I need help with a publisher and an agent
Hello. :) I am 12 years old and I have just finished my first two novels. All I need to do now is get an agent and a publisher... I've already had people proofread it for me .. they it is ready to go.
So does anyone have any suggestions for publishing and an agent??
Izzy,
Congratulations! What a monumental accomplishment. My first question is: How long (word count) are your manuscripts? That is important for publishability. If they are under 50,000 they will be classified as novellae and you will have a tough time getting any agent to look at them, much less a publisher. Likewise, are they over 90,000? For a first timer, you will find agents more than a little skittish about taking on a newbie with something that long.
For more guidelines you might check my post of this date to karynp under the Fiction forum regarding getting a publisher for her novel.
Your status notes say you are writing a series so I assume these two ms are interconnected. If they fall short of novel length, you might want to consider merging them into one book. If each is long enough to stand alone, don't try to market them as a package deal. Submit the first to agents and make note of the fact that, although the book is strong enough as a stand alone novel, you envision it as part of a series of X# of books. Note that the second is completed, the third is in draft stage (or whatever), and the fourth is in outline stage.
Your age could either work for you or against you but, if your books are strictly YA fare, it might be to your advantage to promote the fact that you are twelve years old.
Lastly, be aware that, in order to sell your writing ability on the book, you have to present a submission/QL that is as good, if not better than, your manuscript. And that means you had better be a darned good proofreader yourself. (Which is to say, you don't want typos like the one in your OP to slip through.) You must learn to be your toughest critic and your strongest advocate. Have your books gone through serious edits and re-edits? If not, you might want to put them away and let them 'breathe' for a while before letting them begin making the rounds.
(Whew! This writing stuff is hard work, hm?)
Good luck.
Congratulations on your writing. You've had plenty of advice. I've finished a novel aimed at middle grade readers but apparently readers tell me there is something in there for all to enjoy.
What is important in finding an agent is how to get one to READ your work. If they never read our efforts how can they respond? I suggest working out what agents to target but do it with the help of a like minded friend. Google to find agents and take a look at Wizard Books but avoid anything to do with PublishAmerica. Stay clear of PublishAmerica. Check the forum or ask around and writers will tell you why.
From where you are I'd suggest aiming at e-mail submissions. Prepare the query letter, the snappy line that sums up your novel, the synopsis and then the BIO. Gather all that together and work on polishing your initial draft.Use spelling checker and the find facility.Then plan your submission.
I'd also suggest yu take a look at Zoetrope.com for getting reviews of your work. You'll have to check on the age allowe onto the site but it is a safe one.If not get somebody to join so you can get a feel of the site as you watch thm make contact etc.If you read another writer's book then they will read your one.
Finding an agent is tough. My novel is finished and worth a million dollars but the agent hasn't read it. They will take 90 day to reach my submission. So i usually send in my novel to one agent a day. I've had no rejections because nobody has read the work yet.You might thing of sending off 50 submissions in one da and then wait 90 days doing nothing until sombody replies.It is destructive to wait and wait. So keep busy and keep writing.
And good luck. We all need it.
Cleveland
author
Izzy,
Cool.
You found your way here so I assume you can work the web. Use this site or other agency listing sites (AgentQuery, QueryTracker) to research agents that work with children's books (or Middle Grade, if that's what you write). Then send the agencies a query letter. Google literary query letter and you'll find lots of advice on those.
Good luck.