: Re: Can I pay to win at publishing? Are there paid editing and submission services out there that are worth while for someone who is looking to work with a real publisher? I have been doing research

@Annie587

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Yes, a Manuscript Assessment Service will provide what you're looking for. Reputable companies will not only assess your manuscript and provide feedback, they will also find you the right agent/publisher to submit it to if they think it’s good enough. But it’s costly.

Reputable companies will also provide a full bio of each editor to help you decide if they are worth your time and money.

In the UK, I have used the services of The Literary Consultancy and their feedback was excellent. They come highly recommended here. But if you're US-based, that may affect your decision to use them.

With regard to your other points, let me dispel a few myths by laying out my step-by-step guide to getting published:

Write a book that's absolute gold dust. With the public demanding books for 99p each, publishing is harder than ever, so it's essential that your book has something really special to make it stand out from the crowd.

That’s it.

Yes, a good cover letter and synopsis are important but the best cover letter and synopsis in the world won't market a book that hasn’t gone through step 1.

Yes, accolades and knowledge are nice to have, but unnecessary. No agent or publisher is going to turn down a writer who has completed step 1, simply because they lack accolades or a knowledge of the industry.

No, agents who are not scamps are not hard to come by. If you’ve completed step 1, they will fight each other tooth and nail to get your book and you’ll have to interview agents to find out which one you’d rather work with.

But, there is a caveat to all this. Without studying creative writing and understanding the mistakes that so many fledgling writers make; without reading heavily in your genre, and understanding what makes a book stand out from the crowd; without gleaning an in-depth understanding of the complexities of the craft and figuring out how to balance its plethora of intricacies on one page; without spending weeks/months/years fine tuning and editing your work until nothing can be taken out and nothing more needs putting in, it is EXTREMELY difficult for a fledgling writer to complete step 1.

The wording of your question suggests that you are looking for a fast-track to publishing. And I’m sure the majority of writers on here will agree with me in cautioning you that there is no such thing. It takes a lot of time, dedication, failed attempts, and flipping hard work. But, if you love it, you’ll keep going, and I wish you all the luck in the world with it.

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