by Ruth Belena

Created on: April 10, 2009

It is pointless to write a novel that is never going to be read, and if a writer is easily discouraged a first novel may fail to appear in print. It is quite usual for publishers to reject a debut novel from a completely unknown writer. Some of the most famous novelists, and their best loved books, were initially rejected many times before getting published.

The worst possible reason for writing a novel is the expectation of gaining celebrity as a best selling author, and of living a luxury lifestyle on the proceeds. The chances of this happening are very remote. Most books soon get remaindered, or are allowed to go out of print. Only a small percentage of authors can rely on novel writing as a way to earn a living.

Self Publishing A Novel:

A self published novel is unlikely to achieve many sales, unless the author has basic knowledge of public relations and book marketing.

There is no point paying to have a novel set in print if the author is left with hundreds of unread copies in storage. Some vanity presses will take money for producing a book that will flatter the author, but with no intention of wasting money on advertising or promoting the book once it is in print.

How to Get a Novel Published:

A novel will be instantly rejected if it is submitted to publishers who are not interested in marketing books of that particular style and genre. If it is submitted through the services of a literary agent the novel has a better chance of acceptance, because then it will only be sent to the most suitable publishers.

If a work of fiction from an unknown author is unmarketable it is of no value to any publisher. Publishers only take a chance on a new novelist when there is potential for the book to sell well.

A new novelist may write in a good style and be creative in the use of language, but if the plot is too simple or too complex, if the dialogue is unrealistic, or the characters are not well portrayed, the novel will never be published.

One of the main reasons for manuscripts being instantly rejected is that some writers have no idea of what a novel actually is, how it should be constructed, and lack knowledge of the complexities of plotting and developing a good story.

It is not possible to write a coherent novel without having read a great many works of fiction. A love of reading gives a writer better insight into plot development, creating convincing characters, and how to write realistic dialogue.

Reading contemporary fiction and watching the best seller lists will create awareness of what type of novel sells. A new novel needs to have relevance to the world today, if it is to appeal to readers. It is pointless to write a novel in a style that is no longer in demand.

The purpose of novel writing is to create a work of fiction that will be read and appreciated by as many people as possible. The most pointless reason to write a novel is to create something that is only of interest to the author.

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