What to do after NaNoWriMo

How to Get Published

People always ask me, how do you get published? There’s really only one way. Your concept has to excite a publisher more than the hundreds of others they get each week. Write an enticing query letter — a one page description of your project that includes a hook or tagline and bio, plus a bit about who will read it (there’s a sample in the appendix). Publishers of fiction expect your manuscript to be completed, while nonfiction publishers are willing to buy manuscripts based on a book proposal — a ten page summary of your book concept, audience, reasons you’re qualified to write it, marketing platform, and so forth. Prepare your query and also your fiction manuscript or nonfiction proposal. Just as there are many excellent guides to writing, there are excellent books on writing queries and proposals. Then you’re ready to start querying.

There are a few ways to do this:

• In person: Attend writing conferences in your field like the SCBWI conference for kids’ books, World Fantasy Convention for genre fiction, or Book Expo America for all types of books. Describe your project briefly to publishers and ask if they’re interested. A “pitch session” for which they’re specifically expecting pitches is better than harassing them when they’re in a hurry. (Writer’s Digest Magazine sponsors a few each year, or you can search for “Pitch…