The Five Stages of First Publication

by Alana Garrigues and Nutschell Anne Windsor

Hello Lynda fans! Nutschell and I are so happy to be here today, on our third from final stop on our month-long Story Sprouts blog tour! We've had so much fun visiting with everyone from around the blogosphere!

Story Sprouts is a mixture of writing resource and anthology, with 38 stories and poems created during a six-hour writing day workshop last June. Some of our authors have been published before, in a variety of media, while for many this is the first time seeing their name in print. As an organization (Children's Book Writers of Los Angeles) dedicated to educating and inspiring writers on their road to publication, we are so proud of all of our authors, but especially excited for our first timers! First publication is a wonderful feeling and ego-boost for writers!

So, we've decided, in jest, to identify the five stages of first publication. Perhaps you can identify?

1 - ELATION: Your name is in print. Your name is in print! OMG, YOUR NAME IS IN PRINT! Pure, uninhibited, jump-up-and-kick-your-heels together joy - your name is in print.

2 - DOUBT: Your name is in print. With a story. Wait, what did the story say? What will your friends think? Did you put your best foot forward? Wasn't there a mistake on the 10th page, in the 3rd paragraph, in the 4th sentence? What will people think about your brain and how it works and what that story says about your sanity? Oh, this could be bad ….

3 - RELIEF: Your editor caught that mistake on the 10th page, in the 3rd paragraph, in the 4th sentence. Phew. And another 200 mini mistakes you and your word processor and your revisions didn't even notice - commas and misspelled words. Nice. Saved from the wrath of the grammar police.

4 - FRUSTRATION: But wait, your editor also changed something that you said that was brilliant on the 64th page. Why did they change that? You spent days perfecting that metaphor. How could they change it? Isn't that your name on the cover? And what about these other 10 spots that were tweaked unnecessarily. How could that be?

5 - RESOLVE AND SATISFACTION: Your name is in print. Your neighbor and hairdresser and high school english teacher have all expressed their positive opinions (even if it did take months to get it into their hands!). The story is good. You don't have to hide under a rock with doubt or kick your editor to the curb. You created something, and people like it. It is something to be proud of. And you're ready to tackle that next story with resolve, intent on giving your editor even less work on the next round, and your reader even more to fall in love with.

So, what do you think? Feel familiar? What did we miss?

Learn more about Story Sprouts at http://www.storysproutsanthology.com/
Join the Children’s Book Writers of Los Angeles at www.cbw-la.org
To buy Story Sprouts: Amazon

To find Alana:  Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter
To find Nutschell: Blog, Twitter, Linked-In, Pinterest

M. Pax: Top Five Highs and Lows of Publishing

Please welcome M Pax to my blog today. She is a truly amazing person with a lot of drive and talent. A great combo. Take it away, Mary.

This author gig is tough, rife with ups and downs. Here are the highlights of mine:

Top Lows

1. Rejections. I still submit short stories and still get rejections.
2. Bad reviews. Most of them are for my perma free The Backworlds. This used to really bother me. Lately, not so much. It sells my sequels. It does its job. And it’s a darn good story.
3. The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear not selling. That one is like pushing water up a hill.
4. Mistakes. I’ve hired editors I didn’t like and a cover artist I didn’t get along with. I’ve learned to get recommendations from writers I know and to get them privately. Just because a writer lists an artist or editor doesn’t mean she or he would use that vendor again. I’ve also learned to trust my gut and intuition.
5. Slow sales days. Husband Unit hates these, too. He has to listen to me whine about how it might all be over. Yeah, I can be a bit melodramatic.

Top Highs

1. Fan letters. There is nothing better than contact from a reader who says he or she loves my writing. It makes all the lows worthwhile. Every single one.
2. Dr. Joseph Geary being a fan of the Backworlds series. As the innovator of modern telescope optics, this is an uber geeky victory for me. One that made me squee. It also impressed my astronomy boyfriends.
3. Being contacted by a publisher this past summer with an offer to include Semper Audacia in an anthology. She paid me, too. Space Jockey is now out, selling very well, and gaining me exposure.
4. The Backworlds series selling steady and growing. Yay! The fans now help shape the stories. Originally, it was Lepsi’s skull found under the ash sea. I received a lot of letters telling me how much my readers loved Lepsi and Talos. So yeah, Lepsi is not dead. Not anymore.
5. Doing what I love – writing stories. It’s a real high when each one is finished and is sent out into the world.

