Hi Barbara,
Thanks for your questions regarding book marketing. Here's my thoughts:
I have mixed feelings regarding literary agents.
On the one hand, they are an important asset to gaining publication, particularly with the larger book publishers. A growing number of major publishers will not even look at your manuscript unless it has been sent to them by an agent. Because an agent only gets paid if you get published (the norm is 15-20% of your royalties), agents are particular about which authors and books they will represent. Agents offer 'the best of both worlds' for writers and publishers. They will generally offer advice on how the book can be improved and they essentially act as a buffer for publishers, sifting the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.
For the writer, the agent can generally find the 'right' publisher and negotiate the best deal for you. They can also offer services, such as marketing and book doctoring, sometimes at an additional, upfront cost. And, when you've made it, that's the time you really need a publisher ~ to secure the best deal for paperback rights, movies etc.
On the other hand, the problem for new writers is that you can invest as much time securing an agent as you can gaining a publishing deal direct. This gets back to my original point. Agents only get paid when you get published, so they're not going to jump at every manuscript that comes their way.
My general feeling for new writers is to query a few agents, but not waste an inordinate amount of time trying to snare one. I would spend more time ensuring you have a quality product by rewriting and rewriting, then getting a second opinion from a fellow writer (or two) and approaching publishers directly. You may not win over the big boys, but keep in mind, they're not that keen on publishing newcomers anyway. They're more partial to 'sure things' like King, Koontz or Grisham or celebrities like Clinton.
This is, of course, a generalization, but that's been my experience to date.
Having said that, let's not forget self-publishing on the Internet, as I have done with 'The Enterprising Writer' and 'Writers on Writing'.
You have a choice here. You can go solo and publish your own ebooks and set up your own ebookstore, as I have done. This is a lot of fun but it comes at a cost. It's not for everyone, but it suited me. Or you can produce your own ebook and then distribute it through one of the many epublishers online. My favorite is
http://www.booklocker.com. They also handle one of my titles. Writer/Publisher Angela Adair-Hoy offers an excellent service to authors as well as the best rates in town. You retain all copyright (that means you can continue to submit to offline publishers but you can also have the book distributed by other online publishers) and you retain 70% of the sales. That's a great deal. Other epublishers offer anything from 15 to 50%.
On to your next question, Barbara.
A synopsis is essentially a brief run-down on your book. If it's fiction, the synopsis will cover the major characters and their motivations as well as the general story line. If it's non-fiction, the synopsis will cover all the major issues and the general theme of the book.
Generally, this document should be around three pages in length, unless otherwise specified.
With regards to a bio, this should be one or more paragraphs. It doesn't have to tell your life's story, just cover important points relating to your book. This could be, for example, what qualifications and work/life experience you have which is of relevance to the book; if you have won any literary awards; your writing background and experience etc.
My preference is to draft a one-page query which includes a brief snapshot of the book plus my bio, with the attached synopsis. I treat queries like I would any direct mail campaign. Keep it short. Publishers are like everyone else ~ BUSY.
Barbara, since you're new to the world of writing, I would recommend you subscribe to an excellent writer's publication called 'Writer's Digest' at
http://www.writersdigest.com. I have been a subscriber for the best part of 20 years, and I still look forward to every monthly issue. In addition, I would recommend you subscribe to a few, free writers' ezines. My favorites are:
NovelAdvice
http://www.noveladvice.com
Writer’s Place
http://www.awoc.com
Writer's Weekly
http://www.writersweekly.com
Inscriptions Magazine
http://www.inscriptionsmagazine.com
Also check out these writers' sites for quality information and inspiration:
Absolute Write
http://www.absolutewrite.com
Writers' manual
http://www.writersmanual.com
Suite 101 (there are several writers' sites here)
http://www.suite101.com
About.com (there are several writers' sites here)
http://www.about.com
Scribe & Quill
http://www.scribequill.com
Writing Corner
http://www.writingcorner.com
Coffeehouse for Writers
http://www.coffeehouse4writers.com
And, finally, look out for Barb Donahue's new motivational pieces for writers at her Web site.
http://www.successandmarketing.com
She's a great gal, filled with positively and, just as important, only to happy to help out fellow writers. Her attitude is the same as mine ... we're all in this boat together; we may as well paddle in the same direction.
I hope, Barbara, this helps. And all the best with your literary pursuits.
regards
Michael
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Michael Meanwell
Meanwell Books
http://www.meanwellstore.com
michael@meanwellstore.com
Author of the e-books
~ 'The Enterprising Writer'
~ 'Writers on Writing'
~ 'Quote Unquote'
Visit my online eWriter and ePublisher Forum:
http://network54.com/Hide/Forum/72583