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Advice to First-Time Authors
As you might imagine, I receive a lot of email from would-be authors who are trying to get published. Because I make my email address public, it’s pretty easy to get to me.
However, by the time I hear from people, they are usually frustrated. They can’t get anyone in the book publishing world to respond, and they are convinced that they have a killer-idea. “If only someone would just read my manuscript,†they plead.
The problem is that most publishers will not review unsolicited proposals or manuscripts. I personally receive hundreds every year; our staff receives thousands. We simply don’t have the resources to review these. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.
So as an author, what do you do? Here’s what I recommend:
Read blogs written by agents. You can get some incredibly helpful advice and straight-talk from people who pitch proposals for a living. I recommend three: Terry Whalin, Chip MacGregor, and Rachelle Gardner. There are other blogs, but I have found these to be the most useful.
Write a killer book proposal. If you want to write (or have written) a non-fiction book, I recommend my article, Writing a Winning Book Proposal (this is a PDF file). It will tell you exactly what publishers want in a proposal. I wrote this years ago, and it is still used by numerous literary agents and publishers. If you intend to write a novel, you can modify my format or search for another. (Just Google “fiction book proposal†and you will come up with several great resources.)
Have someone review your proposal. If you have a friend who teaches English or is a professional editor, ask them to review your proposal. You might even barter something with them. In addition, the Editorial Services section of Literary Market Place, 2008, lists over 500 entries, many of which provide some kind of critique service. (This is a very expensive book, so you may want to try and find it in your local library.)
Find a literary agent to represent you. This is usually the only way to get in the door with a publishing company. Most publishers do not accept unsolicited proposals or manuscripts. Instead, publishers let the literary agents do the filtering. If you want a list of general market agents, you can buy 2008 Guide to Literary Agents. I have also compiled a list of agents who represent Christian authors. This is the only list of Christian agents I have been able to find.
Consider submitting your proposal to Christian Manuscript Submissions. This is a site sponsored by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA), an industry trade organization. It provides an opportunity to get your work in front of Christian publishers who use the site to discover new authors. I don’t know of a similar service for the general market.
Finally, don’t lose heart. This is probably the most important thing I can say to you. Yes, you will be rejected. I had over 30 publishers reject my first book proposal. However, it went on to be a New York Times bestseller. I know scores of authors with similar stories.
Like many things in life, nothing worthwhile comes easily. But if you have a great idea and are persistent, you will eventually succeed.
How would you rate this post?
Colleen Coble says:
Great article, Mike!
One of the best ways to find an agent or to meet editors is to attend a good writers conference. For fiction, there is none better than the American Christian Fiction Writers conference, held this year in Minneapolis from Sept 18-21. (For full disclosure, I'm CEO of ACFW)
For non fiction and fiction, Mt Hermon is fabulous and is held every year over Palm Sunday weekend in the redwoods of CA. I met my wonderful Ami McConnell there. There are other good ones also. Colorado, Glorieta, Blue Ridge. I'm sure I'm leaving some out, but look them up. Most publishers don't take unsolicited ms and meeting the editor at a conference and pitching your proposal is one way of getting noticed.
I don't believe I would be with Thomas Nelson today if it weren't for meeting Ami at a conference. That's too sad to even contemplate! Conferences are great places to meet other authors and not feel so alone in the pursuit also.
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 08:24 AM
Rachel Hauck says:
I agree with Mike and Colleen. Great minds DO think alike.
Publishing is like any other field, you have to learn how to work the process. No one walks up to GE with an idea for a new, say, washing machine, and hands it to the receptionist with a "have the Veep of Engineering give me a call."
For some reason, as writers, we think that method with a publishing house is the only way to get in the door.
Like Colleen said, conferences and networking opened the door for me. Most of the authors I know have the same testimony.
Thanks Mike for being so accessible and available with your knowledge and enthusiasm for this industry!
Rachel
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 08:46 AM
Matthew says:
7. And never, never give into the temptation to go self-published.
By self-publishing, authors cheat themselves out of the many benefits a legitimate publisher would provide. The first on my list would be editing.
Additionally, self-published rarely offers a retail discount sufficient to get you in the door at a brick-and-mortar outlet.
Maybe this seems obvious, but I get so many lovely people walking into my bookstore wanting us to sell their self-published book. It's a shame.