M. Pax-- Inspiring the words she writes, she spends her summers as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory in stunning Central Oregon where she lives with the Husband Unit and two demanding cats. She writes science fiction and fantasy mostly. You can find out more by visiting her at:

Website / FB / Twitter / Goodreads / Pinterest / Wattpad

Beyond the Edge

 

Some truths are better left unfound.

For two years Craze’s dear friend, Lepsi, has been missing. The murmurings of a haunted spaceship might be a message and may mean his old pal isn’t dead. The possibility spurs Craze and Captain Talos to travel to uncharted worlds, searching. Out there, in an unfamiliar region of the galaxy beyond the Backworlds, they stumble upon a terrible truth.

Meanwhile, Rainly remains on Pardeep Station as acting planetlord, dealing with the discovery of her lover’s dark and brutal past. Alone and questioning her judgment, her introspection unlocks more than heartache. Latent protocols in her cybernetics activate, forcing her to face a sinister secret of her own.

In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendents to survive in a harsh universe. This is the fourth book in the science fiction series, The Backworlds. A space opera adventure.

Amazon / AmazonUK / Nook / Smashwords / Kobo / Other Outlets

Photo: Please note, barring author pics, most of the photos on this blog were taken by me. However, this one of the girl rock climbing is not one of them. I don't think I could climb that high. Mary kindly provided this pic for the post.

New Release: Crux by Julie Reece

I wanted to introduce a new release I'm excited about. Crux, a young adult novel by Julie Reece. It's described as a paranormal romance and I'm looking forward to reading it. Below is a little more about the story:

She should have run. Now, she’ll have to fight.

Eighteen year old Birdie may be homeless, but she’s surviving, that is until a mysterious guy throws money in the air like a crazy game show host and she grabs some with the idea she’ll be able to buy dinner that night.

In that singular moment, unassuming Birdie becomes the girl in everyone’s viewfinder. Thugs want to kill her. Money-guy wants to recruit her. The very hot, very rich and very out of her league Grey Mathews wants to save her.

Birdie, though, wants nothing to do with any of them until she realizes fate didn’t bring them all together.

Her heritage did.

Now, with only twenty-one days left, she’s got to decide whether to follow in the footsteps of those before her or risk her life for people she’s only just met.

Sounds great, doesn't it?

You can find Julie via Twitter, Facebook, and her Website.
You can find her novel via Amazon, Goodreads, and her Publisher.  

Are you excited by this novel? What other great new releases do you want to read?

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Congratulations: A huge congrats to Laura Diamond for getting a publishing deal for her young adult paranormal romance, Shifting Pride, with Etopia Press. And, for the acceptance of a short story as well! Happy dance!!

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Why I'm Against the Tinker Bell Theory

The Tinker Bell Theory: If you wish hard enough, the thing you want most will happen.

Sure, positive thinking is an empowering frame of mind. The potential of changing the world through attitude alone is enormous. But it can't stop there. It can't be the only factor that drives the change.

Hope won't get you published. Wishful thinking won't push your book into number one.

When we throw all our energy into building a positive attitude, we won't have anything left to set realistic goals, to hone our skills, to learn all there is to learn about the industry. We may even start to think that the positive energy we're burning is enough so we won't need to make vital connections, expand our support network, or spend the endless hours polishing our stories, getting second opinions and polishing again.

Just because I have a dream, doesn't mean I'm entitled to it.

What are your thoughts on the Tinker Bell Theory?

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Elle Strauss has announced a new cover for her YA timetravel novel, Clockwise. I do recommend the book. It's a great read. Check it out here.

Thank you to Nick Wilford at Scattergun Scribblings and Honey at Stories to Share for the Sunshine Award. My favourite colour is purple and favourite animal is a dragon.

I've also been tagged by Angeline Trevena with the Lucky 7 Meme. Thank you so much for the tag. I'm supposed to post seven lines from my current WIP, but those lines are decidedly unpolished. I hope you'll forgive me.

And finally The Grumpy Bulldog tagged me for a Star Wars Trivia Challenge turned Blogfest. I'm supposed to post 250 word fanfic where a character from one of my stories is trying to write a Star Wars story. To maintain my rebel reputation, I cheated and made a Star Wars character write a flash fiction:  01100101001110101001111010101
Can you guess which one?

