Introduction
A compendium of free resources for authors at all stages of their careers.
It can be intimidating to jump into querying or face the steps that follow it with no idea of what's normal. Fortunately, there's a wealth of free resources out there for creatives. Over time, I've amassed a treasure trove of links on a wide variety of subjects and situations for authors at every stage of the publishing process—from drafting to finding an agent and going on submission to your first book deal and beyond. These resources have helped me, and I hope they might help others, too!
Stage:
Drafting/Revision
Stuck and struggling? Feeling bored? Hating your words and having trouble getting into the right flow?
Stage:
Querying
Struggling with your query/synopsis? Not sure how to start? Looking for email templates for complicated situations?
Stage:
Agented
Stressed before your offer call(s) and not sure what to say? Unsure how to ask your agent certain questions?
Stage:
On Submission
Struggling during the wait? Looking for information about what sub is like? Not sure what to ask on an editor call?
Stage:
Post-Deal / Debut
Worrying about edits, blurbs, website upkeep, money matters, or an upcoming marketing & publicity meeting?
Stage:
Miscellaneous
Industry podcasts, author websites, short fiction, Canva, nudge templates, general publishing survival stuff...
Keep in mind...
Some of these resources are older. They may contain incredibly valuable information, but the publishing landscape is ever-evolving, and some things (like querying etiquette and what full request percentage rates are considered successful) can change quickly, so exercise critical thinking, be aware of timestamps, and don't take any one resource as inviolable fact.
All of these resources are subjective. The people who generously created these resources are sharing personal experiences or the experiences of friends, fellow authors, or industry professionals. They can't account for every variable, and no two publishing journeys will be alike.
Resource Wrangler
Cat parent, artist, author, learner of languages, and professional neglector of many thriving succulents, Jules Arbeaux is not responsible for the brilliance to be found in the resources on this page. That credit belongs to the creators, to whom all appreciation should be directed!
Miscellaneous Resources
Introduction
This is for resources that don't quite fit anywhere else and assorted links I found useful but have no idea what to do with. I'll probably add more here as I uncover more resources hidden in my endless and inadequately organized bookmarks. Most of these will be publishing adjacent rather than writing-related. For writing-related resources, please instead check out the...
Podcasts
Writing Excuses: A fast-paced, educational podcast for writers, by writers. This one leans more traditional fantasy and sci-fi, but there are a ton of craft-focused episodes on every topic you can imagine and more besides. They're 15-20 minutes each.
Track Changes - First Draft: Over nine episodes, this podcast series lays out how a book goes from your laptop to the bookshelf. I listened to this one while I was on submission and hungry for information about the process.
Shipping and Handling: A now-inactive podcast by agents Jennifer Udden and Bridget Smith.
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing: A writing podcast hosted by author Bianca Marais and agents Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra.
Publishing Rodeo: A podcast by Sunyi Dean and Scott Drakeford about how their pub paths and satisfaction levels differed when they published with the same publisher and in the same genre/year.
Deadline City: A Writing Podcast by Dhonielle Clayton and Zoraida Córdova.
Basic Pitches: A writing podcast with Emily Thiede and Anna Mercier. I especially loved the FINDING THE JOY miniseries (With Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith, an author and psychologist) about preserving mental health while pursuing traditional publishing.
Unfortunately... A podcast about fiction, failure, and moving forward, hosted by Mona West and Courtney Floyd.
Website
Some authors feel the pressure to have and pay for a website way earlier than they actually need one. If they're comfortable and happy to do so, authors can make a website at any point in their journey, I only made a (free) website once I had an agent and was on submission. On it, I included a short bio and a bit about my work and inspirations. Only once I got a book deal did I buy a pro hosting plan. I ended up choosing Carrd, which costs just $19 for a year—$11 if you catch the sale each year. That price allows me to host 10 single-page websites (including this one). The free version (you can make three sites with no ads and only the tiniest, unobtrusive "made by Carrd" thing at the bottom) is excellent, though, and I'd highly recommend it if you just need a basic online presence.
Books
I know, this is a no-brainer, but I have to say it: Libraries are an excellent source of so many free things, from free classes and language lessons and internet access (my local library even lets patrons check out specialized baking equipment and provides free seed packets) to checking out free ebooks and audiobooks from the comfort of your home using apps like Libby/Overdrive or Hoopla (which also allows you to check out music and films). If you're having trouble finding comp titles, it might not hurt to ask a librarian! If you're looking to support fellow authors but have no more room on your shelves, you can request that your local library stock their books! Most libraries have an online request form you can fill out.
Short Fiction Information
SFWA Market Report: A list of open SFF markets, updated each month.
Codex: Codex is a by-application group that allows authors of speculative fiction to come together in support of each other. It's especially great for short fiction writers, but agented authors can also join. The forum is a great resource for early career speculative fiction authors. If you qualify (and there are many ways to qualify!) it's worth checking out.
The Submission Grinder: Once you've found a market or submission call and sent something along, you can find the magazine on this list and check out information, from how long it usually takes them to respond, to what their average acceptance rate is.
ChillSubs: A database of literary mags of all stripes.
Erika Krouse: A Ranking of 500 Literary Magazines for Short Fiction: If your fiction leans literary, this might not be a bad resource!
Free Resources and Information
Reddit PubTips: A good resource for industry information, frank publishing discussions, and/or anonymously sharing concerns/asking other authors for advice.
