Getting published is tough – really tough! For new writers it often seems as though the publishing industry has set up a succession of doors and hurdles to make it as difficult as possible to get published.

Big publishers work to a pretty simple business model. At the start of the year they set a budget and use this to determine the number of titles that they will publish. The publisher works on the assumption that a small percentage of these books will make a loss, the majority will break even, but a small number will make a huge profit (80/20 rule). The hope is that the profit made from the bestselling books will cover the cost of the books that make a loss, any money left over is profit.

The pain point for publishers is finding titles to publish. The problem is that there are literally thousands of writers and sifting through book submissions to find the suitable gems is time consuming. Publishers need titles that fit their expertise, marketing plans and sales network. This is where the agents come in. Agents act as a bridge between writers and publishers. As far as a publisher is concerned, the agent’s prime job is to filter submissions, package the best ideas and present them to the publishers.

This means that a writer looking to get published by a ‘large’ publishing house needs to find an agent to represent their work. There are a huge number of tricks and tips to finding an agent but the most simple advice is to make the agent’s life as easy as possible. Agents are looking for books that they can package and present to publishers with the least work possible. It is the writer’s duty to make sure that their submissions to agents tick all the boxes. The more complete the submission, the more detailed the sales pitch, the easier it will be for an agent to sell.

All of this only applies to big publishers, independent publishers often accept submissions direct and in these cases the agent could be removed from the process. However, the same rules apply to the writer. It is your duty to make sure your submission is as publisher friendly as possible.

The main problem that writers face is that agents receive a huge amount of submissions each year and only a tiny fraction of these are represented.