I saw a post similar to this one below but I have some other questions.
1) When finished with a manuscript and have cleansed it of all its errors do you simply mail the manuscript into a publisher that you like?
2) Do publishers "advertise" for authors? Like a "Wanted Authors" webpage or advertisement?
3) Do minors [text adjusted to comply with site policy. Bmat] forfit all rights to my story if it gets accepted?
4) I've heard the term "Book Agents" and the only thing I can equal that to is a agent for a sports player (Like Drew Rosenhaus)? Do they do kind of the same thing?
Thanks for the help. School is about as helpful as nipples on a breastplate (Thank you George RR Martin..... )
"The problem with the future is that it keeps turning into the present"
-Hobbes from "Calvin and Hobbes"
In answer to your questions, I have a few suggestions...
1) I'd say that once you've finished cleaning up your MS, then you should, instead of just sending it to publishers, send it around instead to literary agents. Their job is to sort of be the 'salesperson' for your manuscript, as well as perhaps helping you in the polishing (this is not part of the job description, but from what I understand, some will at least point out weak parts to you, which will help to make their job easier to do, since if you fix the weaknesses, your book will be easier to sell). By selling, I mean taking the manuscript to the publishers that handle that sort of story to try to sell it to them. Another thing that is virtually essential is to write a very good, eye-catching cover letter for your manuscript, since that will be the first thing that everyone involved in the whole 'find a publisher' process will see, so if it does a good job of catching the interest, you'll have a much better chance at having it sell. One thing that I might compare this to is the blurb on the back cover of most novels - if it's interest-catching, then you'll be much more likely to buy it, but if it's not, then you'll probably pass it by, figuring that if the author can't even have an interesting blurb, then the book must be at least as uninteresting....
2) Advertising - basically, new publishers and hole-in-the-wall outfits (as well as ones that are looking to steal from you) will advertise, but the larger names will not need to, so they won't invest that money in it. Really, I'd say that you're safer if you just go with a reputable agent to find the right publishers for your book.
As a PS to the whole literary agent thing, one thing I'd avoid is the agents that expect money from you to sell your MS. Instead, find one that does what the reputable agents do - they sell your MS and then take a percentage of the money from that sale. By the way, if anyone who is published has a disagreement with this, please post it here and PM me, so that I can get your opinion on this!
3) Being a minor has nothing to do with your rights to your manuscript and story ideas. Another thing that agents will do is to be sure that the story ideas that you've created are protected (since it'll help them to make money off of it as well as you). When you are ready to sign with a publisher, your agent will very likely know of some literary-law specialists that will be able to help you to protect your investment. It might be tougher to sell your novel for an agent if you're still a minor, but if one accepts you as a client, it's their job to accomplish that task.
4) 'Book Agents', which is what Literary Agents are called by some people, do what I mentioned in numbers 1 - 3. They are specialized salespeople who concentrate on (usually) one or two different genres of writing. The reason for the specialization is that it will help them to become well-known to the publishers of those types of novels, which should help them to sell the manuscripts, especially if they've had at least one or two successful sales to that publisher before.
5) As for nipples on a breastplate, well, they make a great place to put your chewing gum!
"It is better to keep your mouth shut and to appear stupid than
to open it and remove all doubt."
---Mark Twain
Never, ever, ever pay someone to A) Publish or B) Look at your manuscript. That's the first sign of any scam.
A real publisher would make money off of the sales and a real agent would take a cut of your cash.
Science fiction writers of America (SFWA) gives a list of all reputable publishers and agents, large and small. I suggest grabbing a download of that list.
I have to agree with everything said above. I remember reading something online a few years ago from an author who was confronted by some guy at a book signing wanting to know "How much he paid to get published". Remember that that whole goal of publishing, at least from the economic/business end of it, is to make money yourself, not to lose it.
Also, what Aldan said is true about age. You might find it harder to get your book published if you're younger. Than again, you might not. Publishers not only want a good author, but even more than that they want a marketable one. Christopher Paolini got his books sold mostly on account of marketability, the fact that he was so young writing it. S.E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders when she was 13 and it's now required reading for a plethora schools (Mostly Junior Highs [who's reading level its at] and Colleges [With English majors who are learning how to teach it] ).
Also for minors: bear in mind, when trying to sell your manuscript, be it to an agent or the publisher directly, you are not required to say up front, "Well, ma'am, I'm only fifteen" (for example). In fact, that'll give them information to judge you by before reading your manuscript. If they like your work, let them judge it based on its own merit, not on who or how old you are. If they love it and find out you're not of legal drinking age, well then, let that be their surprise - and a minor fact to be worked out afterward.
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