Creative Capital: Keep an eye out for their monthly roundups of grants for all types of artists/creators! (Thanks to Courtney Floyd for the link!)
Mushens Entertainment: Demystifying Publishing Terminology Ever feel a bit dizzied reading publishing-related posts? Here's a great list of terminology you might encounter.
OpenOffice and LibreOffice are two free, open-source word processing programs/suites. To any author who dreads the expense of having to buy a Microsoft Word subscription for publishing purposes, you have other options! I've been using one of these all through editing my first book with a big-5 publishing imprint and it has been able to do everything I needed it to.
[Not Free, but Less Expensive] Follow the link ahead if you absolutely must obtain Microsoft Word but are still dreading subscription fees, because there IS a way to buy a permanent license, but it's hidden.
The Big 5 US Book Publishers: Just in case anyone needed an interactive map of (almost) ALL of the imprints of every major publisher.
Canva: Not a bad place to start if you don't have an image-editing program.
Alexa Donne - Agent Nudge Examples: A pdf with templates you can personalize if you need to follow up on a query for any reason.
Sami Ellis - Agent-Adjacent Cheat Sheet: An incredibly thorough list of email templates for every situation you might encounter and then some.
Resources for Drafting/Revision
Introduction
No one method will work for every writer. If I've learned anything from all my stumbling around in the dark, it's that we each need to discover our own process. Mine, it turns out, is to fast-draft (to beat the Great Dread that hits at the 50% mark of every draft and haunts me until the final page), write out of order (laying the framework for a book helps me fill in the blanks), revise while drafting (if I get an idea I'm excited to implement and know it will make the book stronger, I let myself do it, but some writers are better off avoiding this because it sabotages their momentum), and break several other sacred "rules" of drafting.I hope some of these links prove useful, but as with every method, take the the bits that speak to you and help you refine your process and leave the rest. Below you'll find a ton of writing-focused resources that have helped me at one point or another (your mileage may vary), but if you're looking for podcasts about publishing, advice about website creation, and even miscellaneous short fiction resources, you might want to visit...
Character and Relationship Crafting
How to Write Character Arcs: This series of articles was a really fun read for me when I was getting started and might be interesting to other character-focused writers, as well. The many questions might be useful to some writers, but I appreciate that this article series breaks arcs down into pieces and talks about positive/change arcs, flat arcs, and negative/corruption arcs.
Supporting Characters and Theme: 6 Important Questions to Ask About Your Story: If you struggle with integrating theme into your books and want to explore it more deeply, this isn't a bad place to start!
Cat Valente: How to make readers care (need, fear, obsess, then hurt)
Overcoming Emotional Wounds: How to Show Your Character Is Beginning to Heal
Michael Hauge on Interweaving Emotional Journey with External Plot
Storytelling in a broader context
We Are the Mountain: A Look at the "Inactive" Protagonist A thoughtful response to the demand for "agency" in fiction, this article redefines what agency means and speaks to how the more strict demand for typical expressions of agency can silence marginalized voices.
Micaiah Johnson: All Insurrections Are Not Created Equal: On Writing Resistance After January 6th An excellent, thought-provoking article on how writers of resistance and revolution might move forward from here.
Worldwide Story Structures: Because there are more continents on the planet than Europe
Kishōtenketsu: A Primer on one Japanese Story Structure [VIDEO]
Structure, Theme, Revision, and Drafting
Endings: The Good, The Bad, and the Insanely Great by Michael Arndt (VIDEO) - The exploration of philosophical stakes and how they intertwine with other sorts of stakes was a game-changer for me. It put words to things I didn't yet have words to describe. Your mileage may vary.
Toy Story 3: Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned by Michael Arndt (VIDEO) This is about Toy Story, yes, and it's also about screenwriting, but more than that, it's a close, down-and-dirty look at the earliest drafts of a story idea and a thoughtful breakdown of what wasn't working. As a way to think about revision and apply the concepts to your own creative work, this is a masterpiece.
Microtension: The Magic That Makes Readers Turn Pages - A thought-provoking article that defines microtension—the act of using things as small as setting descriptions to create dissonance and compel readers to keep going.
Susan Dennard: Scene-Level Planning I very much enjoyed these two articles (which are part of a longer series. What Susan Dennard calls "cookies," I was calling carrots—the things I dangled in front of myself to get myself to write. This concept is an amazing one, and a great secret to writing tight, compelling fiction.
Susan Dennard: Coaxing out the Magical Cookies - Or, What do Do When You Get Stuck - This article continues talking about "cookies" and how to make use of them in fiction! I'd recommend this whole article series.
Susan Dennard's Guide to Revision: a six-part series (with downloadable pdf worksheets)!
Jami Gold - Worksheets for Writers: Writers who benefit from worksheets and spreadsheets (I aspire to be one of these writers. One day, maybe!) might really enjoy these.
GMCT: Goal, Motivation, Conflict, Tension: One of a thousand ways to think of stories. This one might be useful for authors who receive feedback that their characters' motivations feel irrelevant to or inaccessible in the story.
Be Your Own Mentor: With many major mentorship programs shutting down in recent years, it's easy to feel discouraged, but this site has excellent and thoughtful articles from authors who have been mentors before and who have chosen to share their knowledge for free here. The Be Your Own Mentor site has tons of articles separated into categories.
