How To Write A Book- Part 2 : How to draw the attention of a publisher?

The reader may want to read Part 1 to get a better understanding of my experiences in writing a non-fiction book. I am a first-time author whose first book (non-fiction) titled “Unmet Needs of Entrepreneurship - Why Entrepreneurs Do What They Do", published by Rupa Publications, was launched in Feb 2018.

Click here for Part 1

Now that I had completed my manuscript (MS), I sent the first three chapters of the MS to four Literary Agents in India. Along with the sample MS, I sent them a synopsis that had brief details on the book, its USP, the target audience, my credibility, the value proposition, the customer benefits, etc. One of them replied saying that they would get back in 12 weeks with a feedback! 12 weeks to just let you know if they were interested in representing you! Couple of them acknowledged receipt of the sample MS.

I waited for a week and then pinged them again. I received three responses – a couple of them wanted a few days to get back, one agent out of Delhi was literally irritated that I got back so early and asked me not to ‘pester him’ and the fourth one never responded. One from Mumbai promptly got back saying that they do not focus on this genre. My current LA from Jaipur got back in a day and showed interest in representing me. That was an exciting moment since there appeared to be someone who was open to representing my work! A first-time author is seeking validation of his work - with respect to style, content, idea flow, etc. Incidentally, the LAs will bill you for their services which I thought made sense. This ensured that they are paid for spending time on your work. There are authors who send their MS directly to publishers (because it is just a click away!) and to LAs. This is tantamount to short-circuiting the LA while giving the impression that you are working alongside them. That can be unfair to LAs.

I sent my full MS and requested my LA to send the MS to the top 10-15 publishers in India. It took 3-4 months to receive responses from publishers and all of them were negative. The LA receives the responses from publishers. Publishers do not disclose the reasons for rejecting manuscripts and you have to guess what could have gone wrong!

During this intervening period, I got busy with work since I had nothing much to do. After a long wait of 4-5 months, I sat down with my MS to understand the reasons behind the declines. “Whatever happens, happens for a reason that is only meant to be beneficial.” It gave me time to reflect on the content and I rewrote an important chapter in the book. I also realized that I had made a cardinal mistake – I did not get my book edited by anyone. It seems like common sense now but it did not seem very important to me when I first submitted the MS. Also, I realized later that LAs do not edit the MS. I guess copy edition is a value-added service.

I did not know anyone who could edit my manuscript. I decided to use a freelancer to edit my work. There are many websites where you can hire the services of specialists – Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, oDesk, etc. That was perhaps the best decision I made. I quickly realized the nuances of copy editing and the importance of keeping things simple. Issues related to verbosity, redundancy, syntax, grammar, punctuations, etc., were addressed. I had not given much thought to many issues and it was an eye-opener for me. For eg. is there consistency in the English used – British or US? I never gave that a thought! However, you need to be careful when your work goes to a complete stranger for the edition. You need to be aware of the potential risks.

I resent my revised MS and summary to the LA. I continued to wait but there was no response from any publisher even after two months. It was frustrating. I began to seriously explore self-publishing. Self-publishing is very empowering and I will cover the pros and cons in another post. After waiting for two months, I received a positive response from my LA during mid-Nov 2016 saying that Rupa Publications was interested in signing up! That was great news after such a long wait!

Here is some info that will help you with some perspectives - there are around 7-8 leading traditional publishers in India. Rupa publishes around 160-180 titles a year. Most other publishers may be doing around 250-300 titles a year. Publishers receive thousands of manuscripts every year. Genres include fiction, self-help, business, biographies, literary fiction, etc. Manuscripts are received from CEOs, bureaucrats, politicians, subject matter experts, etc., in every field. It is really hard to get noticed. Your manuscript could land up at the desk of a junior editor who has no interest in your genre and may not even read it beyond the first page! In a few minutes, the editor will evaluate your writing style, content, and grammar. If it does not connect or is a me-too product, it will not cut ice with the editor. If there is some elementary interest in the book, a larger team sits every week to discuss if something will sell. You may have written a high-quality book after years of research that caters to a niche reader audience but the customer size may be unattractive to a publisher. If one is seeking to get published through a traditional publisher, it is important to think of the audience - who are they, where are they located, how many of them are out there, what will they like, etc.

The following pointers could help in getting noticed by a publisher –

• Having a Literary Agent definitely helped. It is important you sign up with the best in the industry.
• Get the manuscript edited by one or two people having experience in copy editing.
• A crisp synopsis that captures the essence of the book, benefits, target audience, value proposition, USP, etc. I had 43 illustrations that captured ideas through wit and humor.
• Check your writing style and ask - 'Will my target audience relate to this style?'
• Sell yourself. The publisher has to get a sense that you will be involving yourself in marketing the book.

Find out more about the book #UnmetNeedsOfEntrepreneurship 

Buy your copy here: https://bit.ly/Unmet_Needs

Also read:

Part 1:How to write a book - How to get started?

Part 2: How to write a book - How to draw the attention of a publisher?

Part 3: How to write a book - Self publishing vs Traditional publishing

Part 4: How to write a book - How much will it cost?