Frequently Asked Questions

OnlyOneChapter.com is simply designed to discover and promote new writers. There are two parts to the site: firstly, for unpublished writers looking to be discovered by a publisher/literary agent; and secondly, for published authors who can promote their book via i-Read&Buy! This can be done by the publisher or the authors themselves.

We have support from publishers and literary agents - and this is what makes OnlyOneChapter.com unique. Every registered publisher and literary agent has been vetted and contacted directly by OnlyOneChapter.com. All of the publishers and agents have given their commitment to support OnlyOneChapter.com, and the site has been designed based on their requirements. We are continually contacting more to encourage them to use the site as an additional, effective source of discovering new talent. 

OnlyOneChapter.com is an effective alternative to growing slush piles. Compared with traditional selling channels and the typical slush piles, where only one to two per cent find representation or a publisher, OnlyOneChapter.com provides one of the best opportunities to get one's work seen and sold in the legitimate world of publishing.

i-Read&Buy! allows publishers and self-published authors to promote new titles, generate exposure and sales, linked to Amazon. As long as the book is available and listed on Amazon, the publisher or author can simply upload the first chapter and the blurb. This offers an additional marketing and sales opportunity for all writers regardless of whether they have a publisher or have chosen to go down the self-published route. Find out more.

The book must be available at Amazon. The web address is required and you will be able to copy and paste this from the "tool bar" of Amazon onto the registration section of OnlyOneChapter.com.

This is very easy to do.

e.g. To promote:
A Sea Change by Michael Arditti

• Go to Amazon
• Search and find the book
• Copy the web address in the tool bar at the top
  
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sea-Change-Michael-Arditti/dp/1904559212/ref=sr_1_6/202-1702691-3985431?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186685281&sr=1-6
• Paste this address in the required box as indicated

Our opening launch offer is:

This one-off payment can only be made by credit card via Nochex.

No we will not. To ensure quality, submissions will be vetted and screened and only work that is deemed to be of an acceptable standard will be registered. We have taken this step to control the quality of work and to encourage publishers to actively use OnlyOneChapter.com. Whilst we are happy to deplete their "slush piles" for them, we do not want our own.

To be accepted, the chapter undergoes an evaluation by our Literary Professionals in order to determine whether or not the material is suitable for posting on our site. We do not accept poetry, pornographic material or material that may be considered to incite violence. Accepted writers receive a full page listing in OnlyOneChapter.com containing their chapter, synopsis and a mini-biog.

We have a bank of Literary Professionals and Joanna is our Head Literary Professional

Joanna Danks
Creative Writing Lecturer / Writer

Jo is a university lecturer in Fiction and Creative Writing and has a BA in English and Drama. She has over fifteen years’ experience as a freelance writer for television, radio, internet and print. Her short stories, academic books, features and radio work have been published and broadcast internationally, including for the BBC Television and Radio.

If we decline your submission our panel will provide a critique with advice on how to develop your work. It is envisaged that the screening process should not take longer than seven working days.

A report on your chapter covering aspects such as your writing skills, dialogue, characters and the plot.

Our reports are written in such a way that you will be able to use and re-use them on future writing projects and really focus in on techniques to prevent you from falling in to previous traps.

All material placed on a website is copyright protected and you own the copyright of your submitted work. Virtually every work created by an individual is covered by copyright as long as it meets certain conditions. These prerequisites are:

1. The work must be original
2. The work must be in a material form

You do not have to register the work (indeed, there is no agency to do so), pay a fee or undergo any type of bureaucratic process. You do not even have to attach the internationally recognised copyright symbol (©).

Most countries have signed up to the Berne Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention providing basic minimum copyright laws and reciprocal rights for nationals in all the signatories' territories internationally. In short, copyright material created by UK and non-UK nationals or residents (whose country is a member of at least one of the above conventions) falling within the scope of one of the conventions is automatically protected in the UK.

None of these. Our goal for undiscovered writers is to provide a website that brings the author and publisher together. Our only association with the publishers and literary agents is that they are registered with us to discover new writing talent and/or to promote new releases.

All our publishers and literary agents have registered and we only accept those that are in Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook

Yes, but only those that have registered are able to review the submissions. Each reviewer can grade the work and a Top 10 listing per genre will exist based on the reviews and scoring given.

