• Don't let your work down with silly errors. Typing errors and poorly thought out sentence construction might make an editor laugh but they won't make them accept your work. Spell checkers won't pick up on common mistakes like there / their or your / you're, and grammar checkers won't help you with issues like which quotation marks to use when, and how to punctuate around brackets. The key message is to always have your work proof-read by a professional. Editors are trained to pick out little mistakes that most people wouldn't even recognise, so this is imperative in order to get your work up to their standards. For details of available proof reading services (and some hilarious misprints demonstrating the dangers of not proof reading) click here
• Due to the volume of submissions editors receive it is rare to get detailed feedback on your work, but without feedback you can't learn what editors are looking for and how to get your work published - this is the problem which leads to so many potential writers spending their whole lives writing aimlessly, going round in circles, piling up the rejections and never learning how to make that crucial breakthrough. To avoid this you can submit your work to editors for critical appraisals of your work. They'll give you handy hints and tips, proof read your work, and point you in the right direction at the same time. It doesn't cost the Earth, but it could be the difference between getting published and not! For details click here

Thanks to Jesus Baez  

1. Look for an agent that matches your work
   Make sure that they specialise in it or it is one of the areas they can work with.
2. Never pay reading fees
   If they charge you, then they're a fake!
3. Check if they are a Member of AAR
   Usually these types are the good ones. If they aren't then do more homework on them
4. Do your homework
   I know what you're saying: "Homework? I get enough of it at school"; or "I finished that a long time ago!" You can say either one of them and it will mean the difference between an "A" or an "F".
   To get an "A" you must find at least 10 agents you want to submit to and then research them. Go on the internet, or might I recommend 2004 guide to literary agents. This book is chucked with info that will help you in the long run.
   To get an "F": don't research the agent and end up calling Jane Doe "Mr Doe" in your query, which will most likely give you the biggest rejection you query could get: a garbage can entrance.
5. Be a professional
   Don't even think about sending golf ball tees to an agent if you're writing about golf, or bloody ink if you're writing a horror story: not only does it look unprofessional, it is pure stupidity! Look like you know what you're talking about. Be smart. Be seductive with your book and nothing else. Believe me, I read once that an agent was seduced by a client with a nude photo saying she wanted to "fondle his adjective". Don't be this stupid.
6. Be nice and be patient
   The worst nightmare of any agent is someone who calls them every day and asks "What's new, Gina?" or "Who did you show my book to?" Believe me, this makes them want to kill you. Be nice. Kimberley Cameron once wrote she would rather work with a good writer with a nice personality then an exceptional writer with the personality of Joan Crawford with her kids. Be nice and be patient.

So now that you've got these tips start searching (of course your Manuscript should be finished, first), and when you find one, pat yourself on the back. Good luck.

Write:
This is a 'No duh' thing, however many aspiring writers want to skip the writing part – this is not possible. Try to write everyday. Get a journal and write about how your day was, how you feel. Write stories. You have probably seen a show or read a book and made up a character that could fit perfectly into a later adventure or an adventure with the official characters. This is called fanfiction. Most people don't write fanfiction because it will never be published. But if you don't write down the story the muse will float around in your head for a long time. Write down the story, then submit it to Fanficton.net or submit it to a free-standing fanfiction site.

Read:
The more you read, the better your writing will be. Do NOT only read the type of books that you plan to write. Read romance, mystery, horror, fantasy, sci-fi, everything. In turn the different situations in the many genres will make your stories more interesting.

Thanks to Kimberley Freeman  

Thanks to Pamela S. Thibodeaux

• So be informed. Get all the information you can before you sign a contract. Check company statistics, personal background information on the people involved, credentials of the Attorney(s), CPA, CFO and CEO's of the organization. Check with local and national Better Business Bureau's to see if there's any information. If it's a new publisher, ask for business plans, financial records, something to ensure they are legitimate.
• Check agents out with AAAR (Association of Author and Artist Representatives). Check places like Predators and Editors and inquire of other authors. But be careful not to believe everything you hear or read.
• Be wise. If you get a contract with a new or even bigger publishing company, try and negotiate keeping your existing contract intact for sometime(especially if you are self or E-published). Many publishing houses take up to 2 years to get your book(s) on the shelves, don't lose out on that precious time to promote your existing career! Don't get swept away by what 'might be' and never give away control of any existing books you still have.
• Be discerning and be patient, it takes time and perserverance to establish any career! Especially writing.
• Most of all, be loyal. To yourself and to your integrity. If you have a bad or negative experience, warn others without trashing someone else. We all have big dreams. We all experience the not-so-good in life. We all make mistakes. None of us are perfect. So, remember the Golden Rule and don't exalt yourself by lowering someone else in other's eyes.

