Sell Your Novel to a Major Publisher

1. Overview of the Publishing Process

• Why I created this course
• Traditional publishing vs. self-publishing
• What to expect from this course
• Overview of the entire publishing process

2. Writing and Revising Your Novel

• Writing your novel
• Revising your novel
• Words of advice on writing and revising

3. Introduction to Literary Agents

• Why you need an agent
• Finding an agent: Overview

4. Creating and Perfecting Your Pitch

• The definition of a pitch
• The logline
• The elevator pitch
• The short synopsis
• The full synopsis

5. Writing Your Query Letter

• Introduction to the query letter
• Part 1: Hook their attention
• Part 2: The book summary
• Part 3: Why this agent
• Part 4: All about you
• Query letter summary
• Technical details

6. Researching Agents

• The agent submission list
• Agent research tool #1
• Agent research tool #2
• Agent research tool #3
• Agent research tool #4
• Agent research tool #5
• Agent research tool #6
• Organizing your list

7. Submitting to Agents

• Overview of the agent submission process
• The magic query maximizer (MQM)
• Customizing your query letters
• General dos and don'ts of querying
• Receiving responses and analyzing results
• Getting rejections
• Selling in vs. selling out
• Thank-you letters
• Getting interest
• Getting signed
• Agency contracts
• Frequently asked questions about agents

8. Selling Your Novel

• Key publishing terms
• The publisher submission process
• Publishing houses: A road map
• Revisions and submissions
• Publishing houses: A peek inside
• Offers and auctions
• Money and advances

9. Navigating Your First Book Contract

• An overview of book contracts
• Royalties
• Subsidiary rights
• Option clauses

10. The Publishing Process

• Your last revision
• Copyediting
• First pass pages
• Cover art
• ARCs
• What to expect leading up to publication
• Frequently asked questions about the publishing process

Conclusion

• Farewell and good luck