Chelsea Abdullah - Reverse Outlines: “Finding” your story during revisions
Alexa Donne: Writing a Book: Getting Started [VIDEO PLAYLIST]
Hard Worldbuilding vs. Soft Worldbuilding: A study of Studio Ghibli [VIDEO]
Resources for Querying Authors
Introduction
Querying is hard, and for many authors it can be long, too. As agents' and editors' workloads increase, response times may slow drastically, and "ghosting"—simply not replying at all, with zero guidelines on when a query should be considered closed—has grown more common. From preserving your mental health to the nitty gritties of writing queries and synopses, I've gathered a few resources I found useful in the past.
Coping Strategies
You may be a person of steel, immune to the tortures and tensions of querying, in which case congratulations are in order. If, however, you aren't invulnerable, welcome to the club. There are as many coping strategies as there are people who query, and I am but one anxious, obsessive, catastrophizing human. I can share the methods that helped me, but it's okay if they don't work for you. Every writer will be different, and I do hope you find methods that help you! Some things that helped me were...
Working on the next thing. I know. You've heard this so many times it makes you sick, and it's easier said than done. I'm incredibly offended and upset to announce that it actually helps, though. If you can make yourself do this (and hooo boy it's okay to need a reward system, or a star chart, or a dedicated hour in the evening to write, or sprints with friends, or whatever), it really can take your mind off the state of the book you're querying, even if only for a while. Some lucky folks find that getting deeply invested in a new project helps take the sting out of rejections on their current project, too.
Indulging in a hobby unrelated to writing. Some people even go so far as to recommend a hobby that can't possibly be monetized. I'm lucky to have more than one fraught creative hobby (I love painting, folding tiny paper creatures, and self-studying languages) so I had many options. Creating something else may take your mind off querying for a short while, and there's always that burst of joy that comes from completing a creative project.
Creating a querying reward system. I cannot recommend this highly enough. It made all the difference when I queried Lord of the Empty Isles, the book that became my debut. My previous querying experience was protracted and painful, with wrenching close calls, and querying became so painful that I shelved that book after only 20-something queries because I was stuck in a rut and making no progress on anything else. For querying my next project, I created a system that looked kinda like this: 1) I still queried in batches, but I queried in larger batches and did so much more quickly. Once I was absolutely certain my query, synopsis, and opening were exceptionally strong, I went all out. (a good critique group can help you here). Luckily, I had trusted CPs and fellow mentees from a major mentorship program to help me here. 2) I put a cap on the number of queries I had to send. I chose 30. If I sent 30 queries and was feeling discouraged, I was allowed to quit. On top of that, I triggered a one-time reward when I sent my 30th query. 3) I created another reward system. I didn't reward myself for requests, since those felt like their own rewards. What I did was reward myself for rejections. It takes courage to send queries, and strength to wait for responses. For every five passes that came through, I earned one of an escalating set of rewards. Make a list of small things you love and are motivated by (for me, it was food and craft supplies), and seed those in at regular intervals if you think this method might work for you.
Finding the joys where you are. Sounds corny, right? That's because it is. But writers as a whole are really, really good at reaching one amazing milestone (finishing a whole novel, sending a query to an actual literary agent, getting gushing feedback from a CP or beta reader, getting a partial or full request) and immediately squashing the joy of those achievements in order to focus on the next big thing. But that's a recipe for pain and burnout. If you're anything like me, it's nearly impossible to actually let yourself experience joy without immediately getting a jolt of anxious fear, but it's not only okay but healthy and necessary to let yourself celebrate these wins. In fact, I also recommend...
Making a folder or other repository—physical or digital—for good things. When your book makes a reader sob or scream or swoon, take a screenshot and save it in this folder. When you get a pass with kind comments or an excited request or when any interaction with your work from friends or peers or readers brings you joy, save that. Brains are very bad at holding on to good things, so keep a record. When you're struggling and giving up sounds more appealing than moving forward, visit that folder and realize how much you've accomplished.
Giving yourself permission to let go. Yeah. We don't talk about this one often, do we? It's a tragic and painful but necessary part of the journey. Some authors secure representation and a book deal with their first ever book (and this comes with its own complications), but the majority have at least one project that wasn't so lucky lovingly tucked in a drawer. If you're struggling and the process has become torturous and your mental health is in the dump... it's okay to call it quits. You're not a failure, and "not now" doesn't mean "not ever." That book I mentioned shelving so that I could write the project that became my debut? It's going to be my second published book. Some books just take the long way around.
Query- and Synopsis-Writing Resources
Author M. Stevenson's Querying Hub: An extremely thorough and thoughtful collection of querying resources! M. has a ton of links and resources you can make use of!
Reddit PubTips: This one is useful at every stage of the writing and publishing process. Trad-pub oriented, this is a great place to post your query and get thoughtful, detailed, honest critique. But because it has users at all stages of the publishing process, it also has information on offer calls, book deals, post-pub dilemmas, and more. It's very much a resource for authors at every level of their career.
Janet Reid: Query Shark A repository of critiqued queries by the late, great Janet Reid. A great place to see a veteran agent offer thoughtful feedback on how to strengthen queries, so you can learn vicariously before writing your own.
Jessica Lewis: Querying Tips Advice for querying wisely and surviving the process.
Dahlia Adler: Querying and Best Practices An article with advice on how to avoid common querying pitfalls.