Though it is my prayer that this information will help you avoid mistakes in your own career, chances are you'll still make plenty. But don't quit. What you have to say as a writer, poet or artist is important, so persevere, hang in there and don't give up!

Adopted from the article Beware and Be Smart (c) 2004

Author Bio:  Pamela S. Thibodeaux is a member and co-founder of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana and a member of and ACRW (American Christian Romance Writers). A multi-published author in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, "Inspirational with an Edge!"  Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com   Email: pthib-7@centurytel.net

Thanks to Paul Thomason

1. Pay attention in English class. Seriously. Writing is a craft and as with all crafts, there is a set of skills which you must master to be proficient. Learn the rules of grammar and composition, of sentence construction, of how the language works. Turn off the grammar and spell checkers, learn the skills yourself. You wouldn't allow an untrained person to perform surgery on you, would you? Or build your house? Fly your aeroplane? Why then, should you come  to the blank page (and ultimately, your readers) without the skills necessary for the task. Learn the basics, okay?

2. Omit needless words. (Strunk & White, Elements Of Composition, Rule 17)

3. Read. Read. Read. Read. Read. Read some more. Read again. When you're done with that, relax with a book. Then go and read. Read the classics, read trash, read best sellers, read the back of cereal packets. See how it's done by people good enough to be paid to do it. Every book, every page has lessons for you.

4. Write what you know. Inform your work with your knowledge and life experience. Know your ouvre, your genre, inside out. If you want to write a haiku about heartbreak for instance, you need to know how heartbreak feels.

5. Practise. The more you write the more proficient you will become. Think of it in the same terms as learning a musical instrument - when the skills become second nature, you'll really be able to fly.

6. Don't be naive about the industry. Copyright your work properly, keep good records, have contracts checked by legal professionals, check out potential agents, publishers etc. Beware vanity press - if you're a good writer, they should be paying you, not the other way round.

7. Realise that talent is cheap. Dedication and endless practise however, are not. Lots of talented writers drivin' trucks for a living, if you catch my drift!

Thanks to Eileen Drew

Thanks to Kobby Smith

Thanks to Jenny Smedley

So, only write about something you feel passionately about.

I had to have the first edition of my book Ripples, published privately by a sponsor. Then followed two years of promotion, promotion and tireless promotion. Most people would have given up, possibly. Finally an honest-to-goodness real-life publisher took my book and published it professionally.

So my tip would be that you have to believe in your book - really believe in it - to make others do the same.

Thanks to Trupti

Thanks to Dylan J. Tate

Thanks to Howard Hoy

Thanks to Hayley

Thanks to Charlotte Barrett

Thanks to Nicola Jane

Thanks to Kathleen Gentile

Thanks to Nazia Nazar

Thanks to VonGuard

• Adjectives: a dead giveaway for amateur writing is that there are always far too many adjectives. A door is never simply 'a door', but always 'a big, imposing, rust-ridden door'. A good exercise is to go through your work and strip out all the adjectives, then set yourself a quota (say two adjectives per page). You'll find that by thinking so carefully about each adjective you'll make much better use of them, and the rest of the text, once simplified by the removal of excess adjectives, will flow much better. The overall result will seem far more professional, and will be far more likely to be accepted by an editor.
  
• Exclamation marks(!): exclamation marks are another favourite for amateur writers, who tend to use them as a substitute for genuinely powerful writing! They are used to prop up weak jokes! 'Emphasise' weak points! And add 'excitement' to weak prose! Writing that uses lots of exclamation marks will inevitably read like an endless advert, and is unlikely to attract the favourable attentions of an editor!
  
