Some Essential Tips for Writing and Publishing Your First Fiction Novel

So you wanna write a (fiction) book ... in this climate?

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Last year, Kristen wrote an excellent primer for those of you who are interested in writing a book. Kristen writes non-fiction (excellently, I should note), and her advice is incredible for those of you who want to also dip some toes into the world of non-fic. But if you’re interested in writing fiction…well, that’s a whole different ball game.

First things first: Write the whole book 

This is the key difference between writing our two different kinds of books. If you’re shopping around a fictional novel, collection of short stories, poetry anthology…you better have the whole thing done. Depending on the age group and genre word counts vary, but novels for adults should be at least 70,000 words (on the short side for mystery, literary fiction, romance, and a couple other styles) and 120,000 words (sci-fi and fantasy, mostly).

All genre expectations should be met, or completely overthrown in a way that makes people realize you are the epitome of genius (this is probably not the case, so meet those genre expectations, kids). Every i is dotted, every t is crossed and every plot hole is sewn up. Your families and friends never want to read anything you’ve written ever again because they’ve beta-read every single word of this novel that they can recite it to you like The Gettysburg Address they memorized in middle school. Hopefully it’s the greatest book ever written—and if it isn’t you have to sure as hell believe it is before continuing down this gauntlet. Publishing a novel is a constant push-pull in having the hubris to believe you have written the greatest book ever written, and being humble enough to know you haven’t.

You are warned.

Traditional publishing vs. self-publishing?

I’ve done both. I have two self-published novels and three traditionally published novels. There are advantages and disadvantages to both and no one can make this decision for you although I am happy to answer questions about both avenues. I err on the side of traditional publishing now, but self-publishing works wonderfully for extremely niche markets, like specific romance angles and fantasy. I write mainstream mystery novels and enjoy the process of traditional publishing.

If you want to publish traditionally, you need an agent. Time to query!

Sites like ManuscriptWishlist.com help you find agents in the publishing industry who are looking for books that may align with what you have already written. Most agents require you to send queries that fit specific formats—ranging from a personalized letter, perhaps a short summary, perhaps the first 10, 20, 50 pages of your book. Maybe they want it emailed, maybe they use proprietary software. FOLLOW THEIR DIRECTIONS. Agents receive hundreds of queries over the course of a year and a quick way to get no one to look at your book is if you don’t follow the directions. Above all: be polite, be professional, and know that no one asked you to write this book, so no one really owes you their attention. You need them more than they need you.

So you have an agent: now what?

Your agent will ask you to make some changes to your book and this is entirely to make your book sell. I struggle with this immensely (just ask my agent!). It is at this point that I have to remind myself that the book is no longer mine and the path of trying to sell it to another person is the part where the book I’ve just spent the last six to twelve months writing no longer belongs to me. Again: this is something I struggle with, like everyone else. But it helps to remind oneself that the story is the story and the details are the details. Making some changes doesn’t mean that the book that’s “going out” is no longer the book you wrote.

Hurrah! It’s sold!

Your agent will have editors they know they want to pitch your book to and will happily tell you all about them if you ask, or leave you in the dark if that is what you prefer. This is a long, slow, painful process. My first book took six months to sell, as acquisition editors took their time to ask for more pages or the whole book, then took their time to read it, then took their time to figure out how they were going to fit it into the slate of books they already have or are coming out. This is a business and you only supply one small part of it. Hopefully, an editor (or more than one!) wants your book and it is your agent’s job to make sure that you come to an agreement on contract details such as an advance, how much you get paid per book or eBook sold, how one divvies up advances if TV and movie rights are sold, etc. etc. This is something you will have to discuss with your agency and oftentimes you will be gobsmacked at how little you are going to make on something you spent hundreds of hours writing. 

Now, the work begins

Your editor will want changes. Maybe several rounds of them. Then the copyeditor goes through it all two or three times. You will need to write synopses, summaries, marketing materials, bios and acknowledgements, notes, get headshots. You will need to stick to many, many deadlines—physical production of books takes a long time—and not miss them. This is not a great industry for people who couldn’t turn term papers in on time in college. Extensions are granted, but begrudgingly, and maybe at cost to you. Book publishing comes with a lot of “hurry up and wait” scenarios. You might only have two weeks to do edits but the publisher has two months ‘til they contact you about the next round of work you need to do. This isn’t an excuse to stop writing your next book. If anything, the best chance you have of selling your next book is in the lead up to or just after your current book is sold. Get writing. 

Marketing and publicity budgets are scant, unless you are lucky enough to be “top of list.” That means you are one of the few authors a publishing company is going to champion to press and the media at large in an angle to become a best-seller. This happens for basically no one who isn’t Stephen King. You are most likely a midlist author, a debut who might make a big splash. But that splash largely depends on how much you are willing to lift to make it. Book tours, Youtube interviews, podcast guest spots, relentlessly begging your family and friends to talk about you, Goodreads review campaigns…whatever you can do, do it, short of committing felonies. Every ounce of juice you can squeeze will make a difference. No matter how many times you talk about your book on social media someone you know will have absolutely no idea that you have a book coming out. Paper the walls of Facebook with your notices. The people who mind don’t matter.

Just remember:

Before you know it…you’re old news.

The unfortunate thing about traditional publishing is that next month your publisher has a whole new stack of books to push. Your window for being the hottest new thing is terrifyingly short. There is no amount of prep work that is too much prep work for marketing or publicising your books. If I knew then what I know now I would have spent my entire advance on a publicity team and outside marketing to try to make a bigger name for my debut book. After all, you only debut once. Every writer has their own threshold for what they are willing to do, but in the era of modern publishing a lot more of it is on your shoulders than you think.

Emily J. Edwards is the author of three novels in The Girl Friday Mystery series, beginning with Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man. She earned her degree in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College and took the long road to becoming an author, working for over a decade as a wine and spirits journalist, radio producer, and creator of the podcast, F*ckbois of Literature, and ch-host of the podcast Ticklish Business. Emily currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband—a composer—and several quadrupeds. Pronouns: she/her/hers

Any questions I didn’t answer? Are you a writer with tips on navigating the book industry? Leave a comment or join the subscriber chat!