How to Get Your Book Published

Are you a new writer? Do you sometimes sit and wonder how that document saved on your desktop could ever make it in front of the right people’s eyes? You are not alone. Navigating through the publishing process as a new and aspiring writer can be confusing especially if you do not have the right information and guidance. However, with proper research and the right book marketing ideas, your book will soon make it to the shelves of your local or even international bookshops. 

Here are four tips on how you can get your book published.

1. Determine Your Writing Genre

Many aspiring writers assume that the writing genre is simply letting your story idea determine the genre type you should write on. While this approach can suffice, it is always important to go beyond your idea when selecting a genre from the ones the industry has already created. 

Remember, each genre, will take your story or idea in a completely different direction and that means that if you make a mistake when choosing the genre, it can ruin your great story completely. Before you do anything, identify the objective of your story and see which genre will be the best fit. 

2. Make Sure Your First Chapter Is Impeccable

That first chapter can make or break your entire book. This is the chapter that introduces you and your story to the world. Readers, book agents, and publishers alike will read it for as long as they can and when they get bored, chances are, they will not read any further.

Start your book with a great opening paragraph that will give an impressive first impression of your book. Stick to solid but simple paragraphs that pique the readers’ interests and grab their attention. 

Avoid wasting a lot of time at the commencement of your writing trying to come up with the magic intro. Instead, focus on completing the story, and then later, you can spend as much time as you need to work on the perfect opener.  

3. Find the Appropriate Publisher for Your Work

Primarily, there are three major ways to get your book published. You can work with a traditional publisher who pays you, the author, for the rights to publish the book. You can also hire a publishing company to help you get your book out there and the final option is where you choose to self-publish and sell your work online through sites like Amazon or other major retailers. 

If you have ruled out the option of self-publishing and you are interested in working with companies who will help you publish your book, the next step is to find the right publisher for your book. 

This process can be overwhelming for new writers because there are thousands of publishers out there and each has its own operating rules and business model. One approach that is easy, time-saving, and proven to be successful is getting an agent.  

An agent who has good working relationships with editors can get your submission to the top of the pile and can help you get an offer very quickly. However, if you chose to find a publisher for yourself then be sure to look online for recommendations or you can try print resources that give adequate information about publishers.  

4. Don’t Give Up After Rejection

So many books that are best sellers today were at one time turned down by a publisher. As a writer you will face rejection in your line of work but remember, that rejection letter should not stop you from writing, you must keep going.