Pursuing Traditional Publishing as a Fiction Writer in 2021
By: Karolina Wilde
Tags: Publishing, Writers On Writing, Writing Tips, Writers Life, Authors

Pursuing Traditional Publishing as a Fiction Writer in 2021

Here is my step by step process and everything you need to know as a fiction writer Karolina Wilde Feb 18·9 min read

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Yesterday I sent out my first batch of queries to five literary agents. This morning I woke up to two rejections waiting for me in my email inbox. As a writer, I am used to rejection, and I was prepared for more of it choosing to pursue traditional publishing. But it still stung, I’m not going to lie.

Until last fall, I didn’t even dare to think about writing fiction again and trying to become a published fiction author. I am a writer, and I chose this path because I love to write. But you see, just as much as I love writing, I love money. And there is not a lot of money in fiction unless the universe has blessed you.

But somehow, last September, I was drawn into writing and finishing a full YA fantasy novel, after almost ten years of break from fiction writing, and decided to shot my shot and try and become a traditionally published author.

I’ve spent an enormous time researching and working on my traditional publishing plan for 2021. And I thought it might be helpful for other fiction writers looking to get traditionally published if I shared my step-by-step process.

There are many different variables in getting traditionally published and a lot of things a writer has to know. So, here is a step-by-step process I’m following to get traditionally published:

Step 1: Polish the manuscript

Some writers are messy drafters and great revisers. Some can write the first draft perfectly fine. But no matter which side you fall on, you still have to spend time making your draft the best possible version before you ever think of sending it to literary agents.

What’s difficult about being a fiction writer is that there is no roadmap for how you should do things. Everyone’s revision process looks different, and just because yours is different from mine, it doesn’t mean that one of us is wrong. There are plenty of writers on the internet sharing their process for revising and polishing their drafts, but you have to find your own way of doing things.

I had to do four revisions of my draft before it was done. My first draft was messy and lacked details. I had a story that I was obsessed with, and I needed to get it off my chest as soon as possible. So, I didn’t bother with being clean. After the fourth revision, my manuscript looks unrecognizable.

If you’re lucky enough to have writer friends or you have a support group of people you trust, then you might want to send your manuscript to them for revision. A lot of writers use alpha and beta readers as part of their revision process.

I chose not to send other people my work because, at this stage, I don’t have people I trust I could send my work. Not because I think they’ll steal it, but because I don’t believe in getting feedback from people whose opinions don’t carry weight for me. It’s also not something that can make or break your manuscript if you know how to edit yourself and evaluate things objectively.

Step 2: Understand the industry

Publishing is a business. Even if it deals with art, its main purpose here is to sell books and make money. And if you want a successful writing career, you have to think of yourself as a business as well.

It’s important that you do your research before writing a book or deciding to query it to avoid wasting your time and save you the disappointment when you get rejected for years on end. There is such thing as dead genres in traditional publishing. There are also certain genres and types of books that don’t do well in traditional publishing but do well in indie publishing.

For example, the steampunk genre is not popular in traditional publishing, but it has a distinct niche in the self-publishing world, so if your novel is in this genre, maybe it would be better to try and go the indie route. The same goes for New Adult or Fantasy Romance.

While these two genres are very popular with readers, traditional publishing doesn’t acknowledge them as distinct categories. So, New Adult has to turn into YA or Adult, and Fantasy Romance is always sold as simply Fantasy. Your Fantasy Romance might not get the same audience in traditional publishing as it would if you went the indie route.

It’s important to understand the industry you’re trying to break into. And while I think that there is always space for everyone, even if your book is weird and is not going to appeal to the majority of readers, it’s best if you know your chances and what you can expect for your type of books.

Step 3: Start building your author platform

Honestly, I think you should start building your author platform the second you decide in your head to become an author. The sooner you start, the better and the more time you’re going to have to establish yourself and your name.

I see many writers being shy about building their personal brands because it’s something that requires you to get yourself out there and be shameless. You need to have a certain amount of narcissism in you to show your face and entice people in listening to what you have to say.

But you have to have a platform, even if it’s small. Because when the time comes for your publicist to promote your book, you’ll be way easier to market if you have a platform. When people will come across your book, and if they’ll like it, they’ll want to know all there is about you. The more you have to show them, the better it will be for your long-term success.

