If like me you’ve been regularly submitting your writing to
agents and publishers - it probably feels
like you’re on a rollercoaster. There's the hope
and excitement of sending your work off, then as the "thanks, but... no thanks" e-mail/letter rolls back in, that sinking feeling of rejection.
Okay, so there’s no
easy answer here – I’ve been doing this for the last few years now
(whilst writing 3 novels) and I’ve learnt a hell of a lot along the way. So I’m
happy to share some tips. I know I haven’t quite made it yet myself, but this
blog may just help make your journey a little more focussed and save some
wasted time. Or it may just help to know that someone else is out there feeling
the same as you.
There is no holy grail or magic answer. Yes, you do have to
write a great book, market it professionally, and get on with sending it out
after some targeted research - but that’s no guarantee of getting
published quickly. So my main tip is PERSEVERE. It’s probably going to take a
while, and may feel pretty gutting at times. But KEEP GOING! Believe in yourself
and your book. Go back to basics, why did you write it, what do you love about
it? If you know that much, it will give you the inspiration you need and the
energy to carry on. If you don’t keep trying then there’s only one sure fact –
you won’t get published.
KEEP WRITING! You’ll need to multitask. I wasted time early
on concentrating on submitting after completing my first novel and not writing any
new stuff. Keep doing both. You'll be learning and improving all the time. Maybe split a day in half, or dedicate one day
every week or so to doing submission research, sending out maybe two or three targeted
submissions at a time, marketing yourself, networking and updating your social
media. See what works for you. It might just be book no. 2 that gets you that
publishing deal!
DON’T BE SHY. You are a real writer – whether you are
published or not. It took me a long while to get my head around this and be
able to say this in company, honestly it felt like “coming out”. It’s a solitary
hobby, and I felt I couldn’t be a real
writer if I wasn’t published, despite the fact that I spent hours (actually
days) every week writing. Yes, there’ll always be that awkward moment when
someone asks, oh where can I get your book then, what’s it about? Just focus on
the “what’s it about”, then you can mention later that you are trying to
find a publisher. Be proud of yourself to have even got this far.
You are going to have to MARKET yourself and your book. For
many, that’s not easy at first, but you really have to be passionate about your
work and blow your own trumpet. Also, think about what is UNIQUE about your
story, what makes it stand out from the crowd, who your readers are and why they are going to like it? You are making a PITCH, whether it’s by e-mail,
letter or in person. You have to be business-like, concise, especially in your
covering letter (keep it to a page). Keep to the submission guidelines, which can vary and will be on the agency/publishers' websites. And keep
this in mind - Agents and Publishers want to sell to readers (and as
many as possible) – bottom line.
FOCUS YOUR SUBMISSIONS/DO YOUR RESEARCH. Don’t waste time
sending to agents and publishers who won’t even be interested. So how do you
know? Q’s to research – do they publish/represent your genre, say it’s crime or
romantic, for example? Are they looking for submissions at that time? How? Check
their websites every time you are about to submit (things can change
quickly in the publishing world) and research individual agents and editors
(see which publishers accept non-agented material if you don’t have an agent).
Look at the author thank you’s at the start/end of books in
your genre and send to that particular agent, or at least mention their name in
the submission e-mail. See which agents/publishers are going to writing and book festivals, especially those in your genre or local area. Have a chat with your local book shop owner or library. Find out what’s going on.
It’s a bit like dating, trying to match yourself with the
right person for your work. The right agent/publisher will want to feel
passionate about your writing (which is of course very subjective) – if they
reject you it doesn’t mean it’s rubbish, you’re just not the right fit at the
right time. Try not to take it personally, and move on, taking into account any
advice given. Onwards and upwards.
Keep a record of who
might have shown interest in the past. An agent might say “no” now, but comment
that they liked your work or that you have promise, so try them again with the
next novel. Also, trends can change, like erotica with “Fifty Shades” - your
book might not be right to take on this year or this month, but by the next a
trend may totally change that, so keep aware of what’s going on in the industry,
and don’t be afraid to re-submit with that in mind.
FIND A FRIEND/JOIN A WRITING GROUP. There are some really
helpful professional organisations, such as the Romantic Novelists' Association,
The Crime Writers' Association – they are really helpful to new writers, giving
invaluable advice, contacts and just that support of someone who’s been there and done
that to keep you going.
Well, I think I’ve prattled on long enough. I hope some of
this has been useful. And yes, I’m still trying! But have got really close to
my goal of getting published this year, having had some fantastic comments
from a major publisher, who looked at
the whole manuscript of Book 2, so I’m not giving up now!
To anyone else striving for
your goal, be it writing a novel or anything else THE VERY BEST OF LUCK AND
KEEP GOING! When the going gets tough, the tough get going!
