Giordano, Stephen King, Polina Panassenko, Mélissa Da Costa… Reading this series of names reminds you of something. What do all these literary authors have in common? Yes, that's it: they all experienced success with their very first book. It’s a dream, isn’t it

Giordano, Stephen King, Polina Panassenko, Mélissa Da Costa… Reading this series of names reminds you of something. What do all these literary authors have in common? Yes, that's it: they all experienced success with their very first book. It’s a dream, isn’t it?

Well after all, why not! Let's dream, dear first-time novelists, let's talk about literature and success, let's talk about the recipes that have worked, what has worked for some in recent years and let's imagine our first novel published by a publishing house, sold at hundreds, even thousands of copies.

So it's true, it's not Françoise Sagan who wants it. And publishing, at just 18 years old, a first novel, which has become a masterpiece of French literature like Bonjour Tristesse with Julliard editions, doesn't happen every day! On the other hand, all the profiles of first-time authors exist. If some stand out a little more in the statistics (like teachers, researchers, journalists or screenwriters), there is not a common path for all young authors who have had success with their first book. There are, in truth, as many lives of authors as there are successful novels. There is no such thing as a subject, a theme, a style of writing, a technique, a logic... In short, an infallible tip for finding a publishing house. There is the art of writing: talent and a lot of work. A mind that is both creative and methodical. A mind that can also be shaped over time.

Let us present to you, in this article, our advice to put all the chances on your side when you decide to send the manuscript of your first novel to publishing houses.

TAKE THE TIME TO WORK ON YOUR MANUSCRIPT

Writing a book – whether it’s a novel, non-fiction, or children’s book – takes a lot of time. But when this work is completed, your manuscript is not yet ready to be sent to publishing houses.

REWORK YOUR TEXT BEFORE PRESENTING IT TO A PUBLISHING HOUSE

The reworking stage of a manuscript is just as important as the writing itself. As an author, you need to be aware of this in order to take the time necessary to rewrite your manuscript. Publishing houses do not expect to receive perfect manuscripts (since that does not exist) but your manuscript must already be as impeccable as possible with regard to the narrative structure, the rhythm, the coherence of your characters, and your plot.

This is why careful proofreading of your book is essential before being able to send a manuscript to one or more publishing houses.

The Rereading workshop offered on Édith & Nous is an excellent way to obtain feedback from an editing professional on your text in order to support you in the work of rewriting your manuscript and allow you to present it to editors. the most accomplished version of your literary project.

PRACTICE WRITING

There are plenty of ways to practice writing to perfect your writing style. As an author, these practices can be extremely beneficial in helping you improve your manuscript before sending it to a publishing house. You can participate in writing training , in which you will be given professional advice on specific subjects or, you can also carry out writing exercises which will allow you to introduce yourself to writing techniques. writing while boosting your literary creativity.

WHICH PUBLISHING HOUSES TO CHOOSE

Not all first-time authors find refuge with the same publisher. However, some houses like Actes Sud and Éditions Buchet-Chastel display slightly higher statistics than the average in terms of first novels published. The Belgian Diagonale editions literally claim to be a house of first-time authors, with the slogan “publishers of (first) novels”.

But, generally speaking, the overwhelming majority of literature publishing houses are looking for new authors, new novels. As a first-time author, targeting only publishers who specialize in publishing first novels is both uncertain and a bit risky. Because unfortunately, self-publishing houses have made this an argument to glean as many manuscripts as possible… However, if you are looking for a real publishing contract , certain publishing houses should be avoided .

IDENTIFY THE EDITORIAL LINE OF PUBLISHING HOUSES

Start by going to your bookstore and leafing through the novels, reading a few pages, studying the back covers to better understand the editorial line of each publisher. Select publishing houses that suit you, that could publish your story.

You can also go to the websites of the publishing houses that interest you and do further research in order to differentiate between houses that publish texts of the same genre as yours and those that do not. Each house has a more or less extensive editorial line, it's up to you to determine which ones correspond to your manuscript!

