As a freelance writer in the world of copywriting and web writing, your passion for writing might extend to the world of literature.

Hoping to publish a novel or memoir? Or a collection of poems/stories/essays?

The great news is that writing in the world of literature doesn’t just indulge your interest; it can also further your professional freelance career by diversifying your portfolio and demonstrating the range of your talents.

The first step is to submit your writing to literary magazines.

Tips for following submission guidelines

When submitting book queries, your letter has precious little time to grab the attention of the literary agent reading it. If you don’t get to the meat of the book right away, your query might end up in the recycling bin. The following guidelines will help you compose a letter that will keep agents’ attention long enough to give your manuscript a fighting chance.

Thinking of posting your poem on your Facebook page? Are you serializing your short stories on your blog? Reposting an already published essay on your official author website?

Wait!

Before you post anything else, you must follow some basic rules (and avoid certain pitfalls) in order to avoid getting yourself into hot water down the line.

If you have written a book or novel, you’ll want to be sure that it meets the basic criteria of book publishers and literary agents. Follow the rules of genre fiction (whether it’s romance, Western, thriller, fantasy, historical, sci-fi, or horror), and you are more likely to get your book published.