How to Publish a Book
Know whether you should prepare a manuscript or a proposal., Revise your book., Get feedback on your book., Revise your book further if it's necessary., Prepare your manuscript., Decide whether you want to enlist the help of a literary agent or to...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know whether you should prepare a manuscript or a proposal.
Fiction writers should prepare a full-length manuscript, while non-fiction writers will have to write a solid book proposal instead.
Knowing what you need to have written will save you time and will make you look more professional when you send your work out into the world.
Many fiction writers try to publish their books before they have completed a manuscript — to no avail.
If you are a seasoned writer working with a literary agent, then just a few chapters or even a proposal can get you a contract, but for most people starting out in the fiction business, the book should be 100% done before moving forward to the publication stage.
If you're writing non-fiction, then you need to have a completed book proposal first.
If you are writing a fitness book or a cookbook, then you should focus on the proposal.
If you're working on more literary non-fiction, then you should work on more sample chapters or even a completed manuscript, in some cases.
If you have determined that you only need a proposal for the type of nonfiction you are writing, then skip to step 6 and decide whether you want to hire a literary agent or go directly to the publishing house.
If you are writing an academic textbook, then skip to the last section and learn how to publish your book by contacting a publisher directly. , Revising your book can be even trickier than finishing it.
Once you've written a solid draft of your book, whether it's a historical novel or a thriller, you'll need to revise it so it's in the best shape possible before you take it to an agent or publishing house.
Here are some things to do as you revise your book:
Make sure your book is as engaging as possible.
Though not every book is a spy novel or a page turner, make sure your readers are hooked from the beginning, and that they always have a reason to keep turning those pages.
Get rid of any wordiness or excess.
Many agents say that they rarely accept a debut novelist's book if it's over 100,000 words.
Make sure you get your point across.
Whether you're writing a romance novel or science fiction, you should have reached your objective and communicated your message by the end of the book.
Make sure your thoughts are as clear as possible.
Your ideas may be crystal clear to you, but would they confuse your average reader? Of course, your book may be targeted toward a certain audience, but members of that audience (such as college students or nurses) should be able to clearly follow your thoughts. , Once you think you're really done, it's important to get some feedback on your book to know if it's ready for publication.
You may feel that it's absolutely perfect, but there is almost always room for improvement.
It's better to get feedback from a fellow writer or trusted professional than to get rejected by an agent or publisher.
If you ask for feedback too early in the drafting process, you may feel stifled, so make sure your book feels really ready before you ask for help.
Here are some ways to get feedback on your book:
Ask a fellow writer.
A friend who knows how to write will have some insight into what works and what does not work in a book.
Ask a voracious reader.
Someone who reads a lot will be able to tell you if your book was a page turner, or if they were asleep after the first chapter.
Ask someone who knows your subject.
If you're writing non-fiction about something in a field such as business, science, or cooking, ask someone who is an expert in this field to see if you really know your stuff.
Submit your stuff to a writing workshop.
Whether you have an informal writer's workshop with friends in your area or you're attending a writing conference, submitting a chapter of your work to a workshop can give you insight into a variety of perspectives at once.
If you're in an M.A. or M.F.A. program in creative writing, you will have lots of resources for feedback, whether it's your classmates or faculty.
Find a reputable editor and ask for a manuscript evaluation.
This can be very expensive, but asking the right person can help you see if your book is ready.
Remember to take your feedback with a grain of salt.
Not everyone will fall in love with your book, and that's okay.
It's important to get constructive feedback from people you trust, but recognize that you won't benefit from every opinion.
Getting good feedback means knowing who to ask. , Revise your book based on the feedback you received.
You won't regret it.
Take some time to absorb the feedback you received, and then get to work.
Though your revision should take you in the right direction, you should ask for more feedback to make sure you made the draft stronger.
When you've revised your manuscript again, put it away for a few weeks or even a month.
Then take it out and read it with fresh eyes to see if it's in the best possible shape.
Last, copy edit your book.
Once all of the larger points are taken care of, make sure your manuscript is free of grammatical and punctuation errors.
These errors will make your work look unprofessional and will keep your readers from appreciating your hard work. , Once you feel that your manuscript is completely ready, you'll have to format it so it meets the requirements of the agents or publishers you are seeking.
There are a few rules of thumb you can follow, but you should also check the websites of the publishers or the agents' guidelines to ensure that your manuscript meets their standards.
Here are a few things you can do:
Always double-space your manuscript.
Have one-inch margins on the left and right-hand sides of the manuscript.
No fancy fonts.
Times New Roman is the best font to use.
Courier, or the font that looks like a typewriter, used to be more prominent, but TNR will do just fine.
Number your pages.
Number the pages of your manuscript on the top right-hand side, along with your last name and title before the page number.
Ex: "Smith/WHITE SKY/1" Have a cover page.
The cover page should include the following:
Your name, email address, phone number, and address should appear on the left hand side of the page.
The title of your novel should be capitalized and centered on the page, along with your last name.
Example: "WHITE SKY" on one line and "a novel by John Smith" written directly below it.
Your word count should be centered on the bottom of the page.
You can round to the nearest 5,000 words.
You can write, "about 75,000" words. , Though signing with a literary agent is incredibly challenging, contacting a publishing house directly to try to publish your book is even tougher.
The benefit of working directly with a publisher is that you don't have to use (or pay) an agent as a middleman.
The drawback is that the publishing houses trust the agents to screen the submissions, so if you don't have an agent, they will be less likely to consider you.
You can also try literary agents first and go to the publisher if it doesn't work out.
However, if your work is rejected by many literary agents, it's even more likely to be rejected by the publishers. -
Step 2: Revise your book.