Shelby Mahurin: The Evolution of My Query Author Shelby Mahurin shares the evolution of her query from first draft to final.
Emily Thiede: Queries? Must We? A query-writing method that will work like a charm for many stories.
How to Write a 1-page Synopsis: Susan Dennard's article on synopsis-writing was a game-changer for me. Every resource will hit everyone differently, and this one is certainly geared more toward traditionally structured, single- or dual- POV, commercial stories of a certain structure, but if you happen to write stories of that sort, it might be useful. Even if you don't, it might provide some helpful guidelines.
M. Stevenson's Querying Hub: Comp Titles A list of articles with advice and resources on selecting comp titles.
Query 101: Another excellent database with articles about everything from query bio and metadata to word counts. (Some advice may be outdated; the #ownvoices tag is not as commonly used right now, and some of the mentorship programs they mention are now defunct.)
Alexa Donne's "Getting an Agent" Playlist [VIDEO PLAYLIST] (Some recommendations—especially re: ideal request rates—are now wildly inaccurate due to the evolving querying landscape, but there's still a wealth of good advice here.
Alexa Donne: Industry Advice [VIDEO PLAYLIST] Honest, open discussions about the publishing industry, with advice on how to navigate it.
Alexa Donne: REAL TALK: Traditional Publishing [VIDEO PLAYLIST] No-nonsense breakdowns of publishing stuff that isn't often talked about.
Finding/Vetting Agents
QueryTracker - Agent List: Querytracker has a list of agents that contains most active agents. If you find that an agent is not on this list, be cautious. (Be less cautious if it's an agent at an agency outside the US; they may not be listed and there's nothing suspicious about that.)
Manuscript Wishlist: Agents and editors may have detailed articles on this website with expanded wishlists. You can search agent or editor names or search your comp titles to see if an agent has them listed among their favorite books.
#MSWishlist: A compilation of editor posts that use the #MSWL hashtag, sorted for your convenience.
Literary Rambles: This site has many agent interviews and is a great place to learn about an agent in their own words.
Equity Directory: According to their website, this directory is a database of BIPOC Literary Agents created by Literary Agents of Change to help querying authors and illustrators find and connect with BIPOC agents and to foster community between BIPOC agents and their publishing peers.
Agent Eric Smith's guide to researching agents: As both an agent and author, Eric Smith has some solid advice on where to start.
Publisher's Weekly - Rights Report: You've probably heard of Publisher's Marketplace as a great resource to check whether than agent has made recent deals in your genre (or to search for genre sales and see who's selling, or just to keep your finger on the pulse of the market). But if you've heard of it, you probably also know it's a paid subscription, and it can get quite expensive. This is one free way to see what books are selling. Unfortunately, the rights reports are mostly limited to kidlit, but they have occasional heavy-hitter roundups that include deals in every age category and genre.
AbsoluteWrite - Bewares, Recommendations, and Background checks: (You can search agents, agencies, and publishers in this forum to see if they're known to be bad for writers.)
Victoria Strauss - Writer Beware: Similar to above, this contains a list of known scams and scammers, updated as reports are sent in.
The Call
Alexa Donne: Questions to Ask an Agent On the Call A list of questions from a multi-published author.
Jim McCarthy: Questions to Ask a Prospective Agent A list of questions compiled by a well-known literary agent.
Ann Zhao: Questions to Ask An Agent on The Call This incredibly detailed list by a debut author pulls together the questions on both Alexa and Jim's lists and adds additional ones that might be especially helpful to marginalized authors.
Nudging
Dahlia Adler: Nudging and Multiple Offers - The Agony and the Ecstasy An article with advice about what to do (and how you may feel) if you're in a situation where there's more than one agent offer on the table.
Sami Ellis: Agent-Adjacent Cheat Sheet Author Sami Ellis has created a list of templates querying authors can use for sending other agents notice of an offer, contacting agents' clients, various offer situations, post-offer situations, deadlines, and nudges.
Morgan Forte: When You Get the Call A combo list of questions and thoughtful advice/notes, with offer-specific nudging templates!
Agents, Schmagents, and Red Flags
What should an Author/Agent Relationship Look Like? - An incredible discussion thread with input from a variety of agented authors. This resource is highlighted on the agented resource page, but I think it's incredibly important for querying authors to have a good idea of what this business relationship should look like, as well!
Sabaa Tahir: What is a Good Agent? What is a Bad One? (Part 1 of 2)
Sabaa Tahir: What is a Good Agent? What is a Bad One? (Part 2 of 2)
Alexa Donne: Shady Literary Agents: Good vs. Bad Agents [VIDEO]
Resources for Agented Authors
Introduction
You've graduated from the query trenches. If you asked all the most important questions on the call, you understand a bit about your agent's editorial vision (and hopefully find that it matches your own and is something you're willing to do), are aware of your agent's communication style (and your own needs and preferred style of communication!) and are ready to go.If you're anything like the majority of authors, you're brimming with nerves. What will my edit letter be like? Will I be able to do work to my agent's satisfaction? Is it okay to email if I have a question? No, is it really okay, though? What if I ask too many questions and make them hate me? Before I jump in and list the resources, let me just say a few things.