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 09:17 AM
Bryan Catherman says:
I read a line describing the slush pile that completely changed my outlook on this topic. (The same line was used in the movie SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.) The website said, "it's like finding a needle in a stack of needles."
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 09:21 AM
Michael S. Hyatt says:
@Colleen: I should have included Writer's Conferences. This is a MUST.
@Rachel: I need to remember the GE illustration. That is very compelling.
Thanks!
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 09:28 AM
Jimmy Davis says:
Thanks so much for helping hopeful authors. Thanks especially for the links to agent blogs...I've bookmarked them and will read them often.
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 10:50 AM
C.J. Darlington says:
Thanks for sharing this, Michael. It means a lot that someone as busy as yourself takes the time to connect with people through this blog.
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 11:24 AM
Dr. David & Lisa Frisbie says:
Join a writers group immediately. Consider joining the Jerry W. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild (global) or a local guild in your area. We live in San Diego and highly (!!) recommend our local guild: San Diego Christian Writers Guild, founded by Shirwood (Woody) Wirt.
Writers guilds and groups are excellent places to network with writers, editors, publishers and others. We have published ten books with four major Christian publishers: all of these are a product of networking with the Jenkins guild and with our own local guild.
In a word: NETWORK.
http://www.MarriageStudies.com
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 11:32 AM
Diane Stortz says:
Mike, I can testify that your article "How to Write a Winning Book Proposal" is THE template to follow for any nonfiction projects. Having evaluated numerous proposals when I worked for Standard Publishing, I understood the importance of a standout proposal. When the time came to write my first book, my co-author and I followed your article step-by-step.
The process you describe there forces writers to think precisely about what they want to accomplish and how they are going to do it, where the audience is, and why their book will stand out against the competition.
My co-author and I landed a contract from the first publisher we approached! (Targeting the right publisher for a project is essential too.) The book will be out this October from Authentic Publishing. It's called Parents of Missionaries: How to Thrive and Stay Connected When Your Children and Grandchildren Serve Cross-Culturally.
So, thank you for the article, and here's hoping lots more aspiring authors will read and follow it!
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Rob Sargeant says:
I've been a regular reader of Chip MacGregor's blog for about a year and have gained a wealth of insight there. He's got a quirky sense of humour and is very approachable. Highly recommended.
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 11:51 AM
Scot Longyear says:
Mike,
What are your thoughts on self-publishing vs trying to get published by a bigger company?
Thanks in advance!
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 12:47 PM
Sarah Harris says:
Thanks for the info! I order the Christian Writers Market Guide every year and can testify that it is packed with valuable information. Every writer, whether secular or Christian, should own a Market Guide.
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 03:07 PM
Cheryl Barker says:
Mike, thanks so much for including the link to the agent list as well as the link to your example of a book proposal. I appreciate your blog, and the comments today from other readers have helped give me direction on a couple of issues, too. Thanks again!
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 03:27 PM
Michael S. Hyatt says:
@Scot: I would only consider self-publishing if you have a platform and a constituency that you can reach on your own. By and large, traditional publishers and retailers look unfavorably on self-published books. The assumption is that it wasn't good enough to be published by conventional means. I know that's not always true, but it's definitely the perception.
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 03:33 PM
Lisa says:
Help... In my ignorance of the industry, 2 years ago I self-published (they called it "partnering" and emphasized "keeping the rights.")
I have now sold nearly 4000 books, of which BookScan shows almost 1000 through Leading National Chain Bookstores- those we all know and love. But the demand is now too big for me and I am much more educated about the industry.
I just sent my first and exclusive query to an agent. Did I ruin my chance of being considered seriously?
Any advise as to how to best approach the tradition publishing market?
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 07:34 PM
Michael S. Hyatt says:
@Lisa: I would not send the actual book to an agent. I would send a proposal. I would not volunteer that you self-published the book until you get a little further into the process.
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 07:40 PM
Lisa says:
Michael,
Thank you for taking the time to answer. That is exactly what I needed to know.
May your jar overflow with warm brown pennies of love.
Lisa S. Hale
Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 08:36 PM
Mattk says:
Michael, thanks for the the killer book proposal article. I used it to put together a book proposal for a class I took last semester, and got an A on the project. (Of course, I cited you.) Now if I could just find the time to write the rest of the book...
