Completing the first draft of your manuscript – whether for a novel, short story, non-fiction book or magazine article – is a major achievement. Yet this is only the first step in a long journey to getting published. In this course you will learn the step-by-step process including market research, finding an agent, approaching publishing houses, and the pros and cons of self-publishing.

Your first draft is only the beginning. Now comes the rewriting, and yet more rewriting; then the synopsis, probably the hardest writing you will ever do; after that the introductory letters and the weeks of research to find the right publisher. Stepping out onto the path to be published is every bit as daunting as writing your book, short story or magazine article.

Like a lot of things, getting published is partly talent and partly luck, though knowing the steps required in the process definitely helps refine your luck. If you put time, effort and hard work into the process, your goal of being published can become a reality.

So what is the process? The first thing any writer must do is produce a high quality product. Your work has to touch all the bases: be succinctly and cogently written and free from obvious errors, be grammatically correct and properly punctuated and laid out to industry standard. If your manuscript isn’t all these things, submitting it to a publisher is a waste of time.

OUTLINE
In this workshop John Harman takes you step by step through the process of getting published, including analysing the option of self-publishing. He will cover:

• Assessing your manuscript for story-line and/or narrative structure
• Proofing for grammar; punctuation and Industry Standard Layout
• Doing your own market research
• Finding an Agent
• Approaching a Publishing House directly
• The query letter: what must it say?
• Writing the Synopsis
• Considering the market for your work
• Devising a chapter summary
• Deciding whether to self-publish: what are the factors to consider?
• The basic steps of self-publishing
• Self publishing your book as an eBook

THINGS TO KNOW
This course will be held at The University Club of Western Australia.
Light lunch will be provided and included in the cost.
If you have any special dietary requirements please email our staff on info@universityclub.uwa.edu.au. Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate any dietary requirements without 48 hour notification.