CHAPTER SUBMISSION: The Countdown to Publishing Your Book

Essential Steps to finding an agent or publisher

By Sarah Bullen 

"I wasn't going to give up until every single publisher turned me down,  but I often feared that would happen." JK Rowling

As a literary agent with 17 years working with authors I read a lot of manuscripts, and I get a lot of query letters. It always amazes me the huge effort and investment it takes to simply write a full length book. When I get a MS in my inbox I know this is a minimum of a year of somebody’s life in my hands. More often it is actually a decade of work that has gone into the dreaming and then the writing of just one book. 

Sadly, very often I wish the author had known some more of the basics of how the publishing industry worked before they invested so much time in a manuscript. 

It really helps to understand exactly how books are sold, exactly what your genre is, who your reader is, and what is required to get the book over its final few thresholds and into a printed product. If an author knows these things, we can see it immediately. Even the query letter will spark attention. It will make me open more, perhaps the book synopsis. 

Now if that is slick and interesting, I will look at the first three chapters. 

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These are the steps any agent or publisher will take. So that means as an author you have to work these documents very hard and carefully to make sure they land well. 

But let’s take a step back and look at what you (as the author) needs to get in place in order to actually press SEND. 

And yes, sending off a manuscript is terrifying. It is adrenalin inducing, heart-stopping stuff for any writer. 

So many writers bail or fail at this critical point. They send their book off to three publishers and get one rejection letter. Then they put that MS in a bottom drawer and don’t send it again. 

This is not called submitting a book. Submitting a book is a long process that requires work and persistence. Give yourself a year. 

Remember, this is ultimately a sales game. Few writers send their proposal to one publisher and magically get picked up by the first one. Yes, it can and does occasionally happen. If you are crystal clear on your genre, have a knockout proposal, know the current publishing climate, your book is highly contemporary /  timeless/ a great story or you have a big platform and author brand, then maybe the first publisher you approach will sign you up. But in my experience that is HIGHLY unlikely.

As an agent it can take me up to a year to get a book publishing deal for an author. It is a combination of so many elements that come together to make a publisher say YES. To be honest, most of it is luck, contacts, good timing and simply having a good book to show them. 

The truth is that this 'being an author' is a long game, and along the journey you have to keep the momentum up, process any rejection letters, implement any feedback, get back to it, and keep going. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat.

And remember that selling a book is a process of securing a deal in which a publisher agrees to print your book, carry the printing, distribution and marketing costs and share some of the profit with you. You can do it, or an agent can. 

Here are my top tips to give yourself the best chance.

Step 1: Consider a beta reader or professional appraisal

I highly recommend writers have a full manuscript critique before thinking ‘I am ready, this is my final draft’. Don’t waste years trying to sell and promote a book that simply really isn’t ready for publication. In fact many books I get feel more like a first draft.  You may need to fix or improve it one last time.  

A beta reader is a peer who will read your book and give you an honest report. It is important this person does not know you, and you find them through a group or a reference. A friend will just flatter you. 

A far better bet is to get a professional editor to do assess it.  A manuscript appraisal is a commercial assessment that gives you a fresh, objective outsider's perspective done by a qualified editor  The overall aim of this high-level assessment is to improve your MS and give you real ways to make it better and more publishable.   During the process they will make significant notes and suggest changes. At the end of the process you will get a full written report.  The report will be as assessment of the manuscript, but also make suggestions and changes.  

Some editors will also make detailed edit notes on your manuscript, or comments, for you to work with. 

The bonus is that you can also use the comments as ‘endorsements’ on your pitch documents or as a cover shout or logline (if they are flattering).

Step 2: You need killer back cover copy

Writing these tight pieces can be even tougher than writing your entire manuscript. Or it certainly feels that way. The reason is that it is often done after the fact, when you just want the book over and done. But there’s no escape – to send off your book you MUST write these things. A good blurb most often sells your book. This is also a piece of writing that will work hard. Most often you will send this in the body of an email to a publisher as your query letter and put it into your book proposal or synopsis. The back-cover copy functions as the primary advert for your book and will form the basis of your AI - Advance Information Sheet – the document publishers will send out to the bookstores and to media.

 Once your book is on sale, the back cover blurb is the thing after your title and front cover image that readers look at when deciding whether to make a purchase.

This blurb needs to sell your book and make it sound exciting and engaging.It will be one or two tight paragraphs that should identify the essence of your story.

In a non-fiction this should be a short statement of what the book is about. Aim for 250-500 words maximum. Make a clear statement of what the book is about and why it is important. 

In a novel this tight piece of writing needs to be SO crafted and SO clever.   It captures your main idea or question, your main character, the conflict they’re going to face and the stakes if they lose.  

