 There are different ways to get your work published, but the two biggest options in today’s marketplace are still traditional publishing and self-publishing
Traditional publishing: You sell your work to a publishing house, like Simon & Schuster or Penguin Random House. The publisher typically pays you money up front in the deal, then distributes the book in print and e-book forms. Self-publishing: This method allows you to publish your work independently, without anyone judging your work. You’re in charge of everything. A common website people use to do this is Amazon’s CreateSpace. I could talk about all the nitty-gritty elements to both publishing options — the pros and cons, the ins and outs — but that would take you hours to read. So instead, I’ll just focus this post on one simple question: If you’re unsure what path to take concerning these two major publishing options, what should you do?  Writing an 85,000-word novel is easy. Writing 250 words to describe those 85,000 words in a way that will make an agent want to read your book is hard. Your novel has (probably) a main character, secondary characters, a primary plot, maybe a B plot, maybe some complex relationships, tough decisions... there's a lot going on. If you write science fiction or fantasy, there are new worlds and rules to explain. And all of it is important to the story, or you wouldn't have put it on the page.
With all these moving parts in your book, how do you know where your pitch should begin? Use these five magic words:  One of the most common questions I get at writers conferences is this: Can I query multiple literary agents at once? My answer is that not only yes you can, but you’re encouraged to. After all, though an agent will usually reply quickly (bless you, e-mail), they may take three months or more to get back to you, only to send you a form rejection. You can’t wait around for agents one by one like that.
So if you’re doing simultaneous submissions, that is, contacting various agents at the same time, how many agents should you query? Would it be wise to just mail out your query to all 80 agents who rep science fiction, trying to personalize your letter wherever possible? I wouldn’t, if I were you. I would submit to 25% of your total agent list, to begin, including those you’ve met at a writers conference or retreat. But why 25%? Isn’t that a strange, arbitrary number?  The querying process can be one of the most stressful things in the author’s journey. It’s easy to get lost in the weeds and some give up altogether. Many get overwhelmed with the thought of boiling their novels down and hooking an agent. For others, they don’t even know where to start.
Instead of getting swamped with emotions, I want you to think about this: a query letter is simply a one-page letter of sales copy, and there are three things to consider.
 One of the questions I hear frequently at events is a complicated one: “Do you need multiple literary agents if you write in different genres or categories?” This is a tricky subject, but one that I want to address, since I myself have multiple agents.
Some writers get into writing with a clear focus in mind, such as penning young adult fantasy novels. Other writers want to compose books in different areas. Sometimes it’s not a far stretch to jump, from young adult to middle grade, say. Other times it’s a whole new world, like making a jump from paranormal romance novels to nonfiction books about gardening. THE 3 PROBABLE OPTIONS: Here are the three likely ways this will happen if you have a literary agent and want to branch out into new genres or types of books.  Publishing is a wonderful business, but also a challenging one. Not only do you have to have a polished manuscript and an awesome query letter, but to be traditionally published, you need to get your work in front of an agent. Unfortunately, most authors make the mistake of approaching an agent too soon.
While you need excitement and confidence in this business, you can’t neglect research and skill. But with these six points, you’ll be well on your way to standing out from the crowd.  When I’m instructing at a writers’ conference, occasionally someone will raise their hand and try to point out flaws in my instruction. Here are some common examples regarding fiction:
 Sometimes, agents will ask for both a query letter and a plot summary as part of your submission package. The two serve different purposes and yes, an agent who asks for both really wants to see both. A query letter is more like the jacket copy you see on books in bookstores and libraries. They're meant to entice someone, in this case the agent, into opening the book and reading more. A summary is basically a list of events that happen during the book. The biggest difference between a summary and a query letter is:  Comp (comparative) titles are books you can point to as an example of what an agent or editor can expect when reading your manuscript. Listing two or three comp titles in your query letter or during your pitch gives an agent a quick idea of where your book fits in the marketplace.
When you want to convince an agent to take a chance on your novel, the immediate temptation is to compare your book to whatever's at the top of the bestseller list, but this could hurt your chance with an agent more than helping it. You should use... The Three R's of Picking a Comp Title:  At writers conferences, I frequently get the question “Is it OK to sign with a new agent?” This is an interesting question, so let me try to delve into it here.
First of all, let’s look at the CONS:
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