Can I really get published?

You must have heard stories about how JK Rowling was rejected by 12 different publishing houses before finally getting one to publish or how the creator of squid game Fong-Hyuk had to wait 10 years for his work to get recognized.

The world of publishing has become very competitive, and the competition is just going to increase. According to an estimate, more than ten million proposals are sent to publishing houses, agents etc. and less than a hundred thousand get selected.

Don’t feel intimidated just yet though.

Yes, it is very difficult to get published now a days because of the red tape but mind you, it is not impossible. Instead of thinking what the odds are about getting your work published, you need to think about what you must do to improve those odds.

How to improve those odds?

According to a great agent, your book needs to have a strong story, expressed through even greater writing. You must work on refining your craft and polishing your manuscript. It needs to have an appeal for the publishing house as well as your audience.

Research, Research, Research!

I know I wrote it thrice, and I know that you have heard it too many times, for almost everything. Still, it never hurts to find more about your genre, medium, the publishing house you are about to pitch to, and your audience.

What you will be writing HAS to be different from what’s already out there, but you must know the ins and outs of your genre, to be able to produce something that can turn heads out there.

Start small

The best thing to do is to have a portfolio. Start small. Get an article published in a newspaper or a magazine and work upwards. I know it’s a cliché but ‘Rome was not built in a day’.

Stay positive

Another cliché, but there might be a lot of rejections at first. Just see the numbers at the top. However, know that one publishing house might think differently from another. You need to keep you head in the game.

All of this is not intended to scare you. It is just to prepare you for what’s out there. If you really feel you are a great writer, go ahead and write your piece.

May the odds be ever in your favor.