How To Get People to Read Your Manuscript
Reader question:
How do I get people to read my manuscript?
The Literate Hippie answers:
Promise to reward them with sexual favors, cash, and/or never ever ever to bother them again, or even speak to them, most especially about anything to do with books or writing.
Also. Finish your manuscript.
You haven’t, have you? You just want the Literate Hippie to think you have and offer you help from his empathetic, open Hippie heart. Unfortunately, the Literate Hippie also carries in his empathetic heart a good supply of both realism and sarcasm. Write the whole manuscript first. You may figure out that it’s not worth reading, which brings me to my next point.
Write a manuscript worth reading.
Not every story should be told, you know. Not everyone knows how to tell a story well. Do you have the combination of a story that should be told and the skill to tell a story well? Do you know the most important rules of writing? Do you abide by them? Do people other than your parents think you are skilled at writing? Do people laugh at your jokes and enjoy conversing with you? Do you have deep friendships? Have you succeeded in a romantic relationship for more than six months? Have you sacrificed something meaningful? Have you grieved? If you can’t answer positively for most of those questions, work on changing your life experience. Then write a manuscript.
If you’re two steps ahead of the Literate Hippie and have in your hands, even now, a well-written manuscript worth reading, then follow the route that thousands of writers before you have trod. Query. Submit. Query. Submit. Query. Submit. Query. Submit. Query. Submit. Query. Submit.
And then, after you’ve done that, do it some more.
Alternately, go publish your manuscript on Amazon Kindle, as a serial work on your own website, or via other means of self-publication. Then you won’t have to worry about getting people to read your manuscript; you’ll have to worry about getting them to read your book.
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