1. Get on the web. To make the most of the Internet you need to get a website. This needn't be as hard or expensive as it sounds. Many computer magazines include free web-building software on their covers. Dreamweaver is the simplest web building software and anyone can use it as it provides easy-to-follow instructions. If this still sounds too scary you can get a web designer. Rather than go for an expensive firm, find a university which does web courses and get a final year student to help you (they are desperate to increase their portfolio).
2. Show your writing off. Once you are on the web, make sure you show your writing off. Either include parts of your book on the site or - even better - include an updateable column. An unknown writer called Mil Millington set up a website and included a column called Things My Girlfriend and I Argue About. It became a quirky cult success on the web and was eventually spotted by The Guardian newspaper and turned into a column for their magazine. A year later, Mil was asked to turn it into the basis of a novel.
3. Make it fit. The last piece of website advice I'll give is to make it fit with the kind of book you are writing.
4. Go Google crazy. How did the world work before Google came along? I have no idea. Use Google to research publishers, agents and other authors.
5. Visit book trade sites. Many book industry publications have great websites which can help you keep abreast of the latest trends in the book world. This is very useful when it comes to sending off your synopsis and writing your covering letter, as it means you can express some knowledge of the industry. It also gives you an idea of where your novel is likely to fit in, and which agents and publishers would be interested in it. Two of the best UK sites are those of the Bookseller (www.thebookseller.com) and Publishing News (www.publishingnews.co.uk).
6. Research new agents. Most people when they are looking for a literary agent use a book directory such as The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook. This is great, and you should definitely do it, but the trouble is that the agents included are bombarded with hundreds of manuscripts every month. Ideally, you want to find a new agent who has just joined a firm or a reputable agency which has just set up. By searching Google or by using book trade sites you might find news of an agency which is too new to have been included in the directories. These agencies are often hungry for new manuscripts.
7. Look at author websites. Author sites often provide a mine of information on getting published. Visit Andrea's link page to see some of the best (www.andreasemple.com/authorwebsites.htm).
8. Use email. If you want some personal advice there is never any harm in asking. Not all novelists are too self-important to answer.
9. Cut the crap. The web being what it is, there is always going to be a lot of rubbish out there. You have to develop a discerning eye and use reputable sources such as book-trade magazines. And, as a general rule, only take writing advice from authors who have been published.
10. Don't give up. Don't let nasty rejection letters put you off, if this is what you genuinely want to do.
Using the Internet to get published