• Reporting Speech: People often get confused over what exactly the rules are for reporting speech - and that's largely because there aren't any fixed rules for reporting speech. British writers use mainly single quotation marks, American ones mainly double, and then there are writers like Joyce who use neither, opting instead for an introductory dash. Some writers always begin a new paragraph when reporting speech, others vary. The choice of exactly how you denote reported speech is yours, but what is important is that once you've chosen your method you stick to it. Inconsistency will make your writing hard to follow and confusing.
   
  (NB: When using quotation marks within quotation marks always alternate between single and double, e.g.: 'John said "oh yes, it's really 'helpful', isn't it?" ' )

It's always a good idea to read the magazines you're thinking of submitting to, but don't try and tailor your writing to a particular magazine, as all you'll end up doing is creating pale imitations of stories from earlier issues. You need to find a magazine which suits your style, and since you probably can't afford to subscribe to all of them the best way of doing this is by using the firstwriter.directory. It's continually updated, and it has much more information on each magazine than either The Writers' Handbook or The Small Press Guide. This will give you a good idea of which magazines will be suitable, and details on how to buy copies, so that you can gauge exactly the tone of each one. It's worth spending that little bit of money to get to know a magazine - even if it only saves you wasting postage sending material to inappropriate magazines.

Think about foreign markets: lots of small press editors are keen to create a cosmopolitan image for their magazines by accepting foreign submissions, so by submitting to an American or Australian magazine you could be increasing your chances of acceptance. Check out the firstwriter.directory when it is expanded soon to include magazines from across the world.

Above all, get involved in the small press world! Support the magazines, and if there's one near you why not do some voluntary work for them? Small press editors have a hard time of things and so tend to be keen to support each other whenever they can.

Thanks to Miles Hodge

Thanks to Sasha Seddon

Thanks to James Thorn

Thanks to Toni Thrasher

Thanks to Judy

Thanks to Nalini S. Malaviya

Thanks to Sarah

All writings have a beginning, middle and end.  Each of these has a job to do. The job of your beginning is to hook your readers (and that includes editors, who are your first readers!) This is done by setting the tone, creating the scene and enticing readers with a promise of what you're work will deliver. You have only a few paragraphs to do this. You have to grab readers' attention fast, before they have a chance to lose interest and reach for the remote control.

There are several ways to grab them.  They all boil down to starting with something intriguing.  It can be an event, a setting, an image, an insight, a character, or even an unusual writing style.

If you'd like to know more about this and the other six reasons, check out my website: www.acappela.com

Thanks to Elisabeth

Thanks to Joan and Savannah

It is extremely important to make sure you know exactly what you mean when you are writing and that your work does not get you confused. Make sure you have the right words and strong detail to describe something. Too many adjectives are not necessary. Just make sure you are satisfied with what you are writing.

As you go along, you can edit yourself and make things better, but don't cramp the pages with vocabulary words and details.

Also, when you finish you piece of writing, you usually have all the time you want to revise and go through what may not be clear to a reader.

Just because you may know what you are writing about and understand yourself what you are trying to say, imagine yourself as the reader.

Remember: don't use too many adjectives, but still make it that the reader can feel, see, hear, smell, and taste what the main character is going through. This brings a big effect to the reader and makes your writing sound more interesting.

This is when various sources become practical. Look deeper and find things that can help. Don't just sit there and think you are finished when you can put preciseness in your story.

If you think you have put in enough and you are completely satisfied with your story plot, "Bling Bling!" You can go on to farther and more difficult steps to share your writing to the world.

Thanks to Rachael Torrance

Thanks to Shelly Connor

Thanks to Ellie

Thanks to Carly

Thanks to Sofi  

Thanks to J Curtis Johnson  

Thanks to Joe Wolfe  

Thanks to Darby Diana  

Thanks to Grace Wilson  

   Thanks to Yolanda  

   Thanks to Darby Diana  

   Thanks to Christine  

   Thanks to Samone Riely  

   Thanks to Jayanthi Manoj  

To carve a niche for yourself in the field of writing it is important to adopt self writing schemes. There are two important ways to upgrade your skill.

1.Never let go an inspiration unnoticed. Make sure that you put it in black and white.
2.At the end the day check whether you have written a few lines to your credit. If not ,write on an easy subject to keep in touch. Let not the sun go down on empty work.

These two yardsticks will always help in the growth of the writer in YOU.