If there's something you're not sure about, ask. If you're sitting around angsting about whether or not it's okay to send emails, you are probably not at risk of being a bother! If you forgot a question on the call and want to clarify a few things, send that email! If you'd like to check with your agent about when they'd like to see any pitches you have for other projects, it's okay to ask! One method you can use is to let a few questions pile up and then ask them in one email instead of sending three separate emails.
Be open with your agent about your process and your needs. If you struggle to draft quickly and might need extra time, that's something to let your agent know early. If you work best with deadlines and would love for your agent to set deadlines for revisions, let them know!
You might not know things about your own process at first. It's okay to update if your needs change. Some authors go in knowing what they need from their agents while on submission: they want as much information as the agent can possibly share, forwarded as it arrives! Or maybe they want biweekly or even monthly updates because otherwise they'll stress too much. Perhaps they want zero updates unless/until there's a sale or R&R. Some authors think they're one type and find that it's not working for them and is sabotaging their productivity or mental health. It's okay to send a brief update asking for a change.
I'll say it again: Agents are your business partners. It's natural and healthy to feel those nerves, but even though you might feel wide-eyed and clueless, your agent is your partner in this! It's in your best interests to be open, honest, and cooperative. Peers are excellent resources, and it's okay to bring questions to your friends in Discord communities, DMs, or even to trad-pub-focused communities like Reddit's PubTips or forums like AbsoluteWrite, but there are definitely things your agent will be able to answer best.
Agency/Author Contracts
Communication
Editorial — Vision and Revision
So you got an edit letter. Now what? This article by Emily Thiede is exceptionally fun and helpful (and true)!
Grab that scalpel! Word cutting/prose tightening time: Many agents (and editors) will ask authors to cut words, even though their edit letters might be mainly additive. There are many ways to cut words while adding information, and this article is an amazing place to start.
Diana Urban: How I tackle Edit Letters When Revising a Novel
What to Do When Things Get Bad / Amicably Parting Ways
What should an Author/Agent Relationship Look Like? - An incredible discussion thread with input from a variety of agented authors. It's great to know what "bad" looks like, but it's just as valuable to see a variety of good experiences, and this thread is a goldmine in that regard.
Lorraine Wilson: Agents Lost and Found A thoughtful article on what to do if you find yourself seeking a new agent.
Joy McCullough-Carranza: ON PARTING WAYS WITH LITERARY AGENTS
Reddit PubTips: A good resource for anonymously sharing concerns/asking other authors for advice.
Resources for Authors On Submission
Introduction
Being on submission is like querying, but you're higher up the ladder and have an agent to support you and do the work of submission. For some authors, this makes submission feel easier and more relaxing than querying. For others, the lack of control ratchets their stress up higher than ever and they find the process extremely difficult. Unlike querying, for which there is a wealth of resources, some authors may find it challenging to uncover information on what submission is like. I've collected some resources below.
Response / Communication Strategy
It's not a bad idea to talk with your agent before or during the submission process about what communication style you'd prefer. Below are a few different communication styles on-sub authors might choose. Absolutely use your own wisdom here when it comes to how much you want to know. But don't feel tied to one. You might find that the one you thought would be best for you is actually chipping away at your mental health. It's okay to change your preferences!
Tell Me Everything - The tell-me-everything method asks the agent to communicate with the author about passes as they come in. Depending on the agent's own preferred methods (this is a good question for the call), this might mean directly forwarding the editor's reply, copy-pasting it into an email or compiled document, or simply sharing a list of editor updates, which may or may not include editor names. Authors who find that in-the-moment, up-to-date knowledge provides them a sense of peace and control may choose this method.
Scheduled Devastation - This communication strategy asks the agent to send regular/scheduled updates on the progress of submission. These emails could arrive once a month (on the last Friday of a month, for example), or even once a week or every certain number of weeks. Authors who find out-of-the-blue emails stressful and would prefer to receive news when they've had time to brace for it might choose this strategy.
Yeet-and-Run - This communication strategy asks the agent to not message the author at all about submission unless the author requests an update or the agent has an offer/editor call request in hand or other important information that requires the author's input. Authors who have spent a long while in the query trenches, been on submission with a previous project, want to give their full focus to another project, or otherwise feel frazzled and burned out might find this method appealing.
Coping Strategies
Why yes, this is modified from the list I posted for coping with querying, because some of the same things apply.
Working on the next book. You've heard it before. No one really mentioned how difficult—near to impossible!—it sometimes feels to be on submission. It's so easy to fixate on and worry about the project on submission, and some authors may find submission to be a mental health disaster because it's even more out of the author's control than querying. It's hard to work on the next thing. Sometimes you write a sentence and scream into a pillow and close the file. But if you can work on something else, do so. Upsettingly, it actually helps a bit.
Indulging in a hobby unrelated to writing. Some people even go so far as to recommend a hobby that can't possibly be monetized, but I don't think that's a dealbreaker. If you crochet cat hats for your Etsy shop, it's okay to lose yourself in that for a while! I'm lucky to have more than one fraught creative hobby (I love painting, folding tiny paper creatures, and self-studying languages) so I had many options. If it's something where you can quickly "complete" your creative project or a hobby where you can reach regular goals, even better. The hit of joy you get from advancement/completion is really nice.
Making (or continuing to update) a folder or other repository—physical or digital—of good things. This is as helpful on submission as it is while querying. When your book makes a reader sob or scream or swoon, take a screenshot and save it in this folder. When you get an editor pass with glowing comments or when any interaction with your work from friends or peers or readers brings you joy, save that. Brains are very bad at holding on to good things, so keep a record. When you're struggling and giving up sounds more appealing than moving forward, visit that folder and realize how much you've accomplished.
