's where the line is. You want your manuscript to be finished from your perspective. There are no typos--to the best of your knowledge, no major plot issues, no lost characters, etc. I always ask myself, "Am I making this better or just different?" It's at that point that I know a manuscript is ready to query.
Once you have your manuscript, you'll create a query letter. The information in a query letter typically falls into three categories:
metadata
blurb
personal info
Metadata is all the general book info. Things like word count, title, genre and age category, etc. If you have comp titles, they would be in this section as well.
Then comes the blurb or summary. This is your book pitch. It often reads like the back cover copy of a physical book. Usually no more than two paragraphs or 250 words.
Lastly comes personal info. This is where you get to talk about yourself, any writing credentials you have, what you like to do in your spare time, etc. It's often quite short, but it gives the agent an idea of who you are as a person.
This is where you'll start researching agents who represent your genre and start sending out those emails. You'll be selective--only reaching out to agents you really want to work with. Once you have the manuscript and query letter, that's really all you need to start querying. Different agents will ask to see different amounts of your manuscript up front (10 pages, 1000 words, etc.). If an agent is interested, they'll ask to see more.
Then comes the waiting. Publishing is very much hurry up and wait.
If the agent offers representation (YAY!!!!), you can send out a few more queries to dream agents, and let any agents who currently have your query know that you've been offered representation.
Next comes the tough work. The agent may suggest some edits before sending submissions to publishers. If so, you'll do those first, and then the agent will send something eerily similar to your query letter to editors. The editors at publishing houses will read the pitch, and decide yea or nay, just as the agents did.
If an editor likes your story and wants to work with it, they have to pitch it to others at the publishing company. This usually means 2-3 other people will read your book, or part of it, and also decide yea or nay. If everyone is in agreement, then you get to talk book deals!
And that's the general query process overview. It's long, intensive, and filled with a lot of rejections, but that's not to say it's not worth it. You can pretty much guarantee that if you get to book-deal stage, everyone involved believes in you and your work. And having a publishing team on your side is so so helpful. Writing can be lonely.
Some things to take with you while you query that every agent will agree with:
Traditional publishing is so subjective. Just because one agent passed, doesn't mean you have a bad story. It simply means they weren't the ones to champion your work--and trust me, you want a team that is as passionate about your story as you are.
As I mentioned above, publishing is a business. If a book gets through queries but not through submissions, it's probably because the market isn't in the right place.
It can take a long time to find your agent. I know authors who sent out hundreds of queries over years until they found the right person. Be tenacious.
Remember you're doing this because you love writing and you love your story. If, at any point, it starts to feel like a chore, it's okay to take a pause on the queries. Publishing should be pursued because of passion, not obligation.
Your book is yours. You worked hard to get it to this place. Don't settle.
Happy writing,
Erin