It sounds simple: You have an idea for a book, whether Fiction or non-fiction, literary or commercial, so you write it. After that you send it to a publisher and they take care of editing, publishing, and marketing the book. No?! Well, that’s what I thought before I wrote my first manuscript. One day, not so long ago, I finally wrote down an idea I’d had for months, and both my husband and a friend said, “Why don’t you write the whole book?” I’m still looking for an agent and keeping my fingers crossed on the partials and full requests I sent out, and thought I’d document what I’ve done so far in case it might help other writers…

First, get an idea for a book! That’s sounds easy, but don’t stop there. Research! Has this story been written before, is it completely unique, is it in an emerging genre, is it overdone? Goodreads is the best place to do research! Plot, build your characters and setting, figure out your main characters conflict and goal. Is it a short story after you’ve got a plot, or a whole series?

What will your age group be? This sets the tone. In fiction there are Children’s, Middle Grade, Young Adult, New Adult, Adult, and a few niche categories. This is not about the age of the characters, it is the age group who will most want to read it. Of course, I still love Harry Potter and The Fault in Our Stars even if they aren’t “meant” for a mom in her late twenties. You’re generalizing to sell the story, but also to guide the language and situations in a book. As for genre, that is completely based on your story and there are far too many to enumerate, so I link you to this very long and helpful list.

Write. No, seriously. Write as often as possible. If you have free time and you’re nor reading or researching for you writing, you should write. I try not to let 3 days go by without writing, since I’m a busy mom and teacher. For you it might be setting a time that you write every day or once a week.

Join social media if you haven’t already. Twitter has an amazing writing community. Also, you can use the #amwriting tag to meet other writers and share the writing experience. On top of that, you can follow the tag #tenqueries to see posts by agents about why they chose or rejected the queries they have received. You can also follow them if you want. There is also the #mswl tag for agent and publishers manuscript wishlists!

You will need a short synopsis (2 paragraphs) you might find on a book jacket, as well as a longer one (1-2 pages) that details the plot for agents and publishers. But “what if none of the agents I want to query ask for a synopsis?” you say… Trust me, you need those synopsis. It will become a big part of your query, as well as helping you see anything missing in your plot. It helped me see I needed more conflict in my story!

Get beta readers and/or an editor, stat! Easier said than done. First there’s the apprehension that comes with being new to writing and having a stranger read your work, then there’s the finding of said editor or reader. My beta is also my editor, and she is trying to expand into a new field, so she does it for free. Plus, she did my paper edits in college, and as a paralegal gets paid to check for errors. She’s my awesome aunt. Not everyone can be so lucky! You can pay for edits, but I’d start with a trusted family member or friend that has impeccable spelling and grammar do a once over if you are short on cash. An editor is better, but every edit counts! Beta readers should be someone who won’t just compliment you blindly. You need good feedback. Again, social media (Twitter and Facebook)  is a great place to start!

Join workshops and write your own Query. These aren’t always available, but some stay up for you to look through. Here is The Write Shadow’s #JustPitchIt Query workshop that helped me immensely.

Enter contests! Pitch and Query contests are important. Not just because you might win, but to get your name and story out there. It also gives some feedback and helps you learn how to market your book. QueryPalooza, PitchSlam, and QueryKombat are three examples in just the past two months. Some are recurring annually or biannually. Agents join these and make requests. Some people get published from fun twitter contests! There are also writing contests, but those often require a small fee.

Research Queries online and write your final draft. Some agents are very specific, so pay close attention if they have a particular format. Here’s a rundown of places to go:

• You absolutely must start with a Query Tracker search! You can filter by genre and those not closed to submissions. It lists all sites you can find them on, including their agency website, accredited agent sites, and current clients. My favorite part is when they have comments. Do they send a form rejection letter from their iPad within hours, including a link to their own book? Or do the send a personalized rejection with helpful critiques three months after anxiously waiting?
• From the Query Tracker agent profile, I review their AAR page, if they are a member. If not, follow the link to Predators & Editors to see if they have any red flags attached to their name or agency. AAR isn’t necessary, and many reputable agents aren’t on it. If they are, it looks like this.
• Social media access is important to me, since I’m active on it. I sometimes follow if they are on Twitter. This shows they use social media as a means of connecting and marketing, which is how the world works now. Also, If an agent only accept paper queries, I take them off my list. If I had to print out queries and my first 5-10 pages or 1-3 chapters every time, it would waste a ton on paper and postage!

Once you have a list of agents to Query, it’s time for submission! I made an original list of 20 I liked off of Query Tracker, then narrowed it down to 10. With a few agents requesting a query from contests or pitches on twitter, I have sent out 15 total in two months. I try to send out 1-2 a week. You need to change them a bit for each agent to make it more specific to them. Some agents have very specific requests for font and format, how much of your book they want a sample of, and where to send it. Others simply want the letter emailed to them and nothing more. The most important part is getting their name right after the word Dear. First impressions matter! On one query I left the words “agent information” at the top where I sometimes include address and agency. Which is the last lesson, proofread every single word at least three times!

If you go this route with no results for a whole year, I’m going to suggest the two options I’m considering: 1. Shelve this story and finish writing/query my new book. Every time you write, you get better! Sometimes your first book isn’t meant to get published. Maybe it’s not right for the current market, but you can revise and come back to it some day. 2. Self-publish. While I support both traditional and self-publishing, I chose to go the traditional road. I want to see my book in print, without paying for it myself. That said, I would still pursue self-publishing as an e-book if it doesn’t get picked up. Who knows, publishers buy un-agented, self-published books more and more these days!

Are you trying to get published? Already found an agent? Either way I hope you found this helpful! What’s your road to publishing story?