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- 1). Complete a manuscript for publication.
- 2). Join a writer's critique group. Writers exchange their expert advice on sharpening manuscripts and offer ideas about character development, composition, plot advancement and more.
- 3). Edit your manuscript and consider sending it to a trusted professional editing service. When working on a project for several weeks or even months it can be easy to overlook mistakes.
- 4). Find an agent who specializes in your genre of literature. Research their other clients and works that have been published. Select an agent who has experience working with writing styles similar to yours.
- 5). Query the agent with a letter requesting representation. Capture the agent's attention with a clever introduction about your manuscript. Briefly describe your completed work and why you think they would be interested in shopping your material to publishers. Close the query with a short biography of your writing experience. The entire query should fit on one page.
You may have to query several agents until your work is represented but don't get discouraged. When you receive a rejection letter, use any advice from that agent to improve upon your next query. - 6). Send a query letter to editors who publish work similar to your own if you don't want agent representation. If you decide to simultaneously submit queries to agents and publishers, please inform both parties, so they don't waste time and energy working on a project that might already be spoken for.
There are several publishers who accept unsolicited manuscripts. Make sure you follow their writer's guidelines. Some publishers will not accept simultaneous submissions so make sure you understand this before mailing out your manuscript to several editors. It typically takes three to several months for editors to respond to queries. - 7). Accept a contract with a publisher who agrees to publish your work. Make sure you understand what role they will play in the entire process as well as what is expected from you in terms of marketing your work.
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