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Writer's Realm
I've created this page for aspiring writers. I’m pretty new
to this industry, but I’ve learned a thing or two in the past few years. I have a lot of people ask me, when they
hear I’m a writer, how to go about getting published, finding an agent, and everything in between. I hope you’ll
find this section of things I’ve learned during my journey as an author helpful! I’ve written a story, and I’m thinking about trying
to get published. How do I go about getting started? Here's
what I'll tell you about publishing: if you're really interested in it, go for it! But, DON'T go for it without doing your
homework first. If you truly want to be published, RESEARCH the industry and learn the ropes and how the industry works.
Don’t expect to find short cuts, and don’t think that the rules don’t apply to you. Give yourself
the best possible chance you can to succeed by learning the right way to query agents, format manuscripts, publishing trends,
acceptable word counts for the genre you’re writing in, etc. It will save you a lot of heartbreak if you truly
want to be published if you learn about submitting before you do it. Agents and publishers alike get THOUSANDS of submissions
every year, so they are basically looking for a reason to say no because there are so many submissions that they have
to weed through them somehow. Don't give them a reason. Make them love you from the start by doing things professionally
and accurately. What about publishing houses and
agents? There are tons of different publishers, but there
are also literary agents, too, and most big publishers (i.e., the big New York houses) require you to have an agent
to accept work. Agents can do a lot for you. Literary agents have connections to editors the author doesn’t,
so your agent can handle selling your book and dealing with the business and financial aspect of your sale so you can work
on your job: the writing! You don’t have to have an agent to get published, but I definitely recommend it, as
agents can open a lot of doors that would normally remain closed.
How do I find
a literary agent? The best place by far to go to research literary
agents is www.agentquery.com. Before submitting to any agent, be sure to research that individual agent, visit her website,
and learn what her submission requirements are. If she says she wants to see a query letter and the first five pages,
don’t send a query letter, a synopsis, and the first three chapters. Give the agents exactly what they want when
it comes to submitting.
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Any other words of advice? Yes! Remember in your search for an agent OR a publisher, the money should always flow
TOWARD the writer. You should never pay to have your writing published OR edited OR read. Scammers in this business,
unfortunately, are common, so protect yourself by doing thorough research before submitting. Preditors and Editors is a great site to check into who’s legit and who might be a little sketchy. Best of luck to you!
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| Colby teaching a writing workshop at Central High School in Macon, GA, in February 2009. |
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