How to Get Your Book Published In Five Easy Steps!

Now this is going to be a daring article, because the title makes it sound as if I actually know what I’m talking about here. Well, I do -- to a point. I have been repeatedly published and at pro rates, and I do have three novels under contract, as well. So, I’m not entirely ignorant on this matter. And the reason I felt this article might have value is that I belong to an organization known as Critters.org, and being a member of it has brought something important to my attention.

Critters.org allows sci-fi, horror, and fantasy writers to submit their stories and then have them reviewed by other peer writers. It’s quite a valuable asset for authors really, because rather than getting the stories reviewed and rejected by editors (who won’t want to see that particular story ever again), it allows authors to first work out the kinks in their tales before even submitting them. And that’s important when it comes to avoiding rejections.

But here’s the real reason I mention Critters.org; I’ve found in reviewing other authors’ stories there, that more often than not, they are missing some of the most necessary and basic ingredients required to getting their stories published. So, I thought we could go over them here. And by the way, this plan works for any genre of story writing, whether fantasy, horror, sci-fi, slipstream, romance, adventure, mystery, literary, or whatever.

FIVE EASY STEPS TO GETTING A STORY PUBLISHED:

1. The tale must open with a hook! Endlessly, I’ve pointed this out to would-be writers. Most either don’t bother to listen, or don’t seem to “get” just what a “hook” really is. So, I thought I’d explain it here. A “hook” is actually a headliner of sorts, an attention-getting device, a “grabber” if you will. There are thousands of stories out there, so what is it that makes a reader want to pick your story out of the crowd? Why, it’s the hook, of course!

You, as an author, have about three sentences, or at most, a small paragraph at the very beginning of your story in which to grab your reader’s attention and make him/her want to read more. If you don’t hook the reader, you have already lost them! You simply must grab and then hold their attention.
Perhaps, even more important than the reader’s attention, is the editor’s interest. If you can seize their attention for your story, amidst a slush pile of hundreds that they have to wade through, then you have already won half the battle. You see, they will actually then read your story, and not just glance at it.
So what are some examples of good hooks? Here are just a few:

“The sleet arrived on the wind that howled out of the Firgeberg, gray particles that abraded skin, stung eyes. Solid crystals sucked by a chance breath over the edge of the woolen scarf went down a throat already raw with altitude and exertion.
“Heart hammered.
“Knees ached.” -- C.J. Cherryth, Cloud Rider, Chapter 1, opening lines.

“Tatya raised herself on one elbow and gaped through the sleeping-room port at the night sky, her china-blue eyes wide. She hadn’t imagined it.
“Yoshi? Yoshi, wake up. Look!” -- Margaret Wander Bonanno, Star Trek Stranger From The Sky, Chapter 1, opening lines.

“Durvash the tnuctipun knew he was dying. The thought did not bother him overmuch -- he was a warrior of a peculiar and desperate kind and had never expected to survive the War -- but the consciousness of failure was far worse than the wound along his side.” -- Larry Niven, S.M. Stirling, Thomas T. Thomas, Man-Kzin Wars V -- opening lines of prologue.

Do you see how a hook works? With just a few sentences a scene is set, tension is created, often characters are introduced, and there is always the mystery of what is it that’s coming next. The reader wants to know more. That’s the hook, the “grabber” if you will. Your story must start with one of these if you want it published.

2. A beginning, a middle, and an end. This may sound obvious, but believe me, it doesn’t seem to be for many authors. Writers, both male and female, will lovingly create scenarios that they seem to fall in love with themselves. They will painstakingly paint in characters, backgrounds, whole lifestyles, and then have something happen. But often there is no tension and no resolution. It ends up being just one scene, a scenario, or a vignette, and not a story at all.

Avoid that pitfall. Remember, your story must have a real beginning, middle, and an end that resolves whatever tension/dilemma the story has created. And remember to always do and send your best work, not “first drafts.” Treat editors with respect. Give them the kind of thing you’d want to get -- that is, something clean, neat, readable, and without many typos and/or other errors. Most of us have spelling and grammar checkers now. For heaven’s sake, use them!

3. Willing suspension of disbelief, believable hero, tension and resolution.
Yes, I know that I pound this one to death, but it’s important -- incredibly important. Your story must allow the reader to suspend their disbelief for the duration of reading it, to believe that what takes place in the story is possible. Your characters must come across as real.

People have to be able to identify with the main character, care about what is happening to him/her. And finally, the tension must reach a satisfactory resolution (satisfactory for the reader that is). “To be continued,” may work for television shows, but it is not popular when someone has bought a $30.00 book, only to find it’s really only half a book! Nothing is worse, in my estimation, than reading hundreds of pages just to find out that absolutely nothing is resolved! It is my firm belief that even with books that form a series, each volume should tell a story that is complete in itself, even though the main theme continues on to the next book. The Harry Potter books do this quite nicely.

