The Trad Publishing Graveyard: How Good Stories Die
I recently got an editing request from an author chasing an agent and traditional publication.
On the surface, everything looked great: they had an incredible premise, powerful characters, and understood what they wanted from the developmental editing process. But the more I read, the more my heart dropped. The book was almost 150k words long, the first in a series, and drifted between YA and middle grade.
This is the worst part of my job: telling an author that no agent will want their book, and that while we can fix that, it’s going to take a lot of work.
Here’s the crux of it: if you want to get traditionally published, you need to understand how your book fits in (and stands out) from the current market. And you need to make sure your book meets the criteria for agents and publishers.
The Uncomfortable Truth
I see writers make the same mistake over and over again. They write the book however they want, and just assume that—so long as the story is strong enough—someone will publish it.
But they couldn’t be more wrong.
Because, regardless of our hopes and dreams, the publishing industry is still an industry. That means it’s fixated on one thing: what sells. And everything else goes straight in the discard pile. Worse, if we fail to understand that, the novel we’ve poured our heart and soul into will be doomed before it ever leaves our hard drive.
What follows is misery and heartbreak. Death in the query trenches. And hundreds upon hundreds of form rejections. Most agents never even look at the sample chapters you so lovingly polished, because they already know the story won’t sell.
But the good news is, all of this can be avoided.
We just need to do a little research, and understand the demands of the market.
And the sooner we do that, the better.
How Do I Know This?
I’ve been a developmental editor for five years now, and in that time, I’ve helped dozens of speculative fiction writers get their books query-ready—ensuring their novels have the best possible chance of success. But I’ve also seen dozens more that were fundamentally broken. Where, if the author really wants the book to achieve their publishing dreams, they first need to face down the thing writers fear most of all: the dreaded page-one rewrite.
When a writer comes to me with a broken book, my heart aches for them. Because I was once in exactly the same position: writing whatever I wanted and assuming I’d get published some day. And if that didn’t happen, then it would be because I wasn’t good enough.
But getting a full scholarship to Clarion West changed all of that. Every year, they take eighteen budding speculative fiction writers and ship them out to Seattle for six weeks, to learn from some of the best in the business.
When I was accepted, I knew almost nothing about the publishing industry.
By the time I left, my eyes were opened to a whole other world.
I spent those six weeks meeting, networking, and learning from agents and editors, as well as week-long classes from the likes of Elizabeth Bear and N.K. Jemisin. I learned so much about traditional publishing, how it works, and where writers fit into that process.
Needless to say, it changed my whole approach to writing and publishing. And I’m here to help you do the same.
How to Bag Yourself an Agent (or Publisher)
Here’s the crux of it: if you want to get traditionally published, you need to understand how your book fits in (and stands out) from the current market. And you need to make sure your book meets the criteria for agents and publishers.
It all comes down to convincing them you know what you’re doing, and understand what you’re getting yourself into.
But so many writers stumble and give up before they’ve ever begun.
Here are the most common mistakes I see them make.
Word Count
Every genre has its own expected word count, and writing a book that’s way too short or (more often) far too long is the easiest way to get yourself rejected.
Word count is a huge consideration for publishers, because the more pages they have to print, the more it costs them. And the sad truth? No one wants to take a huge risk on an unproven writer.
So, while it’s fine for George R. R. Martin to write 400,000-word epics, many fantasy publishers have a cutoff around 100k words. For other genres, it’s even shorter—around the 80k word mark. I’ve even heard some reports that fantasy imprints are leaning more towards those “around 80,000” word novels when looking at debut writers.
In short, if you’re going down the trad route? You need to ensure you keep things tight, and stay within the limits and expectations of your genre.
Understanding the Market
Another mistake writers make? Not listening to the conversation they want to be part of.
I get so many queries from authors seeking traditional publication, but when I ask about their favourite novels in their genre, they only mention books from 30-80 years ago. That’s a huge red flag. And agents will feel the same way: it’s a clear sign that the writer hasn’t done their research, and they don’t understand the current market.
This is when “if you want to write, you need to read” rings true.
If you want trad publishing, you’ll want to read as many novels from the past 5-10 years as you can—especially books in a similar genre and niche. These will become your comp titles: a quick way of telling agents and publishers “hey, here are some recent books that are similar to mine!”
