Credentials

Is the 'Artists and writer's year book' still going? I seem to remember a lot of information on getting published in that. Come to think of it it never did me much good!

Stan has nailed it, JessicaA. The Internet can also provide you with up to date info on the Editors and whether a book publisher is seeking submissions. Sadly it is so expensive to mail anything. Check online and CHECK regularly with NewPages.com, and Places for Writers. Seek publishers who will accept e-mail queries, and send a covering letter and your first chapter to as many publishers you can find. Then be prepared to send your fully completed novel. Some publishers insist on them being the only one to look at your work first. I would ignore them since they may keep it six months to a year (I had one take a year and a half to make a decision)and thus your work is out of circulation all that time. In your covering letter indicate you are submitting to various publishers (simultaneous submission) and give a deadline for a response (1-3 months). Be bold, this is your work and do not listen to any publisher who asks for changes before they make a final decision, unless they sign you to a contract. Now, go for it. Richard LP

I run a small Indie publishing company, so thought I'd stick me beak in :) Oh dear... Some publishers insist on them being the only one to look at your work first. I would ignore them since they may keep it six months to a year. I'm afraid 6 months to a year is quite normal with the Big Guys, although a polite query letter can be sent after 3 months. Indies are often much less than this. I would definitely do some research on smaller, Indie publishers as well And no, I'm not touting for biz. For one thing I don't need to and for another we're closed to submissions at the moment :) In your covering letter indicate you are submitting to various publishers (simultaneous submission) and give a deadline for a response (1-3 months). I strongly advise against this. Any indication to a publisher of 'simultaneous submissions' will almost certainly result in your letter ending up in the bin. And for heavens sake do not demand a deadline for a response! Not unless you like the look of that bin. Another tip: Make sure you check out the publishers website. There's nothing more annoying to a publisher than receiving queries from authors who quite clearly have not checked out the site to see what sort of stuff you publish, what you require in a submission (some want first 3 chapters, some just want an initial query letter) and whether you're open to submissions. And do make the effort to find out the name of the person to whom you are sending the query. All these things make a difference (as does correct spelling grammar etc - this is vital!) Remember most publishers (even small ones) are inundated with queries on a daily basis - your one needs to be as perfect as you can make it. Hope this helps. http://www.ukauthors.com

And here's a great site for checking out scammers and vanity presses --> http://pred-ed.com/ A lot of other useful info too. Stan's advice is pretty good as well :) http://www.ukauthors.com