Getting your book published in 2023 can seem like an unattainable goal. Here three publishing experts – Alexandra Pringle, group editor-in-chief of Bloomsbury whose portfolio of authors includes William Boyd, Esther Freud and Patti Smith; Karolina Sutton, literary agent at Curtis Brown who represents Margaret Atwood and Malala Yousafzai; and Bazaar’s former editor-in-chief, Justine Picardie – offering their wisdom on how to seal the deal and ensure your work rises above the competition.
1. Find the right agent for you
“As a publisher, you rely so much on agents to know your taste and your company. It’s like a dating agency in a way. You are more likely to read submissions from agents that you trust and who have a good reputation.” – Alexandra Pringle
2. Make sure your work is the best it can be
“Remember that it’s not just the editor that’s going to read it. The editor is the engine that drives that machine but we have to share it with production, sales and marketing – people who might not have an editorial intelligence but a reader’s intelligence. Your work needs to be as good as it can possibly be because it has one shot at all those people.” – Alexandra Pringle
3. Write, write, and write some more…
“It’s not enough just to have a great story to tell. You have to hone your craft: write for the sake of writing.” – Justine Picardie
4. Read your work aloud
“It is crucial for picking up repetitions or infelicities.” – Justine Picardie
5. Don’t just send your manuscript to anyone
“Think very carefully about who you are going to send it to. Choose about four or five editors or agents. Anything beyond that feels indiscriminate.” – Karolina Sutton
6. Make sure the first chapter does your book justice
“It’s all about that first chapter. I will read for as long as I can and if I get bored I don’t read any further. There is a myth that an editor reads a full manuscript but we don’t, it’s not possible.” – Karolina Sutton
7. Don’t be put off by rejection
“So many first novels that are hugely successful have previously been turned down. And people can’t believe it was previously turned down – but that’s just because it wasn’t the right publisher for that story.” – Alexandra Pringle
“When you get that rejection letter it just means that that agent or that publisher doesn’t know what to do with it – that’s all it means. They aren’t the right person for your book. You have to keep going.” – Karolina Sutton
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Article derived from Harper’s Bazaar
