Was wondering if anyone knew the best way to get a book published.

[slushy]

Don't know if this is the right place for this my dp has a writing degree, he has spent six years and has finished his book.

Anyone know the procedure for getting published?

Choose a publisher with a track record of publishing books of a similar style / genre. (I did this by looking on Amazon - easier than trawling bookshops).

Find their website - it will have a section on 'information for authors'

That will tell you how to submit a book proposal - typically 3 or 4 pages of description etc and it will ask you to include a sample chapter or your manuscript.

Hope that helps

This is a good resource.

You don't have to finish the book before you have a go at placing it either. You can send the first few chapters to agents/editors and see if they bite.

The Artists and Writers Handbook (published annually). Lists UK agents and publishers and gives invaluable information on how they prefer submissions, what they particularly like, what they wont consider etc.

Unlike Epithet, the advice I've been given is that for a first novel, you do pretty much need it complete before you submit (even though most agents/publishers only want first 3 chapters max you need the rest ready if they call it up.) "Well i havent written it yet" tends to mean they just lose interest- so many writers start books and never finish them. Once you've been published then there is more scope to pitch ideas).

It's probably worth considering going to agents to avoid getting stuck in publisher slush piles.

Okay thanks will show these suggestions to dp as it is his book so he can have a look then.

The book is finished it is a trilogy but it is Sci-fiction which I have heard is hard to get published.

Sci fi has an enormous market, so don't be discouraged.

The best way by far to get published is to get an agent. As someone has said, get the artists yearbook and begin subbing to agents ( most have their subbing guidelines on their websites).

Alternatively, there are small sci fi publishers ( often new and emerging e publishers) who take direct subs, but their advances tend to be sdmall.

Oh and tell your DH to steel himself. Subbing is a fucker and the market is very cautious at the mo.
Perserverence is the watch word.

Litchick we have sent dp's book off to a few agents but they have come back saying they are no longer reading or accepting unsolicited work from first time writers, that we need to send it to literary consultancy first, But I have looked and they want £600 to read over the book do you have any experience of this? because that is a lot of money for me and dp to find and dp read that you should not have to pay anything to get a book published.

Slushy- this is why you need the Writers and Artists Yearbook (sorry- I got the title wrong in my last post) because it will tell you which agents do accept unsolicited work and which have a particular interest in Sci-Fi.

I would concur with the advice you've been given. If the book is good enough (and I should qualify that by saying "commercial enough", because it can be good, but not sellable) there shouldnt be upfront costs. Of course, if it gets published then the agent will get a cut- that's how they make money- but it's worth it for their contacts in the industry. They will know which publishers have "gaps" and are looking for certain types of manuscript.

Also, not sure whether you've been told this but when you send the manuscript in to either agent or publisher, you need to include a brief covering letter which outlines the book- i.e. what is the book about? This is your sales pitch so make sure it is perfect. Maybe post it on here and we can all give you feedback. A friend said when she was a reader for a publishing house (i.e. tasked with reading through unsolicited manuscripts) there were too many letters which basically said "Here's my novel. I don't know if it's any good or not. Please could you read it and let me know".

Just to clarify, I am not published, but this is advice I have been given by friends at Penguin and Harper Collins.

I will get dp to put it up when he gets home, I think the cover letter is the main problem, because dp has very little confidence and very low self esteem, it does not come across in his book but it does on c.vs or cover letter's.

In the covering letter give evidence of anything he has had published before, ie short stories or articles in magazines. This will show that he can write commercially - and I agree with TheBride that work can be good but not commercial. Remember that publishers are looking to make money on any book they publish.

It is a really tough market out there at the moment (used to work in publishing). I also agree that the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook is an essential source - you can find it in quite a few large libraries. This will tell you whether publishers are even open to speculative submissions. The only publisher I know that guarantees that it will read anything sent to them is Mills and Boon - it is part of their marketing.

(Oh and tell him to keep persevering - am off to the press launch of my book in half an hour! Although have to admit it is an academic not a fiction book (with several chapters about publishing actually).