# Questions from a would-be writer - is this a good ideea?



## Anonymous Writer (Feb 18, 2011)

Hi!

I am an unpublished writer and I am ready to submit my first work.
I have read many tutorials on the net about how to properly write, submit your work to an agent and get published and about what follows afterwards.Yet, the information I could gather was diverse and contradictory.
This is the reason I made this post, so I can get advice from real people, prefferably people wich had books published and have a good experience about writing, agents and publishing.
Starting from those tutorials, I want to follow some advice and get the process started.One of those advices is to submit your work to as many publishers and agents you can.And what I intent to do is to submit my work to as many agents as I can - but is this a good ideea, based on your experience in the field?
I am from Romania and here the means to promote myself are scarce and what I can do so far is exclusively submit by e-mail.I know it is not the traditional way and that is usually frowned upon, but I have found a few agents that accept e-mail submissions.
I need your opinion, what is good and what is wrong in what I am going to do?Any other advices?What should I look for?
Without bragging and false modesty I can say that my work is quite good and that is has potential - especially inspirational potential for others - wich is why I am afraid for my work not to be stolen in the process (an agent can refuse my work and send to someone else my ideeas, right?).Also I do realise that my work is not yet perfect and that will need a lot of polishing together with the editor chosed by the publisher that will decide to publish my work.
My main genres are fantasy and science fiction and I have found a few agents so far for those genres.
I have not done anything so far regarding this matter, as I thought best to ask professionals before doing anything.
Here it is what I thought I should do and what follows next, based on the tutorials I have read : 
 - I finish my work (not perfect, but in a presentable state) - what exactly is a presentable state?
 - I find myself an agent - one source states I should have many agents as agents are unreliable persons and most of the time won't do their job properly so you have to switch from one to another in other to finally get your book published - is that true? won't the agents be mad at the writer for having more than one agent? especially for a beginner writer? (I am pretty sure J.K. Rowlings can have asa many as she wishes)
 - after I find a suitable list of agents, then I start submitting - some say that I should submit just a synopsis with only the main ideeas (won't be this too few and unconvincing for the agent?), while others say that I should submit the whole work (with some tips about how to make that work more appealing - page placement, fonts and so on) - but this won't allow a charlatan posing as an agent to steal my work, while at the same time refusing my book? In many of those tutorials I was made aware about charlatan agents that will do a lot of bad things to you.
 - if I have to submit just a synopsis, what is exactly a synopsis and how much developed it should be - can you post a few books and their synopsies so I can guide myself as to what should I include and what should I not include in my synopsis? Because otherwise, my synopsis would get either very long, either very short and out of spectrum.
 - another advice is to get as many agents rolling for me and accept the best offer - but I should take care that the best offer currently might not be the best in the long term - in other words, offers that look worse in the present might look better for the long term, due to the contractual terms involved.
 - supposing at least one agent finds a publisher for my book, what happens next?
    - do I have to be present physically there (travel from my country) and make a presentation so the publisher can know me in person? Because this might pose a problem for me as I canot afford to travel due to the high expense involved (I am quite broke now and jobless for the past 4 months).
    - do I need an advocate present in order to sign the contract?
    - am I selling my work to the publisher or just giving the right to be published, being able to give that right afterwards to as many publishers as I want - I give again the example of J.K Rowlings - she had her books published by many publishers, and I could not understand how is that possible without reatining the rights over her works (without selling them to the publishers in other words).
    - what else is a publisher expecting from me aside from my work? Also language might pose a problem - as you can see I am pretty cursive in writting in english, but the situation does not stay the same when I have to also speak english, as I wrote much more english than I talked.
    - should I worry about how should I present my work to the publisher or the agent will do all the job of submission for me?
 - considering the publishers is satisfied with my work and wants to publish it, what follows next?
     - I have learned that it takes between one and two years for a work to be published (considering you are done with the editing and corrections in time), but that you can get money from your work as soon as your work is accepted, in the form of an advance against royalties, wich also, can be paid in full or not.From your experience, what should I expect?
     - considering my book is mediocre but still publishable, what kind of advance should I expect? Considering my work good, what kind of advance should I expect? For me this matters a lot right now, maybe more than the reccurent royalties that will follow afterwards.
   The first book I want to publish is around 200-250 pages (depending on the font and page placement) and no, I do not intend to publish it on a pay per word basis.The book's genre is fantasy.

