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Old 01.24.2017, 04:38 AM   #27
NickSoulsby
little trouble girl
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 42
NickSoulsby kicks all y'all's assesNickSoulsby kicks all y'all's assesNickSoulsby kicks all y'all's assesNickSoulsby kicks all y'all's assesNickSoulsby kicks all y'all's assesNickSoulsby kicks all y'all's assesNickSoulsby kicks all y'all's assesNickSoulsby kicks all y'all's assesNickSoulsby kicks all y'all's assesNickSoulsby kicks all y'all's assesNickSoulsby kicks all y'all's asses
Morning Severian, as a first step, get a copy of the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook - it's really helpful in terms of process. So, first thing: publishers do not read manuscripts from writers - it takes a lot of time, it costs them money. They've more or less outsourced that work to agents. Agents will take a 15% cut (which given how tiny book advances are unless you're a celebrity is a pittance) and they're the people who speak to the editors at publishers - finding one with the right focus makes a real difference. The agent will employ freelance readers who will advise them if your proposal is worth a shot - the proposal is the key; it has to be exactly as they ask on their website or they'll usually turn it down because it means they can't trust someone to respect the relationship.

As part of a proposal, one section is the 'biography' where you, briefly, describe why you're the person to write this book, what it is about you that gives you the credibility - so, yeah, a background in journalism helps for sure. And don't be shy about making the most of your experience (not lying but don't hide either.) In my case, I have a normal day job, I work a full day, I write in the evenings - this whole Thurston book was done between spring of 2015 and summer of 2016 entirely at night. Showing a record of writing (self-publishing, etc.) can help; showing that you have an expertise and an audience in a field (in my case, the Nirvana-Legacy blog); social media presence (i.e., FB, Twitter, etc. with a fair follower number, etc.) coming to them with a solid and exciting proposal; being able to show them you have most of the work done so it's a fairly safe bet... It helps.
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