-
Step 3: Get feedback on your book.
-
Step 4: Revise your book further if it's necessary.
-
Step 5: Prepare your manuscript.
-
Step 6: Decide whether you want to enlist the help of a literary agent or to go straight to the publisher.
Detailed Guide
Fiction writers should prepare a full-length manuscript, while non-fiction writers will have to write a solid book proposal instead.
Knowing what you need to have written will save you time and will make you look more professional when you send your work out into the world.
Many fiction writers try to publish their books before they have completed a manuscript — to no avail.
If you are a seasoned writer working with a literary agent, then just a few chapters or even a proposal can get you a contract, but for most people starting out in the fiction business, the book should be 100% done before moving forward to the publication stage.
If you're writing non-fiction, then you need to have a completed book proposal first.
If you are writing a fitness book or a cookbook, then you should focus on the proposal.
If you're working on more literary non-fiction, then you should work on more sample chapters or even a completed manuscript, in some cases.
If you have determined that you only need a proposal for the type of nonfiction you are writing, then skip to step 6 and decide whether you want to hire a literary agent or go directly to the publishing house.
If you are writing an academic textbook, then skip to the last section and learn how to publish your book by contacting a publisher directly. , Revising your book can be even trickier than finishing it.
Once you've written a solid draft of your book, whether it's a historical novel or a thriller, you'll need to revise it so it's in the best shape possible before you take it to an agent or publishing house.
Here are some things to do as you revise your book:
Make sure your book is as engaging as possible.
Though not every book is a spy novel or a page turner, make sure your readers are hooked from the beginning, and that they always have a reason to keep turning those pages.
Get rid of any wordiness or excess.
Many agents say that they rarely accept a debut novelist's book if it's over 100,000 words.
Make sure you get your point across.
Whether you're writing a romance novel or science fiction, you should have reached your objective and communicated your message by the end of the book.
Make sure your thoughts are as clear as possible.
Your ideas may be crystal clear to you, but would they confuse your average reader? Of course, your book may be targeted toward a certain audience, but members of that audience (such as college students or nurses) should be able to clearly follow your thoughts. , Once you think you're really done, it's important to get some feedback on your book to know if it's ready for publication.
You may feel that it's absolutely perfect, but there is almost always room for improvement.
It's better to get feedback from a fellow writer or trusted professional than to get rejected by an agent or publisher.
If you ask for feedback too early in the drafting process, you may feel stifled, so make sure your book feels really ready before you ask for help.
Here are some ways to get feedback on your book:
Ask a fellow writer.
A friend who knows how to write will have some insight into what works and what does not work in a book.
Ask a voracious reader.
Someone who reads a lot will be able to tell you if your book was a page turner, or if they were asleep after the first chapter.
Ask someone who knows your subject.
If you're writing non-fiction about something in a field such as business, science, or cooking, ask someone who is an expert in this field to see if you really know your stuff.
Submit your stuff to a writing workshop.
Whether you have an informal writer's workshop with friends in your area or you're attending a writing conference, submitting a chapter of your work to a workshop can give you insight into a variety of perspectives at once.
If you're in an M.A. or M.F.A. program in creative writing, you will have lots of resources for feedback, whether it's your classmates or faculty.
Find a reputable editor and ask for a manuscript evaluation.
This can be very expensive, but asking the right person can help you see if your book is ready.
Remember to take your feedback with a grain of salt.
Not everyone will fall in love with your book, and that's okay.
It's important to get constructive feedback from people you trust, but recognize that you won't benefit from every opinion.
Getting good feedback means knowing who to ask. , Revise your book based on the feedback you received.
You won't regret it.
Take some time to absorb the feedback you received, and then get to work.
Though your revision should take you in the right direction, you should ask for more feedback to make sure you made the draft stronger.
When you've revised your manuscript again, put it away for a few weeks or even a month.
Then take it out and read it with fresh eyes to see if it's in the best possible shape.
Last, copy edit your book.
Once all of the larger points are taken care of, make sure your manuscript is free of grammatical and punctuation errors.
These errors will make your work look unprofessional and will keep your readers from appreciating your hard work. , Once you feel that your manuscript is completely ready, you'll have to format it so it meets the requirements of the agents or publishers you are seeking.
There are a few rules of thumb you can follow, but you should also check the websites of the publishers or the agents' guidelines to ensure that your manuscript meets their standards.
Here are a few things you can do:
Always double-space your manuscript.
Have one-inch margins on the left and right-hand sides of the manuscript.
No fancy fonts.
Times New Roman is the best font to use.
Courier, or the font that looks like a typewriter, used to be more prominent, but TNR will do just fine.
Number your pages.
Number the pages of your manuscript on the top right-hand side, along with your last name and title before the page number.
Ex: "Smith/WHITE SKY/1" Have a cover page.
The cover page should include the following:
Your name, email address, phone number, and address should appear on the left hand side of the page.
The title of your novel should be capitalized and centered on the page, along with your last name.
Example: "WHITE SKY" on one line and "a novel by John Smith" written directly below it.
Your word count should be centered on the bottom of the page.
You can round to the nearest 5,000 words.
You can write, "about 75,000" words. , Though signing with a literary agent is incredibly challenging, contacting a publishing house directly to try to publish your book is even tougher.
The benefit of working directly with a publisher is that you don't have to use (or pay) an agent as a middleman.
The drawback is that the publishing houses trust the agents to screen the submissions, so if you don't have an agent, they will be less likely to consider you.
You can also try literary agents first and go to the publisher if it doesn't work out.
However, if your work is rejected by many literary agents, it's even more likely to be rejected by the publishers.
About the Author
Joan Bishop
Committed to making lifestyle accessible and understandable for everyone.
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