   In conclusion, my work is good - I have read a lot and I have the ability to compare my work to other similar works in a realistic manner - altough I do know that the readers will be the final judges of my work and that even a work with potential might be underappreciated, just like Jule Verne's works were at their time.I do not expect wonders - I am just fighting to recover from bankrupcy and I see this as my last chance.I was planning on publishing anyway, only now I have rushed the process a little for some of my books so I can get them published faster than initially planned.
   Therefore, I humbly request your aid and the best advices you can give (prefferably tried and true, from your own personal experience).
   Thank you in advance!

   Best regards!


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## strangedaze (Feb 18, 2011)

Anonymous Writer said:


> Hi!
> 
> - I finish my work (not perfect, but in a presentable state) - what exactly is a presentable state? *yes. do this. except don't make it presentable, make it perfect.*
> - I find myself an agent - one source states I should have many agents as agents are unreliable persons and most of the time won't do their job properly so you have to switch from one to another in other to finally get your book published - is that true? won't the agents be mad at the writer for having more than one agent? especially for a beginner writer? (I am pretty sure J.K. Rowlings can have asa many as she wishes) *i dont know where you got this advice. generally writers have one agent. sometimes they have more. you'll be lucky to find one willing to represent your work, so let's just leave it at that.*
> ...



I'm not going to lie. These questions rubbed me the wrong way. Your concerns, though oftentimes valid, suggest that you haven't done any kind of research whatsoever about the publishing industry. If you had, you'd know that advances are generally low, as are profits, and that getting the JK Rowling treatment is the equivalent of winning the lottery.

Anyway, I'll try to be more polite in the future.


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## Shirley S. Bracken (Feb 18, 2011)

I can see you like to write... phew!  I know nothing about publishing so others will have to wade through all of that with you.  Can't wait to see your second post.


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## Anonymous Writer (Feb 18, 2011)

Do not worry, I did not take your answers as being rude, actually your answers cleared many of my question's dilemmas.
Some let me in doubts : 
 - if I do everything, then what's the job of an editor? as far as I understood, the job of an editor is to closely work with a writer and get the book to perfection...
 - as for agents, I wasn't expecting to get more than one, I was just saying that I will send to as many as possible and hope that one will pick it up - but what if two or three will pick it up? I was curious about the implications of that unlikely case...
 - as for a reputable agent stealing my work - I know he won't do such a thing, but since I plan on sending to so many, I do expect to be at least one or two charlatans among them - thanks for the info on the other sites, I will check them out
 - also, you are saying that my book is very short, but on another forum they are stating that is too long and that it might not be published for a beginner like me - my book has around 100000 words, but they say it should be in the 50000 words range for a first book to be published - this is all very confusing to me

The rest of your answers were very clear and to the point - I learned a lot from you.Thank you!

Best regards!


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## KrisMunro (Feb 19, 2011)

Publishers are less interested in editing these days. They like your work to be as 'print ready' as possible in an effort to reduce the time/money they have to spend on it. Work count is where this cost/time/money saving concept comes into the fray. And word counts vary depending on genre. For fantasy books, some publishers will accept first time writers to have up to 120k, but with other genres, it may be acceptable to have as little as 50k. For each case, you're best off adhering to individual publisher's guidelines, as they are the ones who will accept/decline your work based on profitability. You will find that you have to choose your publishers based on, not only your genre and audience, but also your word count. Some authors even write two different versions of their work (a long and a short one), and submit them to the relevant publishers.

Much like with advertising, some publishers expect the author to do much of the legwork with editing. Some provide full assistance, while others only direct you to an outsourced editor that you must pay for. At the end of the day, most new writers will be happy to get published, regardless of whether the publisher takes care of these details. If you asked me to pay a few thousand dollars with the result being my book being published by a reputable publisher, I'd happily pay (as opposed to not being published). 

The sad story is that it doesn't really matter whether your writing is good, or even excellent. Publishers follow market trends. If you're writing a story that has public appeal, you are more likely to get published than if you write the perfectly worded novel about (eg) the secret life of tree bark. If you are truly a good writer, you may get away with self-publishing initially. If you can show a captive audience (and thus earning potential), a publishing house can be more inclined to take you on. But keep in mind that they don't often like the idea of your work already being out there; especially if it's in a digital format where it's easy to copy/share.