It also needs to make your book seem dramatic and desperately exciting (far more than it possibly really is).

I have a great formula for novels that you are welcome to use that is at the end of this chapter. 

Step 3: Get a cracking author blurb

An author blurb is another key element of all pitches that you need to work, and rework. It will form part of your book proposal/synopsis - the final document you are going to send to publishers if you want to present your book idea to them. 

Writing a good one that sums up your personality, qualifications, and book in a few succinct words is so unbelievably useful for so many reasons. Nobody writes these but you!

• It will end up on the cover or inside cover of your book. 

• It will be used in all marketing communications for publicity for your book.

• You can use it on your blog / website / CV.

• You can submit it to Wikipedia / LinkedIn as your page profile

• You will use it on your Amazon / GoodReads author page

General Format to use: 

• Sentence 1: Include your name and surname along with two tight adjectives - this is your core identity or qualities. Write in 3rd person. 

• Sentence 2 - 4: How have you lived this story. Give a short list as to what is going to support this story.

• Sentence 5: What is this going to reveal in the book?

Example 1 - Non Fiction (Inspirational) 

Resilience from the Heart, by Gregg Braden

Scientist Gregg Braden realized early in his career that neither science nor spirituality could provide a complete picture of how to live the best life. He has travelled the world for over 30 years visiting some of the most pristine, undisturbed and remote places around the globe in an effort to glean the wisdom of our ancestors so he could combine it with cutting-edge science. The result of what he learned is found in this book. Resilience from the Heart is written with you in mind. Within these pages, you’ll find everything you need to embrace the biggest challenges in life and do so in a healthy way.

Example Memoir (Celebrity) 

Extreme, by Sharon Osborne

Sharon Osborne was born in London in 1952. She is married to rock legend Ozzy Osbourne and has three children. 

Step 4:  Craft a logline 

More tight writing. Oh yes. This piece of writing is even shorter, tighter and presents the highest-level concept. It is one sentence and this sentence utilises puns or clever wording to intrigue the reader. It should make them want to read the book or learn more. It often teases the reader or poses a question to them.

It's the line you will rest on when someone corners you next time with the dreaded question – ‘what’s your book about?’Some people claim that log lines should be less than twenty-five words long. I don’t think publishers and agents sit there counting the number of words in your log line, I think they want to understand the core story.  Imagine your book in a catalogue of many, this is the one line you have to tell readers what it is.  

In a novel the logline captures your main idea or question/your main character/the conflict they’re going to face/the stakes if they lose.  We’re talking short and high-level concept.

Do not use names. Include the book title. 

There is no formula. Just make your best effort for now.

EXAMPLES:  NON-FICTION

Fall Out: A Memoir of Friends made and Friends unmade by Jane Street-Porter. Friends. Everyone needs them. Especially when relations between you and your family are less than perfect. 

Find Your Extraordinary by Jessica Herrin shows that you don't need to have it all to live an extraordinary life - you need to have what matters most to you.

EXAMPLE:  NOVELS

The Firm  by John Grisham When a Harvard Law School grad joins a prestigious firm, he ignores the warning of his wife, who fears the lucrative deal may be too good to be true.

Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

A boy wizard begins training and must battle for his life with the Dark Lord who murdered his parents.

Step 5: Reference bigger names 

Another element that makes a huge difference in your pitch is putting in some key markers about what style the book is written in. Pop this right up front in the query letter. 

Yes, I see you have written a New Adult novel, but give me something to link it to. Here I like to see some big literary names in the genre that I (or anyone else) would know. 

Use at least two to really locate your book style in the mind of the agent. You can reference a movie or show as well, but make sure you to segment yourself with an author too.  I would actually include this as a full sentence in the query letter or just after your logline. 

e.g. This is a John Grisham-style legal thriller set in the world of crypto currency with the darker style of Ozark.

This book is a sassy tell-all memoir like Air Babylon or Confessions of an Expat in Paris set in the world of polo pony breeding.

Step 6: Hone your search

It is critical to only send your book to a publisher or agent who works in your genre. Sounds simple? Not so. This is going to take work, and lots of it. 

If you send your book on ‘101 Uses for an Airfryer’ to a publisher who publishes Young Adult Fiction it is an instant fail. 

Here you need to be specific and focussed. Get to the nitty gritty, not just CRIME, but do they particularly  like your kinda crime story (and I mean here your subgenre - a forensic detective story vs female sleuth vs amateur detective)? 

Take a trip back to the bookshop. Find your genre, look in your own bookshelf browse The Writers Marketplace or Amazon.com to research publishing houses that fall on your dream publishing list. Make sure you also browse the internet to research all the publishing houses that might be a good fit. 

