The more I write, the more I realize how difficult the craft is. Writing a novel can be a laborious, emotionally tasking exercise; but even after you have slayed that challenge, you still have to face the daunting task of becoming a published author.

I have been asked a couple of times how I got published; so instead of continuing to respond one by one, I thought I’d do a blog post on it. There are several articles on the subject and like them, this post will focus on the commonly preached way to do it, but also a little on how it happened for me.

I have always wanted to be an author. So over the course of my life, the decisions I have made and the things I invested my time in, were focused on realizing that dream. It has been a wonderful journey and I am grateful to be able to share a part of that journey with you.

Well, first of all, no-one wants to read a poorly edited manuscript. No-one. Writing a story is a craft; grammar and punctuation are integral to the craft. I believe writers should be lovers of language as well as story; don’t destroy the former and think agents and publishers will simply overlook it. Edit your manuscript.

Second of all, read up on the process of getting your manuscript into the right hands. Too often people think the magic will just happen if the book is done. Not so.

Google is a great place to start if you want to improve your knowledge. Websites such as writersdigest.com are fantastic resources for writers looking to be published. I would also encourage you to buy the Writers and Artists Yearbook which comes out with a new edition every year.

Thirdly, query an agent(s).

I find a lot of people are surprised to learn writers have agents. Agents in the publishing industry operate in a similar manner to those in the music industry. They take on a client they believe in and present their work to the right ‘labels’. But beyond getting you published, your agent will be responsible for translation rights, film rights, speaking engagements and basically anything to do with you and your body of work.

However, environments with smaller publishing industries, for example, Nigeria, don’t have agents in the publishing ecosystem. But all this means is that you can email the publishing companies directly. So anything I say about querying an agent, if that doesn’t apply to your country’s ecosystem, then use the same principles for contacting a publisher.

A couple of things you should note - different agents represent different types of work. The same applies to publishers. There are publishers who don’t publish poetry for example. If they tell you they don’t want something, don’t send it to them. Chances are they won’t look at it.

In addition, if they tell you they want three chapters, or they want the manuscript formatted in Times New Roman, size 12, double spaced, that’s what you should do.

And remember to personalize each email. It is fairly easy to tell if a bulk email has been sent.

How do you find agents or publishers? Again, Writers and Artists Yearbook. I had two of them.

The above, is good advice but the process of getting published is different for everyone. In 2016, based on my research at the time, I had compiled a list of 50 agents that I would approach when I was ready. They were all fantasy agents because I thought my first novel was going to be in the fantasy genre. However, in 2016, I was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and an agent reached out to me.

This would be point four, competitions are another great tool if you are looking for visibility and if you want to be published. Bear in mind, I didn’t win the competition, but I got an opportunity out of it. I also know of one or two other authors who found their agents that way. You should also send your short stories to literary magazines.

When I was contacted by the agent, I did have two novels, but nothing that I was confident about enough to send; so I let a year slip by before I reached out to the agency again with My Sister, the Serial Killer. And I was then taken on as a client.

That’s my story in short. My journey is a little different from what I generally preach because you are not in control of who sees your work and who contacts you. You are, however, in control of the standard of your work, how you present it, how you query, who you query. Educate yourself and be willing to receive feedback.

So a quick recap:

1. Make sure your manuscript is polished – don’t try to send it the moment you have put that full stop, distance yourself, take some time, and then edit. And edit some more.
2. Educate yourself on the industry – you are reading this article, so you have clearly begun, only 99 more articles to go! I am kidding…
3. Query an agent/publisher – educate yourself on how to do this, find the ones who are interested in your genre and style, go to their website and read their guidelines, follow said guidelines.
4. In the meantime, if you also write short stories, enter competitions. It is a good way to get visibility.

Further Reading:

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