Your page contains a “contact author” form where professionals can easily request the work via OnlyOneChapter.com. We notify you by personal e-mail if a publisher/literary agent makes a request for your manuscript. You, in turn, send the work to the requesting party, which ensures that you are always in control of your manuscript’s movement.

Once you have registered with OnlyOneChapter.com you will be able to

• Upload your first chapter
• Give a brief description of the story
• Submit your synopsis
• Provide a min-biog and photo
• Promote your work to numerous publishers in the UK and abroad
• Make immediate contact when a publisher/literary agent gives an expression of interest

That is because it is what they have requested and have stated that only one chapter is enough judge the submission and proceed with interest. If a publisher/literary agent wants to see the whole manuscript they can request it via OnlyOneChapter.com, and we will contact you immediately.

You are right, and we have their support, too. This site is an additional source and publishers/literary agents can view what is available quickly, efficiently and effectively. Importantly they can search for submissions that are specific to their genre.

Less cost, less time, less disappointment, less paper.

That depends on your work. Both publishers and literary agents receive hundreds of unsolicited manuscripts each day, many of which end up on the "slush pile". Instead of you sending unsolicited manuscripts to them, the publisher and literary agent are coming to you. It's like a "literary dating agency" online!

They have committed to supporting OnlyOneChapter.com. We have not just listed them; we have contacted them directly and obtained their support. The big “but” is that the success of OnlyOneChapter.com is based a number of elements, one of which is quality - and that is critical. If the quality of the submissions is poor, publishers will stay away. That is why we will be screening the submissions.

Yes. An email alert will automatically go to them notifying them

• when a submission has been registered that is of interest to their chosen genre(s)
• and when regular site updates are sent, eg Top 10 listings

OnlyOneChapter.com aggressively markets our writers' work, both online and offline, through:

• Continually increasing the registration of publishers and literary agents
• Continuous marketing campaign to raise the profile of OnlyOneChapter.com and therefore, your work
• Radio, press, internet marketing and, with your help, word of mouth
• Presence at many Writers' Conferences every year
• The internet and other channels
• Book-related media contacts

To edit any part of your submission, simply login in and click on edit.

It is a short "blurb" about the book, i.e. what appears on the back cover.

A synopsis is a clear, concise overview of your work. It is a sales pitch focusing on the plot rather than flowery writing. A good synopsis will demonstrate that your plot is sound, original and worthy of the effort that you have put into writing your manuscript.

1. It is written in the same style of writing as your book. If your book is "chatty," then your synopsis is, too. If your book is serious, literary, filled with dialect, or any other style, so must your synopsis.
2. It is written in the present tense
3. It is written in third person
4. The synopsis introduces your main characters and their main conflicts, all woven together in the narrative. (It does not list your characters)
5. One paragraph should flow logically to the next. If you are switching ideas, you need to make sure you build in a transition to connect your paragraphs.
6. You do not have to include every character or every scene, plot point, or subplot in your synopsis. However, your synopsis should give a clear idea as to what your book is about, what characters we will care about (or dislike), what is at stake for your heroes, what they stand to lose, and how it all turns out.
7. It is important that you put the conclusion to your novel in your synopsis. There should not be any cliffhangers or teasers as agents and editors will want to know that you know how to successfully conclude your story.

As short as is practicable, whilst still telling the whole story. A length of two to seven pages is recommended; most books should be synopsized in four pages or fewer: as a rough guide, one double-spaced page per 50,000 novel words. Some editors have specific length requirements; follow them and be prepared for several synopsis sizes.

Synopsis Checklist:

• Does the opening paragraph have a hook to keep the reader reading?
• Are your main characters' conflicts clearly defined?
• Are your characters sympathetic?
• Can the reader relate to them and worry about them?
• Have you avoided all grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes?
• Have you hit on the major scenes, the major plot points of your book?
• Did you resolve all important conflicts?
• Did you use the present tense?

Either way can work. You can write your synopsis before you even begin to write the book and it can also be easier doing it this way. This will help you with your plotting and the synopsis can be a guide for you while you write. You don't get bogged down in all the details, mainly because you aren't aware of all the details yet. However, what often happens is that once the book is finished, you will need to go back and change your synopsis.

The book will probably take on a life of its own and there is no reason you have to follow your initial synopsis exactly. However, you might find the rewrite much easier when you have an initial synopsis with which to work.

There is another reason to write a synopsis before you write the book: once you already have an agent and you are discussing future projects, you can present your ideas in this one-page synopsis format for your agent to consider.