Great Information on Publishing from Writer's Market Editor

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Editor FAQs

By Robert Lee Brewer

The publishing world is filled with so many nooks and crannies that even the most experienced writers have common questions about various topics, such as co-authoring, self-publishing, ghostwriting and more. I know, because writers tend to ask me the same questions whether I’m speaking at a bookstore or a writer’s conference, or fielding questions through WritersMarket.com. Here are some of those most frequently asked questions with my most frequently given answers. 

What’s the trick to getting published?

There really is no trick to getting published. There’s no tried-and-true gimmick that will build your career for you. Making it as a writer requires a lot of hard work, discipline and perseverance.

The first step is always to work on the craft of writing. You can improve your craft by participating in writer’s groups, attending writer’s conferences, taking online courses, or going to workshops at local universities. Instructional books on technique (many can be found online at www.WritersDigest.com) can provide exercises, spark ideas, and give advice on plotting, characterization and more. 

Once your work is at a publishable level, you should sit down with a pad of paper and outline what your long-term goals are. Then, identify some short-term goals you think will get you there.

It’s hard to get somewhere without knowing where you’re going, so don’t discount this step in the process of becoming a successful writer. Sure, you can change directions if you see a better destination along the way, but it’s important that you always have a goal in mind. Your goals will help direct which skills you need to focus on the most and will play an important role in how your writing is crafted. 

How does co-authoring work?

In a situation where you wish to co-author a book or article, I suggest defining the roles of each author upfront to avoid ambiguity, hurt feelings, or disputes during the writing process and later on during the submission process. Make sure each author agrees on the goals, responsibilities, rights, compensation and deadlines for the project. Communication throughout the process is key.

When contacting a publisher or agent, it’s best to elect one main contact person to avoid confusion. This person should be good at communicating with the publisher or agent and the other co-author or authors.  

What about ghostwriting?

Ghostwriting is the process where you take another person’s ideas and write an article or book for them, either under their name or ‘‘as told to.’’ Authoritative experts with no writing experience use this process, as well as celebrities with stories to tell.

Ghostwriting is not a glamorous job, since you usually don’t get credit or recognition, but it does pay the bills for many hard-working and organized writers. As with co-authoring, be sure to get goals, rights, payment, responsibilities, deadlines and other details ironed out before starting any project.

Whether you are looking for a ghostwriter or you wish to become one, the following Web sites can help: www.freelancewriting.com; www.craigslist.org; www.writers-editors.com.

On these Web sites, you can look for job openings or post one.

Should I hire an editor or book doctor?

Some writers hire professional editors to strengthen their manuscripts before submitting to publishers or agents. These editors can check for content, flow, do line-by-line edits, offer general critiques, and more (or less—on a case-by-case basis). However, it is often hard to evaluate how good an editor is until you’ve already invested a good deal of time and money into the process. A much more affordable and possibly more effective solution is to join a writing group in your area or attend a writing workshop that addresses your type of writing. Writer’s conferences also offer critiques by professional writers, editors and agents. If these options are not available, then you could try hiring a graduate student from a local college.

You can hunt down possible editors online at the following Web sites: www.writerseditors.com; www.freelancewriting.com; www.absolutewrite.com. Also, check out classified ads in the back of the Writer’s Digest magazine.

When do I need an agent?

First, you only need an agent if you are writing a book or a screenplay. Second, nonfiction writers need a completed book proposal together before hunting down an agent, and fiction writers need a completed manuscript. Third, agents are most helpful for selling to the larger book publishers, so if you’re writing a book that will only appeal to academics or a very small audience, using an agent will not make as much sense.

A good agent will place your work with a publisher; negotiate the best package of subsidiary rights, advance money, and royalty terms possible; help you develop your career as a writer for the short-and long-term; and many also provide guidance in the development of writing projects and promotional opportunities.

For more information on agents, check out 2009 Guide to Literary Agents, edited by Chuck Sambuchino (Writer’s Digest Books). In addition to listing more than 800 agents, this resource is filled with articles explaining how to find and work with an appropriate agent.

Is self-publishing a better option for writers?

Self-publishing is definitely tied up in the whole equation of determining your goals as a writer. Many writers envision publishing a book that will be sold in bookstores, and possibly as a bestseller. If that’s your goal, then self-publishing should only be used as a last resort.

Unless you’re writing for a very specialized audience or trying to publish a book of poetry, then I suggest trying to get an agent first. If that doesn’t work out, try submitting directly to book publishers. If that doesn’t work, maybe you need to revise your query letter or manuEditor FAQs 95 script and try again. This is especially true if you keep hearing the same comments and suggestions from agents and editors.

If you’ve exhausted all these options and you still think you can reach an audience, then self-publishing could be an option for you. However, make sure you research all your self publishing options to save time, money and headaches. Self-publishing is a very rough road for any writer and often turns into a full-time job with a very low rate of success.

How do I handle a pseudonym?

Many writers working under a pseudonym wonder if they have to deceive their publishers and live a double life. The best policy is to bring your pseudonym up at the beginning of your communication with an agent or editor. In your initial query or cover letter, use your real name, but explain in one sentence somewhere in that letter (and not in the first paragraph) that you write under a pen name. That way payment can be made to your real name, helping you avoid any possible taxation or banking snafus. Also, to avoid confusion, use your pseudonym on the actual manuscript.

Should I copyright my work before submitting?

For all practical and legal purposes, your work is protected by copyright once you put it on paper (or save it electronically). While registering your copyright will add an extra level of protection for your writing against possible manuscript thieves, it is not necessary and can often label you as an amateur. Most cases of plagiarism occur after a work has been published and is under the protection of copyright. Do not write that your work is copyrighted or include a copyright symbol on your manuscript or in your query or cover letter; this will generally get your submission rejected before it is even read.

Use the average word lengths below to help you decide what kind of manuscript you’ve written. As the formats for the delivery of content evolve, so do the rules (for example, the recent explosion of blogging). Always check the specific guidelines of a market listing before submitting. The word lengths below are not rigid guidelines—just the norms.

If you’re writing fiction, then:

• Up to 1,000 words: short-story, flash fiction or vignette
• 1,000-6,000 words: short story
• 6,000-15,000 words: long story or novelette
• 15,000-45,000:  novella
• 45,000-120,000 words: novel (though most commonly 50,000-80,000 words)
• Anything more than 120,000 words will probably need to be broken up into a series of books or condensed.

If you’re writing nonfiction, then:

• less than 1,000 words: filler, sidebar or review
• 1,000-6,000 words: feature article
• 20,000-200,000 words: book length (though most commonly 50,000-100,000 words)

Nonfiction lengths can vary dramatically, depending on art and design elements(whether advertisements or sidebars) that run with the text.

 

How do I know a publisher won’t steal my work?

As in life, there are no guarantees in publishing. However, it is rare to hear an actual first person account of an editor or agent stealing someone else’s work before it is published.Most people who relay these tall tales of publishing will say ‘‘a friend of a friend’’ had her work stolen by an editor. While there may be a case or two where this has happened, you probably have better odds of winning the lottery than having your work stolen. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is open to interpretation.

 

Writer’s Market strives to list only reputable publishers and viable markets within its pages. From including screening questions in our questionnaires to scanning online writer groups and responding to writer complaints, we work to maintain the highest quality directory available to writers trying to get published and paid for their writing.