E-Publishing: How to get published in the new and growing format.

E-Publishing: How to get published in the new and growing format.
 
More and more people with simply a passion for writing believe they should get published. However, as Vanity publishing and Blogging have begun to dilute literature’s impact and respect it is very important to take a hard look at your writing and decide if it is worthy of publication. I suggest having several impartial people review anything you write before you submit it to an outside source.
Once you have firmly considered your work’s integrity and appeal finding a publisher or agent can still be very tricky.
 
Below are suggestions for getting your work published in a digital format.
 
Self-editing your work before submission:
I suggest having a professional editing service work with you; a poorly edited book, no matter how good the story, will very rarely even be read.
Do not overuse !, ALL CAPS, or odd punctuation. Also, I would recommend not writing purely conversational sections in your manuscript, add details to conversations; no one wants to read 20 pages of “Mary said”, “Bob replied”.

Ways to get noticed:
To blog or not to blog? OK, everyone and their sister firmly believes they will be the next greatest contribution to the blogsphere. However, remember to write about subjects other people actually want to read, your collection of 19th century dolls is most likely a topic only you will read about.

If you work in a particular genre of writing, such as fantasy or sci-fi, understand your market. Find the right publishers, often there are unique small houses who are interested in specific genre manuscripts.
 
Networking is very important and a good way get your name and information to publishers and agents is by joining groups and attending writer’s conferences where agents and publishers will be actively looking for authors.
Get your name and your work to as many people as often as you can.

Building a lasting relationship with your publisher or agent:
Trying to maintain strong communication can cross over to bothering surprisingly quickly.
Ask concise but detailed questions. It is essential to be informed; it is in your interest to understand your objectives for publication, to understand your market and be able to articulate concepts.
Some people like to converse via the phone, some prefer email; Find out which method your contact prefers. By always meeting deadlines, preferably being early for everything, you will cultivate a strong relationship with your agent or publisher.

Learn to leave good messages; I suggest writing out important voice messages before you call the person, read them out load and slowly you’ll learn to hear the best word choices. Some tips on things to avoid, no ums, no long pauses, leave your phone number at the beginning and at the end of the message.

Learn to write sharp emails; just as it takes practice to leave great phone messages it is a good idea to write several versions of a standard email. Go over the different versions and see what aspects of each email have a hook, are most professional and which versions get your message across without sounding too scripted. Be polite, make your point and have a professional closing signature.

Reviews

[Raef C. Boylan]

Some great advice here.
Just as celebrity has tainted many other aspects of society and culture, so it is creeping into the world of writing, which gets flooded with people who want the fame and fortune of being a bestselling author every time a J.K. Rowling or Dan Brown pop up, film rights clenched in fist.
A lot of these people don't stop to objectively consider their work for long enough to ask themselves whether it needs more refining before it is at a publishable standard.
Nor will they allow others to offer up constructive criticism.

Overall, clearly written and informative.
Thanks for sharing this with us.