1.  More so than in the past, novelists are breaking into the industry by landing a literary agent.

I suspect that this is because publishers have more submissions and tighter profit margins.  I love the Internet, but it has not been kind to print media.

2. The typical (median) novelist was first published at age 36.

I think that younger prospective authors (like, ahem, myself) typically fare worse in the submissions process because we generally haven’t had years of serious writing practice.  The typical respondent in this survey had been writing for ten years before getting a novel published.

3.  Respondents that studied English in college did not get published significantly faster than people that practiced in writing workshops. However, all of the methods of practice polled were faster than (presumably) not practicing.

• Undergraduate degree in English or writing: typically 6.5 years to get published
• Weekend workshop: 8.5 years
• Week-long workshop: also 8.5 years
• Writing groups: 9.5 years
• Workshop longer than a week: 10 years
• Graduate degree in English or writing: 10 years
• Attended literary conventions: 10.5 years
• None of the above: 15 years

On the whole, the typical (median) novelist took ten years to get published.  The main conclusion I would draw from this data is that the differences between the methods of practice are not as significant as the difference between doing anything and doing nothing. Practice any way you can and don’t worry if you don’t have an MFA or a month-long workshop under your belt.  (Also, if you go to a literary convention, please make it a form of practice by having literary agents and/or editors evaluate your query letter).

About 40% of these authors had an undergraduate degree in English or Writing and fewer than 10% had a graduate degree in English or Writing.

Did this article help? Submit us to Stumble!

• Board Book — 100 words max
• Early Picturebook — 500 words max
• Picturebook — 1,000 words max (Seriously. Max.)
• Nonfiction Picturebook — 2,000 words max
• Early Reader — This varies widely, depending on grade level. I’d say 3,500 words is an absolute max.
• Chapterbook — 10,000 words max
• Middle Grade — 35,000 words max for contemporary, mystery, humor, 45,000 max for fantasy/sci-fi, adventure and historical
• YA — 70,000 words max for contemporary, humor, mystery, historical, romance, etc. 90,000 words max for fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal, etc.

Did this reference help? Submit us to Stumble!

PS: Based on the graphic novels I’ve seen recently, I think anywhere between 132-200 pages would be publisher-friendly. However! Each publisher has its own preferred length, so check out what they’ve been publishing lately. If your length is significantly outside of the range of what they’ve published in the past few years, I think that bodes poorly for your chances there.

One final note: As a measure of comparison, comic books are usually 20-32 pages of content (not including ads). As always, check out what the publishers put out, but Marvel and DC usually publish at the shorter side of that and Dark Horse and Image typically do 32. Also, since each sheet of paper has a front and back side, I’d recommend accounting for an even number of pages. If your script covers 27 pages, you’re going to have a blank side that you need to fill up. For example, you might answer letters from readers or do an ask-the-cast page (like a letters page, but supposedly it’s the characters answering the questions), include another side of ads (not preferred), extend the story by a page, etc. Good luck!

2. If you do use a pseudonym, please write something like “[YOUR REAL NAME], WRITING AS RODDY BARBER” on your title page. For tax reasons, the publisher has to know your real name. (Otherwise, the IRS will get surly and then everybody is screwed).

3. Do not assume that a pseudonym will keep you anonymous. For example, if you base your novel on people you know in real life, people may find out it’s you even though you used a pen name. For example, Joe Klein got outed as the author of Primary Colors even though he wrote as Anonymous. Additionally, pseudonyms will not give you ANY cover against lawsuits (for libel, copyright infringement or whatever). Remember, the IRS knows who you are.

4. Do you have a good reason to use a pseudonym?

• YES: You share a name with a celebrity, particularly an author. In fact, if you want to write a novel and you happen to be named something like Anne Rice or Joe Biden, your publisher will probably make you take a pseudonym or use your initials. For example, an author writing as A. Rice probably wouldn’t be confused with Anne Rice.
• YES: You’ve written in other genres and want to keep your audiences separate.
• SADLY, YES: You’re writing in a genre where you’ll probably face some gender discrimination. For example, if you’re a guy writing romance or chick lit or a lady writing action (particularly military action), few publishers would fault you for using your initials or a gender-neutral pseudonym.  According to Wikipedia, Joanne Rowling’s publisher asked her to make it J.K. to keep guys on board, even though the audience for fantasy is disproportionately female.  If you’re considering a genderless pseudonym, please check out my list of unisex names.
• PROBABLY: Your name doesn’t fit your work. If your name is Lexington Faraday III, you probably wouldn’t need a pseudonym if you were writing a history of polo. If you’re writing “Straight Up West Side: A Gangsta’s Knee-Capping Journey,” not so much.
• MAYBE: Your writing would conflict with your professional reputation. For example, if you’re trying to write comic books even though you’re an English professor up for tenure, you might not want your comic books to show up if somebody Googles your name. I understand that concern. One potential problem is that it may sound like you’re not proud of your fiction or that you look down on the publisher. Every publisher–even comic book houses–wants creators that are proud to be on the team.
• THINK IT THROUGH: Your name doesn’t sound cool enough. More often than not, a name meant to sound cool ends up making the author sound like a goof. Especially if you’ve always dreamed of being named Hunter McSlaughter.

