6 Tips for How to Get a Book Published

Perhaps you’re a new author or literary veteran who still questions the publishing process. These six tips explain the querying process and how to get a book published so your manuscript can get into the right hands (agents, editors, and readers alike).

1. Research Agents’ Interests

Following an agent’s wish list is extremely helpful to the agent and the author. An agent is likely knowledgeable about their requested genres and well-connected with contacts from related houses and imprints.

You may read an agent’s wish list and — with selective vision — determine your YA manuscript ticks half that box, despite your 15-year -old MC who’s navigating their first relationship. Expecting an agent to offer guidance on a genre outside their expertise is like reaching for skim milk and hoping it delivers the rich creaminess of whole milk.

Manuscripts can also be marketed in different ways based on the intended audience. For example, you might emphasize the themes of womanhood and self-discovery when pitching to an agent interested in women’s fiction. Yet that same manuscript could also be pitched as literary fiction if the MC’s journey explores greater themes of gender inequality. If you’re unsure how your manuscript fits into the established genres, consider including a note in your query that explains your uncertainty.

2. Carefully Consider Your Comps

A comp should mention a book that’s found recent success and how your manuscript compares. This may involve a similar angsty tone, an unreliable narrator, or your stream-of-consciousness format. The more specific, the better.

Writing an enemies-to-lover fantasy novel isn’t enough to list A Court of Thorns and Roses as a comp when writing a query letter. Instead, consider providing two comps and the ways they intersect or suggesting a single title and how it has the same selling points with its own unique deviations.

3. Prioritize Standalone Submissions

Everyone loves a twelve-book series that provides weeks of entertainment and a cast of characters with more growth than ivy in north-facing light. However, your 300,000-word manuscript may not be as digestible as you think.

Editors often want to evaluate the first book’s sales performance before committing to a second, third or fourth, so agents may be hesitant to represent debut authors with this ambition. Feel free to attach a disclaimer, such as “with series potential,” to leave that option open while making the manuscript more desirable to publishers.

4. Keep Word Counts Low

Most publishers provide a hard cut-off of 100,000 words and under. While you may find an agent willing to help you parse through the dense sentences filling your pages, submitting the most concise version of your story up front is usually best.

5. Leave Your Editor Behind Once Signed

Plenty of writers use proofreaders, editors, or review partners to refine their stories. However, most agents assume an editor role through representation. Editorial double-dipping can result in mismatched ideas, overlooking your agent’s suggestions and disrupting the agent-author collaborative process.

6. Avoid Submitting Self-Published Books

You know that book you shelved five years ago that gained traction through IngramSpark and is now ready to be dusted off for bookstore shelves? Getting your novel published may not be that simple.

Since these books have already been “launched,” editors often see these gems as a financial risk that may require upfront investment and insufficient return on investment. If you have another WIP, prioritize that instead.