In the past year, I have begun working as an editor for a small press, History Through Fiction. I love working with Colin and the crew, because they support writers and work hard to get quality historical fiction published through both a traditional and a hybrid press.
I have learned a lot through my work with History Through Fiction; writers who are submitting their work to agents or editors might benefit from some of the patterns I have seen over and over in our submission platform.
Below are five things that might help you get to yes with your manuscript:
- Make sure your manuscript is ready. Most writers start querying too soon. If I had to put a number on it, I would say 90%. These days, to get published by a traditional press, a novel has to be almost completely ready to go. Yes, there will still be editing, but it is usually fewer rounds than in years gone by. It is the new normal, best to make peace with it rather than lament what has been lost. The old system was also flawed in many ways, as the barriers to entry were pretty high if you were not born into or able to breach the walls of a certain class. The new system isn’t perfect either, but just like your novel, it is a work in progress. Deal with what is, not what you wish for.
- Pay attention to the submission requirements. We are a historical fiction press and we publish novel length projects. I have had to reject novels because they were not historical fiction and because they were not novel length. This has nothing to do with the quality of the work, but it has to do with the mission of our press. Read the guidelines. Save your time (and your heart) and the time of the acquisitions person.
- Check to see that the pages match the pitch. Over the past year, I have gotten some stellar pitches that made me super excited to see the pages, only to be massively disappointed when what was on the pages did not match what I was promised in the pitch. A lot of attention is given to making the pitch so good that an agent or editor will request your manuscript. However, this does absolutely no good if the pages disappoint. See #1.
- Let some other people read your opening pages to make sure they are doing their job. Because we are a historical fiction press, almost all the books we publish are based on the real lives of historical figures. History nerds, and I am a card carrying member of this group, like the details. But PLEASE, do not try to squeeze five years of archival research into the opening pages of your novel. A novel is a story, it is not a treatise, and it has to follow the conventions of story, one of which is to make the reader curious in the opening rather than making them stifle a yawn or skip ahead to see if the story is starting a few pages later. Contrary to what many emerging writers of historical fiction believe, it is best NOT TO START with backstory. I do not indeed need to understand everything you have uncovered about this person or event to engage with your story. Give me a story first. The history has to be an integral part of the story, it isn’t the story.
- If we pass on this manuscript, please don’t send an angry email. You want to be seen as someone we would like to work with in the future on a different project. Don’t make it personal. Remember that we only make money if people buy the book, so we have to think we can sell it and we need you to help sell it, too. When you respond with outrage, we are certain that working with you is not in our best interest.
I sympathize with writers who send out queries, so many of them, and get so many rejections. I understand that it can be difficult. Try looking at it from the other side. A lot of publishers, the one I work for included, are barely staying afloat. Book sales alone are not enough to keep the lights on, unless you luck into a best seller.
At History Through Fiction, we are looking for the following:
- a book that we think we can sell to our audience
- that will not need a complete overhaul during the editing process
And,
- An author we will be able to partner with for the long term, who will help make her books and our press a success
Is this you and your project? I invite you to submit to History Through Fiction here.