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How You Know That You’re Ready To Publish

By on July 3, 2020

Do you know that you're ready to publish? How? Parting with your work can be an extremely tough and scary decision for any writer. We spend so long drafting, writing, nurturing, and perfecting our stories, sharing them with others can feel daunting.

However, sending your book off to publishers is also an exciting step, and could be the beginning of a whole new chapter in your writing journey.

Getting the timing right is, therefore, imperative.

You don't want to send your manuscript off before it is ready. At the same time, holding onto it for too long could be equally damaging. 

So how do you know if you are ready to publish? You'll be ready if…

You've hired an editor

Hiring an editor can make or break your novel. You need your editor to do more than just weed out typos; they should be able to offer you critical feedback that helps elevate your book to another level. While these services are more costly, hiring someone professional to help polish and perfect your work could make all the difference when it comes to finding representation. 

You've researched the publishing industry

In-depth knowledge of the publishing industry will be superbly beneficial in helping you to create a fantastic pitch and query letter, write your synopsis, and generally manage your expectations of what will happen over the next few months. Do your research, be prepared, and you'll find it so much easier to understand what's going on in the trade and how this could affect your book being published. 

You don't want to be famous

If you've still got lofty ideas of becoming a bestselling multimillionaire author, you might want to hold onto your manuscript for a little longer. If you can face the cold hard truth that your book will probably get rejected, and even if it does find representation, you may not make enough to earn a decent living from the proceeds, this will stand you in good stead for what's to come. You have to prepare yourself for disappointment and have a contingency plan if you don't succeed in this route. 

You've researched your genre

Knowing your genre is crucial. Not only will this have influenced the way you write, but also how to present your book to publishers. If you can confidently prove that there is an appetite out there for the kind of book you have written, you will be much more appealing to potential publishers, and the fact that you've done your research also makes you more professional sounding too.

You've already started marketing, and you have a marketing plan

If you haven't already started marketing your book, you need to begin before you start sending it off. Start your marketing early, and you'll be in a much better position to convince publishers of your worth. Gather reviews, make some noise, do a giveaway, get some press. Do whatever you can to make your book stand out. You should also already have a solid marketing plan in place that you can continue to roll out over the coming months, sending this to a publisher to show them that you've got ideas and are willing to self-promote can also give you an added edge. 

So if you've done all the above, it sounds like it is a great time to start sending your book off to publishers. Don't delay; you've done the work, now it's time to see what happens next! Good luck!

So now you know when you are ready to publish, let's learn about some book publishers to submit to without an agent.

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  • bethany cadman
    Bethany Cadman - bethanycadman.co.uk

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