Remember the writer in you is important. so keep in touch with him/her.

   Thanks to Victoria  

   Thanks to Geoffrey Williams  

   Thanks to Amy J.  

   Thanks to Jonathan  

Go on, try reading! It's worth every writer's time!

   Thanks to Jasmine Robinson  

   Thanks to Rhiannon Satis  

   Thanks to The Dabbling Mum.com  

To learn more about the process of querying publications, visit http://thedabblingmum.com/joinezine.htm for a free e-book on Query Letters and Published Samples.

   Thanks to Amy Jones  

   Thanks to Ronni Tschudy  

   Thanks to Inuyasha Girl  

   Thanks to Jeanne and Sasha 

If you notice mistakes as you are rereading that don't fit into your story plot, take wise precautions as you delete words, sentences, and paragraphs. While you edit your work by taking out phrases that you don't want or need, make sure it still all fits in and that it doesn't seem obvious that something used to be between two paragraphs. Therefore, always reread to determine that everything makes sense and that everything is clear and detailed.

If you love writing and if that's one of your ultimate passions, no mistake this small should stop your pieces of art from succeeding.

   Thanks to Penny Jagger 

   Thanks to Sam 

   Thanks to John of Neath 

   Thanks to Horace Williams 

   Thanks to John Hursey 

   Thanks to Jen O'Connell 

   Thanks to Patrika Vaughn 

First, you need to know if there is an audience for your book. Are there others like it that are selling well? If so, good - but you also need to position your book by knowing what about it is unique.

Your writing style will be effected by your audience. Do you know who your readers are? Their age range, marital status, occupations? It's important to develop a profile of your readers in order to write to your audience.

If yours is a non-fiction book, you'll need to make sure all the information in it is current and is material your audience is looking for. A good way to find this out is to pay attention to what the media is talking and writing about. Teach a class or give a seminar to get in touch with your audience and discover what they want.

Last but not least, timing in the release of your book matters a lot. Is it a book that will sell well around a major national holiday? Is there an anniversary of some important event (i.e., 9/11) or special day (Mothers Day) that you could capitalise on by releasing your book at that time?

For more thorough advice on selling your book, see my Write Publish & Market Your Book or my online classes about Book Promotion (both available at http://www.acappela.com/) or subscribe to Penny Sansevieri's excellent newsletters (penny@marketingexpert.com) And if you need help getting funding for your writing, try Hope Clark's website (http://www.fundsforwriters.com/).

   Thanks to Emily Hanlon 

www.thefictionwritersjourney.com.

   Thanks to Sasha Duke 

   Thanks to Azfar A. Khan 

   Thanks to Heather Raney 

   Thanks to Emily Hanlon 

   Thanks to Tara Kruppenbach 

Thanks to Connie Luayon 

Thanks to Andreas 

Thanks to David Bowman 

Thanks to Peter Davis 

Thanks to T. F. Simmons 

Thanks to Shaun Holt 

Thanks to Shaun Holt 

Thanks to Lindsay 

Thanks to Samuel Ayodele 

Thanks to Danielle 

Thanks to Emily Hanlon 

These tips are taken from Emily Hanlon's book, The Art of Fiction Writing. Emily is a novelist and writing coach. Her website is  www.thefictionwritersjourney.com.

Thanks to Blake Dressler 

Don't be afraid to give your work to critics, you should take their opinions to heart, look at what they said and make it better, critics help you make way more sales. learn to use critics to benefit you.

Thanks to Donna Diamond 

Find five markets that might be interested in your idea and if one rejects your query/mss then you move on to the second, third and fourth. If by the fifth market on your list you haven't sold it then you might re-think your slant. There are many ways to sell an article – perhaps your list might include a general interest publication, a trade publication or department piece or filler in a business magazine. It makes the writer think of possible ways to write the article and avoids procrastination.

Thanks to Anvita 

Just plunge into the sea of possibilities. See how your writing sounds for your ears will never deceive you! Go ahead and create magical prose.

Thanks to Robert Gordon Smith 

You would be surprised at how many people just launch into a story. Make sure you know the plot back to front.

Thanks to Vaman Acharya 

Story must be more dramatic, coherent topics and blended very well with the main topic.

Thanks to Mohamed Sabet