I had the idea to write about the next phase of writing, marketing your manuscript to a publisher.  So, to make the experience easier for my readers I started with the publishers web sites.  After spending nearly two hours on three publisher’s web sites and trying to locate their submission guidelines with little or no success I’ve decided to wait until Duane and I have the kinks worked out before we attempt to bring this service to you.

 Let’s start the old-fashioned way.  You’ve written your book.  You’ve read and re-read your words.  You’ve honed and edited your work until you think it is ready to submit. Before you actually set out to write the query letter…back up and ask where to begin?  The first rule of thumb is to know what genre you are writing.  If you are writing romance, find the romance publishers.  If you are writing a mystery, find the publishers that have a mystery line. If you are writing a children’s book, go to children’s publishers.  Stumped as to what category you are writing?  You’d better know who your readers are before you begin the search for a publisher. Beginning writers have often asked me, “What category do you think I’m writing?”  That is not a question I want to hear.  You, the author should already know who your audience will be.

To be professional you should also know which publisher’s imprint to submit to.  What type of romance are you writing?  Is it a Harlequin type romance, Silhouette or mainstream?  Under the Publishers listings you will find the publisher’s imprints and what books bear that imprint.  The same applies to mystery.  What type of mystery have you written?  Cozy? Thriller? Legal/Crime? Detective? Do you know the elements that go into the writing of each of these categories? Written a children’s book?  What age group would you submit to?  Look at the imprints of Children’s publishers; these imprints state the age group. Know what is expected in each of these age groups.  For instance, Picture books are for non-readers. Large words with pictures are for beginning readers.  Are you writing a first chapter book?  A juvenile book? Young adult book?  Niche writing is everything these days.  Know which niche you are aiming at.

 If all else fails visit your local bookstore.  Find the area where they shelve the type of book you’ve written.  Select a book and read the back cover.  Who is the publisher?  What is the imprint within that publishing house?  It should hint at the basic plot line.

Now you are ready to write the query letter.  And whom do you send the query letter to?  An editor.  And where do you find editors?  I personally use Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents.  Others might use Writer’s Market, Literary Market Place or perhaps another source.

Next go the Writer’s Market or Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors and Literary Agents.  Make a list of publisher’s who take your type of book.  Find a Senior Editor or an Acquisitions Editor that represent the line you are aiming at and go to that person by name. 

Ah, but some publishers say they only take submissions through established agents.  If there are no editors listed, don’t send a query.  If there are editors listed, send a query letter, the worse that could happen is the “Dear Sir or Madam” form letter.  Or you hear nothing at all.  Figure this is a rejection, the dreaded rejection.  Develop a rhino hide and continue marketing.  Multi-submit your query letter.  Life’s too short to go one publisher at a time.  Keep a list of the publishers and editors you sent your query letter to, along with the date you submitted and the date of the rejection.  On the rejected letters, wait 6 months and resubmit to a new editor in that house…provided the new editor also takes your type of story.

Whether you submit to a publisher or try to find an agent to represent you there is one thing you must do…write that query letter.  Yes, even when you search for an agent, write a clear, concise one page query letter.  If an agent says they will represent your work, that same query will be used to submit to publishers.  And…it’s easier to get a publisher these days than an agent.