The advance you get is geared towards the earning potential of your book, which is estimated by the publishing house. The average is somewhere between 10k and 30k depending on genre and the publisher you are working with. Most writers I've heard from direct you to refuse any offer that doesn't include an advance, which I mostly agree with. The advance serves to pay you something for your efforts, but also as encouragement for the publisher to make sales from your book (by organising promotions/ads/book signings/etc).

I may have my details a little off here, but from my understanding, it's generally better to have one agent rather than many. Publishers don't like to get the same book submitted several times, and agents will not habitually collaborate in their efforts. They are after a profit which is derived from your book being published, which means it's counter productive for them to work together. If you get a couple agents interested in representing your work, you are best served advising them of your situation, and asking them to provide you with details of what they are offering you. With those details, you can work out which one agent can best serve your interests.


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## Penelope (Feb 19, 2011)

I began as being published in collections of authors and then, just late last year, jumped into a self published publication.  I don't have an agent and don't want an agent either.  I do all of my own marketing and recognize that I'm far more motivated to sell my book than any other person would be no matter what financial incentives were offered.  Any money paid would be money coming out of my pocket and it would undercut my profit margin.

To me, an agent would be much like a lawyer.  They are only as good as you require them to be.   However, I think perhaps you need several agents to answer all of your questions.


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## Penelope (Feb 19, 2011)

One other thing.  I notice you have ... 2 ... posts.  Don't you think it's a bit presumptuous to drop in from the blue and expect that we'll offer you sage advice just because you asked?  I, for one, don't know you but what's even more important to you, as a budding author, is that you don't know me!


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## KrisMunro (Feb 19, 2011)

I'm not sure it matters how many posts a person has. The question is well thought out and relevant to a great many people within the forums. Any responses here aren't just for the OP, but for anyone who stumbles upon it; not just from within the forum, but from search engines as well.

I found this site from google, and it was due to the quality of posts here that I stick around. It feels wrong telling someone they shouldn't ask a question because they are new to a forum. It doesn't make them less of a person or less worthwhile.


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## Olly Buckle (Feb 19, 2011)

KrisMunro said:


> I'm not sure it matters how many posts a person has. The question is well thought out and relevant to a great many people within the forums. Any responses here aren't just for the OP, but for anyone who stumbles upon it; not just from within the forum, but from search engines as well.
> 
> I found this site from google, and it was due to the quality of posts here that I stick around. It feels wrong telling someone they shouldn't ask a question because they are new to a forum. It doesn't make them less of a person or less worthwhile.



I would fully agree with this, though we do like to see members joining in and sharing their work and critique. This also has the advantage of providing you with a dated copy of the work to help assert your rights to it in the unlikely event of plagiarism. This is a frequent worry of new authors, but appears to be a very infrequent happening.

 I would suggest you read through this thread,

http://www.writingforums.com/publishing/118627-just-tad-overwhelmed.html  ,

especially the comments from Sam W in the second post, though you will probably find much of it relevant.

I am afraid the days of great editors like Hugo Faber and TS Eliot are long gone. There are now so many would be authors, and publishing generally is such a cut-throat business, that publishers are looking for books that require a minimum of work. I am afraid that this may prove a considerable obstacle to you as, although your English is excellent, there were several places in you post where a native English speaker would realise this is not your first language.

You speak of sending your applications to as many people as possible, it strikes me it might be a good idea to confine yourself to a few at first, giving yourself the opportunity to amend you approach to others in line with the responses you receive from the first ones.


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## Anonymous Writer (Feb 19, 2011)