Finding or creating a (private or semi-private) place to scream. If you're part of a Discord group for authors on submission or have a friend who's currently in submission hell, it can be nice to talk with them. Another thing I've done is to create a WHOLLY private Discord server only for me. I have channels for each book and WIP and then separate channels for good advice I've heard, lovely publishing developments, and anxiety I wouldn't feel comfortable venting anywhere else. It doesn't have to be a server, either! While I was on submission, I had a note in my phone's notes app and I regularly screamed into it. Submission may bring out all sorts of intense, illogical, and unreasonable emotions in you, and it's good to have a void to shout into.
Stages of Submission
Congratulations, your book is sitting in editor inboxes! Most authors know that offers, R&Rs, and passes are all possible at this stage. Some know that ghosting (editors or agents not replying at all to queries/submissions) has become much more common as editor workloads increase. Authors who have friends in the industry or who have done their own research might be aware of what second reads, editorial meetings, acquisitions, and other terms mean. But if you could do with a refresher, hopefully some of the links below will be useful.
Resources (Authors on submission)
Sub Stories: Honest, varied stories of submission, with a legend to allow authors to choose whether they want to read stories with happy endings, stories with bad endings, or stories with complicated endings. There's also a convenient clock logo that lets you see how long submission lasted for each author.
The S.H.I.T (Submission Hell, It's True) Archives: These lean perhaps a bit more gentle/hopeful than Sub Stories, because they're not anonymous, and anyone posting here made it through submission successfully. A good resource for honest stories with happy endings!
AbsoluteWrite Submission thread, Part 1: This thread contains posts from 2008-2015 from authors on submission. There's a lot of waiting, a lot of suffering, and a lot of great information. Some of it is outdated, but that kind of helps; that veil of distance makes it all feel less personal while still providing readers with valuable information they can still apply to their experiences today. This is a forum thread, and it's 800 pages long. If you're stressing and need something to fill your mind with, this thread is really useful! When I was worrying about submission, I could burn through a bunch of pages on the forum and see people who were feeling just like I was. There's a ton of excellent anecdotal information here about the many, many ways submission can go, and learning those things made me feel more prepared for any outcome....and reading the experiences of the folks who'd been through them made me feel less alone.
AbsoluteWrite Submission thread, Part 2: If the first 800 pages aren't enough, this one has posts from 2015 to 2024. You'll find familiar and now-famous authors on these threads. You'll watch years-long journeys and days-long journeys toward success. If you, too, like to know every possible thing you can know and find that the more information you have, the less stressed you are, I can't recommend this highly enough.
The #PublishingPaidMe Google Doc: A sortable document with detailed information about author, genre, advance size, and more.
Resources (Behind the scenes of submission)
Kailei Pew wrote an article series about the submission process, with poll results from ~100 authors who've been on submission. While the sample size is not particularly massive and the author's personal circle may mean that the results are specific to a certain area of kidlit publishing, I still found the statistics (how often does an R&R actually pan out; how often does a book that makes it to acquisitions make it through, etc) grounding. The series: PART ONE: Going on Sub | PART TWO: Second Reads | PART THREE: R&Rs | PART FOUR: Acquisitions
Mushens Entertainment - Behind the Scenes: Steps from submitting your novel to receiving an offer
Acquisition Basics: An article on the acquisition process and what it looks like on the editor's side. Nicely detailed! When trying to acquire a book, editors often have to fill out a proposal, and this site also includes a Sample Acquisitions Proposal.
More on the Acquisition process: Again, I found it really useful to learn as much as I could about things on the publisher's side while I was waiting for the results of acquisitions meetings!
George Sandison: Submissions - steering the iceberg An article from an editor at a major UK publisher about what submission looks like behind the scenes for editors.
The Book P&L: How Publishers Make Decisions About What to Publish
Authors Guild: The Acquisitions Process - What Authors Should Know [VIDEO]
Bookends: What Happens When an Editor Likes Your Book [VIDEO]
Bookends Literary: Why Selling A Book Can Take So Long [VIDEO]
The Call / The Contract
Authors Guild: Model Trade Book Contract ** Perhaps the best resource out there for helping authors understand contracts and their terms.
Questions to Ask your Publisher Before You Sign the Contract
Alexa Donne: Agent/Publisher Contract Terms You Should Know [VIDEO] Alexa's video covers important terms in both agency and book contracts.
Michael Mammay: Stuff You Should Ask for as an Author That Maybe You Didn't Know About
KJ Charles: The Author's Biggest Mistake (is not understanding contracts)
Resources for Debut Authors
Introduction
I am freshly a debut author, and let me tell you, there are very few resources out there for this stage, but I've been fortunate enough to find some really great ones. As always, there are few things more helpful than community. If you feel comfortable doing so, find your debut year's group (usually on Slack or Discord now) and join. Check the guidelines, but it's okay in most cases to join even if your deal hasn't been announced just yet. Even if you're shy, it can be a wonderful place to encourage your fellow debuts and learn a lot about publishing and the process that you might not learn anywhere else. Keep in mind that these groups may contain hundreds of members, so while they're "private," they're not truly private.Some authors may find that they're prone to playing the comparison game and twisting themselves up in knots. In cases like that, it's okay to step back from participation in groups like these. They can be great for meeting new friends, gathering information about industry norms, and learning tips and tricks, but it's worth asking yourself if the payoff is worth the cost if you find yourself struggling as debut approaches.
