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The
reality is, it's a tough market. It's hard to find an
agent. It's harder for agents to sell books, and it's
harder for editors to buy books. But guess what?
Those conditions have always existed. The
reality is, it's just as hard today as it's always been, but
it's not impossible. Publishers want books; agents want
authors; and you can find an agent and sell your book if you put
your mind to it. What follows is a sort of guide written
from my own experiences with successful authors. I hope
that it will aid you in your journey.
Successful Authors
1. Make up their minds
2. Set goals and write down
their goals
3. Do homework: Study
the market, Research and Read in their field
4. Are open to criticism
and learn from it
5. Are fearless
6. Aren't afraid to be
different
7. Find an agent who
believes in them
Step 1... MAKE UP YOUR
MIND
If you really want to get published, you
have to make up your mind to do so. Then you have to
decide what that means for you. Do you have one story to
tell and do you want to publish one book? Do you want to
write literary fiction or non-fiction, or maybe narrative
non-fiction? Do you want to publish genre fiction or
self-help practical books? Once you truly make a decision,
your entire being, your instincts and thinking are engaged to
help you achieve your goal. Don't underestimate the power
of decision-making.
Once you do this, you'll be
on your way to getting published!
Step 2... WRITE DOWN
YOUR GOALS
I know you've heard this idea again and again, and the reason you
continue to hear and read about this is because it works.
Take it from me, there is nothing more powerful than writing
down your goals and looking at them regularly. And, when you write down your
goal, it should be specific. For example; I want to sell
my literary novel. I want a career as a literary novelist
who will sell one book every 18 months. Or, I want to find
an agent in the next 9 months.
Step 3... DO YOUR HOMEWORK.
This is where you do your research. You must read voraciously and
widely in your genre, be it literary fiction or non-fiction,
commercial fiction or self help. Read books on how to write
and publish in your chosen field whether they are on writing
mysteries or romances or narrative nonfiction. Educate
yourself. You must know the market
and the competition.
You should educate yourself
about the business of publishing and your targeted area.
Read Publishers Weekly every week. Almost every issue of
PW runs a category story that covers trends and upcoming books
in that category. Those range from stories on first novels
to gardening books to romances. Research past issues for
your genre. You'll learn about the market, the
competition and the players in that area. Or subscribe to Publishers
Lunch, an online daily newsletter which summarizes new items
about publishing and media from newspapers in the US and the UK.
It covers publishing news and trends. And it's free.
When you begin
researching agents, read all the guides on publishing that list
agents. Writer's Market, The Writer's Digest
Guide to Literary Agents and Jeff Herman's Insider's
Guide to Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents.
Research the agents who represent your type of book and ONLY
query them. It is a common mistake among author's to query
to wrong agents.
Step 4...BE OPEN TO
CRITICISM AND LEARN FROM IT
Here's a great success
story about another writer. This novelist decided to write
romances. She was a fan of the genre, and she read some
books on writing and publishing romances, but she rushed into
the process in a whirlwind. She wrote her book very
quickly and was fortunate to find an agent. Her
book didn't sell but she was determined and savvy.
She asked the agent for all the rejection letters and studied
them, diligently. She learned from the experience of
rejection; she took the editorial feedback and made specific
changes and choices as she wrote her next manuscript. She told me how she'd studied
those original rejection letters to make conscious choices about
characters, motivations, and tone. When I heard this, I
knew I had an intelligent writer..
Step 5... BE FEARLESS
When you know what you want
to publish, whether it's your first or your tenth book,
re-energize yourself by stretching your comfort zone or looking
at your situation from a new direction.
An inspiring story of
fearlessness is one of Laura Parker's. After selling her
first historical romance over 20 years ago, she couldn't sell a
second one. Nevertheless, because she did such detailed
research for her historicals, she was able to write a compelling
proposal for the "American Explorers" series about the men who
opened up the American frontier. However, the editor told
us that since Laura was a woman and the only woman writing for
the series, he wasn't sure she could write like a man, and even
if she managed that, she would have to use a male psuedonym.
So to learn how 'men' write, she reread Louis Lamour, a bit of
Zane Grey, and Lonesome Dove. She discovered that
men may think a lot but they actually say very little. And
once male characters make up their mind they don't change them.
They just move on, right or wrong. She applied her
knowledge to her book and her editor was so impressed that not
only did he use her real name on the book, he offered her a
second contract for another book in the series. This
happen over 20 years ago and I vividly remember how fearless
Laura was, and she'd only ever published one book!
Successful people are
fearless and confident. Clarify your goal and go for it.
Step 6... DON'T BE
AFRAID TO BE DIFFERENT
I tend to be attracted to
books that are different, and they are usually harder to sell.
But those are the books that go on to set trends or win awards.
Don't be afraid to take
risks! Successful people dare to be different!
STEP SEVEN... MAKE SURE
YOU FIND THE
RIGHT AGENT FOR YOU! ONE WHO BELIEVES IN YOU!!
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