hi my name is lauren lipton and i'm an instructor of media bistro i'm also the author of two novels i've learned a lot about the publishing industry and i'm here today to share some of those tips with you so you've got a story to tell great whether it's a zombie thriller or a young adult coming of age a steamy potboiler or a slim literary tour de force will help you turn your publication dreams into reality the first thing you need to do is write your book a great book has a strong story arc great characters a unique narrative voice and an engaging plot this is not easy especially when you're a beginner my first novel it's about your husband took me five years to write because i was learning how to do it as i went along thankfully my second novel mating rituals of the north american wasp took about 18 months and while you're toiling away at your manuscript there are a number of things you can do to boost your chances of being published get critique of your work join a class form a writer's group and ask for as much of their opinion as you can stand this is incredibly valuable even now as i'm writing my third novel i attend a monthly writer's group with three other published authors no one should write alone read widely and let your reading enhance your writing life keep an eye on best-selling trends in your genre so you know your comparables and what editors are buying get your name known either by blogging or publishing essays or articles it'll be easier for you to attract an agent and for an agent to sell your book if your name is already out there your book is done perfectly crafted and ready to send out it's time to find an agent yep you really do need one you want a person who understands your book with a track record of selling to editors in your genre don't be afraid to approach agents they're not olympic gods on a mountain they're sales people and they're always looking for books to sell approach your search as a business person with a great product you'll craft a perfect pitch letter that explains your background mentions best-selling books in your genre and why you chose this agent to query oh and you'll have to do it all on one page your agent will start sending your book around to editors looking for that perfect fit with any luck that fit will happen and an editor will make an offer after that the waiting begins it can take over a year from the time an editor buys your book to the time it appears on bookstore shelves with your book in the pre-publication stage you'll start working on a publicity plan with your editor your agent and the pr arm of your publishing house unfortunately pr budgets are tight these days so you'll need to rely also on your own contacts and the goodwill you've built up during the writing process selling your book is a huge part of your job as an author you'll start by setting up a social media plan that includes an author website a facebook page a twitter feed and so on we've got tons of advice on how to do this in the articles and video tutorials available at mediabistro.com along with social media classes and events don't forget to think out of the box when it came time to publicize this book i scoured the internet for blogs about preppy clothing and lifestyle and i asked my publicist to send each blogger a copy of the book i got a lot of great publicity that way that wasn't so bad was it then it's time to get back to your laptop and start writing your next book good luck with this one and i'll be looking for you on the shelves you