The Fiction Proposal

So, you've finally done it! Weeks, months, maybe years of studying the craft, the market, the business of writing professionally and...Now what?

The uninitiated usually leap into the submission process with painful naivete, assuming that anyone who reads this precious bundle of words will be as swept away as you were in writing them.

So you print out that last page, or as is more common now, you save the finished draft in your computer file and start hunting for book publishers.

It's a bit daunting at first, realizing that publisher after publisher doesn't even want to SEE your baby if you don't have an agent.

An agent? you think. Do I need an agent? Surely I can do this myself.

And you can. Sometimes. But it's difficult, you finally realize, to be taken seriously or to get your manuscript looked at by those overworked, overwhelmed editors who may hold your future in their print-stained hands.

So you start shopping for an agent and discover WOW. It's as hard to get an agent as it is to find a publisher who will fall in love with your beautiful words. You think you've mastered the query letter, so what might you be doing wrong?

Here's a tip: Every agent has his or her own specialized preferences for the types of books they want to represent as well as the manner in which they want to recieve queries. DO NOT IGNORE THEIR STATED PREFERENCES. Before clicking send on any query, it is absolutely essential that you first research that particular agent, their submission standards,and whether or not they represent your particular kind of book. It is amazing how ingorant we writers are when we first decide to pursue publication. You must do your homework. There is no easy hop from writing your book to finding a publisher. Skipping any of these steps is a sure-fire way to be rejected again.

The link below from the Steve Laube Agency is an excellent resource for learning to write a successful book proposal. Although specific to his literary agency, this guide is still a standard for most agents and will at least help you get in the door.

Most writers hate the thought of condensing thier 80,000 word novel into a 2-3 page synopsis. We actually hate every section on this proposal, but get over it! Whine and stomp all you like, but if you're serious about the business of being a professional novelist, you'll hush up and learn to do it. As I tell my 13-year-old Algebra student: "Stop skipping steps! It doesn't work and you're setting yourself up for failure."

So writers, stop skipping steps! Click on the link and get started! Good luck! http://www.stevelaube.com/guidelines/

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