I've got a number of rejection letters. Does that count as experience?

Seriously, I have a number of articles published in refereed journals, one book chapter, and some editorially accepted articles. I also have a number of rejection letters for one off-the-wall book I wrote (A fun but serious attempt: Female Mud Wrestling, Tips and Techniques for the Beginner).

Here are a few things I learned along the way. It's mostly common sense stuff but maybe something slipped your attention.

1. Look at publishers of similar works. Find their website and download an application or send an email.

2. Make sure your cover letter briefly describes the book and what qualifies you to write about it.

3. Have your work complete. Not essentially complete or end within site. Have it done. Have someone edit it for grammar and spelling. Consider hiring a graduate student studying English at a local university. Have it edited separately for content.

4. Have a single chapter ready to send for a sample/evaluation. PDF will probably be asked for but have Word, RTF and hardcopy also. In some cases, figures should be printed separately or saved as a separate file. You can have your sample chapter laid out if you like, but odds are they will want to do the layout if they accept your work.

5. Be very, very patient.

6. If all else fails and you feel like investing a few thousand dollars, you can go the vanity publisher route. They can get you an ISBN and some will get you listed on various databases so book sellers can find you when doing a subject search. You can also market it yourself on Amazon and other places.


Good luck.