HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK – THE RIGHT WAY
Publishing a book is not an easy task. If you want to achieve your dream of publishing a book, you would require extraordinary writing skills, the ability to express ideas clearly and fearlessness, above all. Many aspiring writers don't know how to kickstart their writing career and how to get a book published. Let's get this straight now. The first thing you need to focus on is your manuscript, as it leads to a lasting impression on the publishers. A poorly formatted and edited piece of work is headed down the drain. So it's advisable to pull up your socks and give your best before you submit your manuscript.
Let's list down some reasons why manuscripts have so much importance in publishing a book:
- Manuscripts summarize the whole book in a couple of pages and help the publisher get a clear idea about your book. Manuscripts can make or break your book publishing. Ensure that it is well-written.
- Book publishers often reject a manuscript if it contains too many grammatical mistakes. You shouldn't leave any room for improvement in your manuscript. Get it proofread by an expert if you can't find any errors. A grammatically imperfect manuscript drastically reduces your chances of publishing a book.
- When writing a manuscript, originality and innovation are crucial. Avoid writing a genre in which thousands of books get published every month. Bring out that extra bit of zeal inside you.
When you've completed your book or manuscript, take the next step and submit your manuscript to a publisher. See below for five handy tips that you will need to know when you are ready to submit your book to a publisher – the right way!
5 Useful Tips on Publishing a Book
1. Research, research, research!
Before publishing a book, you must research the company you wish to submit to. Gather all the necessary information around one question: how to publish a book? You can impress simply by having a vast knowledge of how they work and what they require. For example, are they a literary agency or a publishing house? What kind of model do they operate? Are they currently accepting submissions? Most companies will have all of this information on their website, and we encourage you to review it. Reading online reviews such as Google reviews is also a great way to tell if the company will be the right fit for you.
At Austin Macauley Publishers, we operate the hybrid model (which you can learn more about here). We accept submissions from talented authors all over the world. It means that you do not require an agent to submit to us. To the question of how to publish a book in UK, Austin Macauley is the best answer.
2. Proofread Before You Submit Your Manuscript
Once you've done your research, and you think you're ready to submit your work to a publisher, we encourage you to pause, re-read your work and then re-read it again. You and the editors need to submit the best version of your work possible. The better the manuscript, the better your chances of publishing a book. Understandably, submitting your manuscript is an exciting thing. However, we advise you to ensure you have perfected your work as much as possible before you think about your book publishing. Many publishing houses in UK will only accept a certain number of updated manuscripts, or none at all – so make every attempt count! So, how to get your book published? By leaving no loophole in proofreading.
There are very fine lines between copy editing and proofreading. Read our blog to learn this difference and to know which one of the two you need.
The concept of self-editing is also on the rise. Self-editing is a skill. Read our blog to find out how to self-edit your writing.
3. Cover Letter
Making a cover letter is a vital factor in the value of your submission that often gets disregarded. Research is again required to be clear on main points like what information the company requires to accept your manuscript. At Austin Macauley Publishers, we ask that you, first and foremost, include your full legal name and contact details. It is incredibly crucial if you want to successfully submit your manuscript. Without it, it can be difficult for the editors to get in touch or make the correct notes on your file.
Another great thing to include is whether you are enclosing your full manuscript or a sample of your work – this can avoid confusion and delays in considering your manuscript. That is also a time to include an estimated word count for your book. If you require illustrations for your work, will you be obtaining these yourself? Or would you like the publisher to work on them? Including information like this makes the process easier for everyone. If all these steps of publishing a book are checked, you sure are on your way to success.
Now that we've covered the basics of what should get included, you can visit this blog which goes into more detail about writing an intriguing and inviting cover letter.
4. Before You Submit Your Manuscript, Format it!
So, you've done your research, proofread your work and written an outstanding cover letter, you are finally ready to submit your work! The question is, how to submit your finalized manuscript for publishing? At Austin Macauley, we accept manuscripts via email, online submission form and post. But all book publishers do not follow the same way. Every publishing house accepts submissions by its standard. Keep up to date with the standard policies of publishing houses. This is another vital step in the submissions process. Most of the publishers have a ‘how to publish a book’ or ‘how to get published’ sections on their websites. Read and read carefully. Make a list of the steps required, then pursue them one by one.
Everything these days is online, so many publishing companies prefer manuscript to be submitted directly through their website or email. On the other hand, some publishers still prefer the old-school method of using traditional mail. Therefore, it is necessary to know which way is favoured by the publication house. Skim through their website to find out whether you should email them or send the manuscript by mail.
At Austin Macauley Publishers, we prefer to accept manuscripts via online submission form if you have had no previous communication with us. If that's not the case, it's best to send the work via email attachment in one single document, or via post.
5. Patience is key!
Last but most certainly not least, patience is key when it comes to submitting your work for publishing a book. A blog article or a news journal takes only 5 minutes to read. But behind those 5 minutes is hours long of hard word. They say patience is a writer's virtue. No matter how good are your writing skills, it can still take time for you to get noticed. Patience certainly takes strength. There would be times when you would feel your manuscript won't cut. You may needlessly criticize your work. All of this can happen with any writer.
Lack of patience can have devastating consequences on your final product. You may think about submitting your work as soon as possible, writing hastily and ignoring the tiny details. It can cost the writers in the long run. At any instant, if you think you might be wasting time being patient and careful. Later on, you will realize it was, indeed, an investment. If you have submitted your work and are not getting a reply, don't panic. Publishers can take some time to read and assess your work. In the meantime, you can write more till you get a response from the publisher. In this way, you'd be polishing your skills as well as enhancing your portfolio. Good things come to those who wait.
Bearing the toils of the publishing a book is a difficult process but staying positive through all this time is of crucial importance. Read our blog to find out how to stay positive as a writer.
Once you follow all the guidelines of publishing a book, you increase your chances of success by a fifty percent.
Good luck with your manuscript submission! We wish you all the best in your book publishing. Fulfill your dream of becoming an author now!
Are you someone working on a manuscript—or is it already done, but you have apprehensions about the publishing process? Worry not. If you want to fulfil your goal of publishing a book, submit your manuscript here. Austin Macauley Publishers, the best book publishers in the UK.
Stay connected, and make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all of the latest news and updates.