A brief note on mental health
Humans do not deal well with uncertainty or being out of control. Congratulations! Publishing has both in spades! On top of that, finding the balance between "writing as an art form and mode of self-expression" and "publishing as a business" can be incredibly hard. It can be strange to see a book that has your heart turned into a digestible, marketable product, and the public-facing nature of publishing, combined with the lack of control, can make debut as bitter as it is sweet. Whether a book soars or sinks, every author will feel these highs and lows. Take joy where you can. Let yourself feel it. But it's okay to have complicated emotions or no particular emotions at all, or to swing between bright joy and crushing worry. You're not alone. It's easier if you have a friend, a group of friends, or a professional to talk to. I hope the information collected here might be useful in providing some context for authors!
Stages of pre-publication
There are many stages of the pre-publication process, and they won't be the same between one author and the next. I've written up a short list, with the caveat that some may be skipped/combined/done in a different order depending on the publisher and any mentioned timelines are utter nonsense, Because Publishing™.
Editor Call — These calls don't always happen! If they do, they may happen prior to acquisition (especially if the editor has a certain vision in mind and wants to be sure the author is open to that vision) or after acquisition. They may happen only after an offer comes through, or before the offer memo has been sent (The offer memo is a short document with information on advance size and split, royalties, option clauses, and any other information the publisher deems relevant. These terms are not official until they've been inked into a contract, but they're a great start.) Your editor may also invite you to do a video or voice call after you receive your edit letter. Even if the editor does not volunteer this, don't hesitate to ask if they'd be willing to have a call, if you think a conversation might help you feel more prepared to tackle edits!
Internal Launch — This mysterious stage in the process, as far as I can tell, is one that authors may or may not be made aware of, but it's a way to introduce the project to the other sections of the publisher.
Developmental Edits — Some authors may do minimal developmental edits over the course of a few weeks or less. Others may do multiple passes over a year or more. Usually, the developmental stage—the most transformative, big-picture stage of edits—falls somewhere in between those extremes.
Line Edits — Line edits may be their own stage, where the editor goes through and makes more line-level and sentence-level adjustments for clarity and flow. This is absolutely dependent on the editor! Some editors might combine line edits with developmental edits. Some may have a relatively light editorial hand when it comes to word choice. Others may be much more rigorous. (There might also be more rigor for "major" titles.) If your book is publishing in multiple English-speaking countries, you'll generally have a "lead" editor and the other editors will feed in their notes, which will be incorporated into the head editor's notes.
Copyedits — In this stage, the book leaves the hands of the editor and author and is read by a new pair of eyes. A freelance or in-house copyeditor will do a read for consistency, clarity, and adherence to the publisher's style guide. (For other editions in English, this might involve adjusting spelling and punctuation to conform to the standards of the country in which the book will be published.)
Cover Design — You might hear concepts shortly after acquisition, around the internal launch time or thereabouts, when your editor is thinking about a cover brief and tossing around ideas. You may be asked for feedback on the cover or to provide images of covers you like. Sometimes, authors will be brought in much farther along in the process, though. A cover draft may taken them by surprise in their inbox! Eventually, though, the concepts from the cover brief will probably be sent to a designer, and then possibly an illustrator or photographer, depending on the sort of cover your book needs.
Pass Pages — This stage in the process comes after copyedits have been completed and approved. This is where the text is properly typeset in the way it will be seen in the book. While some early pass pages may not contain finalized interior design (illustrations/inserts/font choices), they often have them at this stage. The proofreader and author work together to go on one last hunt for typesetting issues or errors before the book is approved for ARC/Proof stage. Some authors will have multiple rounds of pass pages, (sometimes referred to as 1P, 2P, 3P, and so on), but others will have only one. It depends on your publisher. You may be advised to make only small changes at this stage. The reasoning I've heard is that if any additions are longer than the text which was removed, it may require reformatting sections of the book.
Marketing/Publicity Stage — Some authors will be brought in and receive a brief introduction to the team pre-internal launch or even on the original call, but many authors will have their first introduction to the marketing and publicity team, or their assigned marketer(s) and/or publicist(s), anywhere from 2-6 months out from publication. Some authors will not have these meetings. (If you're unsure, it's okay to ask your agent about this!) Some publishers have large marketing and publicity teams, while smaller publishers may have none at all, so this is highly dependent on your publisher.
Cover Reveal — Cover reveals are the first big publicity move, sharing your book's cover with the world. These reveals can happen at any point. They can be publisher-led, author-led, or a combination of the two. They can take place on one or multiple social media platforms. Some publishers get those reveals out early—sometimes a year or more in advance—while others like to capitalize on the momentum they get from a later reveal and hold it until 6 months out (or fewer). Usually, it'll fall somewhere in between.
ARC/Proof stage — Some books may get only digital ARCs (ARCs may be called proofs by a UK publisher). Some may get print ARCs. Some may get exclusive or personalized print ARCs with fancy finishes. Like everything else in publishing, this stage depends very much on the individual publishing house (some publishers are no longer printing physical ARCs; others do so only for certain titles), their resources, and the project in question.