How to Handle Criticism

It's every writer's dream to find success in publication, however, be prepared. When you write for publication, you go public. You put your talent, skill, personality on the line and open yourself to criticism. While it's not always easy, here are a few things to help you handle criticism when it comes your way:

Discern whether or not it is criticism. For example, rejections aren't criticisms. They are simply a part of a writer's life. They don't mean your writing is terrible.

Use criticism as an opportunity to learn and improve. If the criticism you hear is valid, then take the opportunity to consider it and learn from it.

Don't get defensive. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and not everyone has the skill to give those opinions without sounding like an attack.

Don't react. Let your critics say what they need to say, but don't publicly respond no matter how much you feel the need to justify yourself. Without fuel to feed the criticisms, they will pass on soon enough.

Don't dwell on the negativity. Negativity isn't worth your time or energy. Don't make it your problem.

Remember it's not always about you. The fern frond image you see above is one I created for a 3D art contest. When I won, I didn't expect the backlash that followed. Many of the competitors felt my image didn't encapsulate the official "Rebirth" theme. Although much of what they said came across as a personal attack, I had to remind myself there was nothing personal about it. They were angry at the judges, not at me.

Be confident. Being confident will get you through many situations in life. Even if you are quaking inside, pretend to be confident. It's empowering.

Have you ever experienced harsh criticism? If so, how did you deal with it?

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A big shout out to Komal Lewis. I won a $15 Amazon gift voucher in her generous giveaway celebrating 100 followers. Thanks, Komal.

How to Get Published: Part 2

Be Patient

Last week I wrote a post on How to Get Published: Part 1. It was about all the things we need to pay attention to if we want to increase our chances of getting published. This post is about the crucial need to be patient.

The publishing world turns slowly. It takes time to write a novel, time to edit it just right. It takes time for critique partners and beta readers to read through a manuscript and get back to the author with their impressions and suggestions. Writers also need time away from their stories at each new phase in its development so they can regain a clear perspective on the story.

It takes time for agents and publishers to go through countless queries. They have to not only read your submission, but they also need to research whether or not your story will fit the current market, whether it will fit a publishing schedule, whether it's different enough from other books already on the lists.

Once the novel is accepted it then takes time to get it ready for publication. That means more edits, proof reading, cover art, printing, marketing strategies, a build-up of publicity. It also means sorting any legal requirements and permissions. For example, this is required if the book includes lyrics not written by the author or illustrations not created by the author.

Don't try to rush the process. Resist the temptation to send out your manuscript too soon. And don't give up. Keep writing, keep learning, keep improving, and be patient.

What part of the process are you most impatient with? How have you managed to stay patient when things seem too slow?

How to Get Published--Part 1

Pay Attention

Pay attention to the world around you. The stories that stand out from the masses are the ones which reflect a slice of life. To get this slice the author must notice the little things.

Pay attention to marketing trends. The world is changing rapidly with new ways of marketing, new formats to explore, new approaches to try.

Pay attention to social media trends. With rapid technology changes comes rapid trend shifts. One popular social media platform may not be so popular tomorrow. Keep an eye on what's popular for maximum number of readers.

Pay attention to publishing trends. As much as we shouldn't write for a particular trend, since by the time the book is ready for publication, the trend has passed, it's important to know what's happening.

Pay attention to other books like your own. If you do the research and find what other stories can compare to your own, then you'll know what works, and how you can make your story different so it stands out. Agents and publishers often request a list of comparable titles in your query.

Pay attention to other authors. They can help you. You can gain tips you may not have known and connections you might need. You can learn from their mistakes. When you offer the same in return, you can find yourself in an amazing group of people who support and encourage each other.

Pay attention to your critique partners. Find someone you trust and listen to the critiques they offer. There is no point handing over your manuscript to someone if you aren't going to at least consider what they have to say about it. You don't have to accept every point they make as law, but pay attention, consider and then decide whether or not to go ahead with any suggested changes.

Pay attention to the details. Don't be in such a rush to pump something out there in the hop of 'getting published'. Spend the time to get the grammar right, the structure right, the little details of the story right.

Pay attention to events. Writers' festivals (conferences), workshops, local writing groups. Take note of when they are on so you don't miss out. Take part. Be open to meeting new people and learning new ways to improve your craft. Get involved.

Pay attention to submission guidelines. These guidelines are not suggestions. Agents and publishing houses often have their own particular likes and dislikes. Don't assume standard formatting will fit every submission.

