Can one present a book to a publisher before its finished?

[tirsales]

Yeah .. the subject says it all.

Can one present a book to a publisher before said book is finished? Or would it be much better to finish the book before?

It's just that said book would oh-so-well fit into a current hype (actually .. it's contradicting said hype) and I really need an excuse to spend my time finishing it ..

[DaringNovelist]

If it's non-fiction, yes, you can sell the book on a proposal. If it's a novel, no, you must finish the work.

Remember that it takes a very long time for books to make it to press, though, and anything that's hot now will likely have died down anyway.

[tirsales]

Originally Posted by DaringNovelist

If it's non-fiction, yes, you can sell the book on a proposal. If it's a novel, no, you must finish the work.

I feared as much .. oh well, can't complain, I can understand the need for it.

Remember that it takes a very long time for books to make it to press, though, and anything that's hot now will likely have died down anyway.

Actually thats one of the reasons why I even thought about handing in an unfinished novel :-) (And then its more of a Anta- then a Protagonist with respect to the trend)

[alvico]

DaringNovelist is quite right, but like anything there are always exceptions to the rules. Your writing would have to be extraordinary, though.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by tirsales

Yeah .. the subject says it all.

Can one present a book to a publisher before said book is finished? Or would it be much better to finish the book before?

It's just that said book would oh-so-well fit into a current hype (actually .. it's contradicting said hype) and I really need an excuse to spend my time finishing it ..

It depends upon the author.

Established authors routinely sell books based on an outline and sample chapters. They complete the book and turn in a finished manuscript if they get a contract and advance from the publisher.

New authors almost always sell a book based on a complete manuscript. A publisher is less likely to buy based on a proposal because they have no proof the author can complete the book.

If you know a publisher you think might be interested, you can query them as to whether such a work would be of interest, but unless you are an established author with a track record, I wouldn't expect more than "No, it's not something we'd be interested in" or "It's the sort of thing we do. Send along the manuscript when you've finished it and we'll have a look."
______
Dennis

[tirsales]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I wouldn't expect more than "No, it's not something we'd be interested in" or "It's the sort of thing we do. Send along the manuscript when you've finished it and we'll have a look."

Well, that would be pretty much all I would expect anyway

Thanks for the replies