Getting Published

A successful nonfiction book proposal addresses market demand and cements the writer’s authority throughout the entire document.

Memoirists have a lot of leeway in choosing a pitching strategy. But with freedom comes great responsibility, and it's easier to get into trouble when there isn't a tried-and-true formula to follow.

University presses are not just for scholars, and many are far more open-minded than you may think.

To achieve writing success—especially commercial success—requires an inner drive that pushes you forward no matter what feedback you receive.

This is an introductory guide to the major self-publishing options available to authors today, and how to choose the right service for you.

During peer review, expert scholars evaluate your proposal. Their suggestions can improve your book if you synthesize them thoughtfully.

Freelance writing—even for little or no pay—offers a low-stakes way to gain publication credit, hone your skills, and raise your visibility.

When you’ve finished your story, it’s time to step into a stewardship role to place it in the best position to connect with readers.

Identifying comparable titles helps agents and publishers understand where your book fits in the market and who your most likely readers are.

What keeps many writers from a book deal isn’t a polished manuscript or proposal. It’s a sense of the publishing landscape as it really is.

Hybrid publishing is like hiring a contractor: You pay them to oversee the design and construction and, when it’s done, you own the result.

For one unagented author, landing a publisher was a result of preparation, transparency, and a well-developed network.

When big publishers rejected a book due to marketing concerns, one author forewent an advance to work with an indie that saw potential.

Perseverance isn’t just about finding the right agent or publisher—it’s also about refining your work into the best version of itself.

If you have a book idea or manuscript, one of your first questions is probably: How do I find a publisher? Here are the most popular, essential resources.

Despite the pandemic, getting that proposal off your desk allows you to shift your energy to platform—a bigger deal than most authors realize.

Librarians and teachers are clamoring for more history nonfiction for younger students. Author Tim Grove offers tips on writing to this unique segment.

This post explains four critical types of book editing, why you need an editor, how to choose one, and what your editor can and cannot do.

Learn how to craft a strong novel synopsis, while avoiding the most common mistakes, including the dreaded "synopsis speak."

Small presses are their own ecosystem. To understand the landscape, study the review sites, awards, and distributors catering specifically to that market.

Unless you’re a celebrity, your expertise in a field may not be enough to interest publishers. A partner can increase your book’s credibility and reach.

You can't control rejections, but you can control your next steps. Staying organized and focused helps isolate and minimize the impact of any one rejection.

The query letter has one purpose, and one purpose only: to seduce the agent or editor into reading or requesting your work. The query letter is so much of a sales piece that it's quite possible to write one without having written a word of the manuscript. All it requires is a firm grasp of your story premise.

While it's not wrong to open in these ways—and a great writer can make even the most pedestrian series of events read as fascinating—consider if you can find a more advantageous way to begin.

Readers come to a memoir in hopes it will shed light on their own life experiences. Stay on the right track by focusing on what makes your story unique and engaging.

Writer Nancy Jorgenson tells her story of surprise success in landing just the right publisher for her book—one she had never heard of.

Writing an essay that wins a contest is not an easy task, but it’s not impossible either. Tammy Delatorre explains the writing and revision process that has led to multiple contest wins.

Good literary agents keep fighting for books they believe in. But how do agents decide which authors to rep? In this guest Q&A, literary agents Linda Camacho and Jennifer March Soloway describe their ideal projects and offer strategic advice for authors.

The commonly accepted strategy in literary journal submissions—"study the publications you submit to"—can discourage emerging writers. Here's an alternative.

When novelists struggle to pitch their work, it may have more to do with the book itself than the query letter. Editor and book coach Susan DeFreitas discusses three reasons why a promising work never lands a traditional deal.

When I finished my biography, I studied how to get it published. Websites advised: platform, platform, platform. But I had no relevant background. Now what?

Although the world of submissions can be complex and expensive, balancing your submission budget doesn't have to be. Here are some tips to help you minimize expenditures and maximize profit.

Today's guest post is by Jenn Scheck-Kahn, founder of Journal of the Month. Literary magazines, also called literary journals or

If you’re pitching a nonfiction book, at some point, an editor or agent will expect you to describe the readership that your book is intended for.

As the publishing industry has transformed in the digital age, small press activity has proliferated. Here's how authors can evaluate their offerings.

In many ways, it’s never been harder to get a traditional book deal. At the same time, there have never been more ways to establish a career as an author.

If people judge books by their covers, then typesetting is the difference between a brief or a lasting impression. The cover may grab a reader’s eye, but what the reader sees when they crack open the book is what will hold their attention.

A step-by-step guide to finding literary agents, plus how to select the right agent for you and your work.

What's the overriding reason for an author to find an agent and a traditional publishing deal? Is it possible that the reasons may be flawed?

At its core, a query letter is a sales document, and so it’s meant to sell. But opinions differ on the best possible sales approach in a query.

Any author can successfully launch their book through crowdfunding if they are willing to put in the effort. However, it may not be the right path for everyone.

If you're pitching your book to agents or editors, the perfect title for your book will define your subject and grab their positive attention. It should be a label they can confidently share with colleagues in editorial board meetings and use to convince the powers-that-be to release money to acquire your book.

Sometimes guidelines for writers discourage perfectly private, internal envy, anger, indignation, etc., directed toward other writers, or toward agents (or publishers) rejecting work. But that hardly seems realistic, nor is it fair to ask humans to stop being human.

Pitching agents at a writers conference can be a difficult task for the new writer. Here's how to make it a little easier on yourself.

Are you getting the most from professional feedback, or are you inadvertently sabotaging your progress? Look for these patterns in your response.

If you want to publish your book, here are the steps you should follow to assess your work's potential, then research and pitch editors and agents.

In my many years of critiquing queries, I see the same weaknesses again and again. Here are the biggest issues that afflict novel queries and how you can fix them.

When submitting your short form literature to a magazine or journal, your cover letter is often the first impression an editor sees. It serves as an introduction to your thoughtfully crafted art. As such, it is significant, but it shouldn’t be intimidating or even take much of your time to write.

Everyone has a meaningful story to tell, but not everyone’s story (or writing) is going to deserve a commercial publishing deal. Here are the most common problems I encounter in memoir pitches and manuscripts.

Writing a nonfiction book proposal—a good one—requires not only sharp clarity about your idea, but also how that idea, in book form, is relevant and unique in today’s market. You’ll have a much easier time writing your proposal if you take time to conduct market research beforehand.