Welcome back!
I asked jacy (who besides doing beautiful cover art, used to teach creative writing and has published several books) to write up a little something about Query Letters and Submission for this week.
I also thought it would be fun to talk about how you write. Do you start at the beginning and power through to the final chapter? Write the end first and then wind your way back there from the beginning? Write scenes and character arcs before putting it all together?
Other than that, remind us what you’re writing and let the discussion begin. Also, hit me up with topics for the next writing group and I’ll try and find someone to bring us some expertise.
Query Letter and Submission
Self-publishing is now a viable path for writers, but even if you’re wildly embracing self-publishing, you still need to know about querying and submission. Many authors both self-publish and trad publish, and every author needs to know how to submit to contests, magazines, anthologies, publishers, and agents. Here are some basics, no matter what path you’re taking.
Before you begin, there are three rules:
- Be finished: Have your manuscript completed, polished, and edited.
- Know your market: understand your genre and audience, and where your manuscript fits in.
- Do your research: know who you are submitting to, that they want what you’re submitting, and what their exact guidelines for submission are.