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How to get published

pickarooney

Many of us have either written an undiscovered masterpiece or are in the process of producing the next great work of Irish fiction. The question that usually arises next is what to with the hundred of pages you've lovingly put together over the years in order to be able to share your magnum opus with the world.

Publishing industry analyst Eoin Purcell has kindly agreed to come onto boards and answer all the questions you might have on getting your work published, from an industry insider point of view.

I'll let Eoin tell you a little about himself and then put him in the hot seat.

Huge thanks to Darragh, and of course Eoin, for making this possible.

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Comments

DaaveJoe

I think you should try to be original in whatever you write and try to make your title and content interesting so that it catches the attention of the readers.

Watch Ryder

Eoinp wrote: »

I would say yes BUT only for those stories published here and with exceptions.

And here's why.

1) Publishers generally like exclusivity (its easier to sell something no-ones read before than stuff that's been freely available for a while).

2) When they are willing to accept non-exclusivity there's generally a good reason (ie you've been published by a recognized magazine like New Yorker or Granta etc.)

3) While you might well generate a bigger audience from Boards than from a mag like those mentioned, boards carries no cachet!

BUT

Keep in mind that writing material that you can use to promote yourself is worthwhile, just don't expect to use the same material in a published collection or novel. At least not initially.

So depends on what you want. I'd encourage you to publish here or on your own site and solicit feedback as well as keeping good material you are happy with to yourself or for submission to publishers.

Eoin

What I do is publish excerps online, via You Tube and so on. That way only a tantilising piece of the puzzle is on display

pqkawara

pickarooney wrote: »

A fairly straightforward question (I think), but one that comes up time and again:

What, if any, is the recommended word count for a first novel submission and should a writer send in an entire manuscript or just some selected chapters?

I received a reply to my submission which stated 'it was unsuitable for our current publishing programme....the work may well be suitable for another publisher'

Is this a standard reply or do they really think it's suitable for another publisher? Maybe they were just letting me down gently

EileenG

pqkawara wrote: »

I received a reply to my submission which stated 'it was unsuitable for our current publishing programme....the work may well be suitable for another publisher'

Is this a standard reply or do they really think it's suitable for another publisher? Maybe they were just letting me down gently

Sorry, that's a standard reply to let you down gently. If you got a personal letter, saying "Sorry, not for us, but you it might suit XYZ", then they really mean it.

Chuchoter

Does anybody know how you get poetry into magazines/newspapers that kind of thing? I've been in specific poetry magazines for young writers before but not for a few years. How do you go about doing anything else?

Shulgraine86

Hi

I'm a writer but not a poet, but I think some of these links might help.

In regard to your info request on poetry mags and such, there are many vessels for your work. The Irish Writer's Centre host a lot of night specific to poets and their work and you will often find contests running on their site - www.writerscentre.ie.

Also, The Writers Forum (http://www.writers-forum.com/) is quite useful in that it provides tips, tutorials and competitions that run every month or so.

Alternatively to that, try out writing.ie for a broader look at the industry.
I hope this helps,

Shane

billo.d86

crayolastereo wrote: »

Does anybody know how you get poetry into magazines/newspapers that kind of thing? I've been in specific poetry magazines for young writers before but not for a few years. How do you go about doing anything else?

Ya I too was wondering about that? Strictly for my ego of course? and how do you know if its any good?

pickarooney

I've no idea how you ge paid for poetry, but if you just want to see your work in print there are a few threads on here with editors of monthly magazines constantly looking for submissions. Click back a few pages or search for 'Outburst' for example.

Easog

Eoin, you are being too kind to these people. It's better to just tell it to them straight. Your manuscripts are rubbish, only one in 200 get published. So unless your daddy becomes Taoiseach and your sister is married to one of the westlifers, you haven't got a snowballs chance in hell of being published. I'm sorry if I offended anyone but I'm just being honest. I admire people who shoot from the hip, like my role model.
:pac:---LONG LIVE PRINCE PHILIP.

billo.d86

Easog wrote: »

Eoin, you are being too kind to these people. It's better to just tell it to them straight. Your manuscripts are rubbish, only one in 200 get published. So unless your daddy becomes Taoiseach and your sister is married to one of the westlifers, you haven't got a snowballs chance in hell of being published. I'm sorry if I offended anyone but I'm just being honest. I admire people who shoot from the hip, like my role model.
:pac:---LONG LIVE PRINCE PHILIP.

Very negative Des, very negative!!

Lady Chuckles

Easog wrote: »

So unless your daddy becomes Taoiseach and your sister is married to one of the westlifers, you haven't got a snowballs chance in hell of being published.

Haha!! That certainly helps anyway! :P

IrishEyes19

On another note, does anyone know of any quality manuscript editing/review service.

EileenG

Emma Walsh www.walshcommunications.ie/index.html does it. She's not cheap, but if you are serious about getting published, it might be worth it.