*KrisMunro thank you for your post, very informative!
As for agents, I was not planning on taking up more than one, just to send my work to as many as possible hoping that at least one will pick it up.
As for a short version...well, my book is pretty much something like Tolkien's Lord of The Rings, and I really don't see how can write a short version of that...
The book is integrated in an elaborate environment, with well defined characters and situations and there is a lot to be writted, especially as you have to be very descriptive with the characters and environments in the genre I write.*[URL="http://www.writingforums.com/members/penelope.html"]*
[URL="http://www.writingforums.com/members/penelope.html"]Penelope*[/URL]http://www.writingforums.com/members/penelope.html[/URL] I got your point, but I feel you let yourself influenced by the forum's rules, wich in fact are only artificial rules meant to put a light form of control over the forum's population and on what it is written, in this way trying to sort out any "undesirable" persons that have nothing better to do than troll the forums.
Just as *KrisMunro has said, you don't have to be someone known in order to be worthwile.If this would also apply to the real world too, then only the richest and the most powerful would get attention all the time.It is like saying your husband is carrying more about Angelina Jolie than about you (is just a general example so you understand what I mean).
When I made this post I really didn't thought about being someone known before asking it.I need it answered and I simply asked it, relying on the common sense and good faith of the poeple at the other end of the line.I tried to explain as best as I could my situation, at the same time hoping to receive honest answers.My initial inclination is to trust people, not to distrust them.I know we live in a world full of drop outs that have nothing else to do than bash, trick and cheat on other, more gullible people, but if we will continue to live only according to our fears and paranoia, then what would become of us?In conclusion, if someone asks a question from me and I can answer, then I do answer his question, without carrying if he is someone well known.Offcourse I am skeptical and I keep my reserve about everyone, but even so, I also realise that confusion has great hold, and even if a situation might seem weird or strange, it doesn't necessarily has to be, it might just seem that way... 
And I must apologise for writing all in bold, but it came out this way and I canot explain myself why.I tried to revert it back to normal text, but all it gives me is bold...

Best regards!

*


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## Shirley S. Bracken (Feb 19, 2011)

Moved to my own thread...  Are you an Artist


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## KrisMunro (Feb 19, 2011)

Anonymous Writer said:


> ...well, my book is pretty much something like Tolkien's Lord of The Rings, and I really don't see how can write a short version of that...
> The book is integrated in an elaborate environment, with well defined characters and situations and there is a lot to be writted, especially as you have to be very descriptive with the characters and environments in the genre I write.


Once you are published, publishers will more readily take on your work and be happy to risk printing your 250k+ word count novel. But for new writers, publishers cannot take this risk. This leaves you with a choice to either increase the number of books in your series, or leave them as they are and start a new shorter story that is more likely to get you started in the publishing world.


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## strangedaze (Feb 19, 2011)

on the subject of multiple agents, you'd only really be interested in having more than one if . . . 

1. you're that good and, say, a resident of the UK and have an agent to work the publishers locally, but you'd like someone who knows the US market a bit better, so you end up signing on with a NY agent to handle north american rights. but again, this isnt common AT ALL. and its a delicate situation.

2. you could have an agent for film - someone who specializes in film adaptations of novels - or an agent for freelance writing. i know people who have both, in addition to their literary agent.

but really, at this point, you shouldnt even be concerned with any of the above. seriously.


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## Ilasir Maroa (Feb 19, 2011)

Anonymous Writer said:


> Hi!
> Starting from those tutorials, I want to follow some advice and get the process started.One of those advices is to submit your work to as many publishers and agents you can.And what I intent to do is to submit my work to as many agents as I can - but is this a good ideea, based on your experience in the field?


 
Yes. Submit to many agents. Everyone has their own opinions, and that means that there will be many agents who don't like a story, but there's a good chance that other agents will. As long as the agent in question represents your genre, there's a very good reason to query them.



> I am from Romania and here the means to promote myself are scarce and what I can do so far is exclusively submit by e-mail.I know it is not the traditional way and that is usually frowned upon, but I have found a few agents that accept e-mail submissions.
> I need your opinion, what is good and what is wrong in what I am going to do?Any other advices?What should I look for?[/qupte]
> If you are intending to submit to English language publishers or agents based in English speaking countries, then your main option is e-mail. Many agents take e-mail queries. In fact most of the agents I am aware of do so, and almost every single agent with a strong inline presence does so. Many UK agents accept world-wide queries (excepting the US on occasion), and it would be very difficult to do so through the post.
> 
> ...


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## Anonymous Writer (Feb 21, 2011)

Thank you for taking the time to answer to my questions in such a concise manner!

Shirley, I do not know what you mean by an artist, but if you mean : 
 - if I have multiple talents and areas of interest and extensive knowledge, then yes, I am
 - if you mean that if I worked in the area of art and design, then yes again - I work with Adobe Photoshop since 1997 and with 3D Studio Max and Poser since 2000, and I preffer to do my own book covers when and if I will get published, as I have seen a lot of so called "artists" out there, some of them well known, doing pretty bad book covers and requesting a fortune for them
I hope this answers your question.

Best regards!


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## Ilasir Maroa (Feb 21, 2011)

I should warn you that if you do not self-publish, the chance that you will be able to do your own covers is about 0%.  (Although there may be some small press somewhere that might let you, I can't think of any.)


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