Thread: Creative writing and getting published

A while ago I finished my first novel, fantasy genre. I know its of publishable standard and I really want to pursue that, but I have not got a clue how to do it! I know its a lot about the contacts you have etc, because there are so many submissions, and also about the blurb and marketing to catch attention. Does anyone else have any experience with publishing fiction or trying to get stuff published? Any budding fiction writers amongst us lot? xxx

WARNING

Warning: This is an Old Thread This discussion is older than 60 days. information contained in it may no longer be current

Apart from entering competitions and submitting short stories to mags etc never tried to get a novel published - would be interested to hear what the sus is!!!

i only write poetry and trying to anything published is a nightmare! before you do anything with your manuscript, you really need an agent. a lot of publishing houses absolutely will not accept what they call "unsolicted material", i.e. a manuscript from someone who does not have an agent. your agent will send your work to various publishing houses that publish your genre and if you get accepted... j.k. rowling here we come (sometimes). however, an agent will want payment and you will need to check and double check that s/he is not just a con artist by contacting whoever they work for, anyone else they represent and so on.

this is about as much as i know. hope it helps

Yeah I sussed out an agent about a year ago, only one I could really find to easily contact online, they just dont seem to make it easy to contact them at all!

Hello there every year at Earls court they have the london book fair I think its in march but its worth a trip down as all the big publishers go there and lots of small independants ,I know that agents attend and meet up with new talent I went there a few years ago as a photographer and from what I could make out if you do your research on who is there you can get appointments to see people.I also heard that writers find agents/publishers that have writers that are similar to there style and just target them rather than the blanket approach.I do know that new writers sometimes give books to publishers for free and sign all rights away just so they can say they have been published.!!

Dear Glorian

You need to get a copy of the Writers and Artists' Yearbook : published annually, it has been going for over 100 years, and contains so much information : lists of literary agents and publishers, the genres they specialise in, how to approach them, what to send them ( and how to format/submit it), how to get stuff on the radio or in magazines - above all, how to get your stuff read, and by the right people.
Worked for me : two erotic short stories and two specialist articles ( one on Argentine Tango, my personal passion, in a Tango magazine,and one on my day job in a local magazine) published so far.....

Good luck!

Vx

Its quite hard work isnt it! I think after my PhD I will put some time into it.