How to convince a publisher to put out your travel book

So, you want a publisher to bring out your book. Sadly, you are not alone. Thousands of unsolicited manuscripts from aspiring authors land on the desks of publishers each year. The odds are certainly stacked against you, but the good news is that there are things you can do to make your manuscript stand out from the crowd.

There are two ways of going about getting a book deal. Submitting your idea directly to a publisher. Or securing the services of an agent.

Go direct to the publisher:

Be warned. This is becoming more and more difficult. Some publishers, like Random House, for example, no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts. If they do, they will insist that it is presented to them a particular way. Most will have outlines of what they expect on their websites. Follow their instructions to the letter.

Even then, you should know that your manuscript will be placed in a pile with the other 3,640 manuscripts most publishers receive each year. It is called a slush pile and chances are it will sit there until the work experience kid is told to have a look through it. If they find something they like, they pass it up to the next person up on the food chain from them and so on. Harper Collins only gets through half of them on average every year, and publish only three or four.

Not very encouraging odds, are they?

Get an agent:

Publishers these days use agents as a filtering device, so if you have an agent you are already taken a lot more seriously. Agents also have personal contacts. They know which publishers are best suited for your work. And they can negotiate a much better deal for you than you could. They charge 10–15% commission for doing so, but in my experience they are worth every penny.

Your local writer’s centre will have a list of agents and will probably be able to direct you to someone appropriate. But be warned. Convincing an agent to represent you can be as difficult as getting a publisher.