Jellybaby1

johnsonkid wrote: »

I need clarification on the definition of ‘unpublished’. I notice that magazines request that any short stories sent in must be previously unpublished. One of my stories although it was never published in a book or magazine, was in fact accepted and included in a small paper booklet of stories, photocopied and distributed in a local area by a small community group some years ago. Would this be deemed to have been published?

Cartier Trinity Ring Cartier Love Bracelet CartierNotes Bracelet in Rose Gold Plated

Hey You!! You stole my post from 23rd June 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FewFew

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Hey You!! You stole my post from 23rd June 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's a bit mean of him.

Jellybaby1

Yes it is. Come on johnsonkid, own up, apologise, and explain yourself!! Why on earth would anybody do this? No original thoughts of your own then?

FewFew

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Yes it is. Come on johnsonkid, own up, apologise, and explain yourself!! Why on earth would anybody do this? No original thoughts of your own then?

You should probably punch him in the babymaker. Probably.

Shield

Can nobody see the word "Banned" under this guy's name? He was a spammer who just used your post as padding so the spam wouldn't be that obvious. I wouldn't take it too personally!

Antilles

Shield wrote: »

Can nobody see the word "Banned" under this guy's name? He was a spammer who just used your post as padding so the spam wouldn't be that obvious. I wouldn't take it too personally!

Yeah Johnsonkid, wtf is your problem?

Jellybaby1

Shield wrote: »

Can nobody see the word "Banned" under this guy's name? He was a spammer who just used your post as padding so the spam wouldn't be that obvious. I wouldn't take it too personally!

Yes I do see it now thank you. It wasn't there originally, and it is definitely there now.

FewFew

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Yes I do see it now thank you. It wasn't there originally, and it is definitely there now.

We should still go for the babymaker!

Sammie36

I got a response from a publisher stating they had a similar non-fiction book currently underway but asked me to send them any other work I may write in the future. Can I take this as a positive sign or is it a standard reply?

FewFew

Sammie36 wrote: »

I got a response from a publisher stating they had a similar non-fiction book currently underway but asked me to send them any other work I may write in the future. Can I take this as a positive sign or is it a standard reply?

Positive! Standard inoffensive response seems to go along the lines of the book not being what they're looking for at the moment. The fact that they gave the excuse that they have something similar in the works is different and so I'd say positive.

rathq

I just sent out a querys to two agents one in Ireland and one in Canada. The one in Canada wrote back and said not for them. I'm not that upset as I sent out two.( just testing the water) I'm More annoyed by my self and my lack of knowledge in constructing a propper query letter, or Cover letter. I did a bit of reasearch and still came up with a feeble attempt with my letters. I still have hope,that I haven't blown my chance with the Irish agent. I did send out the query letter and was asked to send in a cover letter, brief synopsis and the first three chapters. (fingers crossed) I was just wondering could you please give a brief example on how to construct a cover letter and any idea's on how I can get my Manuscript into a one page synopsis and not miss out on all the good parts of the book.(i'm going to bite the bullett and contact more agents)
any help will be greatly appreciated.

EileenG

http://www.wattpad.com/162924-how-to-write-a-great-query-letter

This is my favourite how-to on query letters, it's by a former literary agent, so he knows what he's talking about, and he believes in keeping it business-like and professional.

brenny77

hi,

been looking at self publishing as a last resort of osrts, what's your opinioin on self publishing?i'm very on the fence about it

iguana

Here's an anal question. What's the best format to write submissions in. I use Times New Roman, font size 14, Fully justified and tend toward 1.5 for line spacing. That correlates roughly with a similar word count per page on Word and word count per page of most paperbacks in the genre I'm writing in. That helps me pace the story properly when I'm writing as I'm aiming for an average length novel.

Is that format advisable for submissions?

sunssocks

Some can be looked into. Maybe that helps. And one hint I always find useful when writing something: A book on cutting fruit trees has no chapter on the poker game

The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: How to Write It, Sell It, and Market It . . . Successfully

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-Getting-Your-Published/dp/076116085X/ref=pd_sim_b_1

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published, 4th Edition

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Getting-Published/dp/1592575188/ref=pd_sim_b_3

Book Proposals That Sell: 21 SECRETS TO SPEED YOUR SUCCESS

http://www.amazon.com/Book-Proposals-That-Sell-SECRETS/dp/1932124640/ref=pd_sim_b_5

Aug2009

Just watched a bit of the documentary on JK Rowling. It really is amazing that she got published. she is a very talented writer and deserves to get published. This doesnt always happen so hope you all get a chance to your books printed and sold in bookshops.

Stick with it!!!!!

rathq

Well i've sent out my queries and submissions. I've had a few rejections. It's a pity they don't tell you what exactly they didn't like. But, i'm not giving up. I'll leave my first book to the writing gods for the moment.

Hopefully one day when I least expect it i'll get a yes.

But until then, I've finsihed the first two chapters of my second book and there are another few on the back burner, jumping to be the next in line. So good luck to everyone and don't give up. I'm not