Note down the relevant publisher’s name. Choose most of your hit list as publishers based in your home country, and select at least four that are international.

Choose most of your hit list as publishers based in your home country, and select at least four that are international. Is your book in English? Then look at all the English speaking countries as a first stop. UK, Ireland, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa. 

Join online writing groups to network, connect and get ideas. Check Twitter for some hot new agents looking for new authors. Chat to any authors you know for leads and ideas. Follow relevant publishers on social media to stay up to date with their submission windows and publishing guidelines.Then refine your search to the particular commissioning editor who handles your specific genre.

Step 7:  Pull it together in a sizzling Author Query Letter 

You have done all the work - written your logline, back cover blurb and author bio,  and crafted your book proposal. You have written it again and again until it is darn near perfect. It sings. You have your entire pitch deck ready.

Now what?  How does this all come together? 

You are going to send all these documents off to a publisher in a simple query letter, which is basically a well-crafted email. 

It is the very first thing (and often the only thing) an agent or publisher is going to see. In the old days this used to be posted as a typed single sheet of paper. But now we email query letters or submit them online.

Ideally, when the agent or publisher opens the email, they will see the main idea of your book in a few lines. 

The query letter should make them want to open the other documents attached to your email ... which is your knockout book proposal and first few chapters. 

You will write one of these and then paste it into each letter you send to a publisher or agent. Tailor each one with their name, and a personalization. 

You will also copy and paste this into online submission platforms such as ‘Submittable’. 

Part One – Get your genre clear State the title and genre in the subject line and again in the body of the email. 

Part Two – About your book Go straight in and give them your best blurb. Grab the one from your book proposal. It should be around two to three short paragraphs. If you can't get it down ... work on it. The agent will decide if they want more of your book based on this basic summary, so do make sure you send your very best version. 

Part Three – About you This is a short background that cues them into who you are. This is shorter than the full one in your proposal so get it down to around 2-3 sentences. Set yourself up as qualified to write this book. What is it that you do – are you a life coach, surgeon, pro-athlete, dog lover, property broker? For a memoir, you need to highlight important things about yourself and your life.

Part Four – Close it up Phew! Almost done! Sign off. And that’s all there is to it. 

Step 8:  You have to hit send

This is where the rubber hits the road.  So many writers stumble at this unavoidable key step. The dreaded submission process. This is NOT the time to be shy or hold back.Do you believe in this book? Did you invest your time in it?Now change gear from a writer into a sales person and get this book SOLD!

You are going to send at least TWENTY query letters on your first shot. 

Yes that's right. At least 20. This is not a loyalty game - you are trying to find one that actually reads the MS so you need to be bold. Think of it like Tinder. You have to swipe right a lot to make a match.

Any sales person will tell you that sales is a numbers game. The more people you contact the better chance you have of a sale. 

You have got to send your book out to as many publishers and agents as possible. And then you need to keep sending it out. Now this is not as easy as it seems. 

You are selling your book so start working the numbers! 

There are some key beats you cannot miss when you hit send.

Be flexible. Some publishers will ask you to submit online and will allow only specific word counts for each section. Take your best versions and fit it into their formats.

• Check their requirements first. Some don’t want your first three chapters. Some want 10,000 words. Check if they want Word documents or PDFs. Many use Submittable or an online form that has a fixed word count. 

• Check if they have a naming protocol and follow it. Name your documents in a logical and consistent way. Usually, this is BOOK TITLE_synopsis and BOOK TITLE_Chapters

  
  

Have all your documents properly formatted (read their requirements on font size and spacing) and add a footer on all documents that has this information: BOOK TITLE + AUTHOR NAME + DATE + PAGE NUMBER

No matter how many books you have written, this is always the moment you have your heart right up there in your throat. JK Rowling must have felt this again when she submitted her crime novel The Cuckoo's Calling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Jo also sent her novel out to an estimated dozen publishers.

Kate Mills, publishing director of Orion was one of the publishers who rejected it."When the book came in, I thought it was perfectly good," she was quoted widely as saying. "It was certainly well written – but it didn’t stand out." Ouch.That series is now a bestselling one, and a tv series.  

Step 9: Be annoyingly persistent 

Allocate a year to keep sending. Gasp! So long? 

I need to be persistent as an agent. It can take me a year to sell a book. You need to be equally so as a writer. I have recently spent close to 12 months following up a single manuscript sent to a publisher who commissioned it. 

