Prologue
One of the most common questions I get asked by aspiring authors is ‘how do I get published’, followed closely by ‘do I need an agent to get published?’
The Australian publishing industry is considerably smaller than our international counterparts - namely the UK and North America - and yet despite this, it has its perks!
The North American publishing industry is a beast and way more intense (and scary) than here in Aus!
So, do you need an agent to get published?
The short answer is no, at least not here in Australia. In the US, you are not able to pitch to publishers directly - they only look at, and respond to, agented submissions. The imprints in the US are mind-bogglingly vast which requires agents in North America to be hyper-focused and narrow in what they represent. With hundreds of imprints available from the Big 5 alone, agents usually represent a single genre or single subgenre.
There is only one exception - if you’re a category romance writer.
Category romances are novels that are published based on classic tropes; category romance is all about delivering on the storylines readers love in hyper-specific subgenres, giving romance readers exactly what they’re hoping to get. There is much to appreciate about category romance especially for mood readers, and readers with specific tastes including but not limited to tropes, book length, ‘heat’ level, and the setting.
Due to the high demand for category romance stories, US publishers such as Harlequin and Mills & Boon accept direct submissions from un- agented writers.
To the best of my knowledge, there is not a single publisher in Australia who only accepts agented submissions, meaning there are so many more opportunities for aspiring Aussie authors to pitch to the publisher of their choice.
While agents in Australia are generally more flexible and open to different genres, it doesn’t mean that they don’t still have specific preferences.
If there is only one thing you take away from this course, please let it be this: you must do your research when it comes to pitching and submitting your book. Agents and publishers don’t want to be on the receiving end of your mass manuscript mail-out. We want to ensure that you tailor your submission to us.
I can tell you, in all honesty, that I have deleted hundreds of submissions without opening the manuscript because they had nothing to do with what I had advertised I was looking for.
When I receive submissions that don’t adhere to the guidelines on my website, it tells me two important things.
You can’t follow instructions – if there is a specified process and you take no notice, I don’t want to work with you.
You haven’t done your research and tailored your pitch. Your submission, and your pitch, are equivalent to applying for a job. If you make no reference to the publisher or agent and why you think we’re a good fit, then we’re likely not!
The most important thing you can do is research, research, research! It helps your submission when you make each publisher and agent you approach feel like they have been specially selected because of authors they represent, and the projects they are committed to.
Pitching and submissions guidelines are there for a reason and by ignoring them, you’re wasting everyone’s time, including your own (and setting yourself up for unnecessary rejection too).
Books have not always been for the masses like they are now. We have to be able to communicate with the consumer quickly and effectively about each book and what they are about. Agents and publishers are looking for pitches and submissions that reflect how intimately you know your story and how well you can communicate it.
That’s what this course is here to do: help you take the story you love so much and learn how to invite others to love it too!
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an aspiring author must nail their story before they’re able to nail their pitch!
How do you know when your book is done?
Let’s start there!