Did this article help? Submit us to Stumble!

Bookends posted the guidelines for its reader’s reports, which is useful to you because it lets you know many of the criteria by which a novel proposal will be graded.

• What was the book about?
• Did the overall idea seem different and unique?
• Was it a common theme, but executed in a unique way?
• What did you think of the author’s voice?
• Did the characters seem real and likable?
• Was the plot seamless and did it make sense or were there a lot of holes?
• Did the multiple plotlines blend together to create a whole book or did they seem choppy and disconnected?
• Did the dialogue seem real and believable or did it feel forced?
• Were you able to easily figure out what happened or did the author keep you guessing?
• Does this book seem to have viability in the market?
• Are there other popular books you could relate this to?
• Are there too many similar books to make this stand out?
• What is the author’s platform?
• Has the author been previously published? With whom?
• How was the writing? Did the writing feel professional, like you were reading a published book, or amateurish?

Did this reference help? Submit us to Stumble!

Here’s an excerpt.

Be as specific as possible about the plot.

I get so many queries that read (literally, though this is made up for the purposes of this post) like this:

Character Name is living peacefully in Hometown. But then a life-changing event occurs that changes everything. Secrets are revealed that turn her life upside down. Character Name faces grave danger as she embarks on a quest to save her people. This novel is filled with humor and passion and suspense and romance, and there’s a shocking twist that leaves the reader breathless.

Being vague leaves an agent with so many questions: What are the secrets? What is the life-changing event? What is the danger she’s facing? What happens that is funny and suspenseful and romantic?

When all of these key details are kept hidden the query ends up sounding like… well, pretty much every novel ever written. And chances are an agent is going to move on to the next query.

UPDATE: A Thousand Faces is a quarterly journal that also specializes in superhero stories. You can see its submissions page here.

1.  Follow the posted submission guidelines. When editors make these lists, this rule is almost always listed first.  YES, THE GUIDELINES APPLY TO YOU.   Not following them can only hurt your chances of getting published.

2. Don’t overthink things. At Shadowline, you only need to worry about five sample pages (inked, lettered and preferably colored), a paragraph-long synopsis and a cover. Kris doesn’t want more than that because you may need to scrap a lot more work than necessary. Notably, Shadowline doesn’t want the script and doesn’t want a page-long synopsis.

3.  Your e-mail address should be professional. Use your real name or possibly your pen-name.  It makes it easier for the editor to figure out who is who.  Please also see this article.

4.  Don’t ask the editor for feedback. Editors get too many submissions to critique each one.  Editors don’t have much time, so they’ll spend it on the authors that are either good enough to publish or almost good enough.  ”If you want to be critiqued, or given pointers, then we suggest you take the proposal to the nearest college and ask one of the teachers there to critique it (or go to a con and wait for a review).”   I’m also available.

5.  Don’t take rejection personally. As Kris points out, she got rejected five times.  I, too, have been rejected many times.  It’s part of the process, whether you’re writing a superhero comic book or a fantasy novel.  However, I think that most authors would agree that their story improved dramatically over the course of the process.  It will probably be emotionally grueling and exhausting, but if you have the determination to see your story through, hopefully you will be pleased with the outcome.  Good luck!

SUBJECT LINE: Please represent “The Accountant Must Die”

Dear [AGENT NAME],

Gary Smith is a clumsy IRS agent having a normal day, besides the car-bomb. And the US Marshals threatening to send him on a one-way trip to Alaska. And the revelation that he can only survive by joining a top-secret police agency and partnering with mutant alligator whose crimefighting skills make Scooby Doo look like Batman.

The Accountant Must Die is exactly like a typical office comedy. With death rays.

I’ve included the script for the first issue below. In addition, I’d also like to offer five sample pages illustrated and lettered by my pencilist (Rebecca Gunter) and my colorist (Emily Oldroyd). You can see them at the following links:

[I've removed the links, but you can see the pictures here]

I envision this issue as a pilot for a five-issue arc that recounts Gary’s first major case as a Special Investigations agent. A routine body-in-refrigerator case quickly escalates into a bid for global supremacy by a deranged cosmetics creator.

I run Superhero Nation, a superhero writing advice website with hundreds of thousands of readers. In addition, I’m an assistant editor for [COMPANY NAME], an imprint of [PUBLISHER Y].

Thank you for your time and consideration. I can be reached at [PHONE NUMBER] or [EMAIL].

Yours,

Brian McKenzie [I was thinking about replacing that with AUTHOR NAME, but I figure it's pretty pointless given that anyone that has read the script knows my first name, anyway].

The good news is that agents and editors are very understanding of amateurishness.  After all, everybody starts out as an amateur through no fault of their own.  You’re safe as long as you’re remotely friendly and professional.  If your submission is poorly formatted, the agent or editor may even direct you to a submission guide and ask you to resubmit.

If you’re trying to get a novel or graphic novel published, follow these two steps and you won’t look like an idiot.

