So, You’ve Finished Your Manuscript… (Part Four)
The manuscript is finally finished. And it is finished finished. There is absolutely nothing else you can do with it. Now what?
Find Your Team
At the Oscars in 2018, Allison Janney’s name was called announcing her as the winner for Best-Supporting Actress for her performance in I, Tonya. Her first words once she reached the podium to thunderous applause were, “I did it all by myself.”
And everyone laughed.
Because of course she didn’t do it all herself. Ms. Janney then went on to credit the tens (and probably more like hundreds) of people who helped her arrive on that elevated stage.
Getting published is a team sport. Yes, you’ve been slaving away at your laptop or typewriter or legal pad for years. It’s been you who has sat for hour upon hour pulling words from your brain with the force and determination of a Highland vet during lambing season.
You’re absolutely right, babe, and it is your name that will be on the cover of your book, just like it was Allison Janney’s name called at the Oscars. But to get your book to be more than a GoogleDoc on your computer, you have to invite people into the room.
Of course, depending on what publishing path you take, the number of people in the room, and how you collect them changes.
If you plan on self publishing, you get to cherry-pick what kind of support you’d like and it really depends on how much money you’d like to spend. Minimally, you’ll need a developmental editor, a typesetter, a proofreader, and a cover designer. All of these services vary wildly in price, and you are the general contractor for this project. You might want to spend money on marketing, or you might want to spend money on more detailed editorial. You might want to learn how to typeset yourself, and maybe your best friend will cover design for you on Canva - go for it! Your book, your choice your budget, your team. All for you to manage yourself.
If you’re looking into hybrid publishing, you’re essentially hiring a general contractor to manage all the sub-contractors for you. And rather than managing the budget one item at a time, you pay a lump sum that will cover all your editorial, typesetting, and cover design. Each hybrid publisher is different in what they offer and what is included in that fee. Some might offer more editorial, some offer marketing and PR services. And some even offer distribution. Again, I highly encourage you to take a look at the Independent Book Publishers Association website for guidance. There are a lot of hybrid publisher’s out there, so make sure you clearly understand what it being offered and what isn’t.
If you’re going the traditional route, then you are going to need to find an agent. Some traditional publishers accept un-agented manuscripts, but even if you had an offer from a publisher, I would still recommend you get an agent. Our job is to make sure that you, the author, is getting the best deal possible. We look at contracts all day and we earn our money by selling the book and then negotiating the deal on your behalf. A traditional publisher is only looking out for their best interest (duh!), and an agent is looking out for yours.
We’ll go over how to find an agent and questions to ask, etc. in another post, but I thought it was important to illustrate the steps immediately following finishing a manuscript. Authors often skip right from ‘first draft is done’ to ‘please read my query’ while the proverbial ink is still wet, and, unfortunately, you’re wasting everyone’s time and only setting yourself up for disappointment.
You’ve finished your manuscript and now what? Celebrate, let the ink dry, get feedback, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, and then start looking around for people to help get your book published. If you’ve put in the work, you will have no shortage of people eager to hop on your bandwagon.
