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I want to submit a novel, but...

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Jason1979

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My name is Jason Gilbert, and I have been writing for years, but I can't seem to find a straight answer on how to submit a book for publication. I have no agent, and no idea where to start. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I am halfway through already, but I need to start looking at avenues to submit the book for publication. Where do I start?
 

DeadlyAccurate

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Here's a thread on queries and agent resources.
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13531

If you're writing fiction, you'll probably want to try agents first. For one, there are more agents than publishers, and if you query publishers first, the agents can't then query on your behalf. This board is filled with resources on how to format your manuscript, how to avoid scam agents and publishers, and much, much more.
 
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Charlie Horse

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Aside from that thread, there's an abundance of resources on the web and in your library. Do your homework and get thoroughly immersed in learning how to go about getting your book published. Don't be surprised if it ends up being just as much or even more work that it was writing your novel.

Not to sound like Fox Mulder, but "the truth is out there."
 

icerose

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My name is Jason Gilbert, and I have been writing for years, but I can't seem to find a straight answer on how to submit a book for publication. I have no agent, and no idea where to start. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I am halfway through already, but I need to start looking at avenues to submit the book for publication. Where do I start?

You came to the right place.

If you haven't edited or had anyone else read it, now's a good time to do that.

Agentquery.com is a good place to find agents but be sure to cross check them against preditors and editors list at anotherrealm.com. There are scam artists.

Check out the stickied manuscript formatting thread and start digging in. I strongly suggest "Learn writing with Uncle Jim" thread. It has a lot of good information and covers every basic you could think of.

Good luck and welcome.
 

underthecity

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I am halfway through already, but I need to start looking at avenues to submit the book for publication. Where do I start?

I would suggest you start by finishing the book first. Don't stress out about where you're going to submit it. You're a loooooooong way away from that.

Stick around AW, ask questions, keep working on your book, revise it, revise it more, and keep revising it. THEN start looking for an agent or publisher.

Not before.

allen
 

maestrowork

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My name is Jason Gilbert, and I have been writing for years, but I can't seem to find a straight answer on how to submit a book for publication. I have no agent, and no idea where to start. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I am halfway through already, but I need to start looking at avenues to submit the book for publication. Where do I start?

Writers Market.
 

Phaeal

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:welcome: Jason.

I agree with Will and underthecity. The time to start thinking about marketing is after you've produced a marketable book.

A marketable book is one that you've finished and edited to the best of your abilities. You've then had another writer or writers look at at least the first couple of chapters, preferably the whole book. That's what the Share Your Work forum is for, also the forum dedicated to finding beta readers. There's no use sending a raw work to agents -- it will just disappoint them and you.

While you're writing, you can certainly look into the publishing process. There are lots of books to help you with this, and lots of Internet resources. Start here and branch out. But don't forget! You need the marketable work first, so learning to produce it is your first job.
 

Shweta

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:welcome: Jason!
I'm gonna move this to the basic writing questions forum, which is also where you'll probably find excellent responses to several questions you have (even if you didn't know you had them! That's how it worked for me.)

Hope you have a great time here!
Shweta
 

Christine N.

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Finish it, realize the first draft is total crap (I'm not picking on you, all first drafts are total crap) then dive back in and make it a publishable work.

THEN worry about the rest. No one will talk to you anyway until the book is done. Before you even do any of the submitting, make sure you have a polished query letter and two synopses - long and short.
 
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James81

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Go pick up a copy of "Writer's Market".

If you are wanting to submit stuff, you are going to pleased as a peach in a pile of cranberries to have this book.

It costs around $40, though, but it's so worth the money.
 

Jason1979

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I'm following your advice and trying to finish the story, but there is another catch. It uses a LOT of characters and places that I will have to get permission for. Is that something that will be handled when I submit, or do I need to be trying to get that now?
 

Jason1979

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Incidentally, I'm about 46,000 words in. Is that fairly good for a novel?
 

Jersey Chick

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If it's a novel, it shouldn't have "real" people in it per se. If it does have real people (regular people, not historical figures) if there's a way to fictionalize them, that might not be a bad idea. As for places - what do you mean? Cities? Or things such as well-known fast food places? Those you might want to change, depending on how you're using them. I don't know the intricacies of that, so maybe someone else can offer up better advice.

