Some things I just take for granted. My friend Steve, for example, is an editor. Although he works for a non-fiction publisher, he still knows a few things about the publishing process. He suggested that I share some of it with the struggling writers out there. Most of us dream, I suppose, of getting a book published. I know I still dream about it. How does it happen? With traditional publishers, it begins with a query. Editors are, for the most part, very busy people. Publishers are the ones who give credibility to writers, and to get published, you need to work with an editor. All editors work with a “slush pile”—submissions that come in unsolicited. Until they get your query, editors don’t know you exist, and your submission ends up in the slush pile. Slush piles do get read, but they don’t have the priority that a known author or a repeat author with the press earn. This can take a surprisingly long time. Many editors requir...
Blog of a struggling writer.