How to Get Your Book Published: 5 Takeaways from You Are A Writer

For the final installment of You Are A Writer, PEN America’s workshop series for early-career writers, four industry experts delved into how a book makes its way from a writer’s hands onto shelves. They discussed what agents, editors, and publicists are looking for in proposals and manuscripts, how writers can find the right path for their book’s publication, and why they should never quit their day jobs. Scroll down to read five takeaways from the discussion. 

Moderated by Sarah Bowlin, a senior literary agent at Aevitas Creative Management, the session featured Juli Kiyan, editor and associate director of publicity at Penguin Press, Kate Gale, co-founder and managing editor of Red Hen Press, and Liz Garriga, senior director of publicity at Little, Brown.

If you missed them, catch up on the earlier sessions of You Are A Writer. 

1. Sweep readers off their feet with your manuscript. 

Kicking off the session, Bowlin asked the panelists what they’re looking for in any given submission. Kiyan responded that when it comes to fiction, the writing needs to leap off of the page and wow readers. 

Garriga agreed. “Really, it’s just about an immersive reading experience,” she said. “So that’s the good news there: You just have to enchant someone with the writing.” 

Later, Bowlin stressed that you should contact agents only once you have a complete (and thoroughly edited) manuscript. “My dad had the very cheesy [saying], ‘You only get one chance at a first impression,’ but it is true in the sense that I have 700 unread novels in my inbox right now and the only way that I get through that material is for something to really stand out,” she said. 

To read the full article on pen.org, click here