But the commissioning agent was 'very busy' and just didn't get to it. No reply. Then she went on holiday. Then maternity leave. For every email I sent to follow up, only about one out of five were returned. I am the agent in this transaction so it is my job to keep going. But let me tell you that if I was the book's writer I would have taken it very personally, and given up or just thought they had dropped me. In fact it turns out that the publishing company does want the book, they just moved that particular imprint out a year and we got lost in the day to day of running a big imprint. 

So don't give up. If the book is 'in play', you need to keep playing. You will know it is no longer in play when they tell you. It will be something like this.. "Thank you for your submission but we will not be publishing your book / Thank you but this book is not for us, best of luck." 

That's a no. Now move onto the next mailshot of 20. Anything else is a maybe.

Author and motivational speaker Jack Canfield talks about how he approached 144 publishers with his little book Chicken Soup for the Soul. After 14 months he and co-author Mark Victor Hanson almost gave up. Finally the 145th decided to take a chance on them – and has become a billion dollar empire that is now a household name and has sold 500 million books. Imagine if they gave up after the first, 10th or 144th?

Step 10: Keep the Faith

Writing any book takes a huge commitment of your time, faith and yourself. Of course it is wonderful to find an agent and they do all this for you, but agents are rare and you may have to submit yourself. I also know that It is very hard to promote yourself and if you do feel you cannot find the courage - then find a friend who can do it for you. But the best submissions come from the writers themselves. Always remember that publishers are in the business of looking for exciting new books. If you want to be successful, and a published author you need to have three things. You need a completed book, you need buckets of courage and you need some luck. 

It was not brilliant writing that made EL James’ 50 Shades of Gray a massive hit. It was the decision to self-publish digitally and then through The Writers Coffee Shop that first got it out there. And then reader reviews and EL James’ strong online presence (along with book blogs) took it global.  There is no single way to get a book into the world. Explore all your options. 

You have done the work, send it out and leave some of it to fate. 

What makes a book successful? 

It is not as complicated as it seems. We look for a few things. 

• An author with commitment, and a good idea.

• A polished, professional and completed book

• A well-crafted book proposal or synopsis

• A manuscript as close to perfect as you can make it.

• A great cover and title

• A publisher and a publishing deal

• The best possible editor

• Being published at the right time

• Strong reviews

• Luck

Novel Back Cover Blurb Cheat Sheet

​ 1. Introduce your main character  

I like to see a razor-sharp three-word-descriptor. Hollywood homicide detective Petra Connor  (Johnathan Kellerman, Twisted)Beautiful and brilliant Polish agent Liliana Pilecki (Tom Clancy) 2. What starts the adventure?This inciting incident needs to set up your entire story and it is the critical kick-start to your book. Reveal the inciting incident here in an incredibly exciting way that weaves in the character journey. When he receives a worrying phone call from his ex-wife (James Patterson)A body is discovered in an empty Atlanta warehouse. (Karin Slaughter)

3. Hint at the plot of the book

We need to know what is going to happen. This is a balance between revealing too much and not revealing enough. In a way the entire blurb is hinting at the plot (whereas your synopsis is fully revealing the entire plot).

Rory's only choice is to find the killer himself. He risks his job, his pride and his reputation to pursue the truth. (James Patterson)

They begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. (Stieg Larsson) 

4. Tag only the other most important character (and keep the others nameless)

We want the reader to meet the biggest other player – but max 2. Keep to the three-word rule here with a tight description. Anyone else gets a common noun e.g. ‘mentor’

When Langdon’s mentor – a prominent mason and philanthropist – is kidnapped … (Dan Brown)

(Connie) sails with her husband and son and the enigmatic boat dealer

Bosch is partnered with fiery rookie detective Lucia Soto (Michael Connelly)

A notorious Washington power broker (John Grisham)

5. Locate the reader in the story world and setting 

This is where you drop some hard-working facts into your book. Make sure your readers know in which what era or location your book is set. This may be as specific as listing a city or year, or more general.

Set in Malaya 1941 (Kate Furnivall)

Secretive clan (Stieg Larsson)

6.Throw in some genre-specific words

Cold case murder investigation (Ian Rankin)

A powerful spell (Jeanine Frost)As the body count rises (David Baldacci) An ancient world of hidden wisdom….  shadowy mythic world (Dan Brown) 

7. Crank up the drama Use big words. Make this seem like the biggest deal in the world. Nobody wants to read an average story. Yawn. Ballard knows it is always darkest before dawn. But what she doesn't know - yet - is how deep her investigation will take her into the dark heart of her city, the police department and her own past... (Michael Connelly)And standing up for the truth means putting your life on the line . . .(John Grisham)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Please note the below submission to The Countdown to Publishing Your Book is copyrighted to Sarah Bullen The Writing Room and cannot be used without permission or replicated without clear consent. At all times the author must be credited.