Friday, August 08, 2008 at 01:59 AM
Michael E. Waddell says:
Like Diane, I too can testify that Michael's article "How to Write a Winning Book Proposal" is THE template to follow for any nonfiction projects.
My co-author (Ron Hunter Jr.) and I used it to write our first proposal (without an agent) and Thomas Nelson just published it last month.
I would also recommend finding an agent. (I found mine off of your list). One publisher told me that I was lucky to be published without one because receiving proposals form authors without agents is like "trying to drink from a fire hydrant."
Michael E. Waddell
co-author
TOY BOX LEADERSHIP: Leadership Lessons From The Toys You Loved As A Child
Friday, August 08, 2008 at 12:38 PM
Marvin Nelson says:
Just received my first rejection e-mail...I had to come back and read this to get encouraged. Thanks Mike! Quick question...do you think the Christian Manuscript Submissions and the $98 price is worth it? I know you wrote about it but it was your last number...just wondering
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 08:38 PM
Brenda Craig says:
Michael, it took me three years to do my book and I had a chance to co-publish with Creation House but chose to co-publish with Arrow Publications Inc (ultimately came down to money). Seems that co-publishing is somewhere in the middle between self and traditional. Any Comments?
Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 03:16 PM
Michael S. Hyatt says:
@Brenda: I am sorry, but I am not familiar with Arrow Publications, so I cannot comment. Thanks.
Friday, August 15, 2008 at 05:52 AM
Brenda Craig says:
Actually, I was asking your opinion on the new trend toward co-publishing...and Arrow Publications is a ministry of Francis Frangipane.
Friday, August 15, 2008 at 07:05 AM
Michael S. Hyatt says:
@Brenda: I don't have any real comment on that either. The main thing you get from a traditional publisher is access to retail accounts. Since the major booksellers will only grant appointments to a limited number of publishers, I am not sure what a co-publisher could offer. Perhaps you can explain the benefits as you see them. Thanks.
Friday, August 15, 2008 at 07:10 AM
Katy McKenna says:
Great advice, Michael. Thank you for it.
Networking with other writers, editors, and agents is SO helpful when trying to break in. I have made many genuine friendships through blogging. I've enjoyed doing interviews on my blog with authors I've met at ACFW or corresponded with in some way.
I did NOT know this would happen as a result of this natural networking, and I did not ask this author to help me in any way, but a wonderful author forwarded my manuscript to an agent friend of hers. Within days, I had an agent! (After years of trying, of course!!)
You will make the best friends in this industry, if you put forth some effort to bless them! I will be forever grateful for that fact.
Friday, August 15, 2008 at 07:24 AM
J. J. Hebert says:
Great advice, as always.
Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 12:57 AM
elaine @ peace for the journey says:
Awww, yes...the heart issue, and the losing of it thereof. Getting published is an exhausting process, and at the end of the day, it all comes back to the heart.
And this heart lives to write, so I will keep to the pen and keep to the process, all the while giving close attention to this heart of mine. It's known some wounding within the process, but it also boasts some tremendous growth.
Thanks for your thoughts tonight.
peace~elaine
Monday, August 18, 2008 at 06:24 PM
Donna Maria says:
Great post, Mike. When I delivered my first draft to my editor, I thought the hardest part was over. Little did I know -- the real work began when she kept sending it back to change this and that. Even after the book deal, the work continues, ranging from whether the blue on the cover should be just a little darker, to combing the thesaurus for a word you haven't used already. And don't get me started on the need to cut your work to accommodate page restrictions. It's worth every pain, so anyone considering giving up, as Mike says, don't. The payoff in terms of future life opportunities is gargantuan.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008 at 10:41 AM
Marvin Nelson says:
Thanks Donna!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 01:16 PM
Kyle Watson says:
I had a known agent last year to reject my novel because it wasn't geared toward women. He wrote in his e-mail the following. I will paraphrase what he wrote. I just returned from a conference. All the editors from major publishing houses want female lead characters and only fiction for women. To read this was discouraging not just as a writer but as a reader. I haven't purchased a Christian fiction novel after being told this information. I believe a market for mens fiction is waiting to be tapped into. I know many men who would read fiction if it was available. Plenty of men are looking for real man type of fiction. That is why I believe "Wild At Heart" is so successful. As John Eldredge writes in his book. Men want to be like William Wallace. Thanks for your blog Mike.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 05:44 PM
Isaac Sundermann says:
Wow, I just discovered this blog after listening to your talk on AFR. Thanks for the free advice. I will be copying all of this for future reference.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 10:33 PM
bryonm says:
Thanks for this post, Michael...