As to word count, that depends on your genre. Different ones have different word counts.
 

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Alas, 46,000 words doesn't even qualify as a short novel. I'd maybe aim for 80,000 to 90,000 words.

What makes you think you'll need permission to use places and characters? Can you give a couple of examples?

-Derek
 

scope

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You really should have addressed the permissions issue before you began to write in earnest -- once you knew what permissions you would need (or if you didn't know at the start, as you came across them). Now, assuming these permissions are crucial to your work, you may have a sticky wicket. What do you do if you can't get some or all of them? Let us say you get 50% of the permissions you need. Can you eliminate and replace the non-permissions in your work? Will the lack of permissions dramatically effect your work? My suggestion would be to immediately go after all the permissions you need.

If you are writing for adults (fiction) and 46,000 words represents one-half of your work you are okay. If it's the count for the entire work (for adults) I think it's way low for a novel.
 

jst5150

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I disagree with most about the right time to find marketing. It's part of the whole process and can actually help shape your manuscript. After all, ifyou want to get paid, you have to write to what the markets want. Basic supply and demand equation.

There's a wealth of material on AW re: publishing, getting published and more. I'd recommed taking a few days to search and read. Then come back and refine your questions.

On the permissions issue, that's what lawyers are for. ;)
 

Jason1979

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The word count is a little less than the half-way point. As for the permission I'll do some more research and see if I can at least refine my questions a bit. Thanks:)
 

IceCreamEmpress

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The word count is a little less than the half-way point.

You're running a tiny bit long there for some genres, right on target for others. So I wouldn't worry about it until you finish; then you can prune where needed.

As for the permission I'll do some more research and see if I can at least refine my questions a bit. Thanks:)

As far as US practice goes, here are some guidelines:

- You can use the names of public figures as long as you don't say anything potentially defamatory about them (your character can be a volunteer on the Kucinich campaign and have conversations with him, but if your plot hinges around your character discovering that Kucinich is a frontman for the Albanian mafia, better rethink).

- You can have dead public figures as main characters in your book, but you should be cautious about saying anything potentially defamatory about them, especially if they've died in the past hundred years. Caleb Carr uses Theodore Roosevelt, for instance, as a main character in The Alienist; Roosevelt is depicted as flawed, but he's also depicted as brave and intelligent, and the Roosevelt family apparently loved the book. Using living public figures as main characters is pretty much out of the question, especially for a first-time novelist.

- People who are not public figures shouldn't be depicted identifiably in your book. Full stop. I have been around the barn on this with the lawyers from a Big New York Publishing House, and it's pretty clear. It's not worth taking a chance on.

- You can use the names of real-life public places and commercial establishments, and of businesses and products for sale, with total impunity as long as you don't say anything potentially defamatory about them. If your book is about someone who wins a trip to Disneyland from a Coke bottle cap, that's great; if your book is about someone who is poisoned by a bad Coke sold by unscrupulous Disneyland merchants, better rethink.
 

Jason1979

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So I checked out Book Surge, a self publication bit online just to see how it works, though I know better than to self publish. It sounds great and all, much like if you want to put something on there like novellas and such. However, it only costs $799! Yikes and no thanks.
 

Pink Ink

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I heard an agent once say that 50k is a good number to shoot for because an editor could always ask for you to expand, and it's harder to cut. I write short, so that was a relief for me to hear, though I know other people have the talent to write long, and I am in awe of that. So you're safe as far as length, sounds like.

I think it's fine to check out agent information; sometimes their web sites have suggestions on how to make a manuscript marketable. However, try not to get caught up with all that, because it is very DISTRACTING to say the least. I agree, finish and edit to the very best so you avoid what I did which is to scramble last minute with edits when an agent wanted to see my full ms.

Attend writers' conferences: they're a great way to learn from other writers and also a great way to meet agents. When you are ready to submit your query (when you have a polished ms), it helps to refer to a previous personal meeting. Good luck!
 
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