Pay attention to the way you present yourself. Be professional at all times in all things.

Can you think of other ways you can pay attention to get ahead in publishing?

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Thank you: A huge thank you to everyone who took part in the Great Aussie BBQ. A special thank you to those who spread the word. It was a fabulous success.

Awards: I wish to thank Cynthia Willis for the Great Comments Award. I would also like to thank Nick Wilford and Mark Noce for the Versatile Blogger Award. 

Note: Part 2 will be posted next week. My next post will be for the Insecure Writers' Group.

Ebooks and Piracy

Because I love my kindle so much, I have an interest in the growth of ebooks. It's been estimated that Australians are expected to spend $150-$700 million on ebooks by 2014, which is huge for us Aussies because last year we spent $35 million. In terms of percentages, that's 1.5% of the total value of book sales in 2010 and anywhere between 6-24% in 2014. Yikes, that's a huge increase in a short amount of time.

This of course, raises the real concern of piracy. Many authors and publishers have shied away from distributing work via the ebook format for fear of getting their timbers shivered, as ye olde pirates say. This, in my view, is a tragedy because there are many books I simply won't read because they aren't available in ebook format.

Yes, piracy is a real issue, but there are ways of minimising the losses. Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology has been created to protect artistic and literary work. It prevents access, copying or conversion of work to other formats. One such company that offers ebook capability with full DRM is Palmer Higgs. They've even launched the first ebookstore with DRM in Australia. I find this encouraging.

Of course, there is the other view on privacy--that it's a good thing. Neil Gaiman has witnessed how piracy has actually helped his sales. People, who would not normally have read his books, read pirated copies. As a result, these people went out and bought his other books. I believe it's also why many authors offer free copies of their books in the hope of readers 'discovering' them.

Personally I think the problem with piracy is the loss of control. If I want people to have a free copy of my books, then I'd want to be the one to offer it to them.

What are your thoughts on piracy as a reader or a writer?

6 Steps to Building a Strong Team for your Writing Career

Turning a good story into a great one requires team work. That's right: team work. As writers we need the help of critique partners, beta readers and editors. For those of us who want to go the traditional publishing route, we also need agents and publishers.

As the authors of our work, we are the leaders of our team. We are the ones who have to make the final decisions on where we want our stories to go. For this reason we need a strong team around us to help us make the right decisions.

Steps for building a cohesive team:
1. Don't be a loner. While the process of writing is a solitary one, this doesn't mean we should isolate ourselves. It's better for our writing (and our mental health) to join writing communities, to seek encouragement and support from like-minded people. This will help us find the best matches when seeking critique partners and editors.

2. Do your research. If you pick for your team the first person who shows an interest in your work, without doing the research to find out whether or not you'd work well together, then you may not find the best match. It's worth spending the time to find the people who have a similar vision for your work.

3. Nurture the relationships. Every relationship benefits from open communication and nurturing. The better you know your teammates, the more able you'll be to understand where their suggestions are coming from.

4. Trust your team. You've done your research, found a good team and got to know them well. Now it's time to trust them. This team of people want excellence for your stories. Trust they will offer their best opinions and experience to improve those stories.

5. Trust yourself. While trusting your teams is important, it's just as important to trust yourself. Sometimes you may get so many editorial changes that you'll be in danger of losing your voice to the tune of another. Sometimes you may need to make a stand.

6. Be professional at all times. No one likes a foot-stamper and pouting went out years ago with Mae West. If you don't agree with certain changes, then come up with valid reasons why you think those changes shouldn't be implemented. Understand that professionalism includes flexibility so you'll also need to learn to pick your battles.

Can you think of other steps towards building a strong team around you? Which steps do you find the hardest and which are the easiest?

The Right Time to Query

The big question for every writer who is serious about getting published is this: When is the right time to query? Unfortunately this is not something that we can be told. Each of us has to decide. However, there are some key points that might help.

For example, it's probably not a good idea to start querying after you've finished your first draft. The manuscript will be as rough as a porcupine pillow. I know of no writer who has a quality manuscript after the first draft, no matter how long it took them to write it.

It's also probably not a good idea to start sending out your manuscript to agents and publishers if no one else has read it. Critique partners and beta readers are essential, even for seasoned writers. No matter how talented you might be, you will miss mistakes trusted readers will be able to catch.

