Nine Rules to Follow for Agents and Editors

Becoming a successful independent author or writer
requires a lot of work: not only do you have to write, which is hard
enough, but you also have to get your work published. There are many
ways to see your writing in print, all of which are important if you
want to be a successful indie writer. In this article I’m focusing
on getting published by a book publishing company. For tips and resources
on getting published in other formats, you can check out the main Independent
Authors and Book Marketing Page here.

Getting your manuscript or book published by a book
publishing house is not as hard as some make it out to be. Beyond having
a solid idea and well written manuscript, there are nine general rules
that you need to follow for success.

#1: Know Your Competition and Explain How Your Book or Proposal Are
Better

Competition exists for pretty much any idea and every book ever written
or published. It is critical, therefore, that you as an author or writer
understand how and where your book fits into the market. Even if you
are writing fiction or a narrowly targeted biography – it’s unlikely
that there is not some other title that the potential reader may be
comparing to yours. On the other hand if your book truly has no competition,
is this perhaps a sign that there is no market? Likewise, you can’t
just argue that your book is for everyone and ignore the competition.
That is just not the case.

The key is to know your competition and explain to the editor or agent
how your book or idea is unique, better, and worth taking on. Furthermore,
your knowledge of the competition and the place that your book fits
within it can be successfully used to market and promote it once it
is published. Having competition doesn’t mean you don’t
write your book (in many ways it may be an incentive to write a book),
it just means you need to be aware of where your book fits in.

Read the rest of the nine rules to follow when submitting your book or manuscript to agents and editors here.