I’m not sure who wrote this article, Why books get rejected, but if you click over to his/her site you will find some great information. As I said in my last post about the fact that even if every book were of best-seller quality, it is not possible for every author to get published. There are not enough publishers to handle all the books and getting the attention of readers for every book is at the present moment impossible.

These two factors have motivated me to try to figure out a different way to publish and promote a book. I like to call this the fourth way to publish and focuses on treating your book like a business. Keep in mind, that if you can demonstrate sales of even a few thousand books, you greatly increase your chance of getting published. This is the fourth way to publish: Self-publish with the goal of selling a few thousand copies and then pitch your book to agents and publishers. In today’s Internet-enabled world, all authors can use this fourth method to publish their book. Authors can take control of their own destiny. It is not easy, but the fourth way to publish allows authors to take control of their business and not be victims to the industry.

While every author will most likely receive rejection letters, here are 16 tips authors can use to give themselves a better chance when pitching their books to agents and publishers.

1. The author fails to read the publisher’s website and submits the wrong genre of book.
2. The author fails to follow the publisher’s submission guidelines.
3. The cover letter is photocopied or generic.
4. The cover letter contains spelling or grammatical errors.
5. The envelope was sent without sufficient postage and the publisher had to collect it from the sorting office in the rain, and had to pay for the privilege.
6. The sample chapters are not sufficiently edited and checked.
7. The author angrily demands a response a couple of weeks after submitting the proposal.
8. The author phones the editor and talks too much or too slowly, so the editor decides against initiating a working relationship with an author who seems likely to take up too much of their time.
9. The author fails to mention positive factors that might influence the publishing decision, such as guaranteed sales, self-publicity, related external events or previously published books.
10. The author’s envelope and cover letter displays evidence that they are clearly mad. Using a purple felt-tip pen to address the envelope is a sure sign of this!
11. The proposal is hand-written.
12. The proposal is typed on a typewriter.
13. The author doesn’t have an e-mail address. Authors without e-mail cost more to contact and cause delays in the editing process.
14. The cover letter quotes praise from other publisher’s rejection letters.
15. The sample chapters have obviously been submitted elsewhere and returned.
16. The author has not obtained permission to use photos or quotes taken from other writings, and the publisher shies away from the administrative hassle and additional cost involved in buying those permissions.

As you can see, many of these mistakes can be avoided. When you are submitting query letters, it is important to visit the publisher’s website, find the guidelines and then follow those guidelines to the letter. If so many authors are trying to be clever and not following the guidelines, then you will stand out as a professional who is serious about publishing your book.