Many of us are the impatient sort and we want to start querying the day we declare our manuscripts finished. It's probably a better idea to wait two weeks, read through it again and then send it. I've heard agents say to wait two months before sending.

Of course, there have been exceptions to the rule. I know of an author who sent only the first three chapters of an unfinished book and scored a contract based on that alone. But remember, that's the exception.

The publishing game is a slow one. There is no need to hurry when it comes to our first books. As Jennifer Hillier said in an interview with herself found here, 'Write the best book you can. DON'T RUSH – enjoy the fact that with your first novel, you don't have a deadline and can take your time. When it's ready, and not a day before, start querying. And never, ever give up.'

How do you know if you are ready to query? 

The Differences between Writing and Publishing

Writing is a passion. Writers delve deep into their souls and pour out their hearts onto the page. They find brilliance in the written word.

Publishing is a business. Publishers base their decisions on making money. They do have a passion for the industry, they do want to promote books and great stories, but they are first and foremost a business.

Writing is forming ideas and stories. It’s about discovery and creation. It can often be about self-gratification.

Publishing is about sharing those ideas and stories. It’s about communicating to an audience greater than one.

Writing can break rules and be as inflexible as it wants to be. No one other than the writer needs to understand it.

Publishing is about flexibility and evolution. A writer who wants to share their work has to change their thinking. They need to revise and edit and rewrite over and over again just so that others will understand what the writer is trying to convey.

Writing is personal.

Publishing is professional.

Can you think of other differences? What is it about either that you like most? What is it you like least?

What’s the Most Popular Genre?

Clarissa asked an interesting question: What’s the most popular genre sold in bookstores? Unfortunately this is not a simple question. There are so many variables that change the numbers. Some of these variables include:

Location: the most popular genres are different across countries, states, suburbs. I know that my local bookstore sells more children’s and young adult books than the bookstores in the city. It all depends on the demographics. It also depends on the shop itself. Independent bookstores tend to sell more literary fiction and non-fiction rather than genre fiction.

Date: the numbers vary widely from month to month depending on the current bestsellers—for example the popularity of the Harry Potter books made children’s books rocket into the most popular lists for a long while.

World events: For example, when the world falls into an economic crisis, the population turns to gambling. Strange, but true. Likewise, fanciful stories become more popular when people feel unsafe. For example, superheroes were born during the time of the world wars.

Trends: popular trends drive much of the market. A plethora of paranormal romance books are now popular in many locations because of the runaway success of the Twilight books and movies.

Data Accessibility: There are a number of holes in the accessibility of information regarding what exactly is most popular. Publishers of course know their own numbers through the royalty figures. Since 2001 in Australia that data has become a lot more public through a data provider called BookScan which provides point of sale data. It has allowed all the publishers to know how all the others are selling.

I found a list on Rachelle Gardner’s blog which might give you a vague idea of the popularity of genres. Remember, in terms of popularity, this is highly generalised and is subject to change depending on the variables I’ve mentioned above and it does not include children’s or young adult books. It’s also not a list of actual sales, but deals made in October 2010 and April 2011 covering 309 books:

38% General/other (non-genre fiction)
30% Women’s/Romance
11% Thriller
10% Mystery/Crime
6% Sci-fi/Fantasy
5% Paranormal
<1% Horror

The average writer can’t afford to tap into the data offered by BookScan because publishers pay $10k plus a year for the privilege. So, how do we find out the numbers for ourselves? We build a relationship with our local bookstores and libraries and we ask them.

What genres do you like to read and which ones do you like to write in and why?

If you’d like me to answer any questions, just leave them in the comments or send me an email.

7 Qualities Publishers Look for in an Author

We all know publishers are looking for great stories that have been well written, but did you know they are also looking for certain qualities in the authors as well? Below I’ve listed those much sort after qualities.

Publishers are looking for authors who are:
1. Career authors. Those who are in it for the long haul. They don’t want one-hit-wonders. They want to be able to follow up a successful book with another. So, in answer to Madeline’s question: Does not wanting to write a series hurt my chances of becoming just an ounce as popular as JK? The follow-up doesn’t have to be a part of a series, as long as we have more than one story to offer.

2. Hard working. They want authors who will meet deadlines. Authors they can rely on. And authors who won't settle for mediocre work.

