![]() If there’s ever a good time to be an Internet lurker, it’s now. ![]() like many other acquisitions editors, I hear pitches at conventions.” This works favorably not only for editors but for writers, such as Janice Booth, author of Only Pack What You Can Carry (National Geographic), who “pitched (and sold) my first book to the VP and editor-in-chief of National Geographic, who happened to visit a month-long writing workshop I’d attended.” You don’t need an agent for that like many other acquisitions editors, I hear pitches at conventions.” One such editor, Erin Lale of Eternal Press and Damnation Books, explains that agents “sometimes tell authors they can place their books because agents have personal relationships with the editors. Part of the reason writing conferences and workshops exist is for acquisitions editors to find potential authors. But don’t limit yourself to random encounters. If you don’t tell everyone you meet about your book, you’re less likely to find someone with a best friend or second cousin who works at your dream publishing house and would be willing to look at your project. You’ve heard this before and for a good reason: it’s sound advice. It helps immensely to have a platform, such as a speaking career, from which to promote your book.” She notes that one of the most important factors when trying to sell your manuscript unagented is that “you need to demonstrate that you’ve invested in yourself and therefore, will invest in the publisher and your book. I’m Having a No Hair Day (University of Minnesota Press) and You, Inc: The Art of Selling Yourself (Grand Central Publishing)-the latter of which scored her and her co-writer husband a $250,000 advance. It paid off for Christine Clifford, who has sold seven unagented books, including the bestselling Not Now. You can do this through traditional venues-like industry blogs or newspaper and magazine bylines-or less traditional venues, like a cheeky petition to get your book on shelves. Start promoting yourself before your book sells, so a potential editor can see that you’re committed to success. “You need to demonstrate that you’ve invested in yourself. Consider hiring a freelance editor, bringing your work before a writing group, or asking a trusted friend for comments. Most editors will only give you one shot, so you’ll want to make sure your materials-a full draft if fiction or minimally, a proposal and three sample chapters if nonfiction-are their most polished. Secondly, you need to present your very best work. An editor will be hesitant to buy a book that doesn’t have a built-in and defined readership. Make sure that you’re filling a niche, however small, and there is an audience for it. Here are ten tips on how to sell your own manuscript. ![]() As a last-ditch effort before shelving the project, I decided to represent myself-and sold it in fifteen days. I had three agents try to sell my humorous memoir, Running of the Bride, with no luck for over two and a half years. I know this for sure because it happened to me. Not only will they interact with you, but they’ll buy your book. T's a common misconception that editors won’t deal with authors directly.
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