1.  Please pay attention to the submission guidelines on the website of the publisher or agent.

2.  Please don’t be a total jackass.

Seventy-two minutes after sending out a query to an agent, one author sent this e-mail…

Subject line: For those liiterary agents who do not even look at the work (sic)
Body: I am still writing 4 more books you will keep getting these queries about every 2-3 months block this email address I will use another one

Anyway, the good news is that whatever alleged hangups you have about your writing obviously pale next to that. And, if they don’t, could I recommend trying a different career path?  Preferably one that doesn’t involve people.

Submit us to Stumble!

According to Chuck Sambuchino, the most publisher-friendly length for an adult novel manuscript is between 80,000-100,000 words.  Science fiction and fantasy authors usually need a bit more space for worldbuilding, so he says the ideal range for them is between 100,000-115,000 words.  However, Chuck is sort of working for the Devil, so I’d feel bad if he were my only source for this post.

Colleen Lindsay, a literary agent at FinePrint, has similar guidelines: around 100K for epic fantasy or sci-fi, 80-90K for thrillers and 80-100K for crime fiction. Also, she’s not in league with Lucifer.

Both Chuck and Colleen emphasize that there are exceptions, like first-time novelists publishing 200,000 word behemoths.  But such exceptions are extremely rare. If you try going well above or below the usual range, your writing needs to be extraordinary. I would not recommend doing so unless you are absolutely sure that your story cannot work at a more conventional range.

UPDATE: If you’re writing for a younger audience (YA, middle grade, picture books, etc), please see this.

Did this reference help? Submit us to Stumble!

Courtesy of Miss Snark.

For example, Bob Mecoy wrote me that he’s sold several projects to DC Comics as well as many more to book publishers and their affiliates (such as FirstSecond, Three Rivers, Lerner, Aladdin, and Abrams ComicArts).

So, if you’re absolutely dead-set on selling to Marvel or DC, pursuing literary representation may be a strong option.  Marvel and DC do not accept unsolicited submissions. However, if you have an experienced agent, he may be able to use his own credibility to convince them that your comic book is worth considering.

Here are some other pieces of advice from Bob.

B. MAC: What are some of the most common reasons you pass on graphic novel and/or comic book submissions?
BOB:  Poor storytelling, telling a story that I’ve seen a hundred times before, telling a story “unlike anything you’ve ever seen” which is unlike anything I’ve ever seen because of a series of arbitrary choices, lack of understanding of the market, slavish service to the perceived market, lack of originality, lack of understanding of my taste.

B. MAC: How long does it take you to reject a typical script?
BOB: It takes as long as it takes. If there seems to be something here, I research the category, the writer and/or artist and the comparables or competition before making my final decision.

2. The ability to learn and improve. Look at something you wrote 2-3 years ago. You’re much better now, right? If you’ve plateaued even before getting published, you’re probably dead in the water.

3. Voice and authorial confidence. “John shot George. George fell down. John had won.” Ick.  Don’t just tell us what happened–tell us with style.

4. Patience. According to AgentQuery, it takes an agent about 1-2 weeks to respond to a query, 1-2 months to respond to a partial, and 2-4 months to respond to the full manuscript.  In all, I would estimate that it usually takes more than two years after finishing the manuscript to have a book on the shelves.

5. Written fluency and flawless mechanics. Absolutely do not send anything to a publisher with more than one typo per 1000 words.  Proofread or perish!

6. Initiative. No one’s going to stand over your shoulder making sure that you’re writing your manuscript or comic book instead of, say, reading this.  I would recommend holding yourself to a daily writing goal.  If you finish a page a day, you’ll draft a novel manuscript in a year or a comic book script in a month.

7. Clarity. Without clarity, your writing will flounder.  Brilliant writing that’s unclear is like a door with a broken lock.  It may be awesome in every other way, but it’s useless if people can’t get through it.

8. Professionalism.  To get published, you need to convince an agent and/or editor that you will make an intelligent and reliable business partner.  When you write a letter to an agent or editor, please start with a line like “Dear Jane Honda” rather than something impersonal like “Dear Editor” or “To Whom It May Concern.”  If you haven’t even put in the time to figure out her name, she will not have faith in you.  For more advice on acting professionally, please see this article.

9. Sociability/likability. There is literally no human endeavor where likability hurts.   This might mean the difference between a form rejection letter (“Sorry, but it’s not what we need right now…”) and a personalized rejection explaining what the editor would like to see revised.  Also, after you get published, your publisher will probably want you to promote your book.  If that seems intimidating, keep in mind that you have already  accomplished greater social feats before.  Have you been on a date or landed a job offer?  Either one requires a much higher level of commitment from the “customer” than selling a book.

10. An upbeat attitude. Yes, publishers reject more than 99% of their unsolicited manuscripts.  If that makes you want to curl up and cry, you might not have the energy to see your manuscript through a years-long process that will probably entail many hours of rewriting, rejection and resubmission.

BONUS #11: A day job.  It’s much easier to maintain an upbeat attitude if you have the ability to pay for food while you’re waiting to hear back from publishers.  Ideally, your day job will also give you a place to practice your writing.  If you have a day job at a media outlet or publishing house, you’ll also get some great opportunities to develop your audience and/or learn more about the process.

Did this article help? Submit us to Stumble!