By carrying out all this research work prior to sending your manuscript, you will be better able to identify the editorial lines of each house and therefore send your manuscript to editors likely to be interested in your literary project, and therefore, to give it a chance. Conversely, sending your manuscript to all possible publishing houses without knowing if the literary genre of your text interests them will not help you find an editor any faster!

However, keep in mind that it may be more difficult to attract the attention and curiosity of very large literary publishing houses and that it will not be easy to find your place with small publishing houses either. who publish less than ten books per year.

FOLLOW THE SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS

Each publishing house is free to set up its own rules for sending manuscripts: by post, by email, by form with a precise layout, a synopsis obligatory or not, a manuscript service open at a time precise and closed for the rest of the year… In short, there are as many conditions as there are publishing houses! This is why it is very important that you respect these regulations precisely, at the risk of seeing your literary project set aside by a house for purely technical reasons.

THE TEMPORALITY OF PUBLISHING

The editing time is long, that’s undeniable. Some publishing houses receive 3,000, 4,000 or even 6,000 manuscripts per year. Editors must then read all these manuscripts and sort them in order to keep only the texts that they would like to add to their collection. This colossal work takes a lot of time and that is why the temporality of the publishing world does not always correspond to that of the authors, who are eager and cheerful at the idea of ​​obtaining feedback. , would like things to move more quickly.

THE NEW PLAYERS IN THE BOOK CHAIN

To find new authors, publishers continue to use traditional methods. But today, new solutions are emerging and attempting to readjust the imbalance that exists between the number of manuscripts received and the time available to read them and respond to the authors.

Since November 2023, Édith & Nous has offered a new alternative to publishers by bringing together, on a single platform, hundreds of manuscripts (unpublished or self-published) sorted by genres and keywords. Thus, your manuscripts are no longer buried under a pile of emails or letters, but visible to more than a hundred editors.

INSPIRING JOURNEYS

There are many examples of authors who have achieved the crazy challenge of achieving great success thanks to their first novel. These inspiring journeys, both in terms of resilience and the work they demonstrate, are proof that successfully having a first novel published requires patience and investment in one's literary project. Publishing a first novel and gaining the trust of a publishing house is not easy, but that doesn't mean it's impossible!

RAPHAELLE GIORDANO

In 2023, the French author Raphaëlle Giordano, specialist in personal development, published her first novel, Your second life begins when you understand that you only have one , published by Eyrolles while she was already collaborating with the famous publishing house on personal development books. In 2023, his first novel exceeded 2.2 million copies sold. Not bad for a first book.

POLINA PANASENKO

More recently, at the start of the literary school year in September 2023, the Franco-Russian author Polina Panassenko released her first novel Tenir sa langue with Editions de l'Olivier. A few months after its publication, his book won the Femina prize for high school students .

STEPHEN KING

Stephen King , an essential American author of the horror and fantasy genres, also experienced difficulties in seeing his first novel published. Indeed, his first manuscript Carrie was rejected by more than 30 publishing houses before finally being accepted and achieving the success we know today. Subsequently, he wrote many other books such as The Shinning , Simetierre and It 

MELISSA DA COSTA

All the blue of the sky . Does this title mean anything to you? This is the first novel by author Mélissa Da Costa, published for the first time in 2023 by Albin Michel, and which has sold more than 600,000 copies. Since this first publication, the French author has written other novels such asLes LendemainsandLes Douleursphantoms.

AFTER THE FIRST NOVEL

For first-time authors who have had the chance (if not the talent, the lucky star, the right meeting, the right timing or all at once) to be published by a publishing house and to have sold their first novel, they still have to build a career as a writer. And finally, maybe this is where the story really begins!

We hope you enjoyed this article and that it will help you in your efforts if you wish to present the manuscript of your first novel to publishing houses. This whole process is quite dizzying and can, at times, be discouraging. But if you believe in your project, arm yourself with patience and keep hope!