My head is swimming with ideas to share with you this week. I’m returning home today from a large writers conference in the Pacific Northwest. I came here as a workshop leader and I also attended some great workshops—all the while, taking notes madly. No matter how long you’ve been in this business, you cannot mingle with writers, editors, agents and publishers and not learn and grow. One workshop leader (a publicist) told her audience that as a writer/author, you can learn from those who are one level up from where you are. I maintain that we can learn from colleagues at any level of expertise. I learn from beginners as well seasoned professionals. And you can, too. You just have to be open to the opportunities and the information.
Each of us has had different experiences along our career paths. The first-time author may have met challenges that the career author has never faced. A beginner in your writing group might discover a publisher or a fabulous writers site that you’re not aware of. Maybe she landed an agent who got her a contract. She may not be a seasoned author, but just think about what you could learn from her.
I’ve been following a career as a freelance writer and author for three decades, but I’ve never pitched an agent or a publishing house editor in person. I met an unpublished author who did this weekend and she taught me some things about the process. Let me know if you’d like details. Plfry620@yahoo.com
While at the conference, I gave a workshop on article writing. I learned that there are a lot of people out there competing for my freelance work. This reminded me (and I’m reminding you) that it is more important than ever that a writer does his/her homework, stays well-informed and up-to-date, puts him/herself out there and maintains a professional persona. Do you remember the cliché, “The early bird gets the worm?†Well, it is the diligent, dedicated, persistent, aware, hard-working, PATIENT writing professional who gets the assignment or who lands the publisher.
Speaking of getting published, I talked to quite a few first-time novelists this weekend. All of them have agents. Some of them have been published by pretty big publishers. And all of them told the same story about diligence and patience. Their overnight success took time to achieve. Last night at the book signing, I sat next to one delightful first-time author of a Young Adult novel published by Bloomsbury. She said that it took over a year and many query letters to finally land an agent and then that agent spent another year locating the right publisher.
Others revealed that they persisted for two and three years before landing a contract. Most had to jump through hoops, too. There were many hours spent revising their manuscripts to suit the agents and then the publishers. And now these authors are involved in promotion.
David Morrell was the keynote speaker Saturday night. He is the author of a book called, First Blood, the novel in which Rambo was created. He has other novels, as well—with 18 million copies in print in 26 languages. Obviously, he is has “made†it by the standards of the majority. But do you know how he spends his time when he isn’t writing a new novel? He is out promoting his books. And his speech was all about “platformâ€â€”who is your audience and how do you reach them? He shared several marketing techniques that he uses, yet, today.
Do you dream of turning your writing hobby into a writing career? Are you writing a book for publication? Are you prepared to sacrifice in order to realize your dream? Do you fully understand the level of commitment necessary in order to meet publishing goals? Please, don’t forge blindly ahead believing that your excellent book will make you a rich person with little effort. Strive to understand what publishing is all about. Here’s what I suggest:
• Attend writer’s conferences and listen and learn.
• Join writers groups and listen and learn.
• Join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://spawn.org
• Enter into online writers/publishers forums and read and learn. (Such as those available for members at the SPAWN Web site.)
• Subscribe to writing/publishing-related newsletters and magazines.
• Read the monthly SPAWN Market Update which is jam-packed with information, opportunities and resources for authors, freelance writers and artists. (For members of SPAWN only—join at http://www.spawn.org)
• Consult with a professional—the cost of his/her time could save you a lot of money and anguish.
• Read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. (Check out the reviews posted at the book page on http://www.amazon.com)
• Muster up all of the diligence, persistence and patience you can.
Let me know if you have any questions or need guidance along your writing/publishing path. http://www.matilijapress.com