Chit-Chat Tuesday: So You Wanna Get Published
Writing a book is much more complicated than it seems. Perhaps that's why I receive so many queries ever year from aspiring authors who ask the question, "How do I get published?" "Where do I start?" and, "Where do I go from here?"
I never tire from these inquiries because I was there once. I was the one asking all the questions and wrapping my mind around the intricacies of the novel writing process. How is one to learn the answer without posing the question, right?
--And it's good that you DO ask those questions. You never want to jump into the publishing pool without knowing what lurks beneath the surface--there are sharks. And those sharks will make or break your future writing career.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. That's another article for a future post.
So, you want to know how to get your book idea published. Let me give you the same advice I give to every single aspiring writer who comes my way. Whether you have the next great American novel idea or not, you have NOTHING until you have a completed manuscript. It doesn't have to be edited or polished twenty-seven times over. The fact that you have written a full-length novel front to back and in between AND those two magical words (THE END) is a major accomplishment in itself for the new writer/author.
In my research, I've found that only 3-5% of people who say they want to write a book actually see the notion through to completion. So the fact that you've written your novel entirely is a HUGE deal. Seriously, it's amazing! So much so that now you can legitimately contact agents and editors about the greatness you just wrote about--and have them take you seriously!
The first in a long series of blog posts, I plan to share with you those tidbits of the publishing process by answering the questions you've wondered about. Perhaps this posting was not what you hoped it would be. However, it must be understood that in order to continue on to publication, baby steps must made first. So for today, I'm going to tell you to sit down and finish that great novel idea that keeps filtering through your creative mind. Give those characters a voice. Erect that beautiful story setting. And allow your creativity to evolve.
Until we meet again...
I never tire from these inquiries because I was there once. I was the one asking all the questions and wrapping my mind around the intricacies of the novel writing process. How is one to learn the answer without posing the question, right?
--And it's good that you DO ask those questions. You never want to jump into the publishing pool without knowing what lurks beneath the surface--there are sharks. And those sharks will make or break your future writing career.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. That's another article for a future post.
So, you want to know how to get your book idea published. Let me give you the same advice I give to every single aspiring writer who comes my way. Whether you have the next great American novel idea or not, you have NOTHING until you have a completed manuscript. It doesn't have to be edited or polished twenty-seven times over. The fact that you have written a full-length novel front to back and in between AND those two magical words (THE END) is a major accomplishment in itself for the new writer/author.
In my research, I've found that only 3-5% of people who say they want to write a book actually see the notion through to completion. So the fact that you've written your novel entirely is a HUGE deal. Seriously, it's amazing! So much so that now you can legitimately contact agents and editors about the greatness you just wrote about--and have them take you seriously!
The first in a long series of blog posts, I plan to share with you those tidbits of the publishing process by answering the questions you've wondered about. Perhaps this posting was not what you hoped it would be. However, it must be understood that in order to continue on to publication, baby steps must made first. So for today, I'm going to tell you to sit down and finish that great novel idea that keeps filtering through your creative mind. Give those characters a voice. Erect that beautiful story setting. And allow your creativity to evolve.
Until we meet again...
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