There are many different ways to build your author platform. You don’t have to be active on every single platform out there. Just choose two or three that suit your personality the best. I personally chose Instagram and TikTok because my target audience hangs around there. And I also started writing under my own name on Medium, instead of only writing as a ghostwriter for clients. You might want to start a youtube channel if you’re goon in front of a camera. It’s one of the best ways to connect with your audience and later sell books. Or you might want to start a podcast. Sierra Elmore is a YA author who has a great podcast called “The Author Diaries” as part of her author brand.

Step 4: Let the querying games begin

You probably heard the story of how J.K.Rowling queried hundreds of agents and got all rejections except the one agent who decided to give her a chance. And there is plenty of other advice that tells you to query a hundred agents before you quit.

Well, that’s bad advice that might have worked in the ’90s when J.K.Rowling was querying Harry Potter. But it doesn’t work in publishing in 2021. The industry has changed, and there are simply not enough good and respectable literary agents out there to query in the 100's.

Janet Reid, a literary agent, known as the Query Shark, used to tell authors not to give up until they query 100 agents. But her advice has changed:

“First, in 2005, there wasn’t as much job shifting among agents. An agent stayed an agent. Sure some quit or died, but those were the exceptions. That’s not the case now. Several agents I know have gotten out of agenting simply because they couldn’t support themselves. That means a smaller pool to query.”

Research your agents before putting them in your query list. Use Query Tracker to find information about agents, what agencies they work with and how quickly they reply to queries. And then use Publishers Marketplace to check their sales history to make sure that they’re selling in your genre and that they’re capable of selling books in the first place.

I found agents to query by going through all the authors in my genre and finding their agents. I made a list of 35 agents and then went through each agent individually, looking at their sales and what they’re looking for. I ended up with only 25 agents on my list, and I split them into five batches of five agents. My strategy for querying is to send out a batch every month and see what the responses are. I see many writers and authors use this strategy as it allows you to see whether it’s your query or manuscript that needs work. And you can adjust and improve as you go along.

Step 5: Start working on your next project

Traditional publishing requires a lot of patience, and there is a lot of waiting times. It can be self-sucking and nerve-wracking if you don’t find something else to occupy yourself with. You’ve done your best work you could on your first manuscript, you’re waiting for answers, and it’s time to sit down and start working on something else.

On average, a lot of authors report that they got their book deal on their third book. Hannah Holt has done a survey with YA authors, and in it, she found that on average, YA authors wrote 3.3 stories before they sold their debut. Some authors get lucky. Some authors have breakthrough stories on their first try. The book I’m querying right now is not my first finished novel. But it’s the first one I’ve finished in English, and it’s the first one I’ve finished as an adult and not a teen. So, I’m already onto my next novel.

You’re a writer because you love the craft, right? Don’t let the stress and wishful thinking that your book will be the next #1 New York Times Bestseller ruin the thing you love the most for you. Start working on your next project the moment you hit send on the first email to the literary agent.

Step 6: Hoping for nothing, preparing for the worst

As a writer, you have to learn to love pain, rejection, and feeling like a total failure in life. It’s harsh, but it’s the truth. While publishing is considered to be in the “print media” industry, it’s still part of the entertainment industry. And getting noticed in entertainment is one of the hardest things.

When I set to write my novel, I had hopes of it being the #1 New York Times Bestseller. I had planned on how I’m going to market it and work on getting it on all bestseller lists and then a movie deal. Can you tell I’m a millennial?

It’s OK to have dreams, even if they’re unrealistic. But what’s important is to understand that dreams and plans are different things. You can plan for things you have control over. You can only dream of things you have no control over. In traditional publishing, you have almost zero control over how people will respond to your books. You have no control over how many books will sell or whether a film production company’s CEO will think your story will make them money.

I read traditional publishing horror stories in my free time as a form of entertainment. And I think so should you. It’s going to make your insides turn, and it will give you nightmares. It sure as hell gave me a few panic-induced nightmares. But it will help you set the expectations right, and you won’t be disappointed when your dreams don’t become a reality. And hey — if they do become a reality, you’ll be more than pleasantly surprised. It’s a win-win in my book.

Wrapping up

Publishing is a long-term game, and getting an agent is only the first step in having a career. Most writers won’t make it past their first book deal. And some writers are not going to make it to their 10th book.

I’m not sure whether this book will get me a literary agent. But I’m sharing my journey as I go because I think transparency from writers is way more useful when they’re sharing as they’re going through it and not when it’s already done and in the past.