If you’re self-publishing, finding the right editor is crucial. But even writers looking to be traditionally published should consider getting someone to...
What to Do Before Hiring an Editor
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What To Do Before You Start Writing
The piece of advice given out most often to budding writers is “Just write!”. This is important advice; writing is...
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How to Write a Manuscript Synopsis
Querying a publisher or agent is never an easy task and it’s important to get all the essential bits right, including...
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10 More Magazines That Pay Writers & Accept Submissions
Submitting to magazines can be a great career move for any writer—you can get paid for your work, build a...
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6 Myths About the Australian Publishing Industry
To the average writer, the publishing industry may as well be fairyland. It’s easy to imagine that publishers are faceless gatekeepers...
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How to Spot Vanity Presses and Publishing Scams
Almost every writer wants to see their work in print. You’d be hard-pressed to find a writer that doesn’t want the...
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How to Write a Query Letter
If you’re hoping to get your writing published, sooner or later you’re going to need to write a query letter....
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Why Good Writing Gets Rejected
Writers are always told that to avoid rejection, they need to proofread, proofread, proofread. Follow the submission guidelines, be familiar with the publication, and things will go well. But that's not always the case. Sometimes writing that is laboured over is rejected. Sometimes even a submission that a writer has rewritten, edited and polished until it sparkles gets rejected—but that doesn't mean that the writer is a bad writer.
So what is going on behind the scenes that an automated rejection email can't tell you? Why does good writing get rejected, and why should writers keep trying when it can be so hard to get traction?
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How (and Why) to Find a Literary Agent
Why do I want an agent?
Literary agents are essentially somewhere between the guardian angels and the mercenaries of the publishing world. They guide you through your career, bring your work directly to the people who matter, fight the contractual battles so you can spend more time on writing and promotion, and make sure you end up with the best possible deals.
The biggest benefit to having an agent is that they can get your manuscript out of the slush pile. An experienced agent has contacts in the publishing industry, and knows who publishes what, and what they're interested in. While to us mere mortals, the publishing industry behind a wall, an agent knows that Paul from Penguin Random House loves literary writing with a distinct voice, and that Bob from Pan Macmillan is a sucker for manuscripts set in the 1920s with snarky male characters.