3. Flexible. They want authors who will accept advice. I know of a few publishers who will shy away from authors who have an unmoveable vision for their book including how the cover should look. Publishers are there to help us become successful and they have a whole lot more experience than we do.

4. Easy to market. They want authors who want to help promote their book and who have a bit of marketing savvy. For example, an author who has already worked on their platform and has social networking set up.

5. Professional. Someone who is easy to work with, who won’t burn anyone else and embarrass the publishing house.

6. Passionate. An author’s passion for their stories will shine through. It’s not an easy career so we need that passion to keep us going and to sell our stories.

7. Knowledgeable in their craft. They want authors who don’t need to be taught the basics of writing. Publishers are not there to teach us these things.

What else do you think publishers are looking for? Are there any qualities you feel you are stronger in than others?

What Publishers are Looking for Today and Tomorrow

On the weekend I attended the 6th Children’s and Young Adult Literature Festival run by the NSW Writers’ Centre. I had a fantastic time and met so many people. One panel discussed what publishers are looking for today and tomorrow. On the panel were Lisa Berryman of Harper Collins, agent Brian Cook, Zoe Walton of Random House, Sue Whiting of Walker Books and Angie Schiavone, a YA literary reviewer. Below are some of the points I’d like to share with you:

A good story: It was universally agreed that it comes down to a great story. There’s little point looking for trends because once you’ve identified one it’s too late. For example, one publisher said no more vampire stories. If you have a vampire story then it would have to be exceptional with a strong voice, fantastic characters and freshness to the story. In other words, if you have something special you’ll make your own market.

A career author: Publishers aren’t looking for one story writers. They spend a lot of time and effort on an author and their work so they want to know they are investing into a career. Initially they may commit to only one book but they want to know if that book could be used as a series. You don’t have to have written that series, but it would be advantageous to include a brief synopsis of future books along with the completed first book. Even if the book you’ve written isn’t a series, they would like to know you have other stories in the works.

Marketability: Show you’ve researched the market, that your book has a place in the market. Network. Get involved in social media, writers’ events and writers’ groups. Writers should come out of their cocoons and show they can make a connection with their readers.

What are some things you’ve done to become more marketable? What else do you think publishers are looking for?

#YAWF

The Importance of Getting Published

Rachna at Rachna’s Sciptorium recently wrote a post about an author whose reason to get published was to win the Booker Prize. This author carefully researched the formula, worked hard and achieved her goal. You can read about it HERE. This got me thinking. It’s important to know why we want to get published. The reasons will vary, but knowing the reason will help us find a deeper satisfaction and focus. It will also help us to find the right avenue for publication.

Below are just a few reasons we strive for publication:

1. To hold the physical book. Our precious stories become more precious when they are bound and we can hold them in our hands. My gorgeous husband got the first book I ever wrote bound. It sits in pride of place on the bookshelf. Now my goal has changed.

2. To gain the interest of investors. My new goal is to write a novel that a publisher will like enough to invest their time and money into. I guess that’s why I’ve chosen not to go down the self-publishing route. I write because I must write, but I strive for publication to gain acknowledgement for getting it right.

3. To share our stories. We can have multiple reasons to strive for publication and this is another of mine. If this is your primary goal, then there are many ways of achieving this: traditional publishing, self-publishing, e-publishing, blogging, podcasts and the list goes on.

4. To fill a gap in the market. The business of publishing is selling books. If you are able to find a gap in the market worth filling, then this is a valid reason. This goal requires a lot of research and knowledge of the industry.

5. To get rich and famous. Some might argue this is not a valid reason simply because of the unlikelihood of it happening. The success of writers like J K Rowling is not the norm. But I say, if this is your thing then why not give it a go? It’s good to dream. I’d perhaps suggest avoid this as a primary goal.

6. To win a specific prize. As the author who wrote specifically to win the Booker Prize, this goal will help bring focus to writing.

What are your reasons for publication?

2 Ways to Become a Published Author

1. Write a good story, work hard and persevere, aiming to always do your best and be your best.

2. Write a good story, work hard and persevere, aiming to always do your best and be your best.

What's your chosen method of publication?

I’m currently in the thick of rewrites of my young adult Fantasy Steampunk, and I’m so immersed in the story I’m almost living the adventure. When this happens, my advice is let the immersion happen. Don’t fight it. Live it. Breathe it.

Thanks: I won three books from Emily White in celebration of her signing with Spencer Hill Press. The books are Minder by Kate Kaynak, Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout and its prequel, Daimon. Thanks so much Emily!

