Hopeful writers have a lot of hoops to leap through before getting their novel published; read here for additional details
Literary agents are extremely important in book publishing, as the media conglomerate that owns Penguin Random House would confirm. So, what does a literary agent do? A literary agent represents the business interests of authors and their written works to publishing firms. Publishers never ever accept unsolicited manuscript entries right from the authors themselves; they just obtain manuscripts from authors that are represented by a literary agent, which is why they are indispensable to this procedure. Many people might question how to get a book agent. The very first thing to do is study a vast array of independent literary agents and literary agencies on the web. Then, narrow-down your search to create a checklist of contact information for literary agents that specialize in your preferred genre. As an example, sending out a crime fiction proposal to an agent who specializes in kids's literary works is not going to get you very far. Lastly, send them your query letter, which is a concise variation of a book proposal that briefly describes who you are, what your story is about, and who its target audience is. As soon as you have sent this letter, it is a waiting game. Hopefully, your proposal captures their attention, and they ask you to e-mail them your manuscript.
Knowing how to get a book published for the first time is hard for aspiring writers, as the media company that owns HarperCollins would certainly recognize. Many newbies would be stunned to find out that there are some sections of the procedure where they have really little involvement. When the author has selected an agent to represent them, the obligation passes to the literary agent for some time. During this process, your agent will create a pitch and send it to a meticulously chosen listing of acquiring publishers and editors at publishing houses. Hopefully, the pitch goes well, and the editors validate that they want to purchase the book. Hereafter, the following phase is for your agent to set up a first meeting with publisher where both parties' negotiate and sign written agreements.
The journey to getting your novel onto the shelfs is a long one. So, how to publish a book traditionally? The very first thing you have to do is to write a full manuscript of your story. Going to an agent with an incomplete proposal is not going to cut it, your manuscript must appear like a total book with a polished beginning, middle and end. Aspiring authors need to treat their manuscript as if it is going to be published instantly, making sure that they do not have any type of errors like plot holes and poor pacing etc. Even if writing the manuscript takes 6 months longer than expected as you needed to re-draft it 500 times, it is a dramatically greater option to sending first draft to representatives. The manuscript does not have to be completely perfect, however it does need to display to literary agents that you have the gift, determination and passion to transform your manuscript into a bestseller. As the hedge fund that owns Waterstones would validate, your manuscript can make or break whether your journey to being a published writer proceeds.