Getting published is a challenge, but aspiring writers can submit their work to essay contests, local newspapers, and journals. Publishing a book may require a literary agent or self-publishing. Patience and persistence are key.
As any aspiring writer can attest, getting your work published can be a daunting challenge. For every magazine article, novel, short story, or poem published in the world today, there may be thousands of articles that didn’t quite make it. Accurately gauging what an editor or editor wants is an art form in itself, and one of the best skills to have is patience. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of the right piece getting to the right publisher or editor at the right time.
History is full of stories of famous authors who spent years trying to get their work published, only to be rejected time and time again. Many of today’s best-known literary works were accepted by the 20th or 30th editor to actually read the manuscript. Getting anything published in today’s competitive field of writing should be viewed as a laudable achievement.
One way to get published is through an essay contest, often called an essay contest in countries outside the United States. Writing contest sponsors may request an entry fee or a specific topic for entries, but most deliver what they promise to winners. The prize for participating in a writing contest usually includes being published in a collection or having your entire manuscript published in a small press. Entry fees help defray the sponsor’s expenses. Many writers working in niche markets such as poetry find it easier to gain success through space book competitions and full-size manuscripts rather than approaching major publishers with their work.
Many people get published for the first time by submitting their work to local newspapers, especially alternative printers. Tabloid newspapers that cater to a younger population often look for poems, short stories, essays or op-eds to fill their pages. Organizational newsletters are also good places to address with short informational articles or appropriate pieces of creative writing. It’s usually much easier to get first published in smaller publications that need good content from local writers. Getting printed and getting paid may be two different matters, but at least your work will be in print and any clippings will ultimately help an aspiring writer gain some much-needed credibility.
Another way to get published is to get a list of journals and their publishing needs. A public library or local bookstore should carry several reference books for writers who want to publish in regional or national markets. These books are often promoted as “writers’ markets” or “poets’ markets” and are usually quite comprehensive, which means thick. These writers’ guides should provide the contact information a writer needs to submit manuscripts. In addition, there should be details about what a specific journal needs and the proper format for submission. To be published in a magazine or periodical listed in these books, all a writer can do is follow the rules and hope their works stand out from the hundreds or thousands of other submissions received by the editor(s). The process can take months, and many publications have an acceptance rate of 2% or less.
Publishing a book or non-fiction work can be even more of a challenge for an unestablished writer. Submitting to a small press might seem like a good idea, but many of these publishers are already committed to multiple other projects or may be facing serious financial difficulties. Getting a novel published by a major publisher such as Random House usually requires the assistance of a literary agent. Locating and impressing an established literary agent can be a lifelong quest in itself, but few major publishers ever read unsolicited manuscripts from unproven writers. For a completed manuscript to be published and distributed, a literary agent must first recognize its merits and lobby publishers on the writer’s behalf.
There is always another option available to writers wanting to get published, but it can be costly and less artistically satisfying than traditional publishing. An aspiring writer can go through the services of a self-publishing company or “vanity press”. The cost of having a manuscript edited and formatted is usually borne by the writer himself, and the publisher may require a minimum number of copies before requesting an initial press release. The sheer expense involved with a vanity printer can make the cost of an individual book prohibitive, but some authors find they can recoup much of their investment through readings and self-promotion.
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