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 10:49 PM
DanGTD says:
Great advice.
Another thing you can do is, start a blog and offer valuable information for free, for months/years. This can establish you as an authority in your field, and the publishers will be more receptive to you releasing a book.
Steve Pavlina is a good example.
Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 12:28 PM
Marvin Nelson says:
Michael,
I realized you wouldn't write about it if you didn't think it was worth it. I will probably end up submitting it to Christian Manuscript Submissions. Thanks!
Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 02:53 PM
Paul Wallis says:
Thanks Mike,
This is good common-sense advice - the standard advice. However my experience has been that editors are often more responsive than agents! As an author I have had five books published so far - including two later this year - and have contributed to two more. I have another cuurently being looked at by Penguin. Yet while from time to time my books have succeeded in attracting an editor and a contract I have never yet succeeded in securing the attention and/or services of an agent. In twenty years I've only ever had two replies from agents I've approached. Meanwhile my publishers have been SPCK, Wild Goose, Paulist Press and Continuum Press. They may not be huge companies, when measured against ThomasNelson, and I might not be a bestseller quite yet - I am still learning - but I do know that if I had followed standard advice I would still not have been published at all. Is my experience unusual? How is it that I can get editors to read my submissions but not agents?
Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 06:44 PM
Paul Wallis says:
Mike,
Also en route to securing the Paulist Press and Continuum Press contracts I had a couple of very discouraging conversations with a couple of U.S. publishers who said quite openly "I loved the book, I love your voice and your message and i love the way the book reads. However as soon as I realised you were English I knew we couldn't take the book. In the past we published American, British and Australian writers. However nobody can out-sell an American writer on the conference circuit, we don't bother with English and Aussie writers anymore. Sorry etc."
O.K. I admit I was born in the U.K. And O.K. I am currently working in Australia. Are those factors really career suicide for a Christian writer? They were as far as those two U.S. companies were concerned.
Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 06:56 PM
Michael S. Hyatt says:
@Paul,
I don't really have an answer for why you have been able to attract the interest of editors but not agents.
With regard to being British, I don't think it's fatal. I still believe that compelling writing is the key to enduring success. It is helpful if you live in the U.S., so that you can promote the book here, but even that can be worked around.
Thanks,
Mike
Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 07:07 PM
Paul says:
Hi Mike,
Thanks for all the advice and for showing new writers a friendly face.
For anyone struggling with rejection, I think my own experiences may cheer you up. I started writing twelve years ago and have amassed over 100 rejection letters.
- first novel accepted by well-known agency in NY "came close", but not published
- second novel accepted by same, but not published
- third novel ditto
- fourth novel ditto
- fifth book made it to a publisher's shortlist, but not published
- long children's poem in the style of Dr Seuss described by one publisher as "smart and witty - should be published just needs some luck", not published
- sixth book abandoned after three chapters when a major Hollywood film released with an almost identical premise
- four short stories written as part of a BA degree in creative writing awarded an A grade with the comment "should be submitted to publishers", not published
- one of those four stories recommended for submission to competitions by my tutor, not published
- currently half way through a 100,000 word speculative Christian novel in the vein of the Left Behind series, described thus far by a trusted reader as “an easy to read page-turnerâ€, although I recently read that Christian speculative fiction is hard to sell ...
So twelve years of hard work, a mountain of rejection letters, lots of positive comments, an extremely uncertain future, and not a single word published. Have I wanted to give up writing? Yes, many times (at least 100). But the way I see it; if I were not writing I would be even more miserable. And who knows, maybe one day I'll read the magic words "accepted for publication"...
Keep writing
Paul
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 03:52 AM
Christopher Davis says:
Hello Michael. I commented on another one of your blogs and you told me to look out for this blog. Thank you for your advice and information. It was very helpful. If, Lord willing, I ever get a shot, I'll be giving you a shout-out for the words of encouragement. You are being a true blessing to many of us writers.
Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 01:50 PM
Mattie says:
Hello Michael,
What an interesting blog. I note your guests are mostly writers. I am one of those oddies that is a writer turned literary agent. Reason? As one writer said, it is so hard to find a agent who will even consider a debut writer or even a writer who has taken time to do what he/she writes about between books; hense has some years between publications. Nope! No previous background working for a publisher...was also living what I write. Anyway, an acquaintance who knows the last CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing, now retired, introduced me to your website which led me here. Any advice for a novice agent? I think by now I do pretty good submission letters for publishers and choose writers/proposals well but I would like to be able to see a few more examples of submission letters/packets for EDITORS. Any tips or suggestions for me?
Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 06:40 PM
Michael S. Hyatt says:
@Mattie: I would subscribe to the agent blogs I mention above and read everything you can, particularly from Writer's Digest. Beyond that, the best thing to do is just learn from your own experience.
Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 08:15 PM
bimal kumar raut says:
there are so many agents who would accept my manuscripts with very encouraging way but when i want to look forward, they would say that i must be through the american critique, not other's critique. is it syllogistic that american critique only have the capacity to sell the book in the market? i do have the capacity to sell my material worldwide but frustation freezes me right now, i am only 20 years old.
Monday, September 29, 2008 at 03:09 AM
Mia says:
Michael, I'm so happy that you made the decision to publish Lynne Spears book 'Through the Storm'.
There aren't enough books to help moms win the war that is 'raged' upon us to destroy the children and the next generation of Christians.
You said that parenting is hard work. Oh that it were 'just' hard work. It involves war like strategies because the enemy is always roaming about seeking whom he may devour and it is usually our children that he is after. When he can't get to them directly, it's the mom that the enemy targets. Both to discourage, to create doubt, to kill and to destroy. Single parenting women especially need all of the help that they can get. When I think of the costly mistakes that I made, I have to wonder if I would have made those mistakes had there been a book like Lynne Spears 'Through the Storm' to help me through.
I haven't read the book and most likely would not have considered reading it until I read your post about why you published it.
Thank you for publishing Lynne's book and thank you for your post.
Mia
(a grieving mother)
Tuesday, October 07, 2008 at 07:08 PM
Lena says:
Michael,
Sorry for commenting on your blog post so late, but I just started researching how to get published and only just now found this entry that you wrote (not to mention your blog). I have a lot of questions, but only one two that I have not been able to find an answer to. I hope to become an author of Christian fiction, and I just wanted to know if I need to have my whole fiction manuscript written before creating my proposal, and if so, do I need to attach my whole fiction manuscript to the proposal, or simply the first two chapters? I've read the "Writing A Winning Book Proposal" PDF, however I'm unsure of whether or not those aspects of proposal writing change when writing fiction instead of non-fiction.
Thank you for your time,
Lena
Monday, November 10, 2008 at 04:51 PM
Michael S. Hyatt says:
@Lena: Generally speaking, first time fiction authors will need to submit their entire manuscript. Start with a query letter. You may also want to browse Chip MacGregor’s blog. He has some good advice for fiction writers.
Monday, November 10, 2008 at 04:55 PM
Ken says:
Hi Micahel, just found your blog, lots of good advice thanks!
Couple of questions; I have found little info on the web about getting short stories published,
(had a prof suggest I submit to literary mags, but are there any for Christian authors/readers?)
I saw your list of agents, I am in Canada, is it common for Canadian (Christian) authors to be represented by U.S. agents?
Thanks.
Ken
Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 07:59 PM
Michael S. Hyatt says:
@Ken: I honestly have no experience with short stories. I can't think of an exmaple where they have been a big seller.
Yes, I think U.S. agents would do fine with Canadian authors.
Best,
Mike
Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 08:07 PM
Samantha Wallace says:
Hi Mike,
I've written a children's book which would need to be largely illustrated as a picture book aimed at the 3-7 age group. Would you recommend I find an illustrator first before approaching agents and if so, because it's so short, do I still do the synopsis as opposed to the entire manuscript?
Thanks
Monday, November 17, 2008 at 12:35 AM
Michael S. Hyatt says:
@Samantha: You can get the illustrator before or after. It can work either way. Because it is a children’s manuscript, you will need to send in the whole thing.
Monday, November 17, 2008 at 06:21 AM
Ken says:
Thanks Michael!
Monday, November 17, 2008 at 07:35 PM