One of the first things publishers want to know is where your book belongs “on the shelf.” That is, similar books that might sit around yours in a display. For the same reason, you also need to ensure your book has a single, clearly defined genre and target audience. Writing a book that starts as literary fiction and ends up a space opera just isn’t going to work.
At the same time, you’ll want to understand the tropes/story elements readers expect from your genre, and hit those notes when you can. Because the more you can do that? The more attractive you’re making your novel to potential readers, and the easier it will be to convince agents that this is the new bestseller they’ve been searching for.
Story Structure
Another place writers slip up is by not paying attention to structure. For the most part, all speculative fiction novels contain the same elements, and you’ll need to make sure your novel does, too. These generally include:
Strong character goals—both for the protagonist, and other important characters.
A defined character arc for the protagonist. That is, a journey they go on throughout the book and concrete way the story changes them.
A set story structure, with a clear beginning, middle, and end that ties everything up, and leaves the reader feeling satisfied with how everything turned out.
Making sure you have each of those things nailed down is vital to writing a synopsis that makes agents request the full manuscript, and ensuring that they say “yes” once they’ve read it.
Series Struggles
If you’re absolutely set on writing a series, then traditional publishing might not be the best path.
Remember, when you first pitch to an agent (and when they pitch you to a publisher) you’re still an unknown quantity. Even if they feel good about your book, they have no idea if it will sell, and the only way to find out is to publish it and see how things go.
That makes most publishers extremely reluctant to go all-in on a series from a debut writer. At best, this can leave you with a dozen books you want to write but can’t (at least for a while), because someone else still owns the rights. At worst, it could stop you from getting through the door in the first place.
This is why the so-called “standalone with series potential” is so popular right now. It’s a book that tells a complete story, and that could become a series (if it sells really well), but it doesn’t need those other volumes to finish what you started—it stands perfectly well on its own.
Writing this sort of book will set you up for success, and saves breaking your heart further down the line.
Building a Platform
There’s been a lot of talk around how you need X number of followers on social media before agents will even consider you, and there are a few things to keep in mind with this:
It isn’t true. Or at least, it isn’t true for all agents. They’re different people, and they have different requirements and demands.
For the right story (ie, one they think will blow up) it doesn’t matter at all.
To have the widest possible appeal (and the best chance), building some kind of presence or portfolio can still be hugely helpful.
Again, they key isn’t about reaching some arbitrary number: it’s convincing the traditional publishing industry that your book could sell really well. And there are a few different ways to maximise your chances at that:
Develop a good following on social media, especially one that’s interested in your stories.
Sell some short stories, especially to pro-rate paying magazines.
Make enough sales to join an organisation like Codex or the SFWA.
Attend workshops like Clarion West or Clarion UCSD.
Look for other paid gigs in writing and publishing—be that creating content for TTRPG companies, game writing, rewriting/revising translated novels, ghostwriting, editing, or something else.
All of these will show your track record, that you understand publishing, and have a good foundation from which to launch your first novel.
Finding a Guide
Working with a trusted book coach or developmental editor can also increase your chances—ensuring you have someone on your side who understands the demands of the publishing industry and can help you navigate them.
They will help you get your story in the best possible shape, show you how to meet the expectations of your potential readers, agents, and publishers, and ensure you’re absolutely smashing that.
If an editor or coach is outside of your budget for now, you could also take a DIY approach: learning from books about the craft of writing, or blogs like Helping Writers Become Authors by K.M. Weiland.
Pagewake also exists for the same reason—sharing the sort of writing advice I give to my developmental editing clients. So, if you’re looking to strengthen your story, edit your own novel, or pursue traditional or indie publishing, stay tuned for more posts that will help to light your way!
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I love this, I also adore a page 1 rewrite. I mean I loved writing it the first time, imagine how much I’ll fall in love with it again as I write it even better! I write because I love writing. Even when you put a re- on the front of it. Dive into the trenches. No fear!
As an editor and small press publisher one of the expectations which never fails to astound me is that of writers believing that once the book is written the real work is done and how much of a learning curve it is for them to discover that the real work starts when you have written it. That professional editing will likely require restructuring, and not just the 'odd rewrite' and that this rigorous process is not about tearing the book down but honing and polishing it so that it can stand its own ground out there in the world. That it can be stomach churning stuff and soul crushing for the ego in love with the idea of its own authorship is one so many do not survive. Thank you for this dive into the reality of it.