Acknowledgements
Not sure who, if anyone, this will help, but I wanted to be sure to thank anyone who had a hand in helping my book make it to shelves, and when I asked for a list and did some research, these are the roles I could find (and the names I aimed to thank in my acknowledgements)! Publishing peeps, if you see this and I've missed a role, let me know! If you work at a publisher that has editorial assistants or publicity and marketing assistants, it's good to thank them, too!
Editor
Editorial Assistant
Production Editor
(Managing Editorial/Production/Freelance) Copyeditor
(Managing Editorial/Production) Proofreader
Cover Designer
(If applicable) Cover illustrator or photographer
Marketing
Publicity
(If applicable) Illustrator or designer for maps, endpapers, or other in-text illustrations
(If applicable) Audio Editor
(If applicable) Audiobook Narrator
Book Launch and Lead-Up
So you got an edit letter. Now what? This article by Emily Thiede is exceptionally fun and helpful (and true)! Additionally, it's cross-posted from the "agented" page, because it's just as true for agent edit letters as it is for editor feedback!
Jenna Satterthwaite: On the Long Timeline of Publishing Contracts - Insider insight from an agent on why publishing contracts sometimes take so long to be finalized!
Book Launch Survival Guide - By Aiden Thomas: This excellent, thorough guide covers everything from acquisition to pub day and goes into detail about strategies and resources for debut authors.
Suyi Davies Okungbowa: How to Book Launch Another excellent article on how to launch a book—specifically, how to plan the actual in-person launch event! Thanks to M. Stevenson for recommending this!
Sabaa Tahir - Anonymous Author: Craft, Time Management, and Finances (Part 2 of 2)
Blurbs
Author Photos
Alexa Donne: Everything you Need to Know About Author Photos [VIDEO] A great video about whether and when you need them (before of after book deal), whether it's possible to take your own, and tips and tricks for good results (whether you enlist the services of a professional or do it yourself or with the help of a friend).
Sarah Nicolas: Faking a Professional Author Photo - Some authors may wish to pay a professional photographer to take their author photo, but it's possible to take a perfectly adequate professional-quality author photo yourself.
Media/Press Kit, Website, and Author Brand
Agent Sarah Fisk: The Modern Author's Press Kit [VIDEO] Thanks to M. Stevenson for recommending!
Jane Friedman: Set up the Perfect Online Press Kit A detailed article with guidance on what to (and not to) include on a press kit on your website.
Charlie Jane Anders - How To Build Your Online "Brand" Without Burning Out: More great advice on existing online as an author.
(Pubtips) Victoria Lee: Author Websites / Author Platform This is actually a reply to a question, but it has good details!
Carrd: Website Builder - Recommending this again! Carrd is an affordable website builder. I used it to make my author website and this website. The free version allows authors to make three sites, has no ads, and contains only a small attribution at the bottom of the webpage. The paid version runs less than $20 a year.
Marketing and Self-Promo
A Big 5 Marketer's Self-Promotion Advice: And incredibly detailed, realistic bit of insider insight and advice.
What Should a Debut Author Ask on a Marketing/Publicity Call? A brief thread with excellent advice from Brigid Kemmerer.
Alexa Donne: Marketing and Platform [VIDEO PLAYLIST] I am curious about every aspect of publishing, so these videos were interesting!
Alexa Donne: Comprehensive Marketing Plan [VIDEO] A good resource (including a look at the author's own spreadsheet) of marketing tactics authors might use during their debut year.
Foreign Rights
Quick primer: Publishers can license many different types of rights. You might get a deal in a single territory or group of territories (NA [North American]; US-only; UK & Commonwealth), but your publisher might also ask for World rights (the opportunity to publish in every territory) or World English (the right to publish in English in any territory). There are benefits to both. If you sell to a single territory, you and your agent (and/or their sub-agents in other territories) retain the ability to sell other rights yourselves, and that means more money directly in your pocket. If you sell world rights, your publisher retains the ability to shop those rights, and any foreign sales they make go to you not in the form of a cash payment but in the form of a payment toward earning out your advance. Some authors may sell in enough foreign territories that they earn out their advance before their book is even published.Foreign rights sales can come at any point (even years post-release), but some of the most common times authors might learn about foreign sales are... around or shortly after the original book sale, during or shortly after major book fairs (Bologna, London Book Fair, Frankfurt, etc.) when your agency's rights team or your publisher's rights team might be shopping it, or around or after debut (especially if a book performs strongly in its home territory).
Taxes, Royalties, and Money Matters
Hana Lee: When Do I Earn Out? - The Publishing Calculator An interactive calculator where you can estimate how many sales (of hardcover, paperback, audio, ebook, etc.) you may need to make in order to earn out your advance.
Alexa Donne: Breaking Down Book Advances [VIDEO] Watch at your own risk. This excellent video breaks down book advances, including how much you can expect to set aside for taxes (though tax rates may vary depending on your income bracket), with deals of various sizes as examples.
Alexa Donne: Book Advances and Royalties [VIDEO] A video on how advances and royalties work.
Writers: Read This Before You Do Your Taxes: In short: authors can write off more than most people expect on taxes.
Authors Guild: The Acquisitions Process - What Authors Should Know [VIDEO]
SFWA: The Legacy kit - No one wants to think about after, but here's a great resource on getting things in order/managing your literary estate for the far future.