Writing a work of fiction and getting it published are two different things. The hardest part may be the selling of your book to a publisher. How does that process work? Who does one appeal to, and how? In this TuneUp, we speak with 4 time author Kelly O'Connor McNees who releases her 4th novel, Undiscovered Country, with Pegasus Books in 2018. Kelly shares with us her winning query letter that sold her book - we get to see the components of the letter that your letter will soon have too!
Kelly is also an editor-for-hire under her company Word Bird Edits, and you'll see why. Writing a book and submitting it to publishers or literary agents isn't enough. The manuscript must be almost perfect. Kelly reveals what a finished manuscript looks like - and while you may think it's done, it's really not.
Questions covered include:
What catches the eye of a publisher.
The components of a winning pitch query letter.
How the editing landscape has changed for editors who work in publishing houses.
Why fiction authors need to work with an editor before submitting the book idea.