Guest speaker Toni Weisskopf revealed some of the mysteries of traditional publishing houses to the attendees of the Writers’ Workshop on Friday at 2PM in the Hanover meeting room of the Hyatt. As editor and publisher of Baen Books, Weisskopf shared tips to help aspiring authors navigate the process of submitting their work.
The first thing she recommended is to finish your story. Once you’ve polished your work, the next thing to do is research. Find out which publishers or agents accept unsolicited submissions and how they want to receive them. Baen has a portal where you can upload your manuscript, but some publishers use email. Format your manuscript to their specifications. Don’t give them a reason to reject it simply because you didn’t follow instructions.
Baen gets hundreds of manuscripts a month, thousands a year. It takes time to go through them, which is why you can expect the turnaround to be about a year. Volunteer readers go though the slush first to see if the manuscript meets a list of guidelines. Is it really SF/F? Is it written in English? They filter out most of the submissions. The remaining ten percent or so go to a professional editor. Remember, the work must fit the publisher’s market. Baen has its own niche. Publishing, Weisskopf said, is “organized gambling.” They choose books and hope they’re right. No one really knows what will sell or why.
When asked if it’s possible to resubmit, Weisskopf said it depends on the rejection. If it’s a form rejection, you can submit other things. If you’re specifically asked to change something and submit it again, do it. If they say good luck elsewhere, don’t submit it to them again. One exception, though, is if they buy your third book. In that case they might want to look at a previously rejected submission.
It’s important to know exactly the genre and subcategory of your story. If you’re not sure, have other people read it and ask what they think. Try to identify a book or author that’s similar, but don’t use books from the bestseller list.
If you like to blog and gather a following, that’s fine, but it’s not required. Some authors do themselves “more harm than good” on social media. If you don’t want to get involved with social media, that’s a good reason to go with a traditional publisher. They’ll do the marketing for you. Another way to get your name out there is to write short stories.
Writing a trilogy or series isn’t a necessity. If your book is a standalone, say so. If it’s the first of a series, let them know. Either way, your first book should be a complete story that will satisfy the reader. You’ll develop your storytelling skills by using them and by testing with readers to see if you accomplished what you set out to do. The best way to improve your craft is to keep writing.
