“Publishing is the commercial activity of putting books into the public domain.”
John Feather, A History of British Publishing. Routledge, 1988, p1.
Achieving your first published work is like winning the Olympics. It’s a challenge which takes skill, determination and, well, considerably less athletic ability and more writing ability. Perhaps you already consider yourself a publisher as a social media warrior (don’t worry, we’ve all tried and failed to become viral on BookTok), but how do you acquire a physical copy of your work? Personally, there would be nothing more special than displaying a fancy hardback copy of my own poetry anthology on the shelves of Waterstones.
Back in the olden times, literature was recorded by hand on materials such as parchment, papyrus and stone. Then, it would be spread through word of mouth. Try to imagine a cult of dedicated fantasy readers spending hours teaching the rules of fae and how they’re different to fairies. It wasn’t until the invention of the printing press (aka The Gutenberg Press) around the 1440s, that literature could become reproduced effectively. I imagine Gutenberg did not anticipate the domination of the internet. However, with recent trends in special edition hardbacks, physical copies are still relevant, and publishing is still a huge achievement many authors wish to succeed with.
So, how do you publish a book? First, you actually need a finished – or near enough finished – text. Most importantly, you need to know your text inside out. What is its purpose? Who are your characters? What are the desires hidden deep within the depths of the pages? You need drive. Without drive, a text becomes stationary: dull and disengaging. You can fix grammatical errors, you can transform paragraphs, fill the plot holes, change the characters names: all during the editing process. But you cannot lose your meaning. There is a reason you have created a whole world through literature, and there is a reason your characters are facing the hardships they do. Think, feel and know your work. This passion for your work and why it is important needs to translate through to your pitch letter.
The pitch letter is the most important part of submitting your work to a publisher. Your work may be amazing, but if your pitch doesn’t make it sound incredible, publishers won’t even bother reading the rest of your submitted materials. You should ensure that you format your pitch letter correctly. Address a direct employee of the company which you would like to submit your work to. Position the agent’s address to the top right, and yours to the left. For specifics, carefully read the requirements listed on the publisher’s website. For example, Pegasus Publishing currently require a word document with 12pt text in Times New Roman.
The pitch letter should be no more than 500 words, starting with a brief description of your text. Then, you may mention your own literary achievements to prove skill and likability. Make sure to throw in the full word count of your text to ensure your work fits what they are looking for. Some publishers won’t consider a poetry anthology if it is far too short, or a lengthy trilogy if they’ve already taken on a large project recently. Also, you can sweet talk them if you know a lot about the company – research, research, research! Tell them why you want your project to be a part of their company, and what an honour it would be. Cheesy, I know.
In addition to your pitch should be a synopsis: a deeper, lengthier description of your work including a comprehensive explanation of the plot, characters and themes. This can be roughly two pages worth of writing. Then, attach a manuscript fitting the length requirements of the publishing company. This may be the first 30 pages of the text, or it could be a selection of chapters of your choice. Listen to what the company is asking for and prove that your work fits their needs. A difficult client who ignores the original requirements is not going to be selected for publication.
In general, these are the required pieces of text to submit in a request for consideration in publishing your work. However, some companies (mostly “the big 5”) will require a literary agent to submit your work. This means you would have to sacrifice 15-17.5% of your profits to pay them for securing your book deal. Though, this could be a reasonable investment if your book gets accepted by a large, well-known publishing house, potentially increasing the sales and profits overall. All publishing houses differ.
An example of Pegasus Publishing’s requirements for submissions is included below. The following information is taken from here.
Ultimately, a book deal likely won’t be handed to you on a silver platter. It is important to remember that these companies receive hundreds of thousands of submissions, and rejection is going to be something you experience. Starting small and working your way up can be a great way to market your presence as an author. This is why York St John’s literature anthology is a brilliant opportunity to get published. The Beyond the Walls Anthology is accepting submissions now until Sunday the 16th March at 23:59. The Folklore anthology are also accepting submissions now, but close slightly earlier on Friday 14 March by 12:00 Midday. We are very excited to read your submissions, and every submission will be read thoroughly – so why not submit your writing?
If you’re interested in learning more, please check out our podcast episodes and future blog posts from the Beyond the Walls Blogs and Podcasting team, covering self-publishing, creative writing tips and more!
– Morgan Adams
This blog post is in collaboration with the 2025 Beyond the Walls Anthology. Submissions for the Anthology are now open. This year the anthology will focus on the theme of ‘The Mind’ and the editors are looking forward to reading all the creative ways you can interpret the theme within your submissions. The anthology guidelines can also be found here on the Where Ideas Grow Blog.