Share/Bookmark


Everyone wants to be a writer and everyone wants to submit a manuscript for publication. But having your manuscript published is like finding a needle in a haystack. There are many things that stand in your way but you should not let them hinder you in your goal. Know that ultimately, the most difficult challenge you’ll face would be the ones that you’ve created yourself. You are your own worst enemy when it comes to writing. One of the first challenges you’ll face is the seemingly insurmountable task of proofreading your own work. Most first time authors make the common mistake of thinking that the publisher or the agent has a lot of proofreaders or editors tucked away somewhere in their offices. While they do have these editors around, they’re not going to proofread just about every single manuscript that is submitted to them. If they did, they’d be dealing with thousands of manuscripts every month. So proofread your own work at least twice or pay someone who will.

The next challenge that you’ll face when you try to submit a manuscript for publication is the long and arduous process itself. Agents and publishers not only need to find the most interesting and well written work that is given to them, they need to select titles based on how much they think it will sell. Think about this, remember the time when Harry Potter books were selling like hot cakes? Right after the Harry Potter phenomenon came about, hundreds of fantasy books and similarly themed literature engulfed bookstores and readers alike. The demand for fantasy themed books spurned a renaissance of sorts that reflected the unquenchable thirst of readers to read more and more fantasy novels. In a word, fantasy became “profitable” and publishers were more than willing to accommodate the increased demand.

Patience and determination play a big role in the publishing game and you just have to keep on improving everything that you could about your writing to ensure success. Finally, the most daunting of all challenges is rejection after going through all the processes. Many of the best authors have experienced this at one point in their careers so you shouldn’t just give up because of a single rejection. Keep on trying and keep on improving and when you submit a manuscript for publication, always bear in mind that success can only happen with hard work and determination.