5 ways to NOT get your novel published

Filed under Get Published.

failure1.Don’t be amazing - The single most common reason for novels not being published is that they are simply not amazing. Publishers have an almost unlimited supply of writers looking to get their books in print, so why would they publish anything but the very best writing? Your novel being good is just not good enough.

2. Produce a rubbish pitch - Many writers spend years writing a novel and then look to knock out a book proposal in a matter of hours. Writing a book proposal is an art. In essence your query letter and synopsis are sales documents convincing the publisher that you are a serious writer, who understands the market place in detail and has written an excellent book.

3. Don’t do any research - Failing to do the research needed to write your book, or find the website that offers you the best advice on writing a book proposal, or pick the most suitable agent, or pin point the ideal publisher or identify the competition all equal failure.

4. You are not differently different - Novels take a long time to write and the publishing industry moves (relatively) quickly. Churning out books that are the same as the bestsellers when you start writing is a recipe for disaster. Your book needs to clearly fit into a genre but still be differently different enough to give it a unique angle in the marketplace.

5. You give up – Only by giving up will you ensure that your novel will never get published.

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  • http://www.publishsmarts.wordpress.com @BenDawe

    “Your book needs to clearly fit into a genre but still be differently different enough to give it a unique angle in the marketplace.”
    Says it all.
    Thanks
    Ben

    • Gary Smailes

      I picked this gem up from an editor at Franklin Watt…

  • http://twitter.com/benwhiting @benwhiting

    Great concise advice. #1 needs to be talked about more often. Successfully being amazing can make up for deficiencies in the others (except for #5–quitting is flat-out fatal).

    • Gary Smailes

      thanks – I think that being amazing is essential. I would recommend that everyone reads Seth Godin’s Purple Cow.

  • http://www.tamsynmurray.co.uk Tam

    Great advice, as always. Could add “Don’t know your audience” and “Think you know it all” to these as well :-)

    • Gary Smailes

      Tam – Two great additions. I think knowing your audience is vital. I would not suggest writers write to please their audience but instead have a detailed knowledge of their marketplace and the novels that are selling and not selling.

  • http://www.kevinmachin.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk Captain Black

    Oops, I seem to have committed error #5.

    • Gary Smailes

      nooo!

  • http://lexirevellian.blogspot.com/ Lexi Revellian

    Because we know that if we tick all the boxes, and are persistent, we’ll get published, right? And that each and every book in the bookshops is amazing.

    Course we do :o )

    • garysmailes

      It is not amazing books that get published, it is books that publishing think will sell enough for them to make a profit.

      • http://lexirevellian.blogspot.com/ Lexi Revellian

        That seems to contradict what you said in your post, Gary.

  • http://lexirevellian.blogspot.com/ Lexi Revellian

    Because we know that if we tick all the boxes, and are persistent, we’ll get published, right? And that each and every book in the bookshops is amazing.

    Course we do :o )

    • garysmailes

      It is not amazing books that get published, it is books that publishing think will sell enough for them to make a profit.

      • http://lexirevellian.blogspot.com/ Lexi Revellian

        That seems to contradict what you said in your post, Gary.

  • http://twitter.com/DahgMahn M. R. Mathias

    I am amazing. I wrote my 235,000 word (700 page) epic in prison in longhand. I have self published 9 titles on Amazon, B&N, Smashwords and Createspace. This is my pitch right here…lol I am different in the fact that I am posting this here and it isnt spam becuase it is interesting. I will never give up. To find out more visit: mrmathias.com

    PS.. If Penguin Books wants me, they can find me.

    Thanks Bubble Cow :-)

  • http://twitter.com/DahgMahn Michael Robb Mathias

    I am amazing. I wrote my 235,000 word (700 page) epic in prison in longhand. I have self published 9 titles on Amazon, B&N, Smashwords and Createspace. This is my pitch right here…lol I am different in the fact that I am posting this here and it isnt spam becuase it is interesting. I will never give up. To find out more visit: mrmathias.com

    PS.. If Penguin Books wants me, they can find me.

    Thanks Bubble Cow :-)