Also, make sure you keep a decent pace going in your story. Don’t let it bog down or drag in parts, because the reader will lose interest and may not finish reading the tale. How do you do this? You must edit your story. Edit, edit, and edit it some more. It’s said that the average story, when finished by the author, and believed to be in its best possible state, should then be cut by another ten to fifteen percent! Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? But such editing does wonders for the pace of a story.
But besides maintaining a good pace, a writer must keep titillating the reader’s interest. Each chapter or scene should end with the reader wanting to know “what’s coming next?” And remember that your hero should either win through after almost being defeated, or go down in flames in the pursuit of a noble cause, something worthwhile, and greater than they are. Nobody likes a loser!

4. SUBMIT YOUR STORY! No pun intended here, but now “this one is really for the books” (okay --I intended the pun), because I am often astonished how many people will write short stories and novels and then never quite “get around” to submitting them to a publisher/editor. What’s the point then of doing all that hard work? I know it isn’t easy to send one’s “baby” in to some strange publisher, one who will probably treat it badly, and find all sorts of fault with it, but it is necessary to submit your work. If the editor loves it -- great, you’re in! If he/she hates it -- well, at least you know you have more work to do.

And yes, it’s always hard to face rejection. So, it’s perfectly okay to retreat into your personal womb, to comfort yourself and hate the editor for a while -- a little while. Tthen you have to get over it, straighten out of that fetal position, stop sucking your thumb, and get a move on! Read your story once more with an eye to improvements. Make changes to your tale and then send it out again! Persistence is the key word here, folks!

Start with those publications that pay the best and work your way down the list. Two good sites (among others) for finding markets for your stories are Ralan, and The Spicy Green Iguana. Both are well maintained and are very up to date on which markets are dead, so you don’t waste your time on sending your work to “dead zines.” These are both free sites.

But now back to those editors -- there is one other alternative an editor might do that can really help you, and that leads us to our next and last step.

5. If an editor gives you a rejection, but one with editorial advice, use it! I know it’s hard to have to take rejection. Even after all this time, I still hate it, and I’m always highly suspicious of any editor that doesn’t realize just how valuable and WONDERFUL my work really is! We all think that. Right? But if you get an editor who tells you what they think is wrong with your work, than you are so lucky! Take their advice, consider it carefully, and then make the appropriate changes. And if an editor hasn’t done this for you, there are always critique groups, such as Critters.org, you can join as a substitute.

So often with reviews I do of people’s work, I get thank-you letters that although polite, will push the fact that the author doesn’t agree with what I’ve said, and therefore, is going to stand by the way they’ve already written the story, and not change it. That’s fine with me. It’s an author’s prerogative. SEE YA! And that’s probably what an editor will say if you have that kind of response to a critique by them.
If an editor bothers to tell you just what they feel is wrong with your work, then they are trying to help you. Get it? They aren’t being mean just for the heck of it. They are truly granting you an honor.
Treat it as such. Act on it. Understand that they have no stake in helping you, other than the fact that they want to, probably think that your writing quality is worth their help, and can benefit from it. But if you don’t agree with them, and insist on getting on your high horse, then I have a suggestion for you: take that horse and ride on out of town! Nobody will care.

If you don’t like or can’t abide the responses you might get, then don’t send the stories out at all! The whole point is to get it published, or at least get feedback, to know how to revise, and write a better version to get it published. Otherwise, what’s the point? And there you have it. If you’ve done these five easy steps correctly, you’ll get a story accepted -- right? Yes, but maybe not right away. Some editors have their own personal biases and simply may not like your style, the topic, characters, etc. That can’t be helped. We are all individuals and people have their own set feelings about things, even editors. So again, be persistent; keep sending your story out there. Make sure you are sending it to the right venue for your particular genre. Many writers make that simple mistake -- picking the wrong publication for their work. But trust me, do these steps properly and eventually, your story will find a home.

I will tell you that following this advice will markedly and I mean MARKEDLY, increase your chances of being published soon, and often! You see, I’m not the first to come up with these steps. Practically every successful author has learned them either on their own, or from someone else, just as I have. I wish I could claim rights to them, but I can’t. So, good luck, and now do get that story into print!

And don't forget to check out my books COMING SOON with CLASS ACT BOOKS:

SO GO TO THE LINK BELOW AND CHECK IT OUT. EARLY THIS FALL WILL BE MY FIRST TWO BOOKS, A TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE, LOST ECHOES, AND A REGENCY ROMANCE, VERACITY IN TRUTH, UNDER THE PENNAME ROSE RENEE SHELLY!

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Or go here to read an excerpt, the first chapter, of Veracity In Truth:

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Or At Twitter - @RobShelsky

And as always, keep writing and publishing!