G E T T I N G . P U B L I S H E D

The best sources of information on agents and publishers are The Writer’s and Artist’s Yearbook (red cover) and The Writer’s Handbook (yellow cover). Both of these come out annually around September.

However, things move quite fast in publishing. It is always worth phoning to check that an editor is still working at a particular publishing house before you send your work to them.

The best way to choose which publisher to submit to is to have a think about the kind of book you’ve written, then see which publishers have done that kind of thing before. (It may seem obvious. But there is no point submitting a science fiction novel to a publisher with no science fiction list. Conversely, if a publisher has just done a two volume life of Stalin, they are unlikely to want to do another one for quite a while.) Also, have a look at the publishers whose books you have on your shelves.

Persistence is really the only virtue. However, you will not do yourself any favours by bombarding a particular editor, who may in the past have given you some encouragement, with submission after submission. If you wouldn’t be happy to have your name on the front of the book you’ve just written, were it to be published the following day, then you shouldn’t send it off.

Your chances of being published will be far greater if you have an agent doing your submissions for you. They will be able to get an editor excited about the prospect of your work.

It is better not to be published than to be published unenthusiastically. This is a very tough thing to accept. But you only get one chance at a first chance. And if that's messed up for you by someone else, everything becomes a great deal harder.

Never pay money to get your work in print.

Good luck.