If you have writing talent then you will be wondering how to get a book published. Sadly, whether it is a novel, shorty story collection or poems, then your ability to tell a good tale is not the only thing that determines whether or not you will get into print.

If you are thinking about how to get a book published, then I soon learned the first thing that has to happen is that it needs to be read, either by an editor at a publishing house, or by a literary agent. Many authors fall by the wayside by not following some basic rules that increase the chance of their work being looked at.

Publishers and agents receive lots of submissions - simply more than they can read. So they will weed out some work on what might seem flimsy grounds to you. After taking some advice there are simple things you can do to avoid falling at this early hurdle.

I was surprised to learn these basic errors that are often made:

1) Submitting your book to a publisher who specialise in another genre - they do not make exceptions.
2) Submitting a manuscript that is not neatly typed and hard to read in some form - if it is hard to read, it will not be read.
3) Not enclosing a good concise covering letter and synopsis of the book. If these are long, rambling and unclear it says little for your writing skill.

If you think about how to get a book published from a company point of view, they want something instantly readable, with a genre and a target audience in mind. Then they can look at your work and see if it is something that might appeal to your possible readership. Even if they say no, you have at least got as far as having your work examined.