Will writing a query letter give me a better shot at getting my book published by a popular vanity publisher? How can my book become a bestseller? Do I need to get a copyright for my manuscript before or after I send the publisher samples of my book chapters if they liked my query letter?

All Answers To Questions

A query letter is a letter you send to a publishing company you are interested in sending your manuscript to. All publishing houses are different, and the majority of them do not accept unsolicited works. This would mean you would have to work with an agent to help you get published. Your book will be copyrighted after it is published. If you are looking to make your book a best seller, you will have to get yourself recognized as a writer. First, start submitting short stories, prose, poetry, etc., to accepting publications like magazines, literary journals, chap books. Once you have made a name for yourself, agents and publishers will start to take you more seriously. On the other hand, you could self-publish. You would have to do all of your own marketing and pay quite a bit out of pocket. I am not sure what kind of book you have written, but I do know of some fantasy/science fiction publishers that are currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts. If you're interested in trading correspondence, feel free to drop me an email: llewellynmcellis@alltel.net

A vanity publisher will print anything. it's your money, after all. The query letter asks the publishers interest in whatever book you are writing. You need to get the book "Writers Handbook" at the library , as it has an arrticle of the pitch and the query letter

You don't need a query letter for vanity publishers. They will publish anything you pay for. As for bestseller status, dream on. And yes, you need a copyright on the finished version of your manuscript--not before. Here's a query letter format you can use. Good luck. Dear Ms/Mr._____: I am writing to submit for your consideration my 90,000-word adult mainstream novel, GREAT LOVE LOST, in which fate pits two sisters against each other as they battle for the love of one dedicated physician fighting an epidemic no one realizes exists.-98 I have pasted the first 10 pages of chapter one in the body of this e-mail message as directed by your Web site guidelines. GREAT LOVE LOST is the story of two sisters in love with the same man who don’t realize it until a fateful encounter at a mortuary. The ensuing chaos drives one sister, Jess, to attempt suicide, and the other, Lia, to join the Peace Corps. Fate strikes again as the man, a doctor, is sent to a conference on SARS in China, where Lia is stationed, and their passion is rekindled. However, their love is once again challenged when a threatening letter from Jess arrives, and Lia contracts SARS shortly thereafter. My previous publishing credits include: LIES, MORE LIES, THEN SOME CHEATING, a mainstream novel published in 2002 by Rose Heart Publishing, an imprint of Lemon Slice Books; LOVE IN SUMMER, another mainstream novel, and its sequel, LOVE IN WINTER, published in 1999 and 2001, respectively, by Doubledog Press; and finally, LOVE TO LOVE YOU, another mainstream novel that will be released in 2007 from Major Publisher Press. I appreciate the opportunity to have you review my novel, GREAT LOVE LOST, for possible representation. Thank you for your time and consideration; I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, (Signature line) _______________ Jon F. Baxley (Author, Editor, Ghostwriter and Proofreader) THE SCYTHIAN STONE (eBook only) THE BLACKGLOOM BOUNTY (eBook and hard cover) THE REGENTS OF RHUM (coming fall '07) (For a FREE copy of The Scythian Stone or a full color, four chapter illustrated demo of The Blackgloom Bounty, email me at FiveStarAuthor@aol.com). My author blog: http://the-blackgloom-bounty.blogspot.com/