Award: I also won the Irrisistibly Sweet Blog Award from Susanne Drazic at Putting Words Down on Paper. Thanks, Susanne.

How to Get a Foot in the Publishing Door

One of the big struggles with traditional publishing is getting noticed by agents and publishers and staying off the dreaded slush pile. During the Sydney Writers’ Festival I attended a workshop run by Hazel Flynn. She is a successful freelance writer, editor and broadcaster. She offered many suggestions on how to get the proverbial foot in the door. Below are just a few:

1. Personal connections. It does sometimes come down to who you know in the industry. It’s not a guarantee of publication, but it will help your manuscript get read.

2. Get a literary agent. In Australia writers can go directly to publishers, however, manuscripts coming from agents will be read. Often unsolicited manuscripts will end up in slush piles if accepted at all.

3. Attend festivals and conferences. You never know who you will meet and there’s so much to learn at these events.

4. Do writing courses. This is a great way to get a sense of whether your writing is working. It’s a great way of honing your craft.

5. Check the acknowledgements in books similar to your own. This will give you an idea of who helped the author get published.

6. Self publish. Many popular authors started with self publishing.

7. Show flexibility. Be willing to accept advice. If an editor suggests changes, then it’s in your best interest to listen.

What other ways can you suggest to get a foot in the publishing door? What are you currently doing to get published?

Understanding the Publishing World

To understand the publishing world we need to also have an understanding of patience: It takes time to learn and practise writing, to write a novel, to polish it, edit it, and rewrite it. It takes time to query, time for agents to wade through the submissions, to read your novel, to find a market. It takes time for a publisher to consider your novel. It takes time to develop a marketing strategy, to print it, and to promote it.

To understand the publishing world we need to also have an understanding of professionalism: It’s a business. If we want to be a part of this business then we need to remember this and show professionalism at all times. Because this is a business, agents and publishers want our best work. It’s in our best interest to show flexibility and consider any suggested changes. They are experienced professionals. They know what they are doing. Although our novels are our babies, we have to let them go so they’ll blossom.

To understand the publishing world we need to also have an understanding of hard work. This is not an easy profession. Nothing is guaranteed. We can’t guarantee success, we can’t guarantee a sustainable income. We do, however, increase our chances if we work hard and continue to work hard. The pressures only increase when we are accepted for publication.

What surprised you most when you started learning about the publishing world?

Query Mistakes

I’m not going to pretend I’m a master of query letter writing. I have sent out a number of queries in my time. I’ve had short stories published but I suspect it was due to the story rather than my letters. I look back at some of my early queries and I cringe at the mistakes I made.

Once I started a query with, ‘To whom it may concern’. Yes, really.

Failing to read the publisher’s guidelines, I sent out the full manuscript of my 130K epic fantasy... after the 2nd draft. The formatting was all wrong too. Insert face palm.

I was young and clueless back then. I wasn’t a member of any associations or writer’s groups to steer me in the right direction and I thought the internet was something geeks did in the basements of their mother’s homes. Mystery shrouded the publishing industry.

Thank goodness things have changed. There is a plethora of resources on the net and in print on how to write a strong query.

Elana Johnson has written a book, From the Query to the Call. You can get your FREE copy here.

Rachelle Gardner posted a great article recently on 13 ways to screw up your query.

Query Shark goes through weak queries and explains how to improve them

What are some of your query mistakes you’re willing to share? Do you know of other helpful query resources?


Note: This post is part of the A-Z Challenge. To learn more about the challenge click the image on my sidebar.

Thanks: A heart-felt thanks to Melissa Bradley for the Versatile Blogger Award. And to Victoria Dixon for the Sisterhood Award.

Reminder: Please vote for my blog here. I’ve entered it into the bonus People’s Choice Award as part of the Sydney Writers’ Centre Best Australian Blogs Award 2011. My blog is listed under W.I.P It: A Writer’s Journey -- Lynda Young.

Apply Thyself

As part of the A-Z challenge this month I will post Monday to Saturday with short tips for writing (corresponding to the letter of the alphabet).

Today’s tip: a writer has to Apply herself to be able to run the distance required for successful publication – whether it’s traditional publication or self-publication. It doesn’t just happen. It’s not a matter of luck. It requires hard work and dedication to the craft of writing.

What do you do to apply yourself?