This is a talk I put together some years back when I was first published and started talking to writing groups. I've added in about self-publishing and online groups.
Believe – Believe in your abilities as a writer
Perfect – Take classes and workshops – read what you write
Network – get involved in writing organizations – online chats
Submit or self-publish – find the right agent, editor, market or do it yourself
Publish – Now what
Promote – Put you and your work out there
Never Forget – who helped you along the way and give back
Believe – Believe in your ability to write a
poem, tell a story, or depict events. If you don’t believe in yourself no one
else is going to believe. Be convincing when you say you are a writer. You may
not be published, but if you are writing anything other than grocery and to-do lists, you
are a writer. Be it poems, lyrics, essays, short stories, novels( fiction or
non-fiction), memoirs, or biographies – you are a writer.
Perfect - Take
classes, learn all you can about your craft and the area you are writing.
Subscribe to the Writer’s Digest, or any magazine or ezine in your genre of writing. These days there are many online groups, blogs, pages for like genre writers to discuss writing and keep abreast of
the markets. Along with learning to write, you need to read. Read the genre you
write. See what others are doing and how
they do it. The various genres
hold conferences all over the US. When I belonged to RWA I attended at least one conference a year to meet other authors, publishers, and editors and to learn craft and keep up with the business. I belonged to the Salem RWA chapter as well as National RWA. Now I belong to EPIC(Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition), Central Oregon Writers Guild, Sisters in Crime, Oregon Writers Colony, Harney County Writers, and a couple of others I can't think of at the moment. There are many groups to join to learn craft and the business of writing.
- Colorado Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers
- Pacific Northwest Writers Association
- Willamette Writers
- Western Writers of America
- Women Writing the West
- Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
- Romance Writers of America.
These are
all good organizations to become familiar with even if you don’t join. They are the people who know the people you
need to know if you are trying to get a novel published through the traditional route or through Self-publishing.
If you are a
freelance writer wanting to break into the magazine market, you need to read
the magazines you are interested in writing for and learn what style and
stories they like. Other freelance writers
attend multi genre events such as the PNWA and WW.
Another source for connecting to writer groups are yahoo and FB groups. Get on Yahoo or FB and search for the genre you write and groups will pop up.
Networking –Networking is something you do all
the time as a writer. You network with other writers, finding critique
partners, talking to people about editors, agents, helping at conferences, or
becoming an officer or board member in a writing group. Attending conferences is a good way to
network with other writers, editors, and agents. If you help at the conferences it also gets
your name out in front of a lot of people. Part of networking is learning where
your writing fits and connecting to people within that area. The other part of
networking is visiting with people, letting them know you are a writer or
author. If you have a published piece tell people and listen for places where
you could read, do a signing, or even sell your book. And you never know when you will also come
across a person who will spark a great idea for a story or book. It is through
my networking I first was asked to submit my work to The Wild Rose Press and
subsequently became an editor. Again if
you are writing freelance articles, it never hurts to let people know. They may
contact you with an interesting subject or someone who you spoke to comments
about your work to a person who is looking for that subject. Networking is
important not only for getting your work noticed, but also for learning where
to send it and even getting ideas for stories. And again, connecting through Twitter, FB, or other social media sites is networking.
Submit or self-publish – Once you believe in your writing,
have perfected your craft, and have networked and know where you need to submit
your work- you submit or you learn all you can about self-publishing and take that plunge. ;)
If you want to go the traditional route: You go to either the agent or editor’s website or magazine submission
guidelines and found out how they like to be queried or you look this
information up in the Writer’s Market place, Writer’s Digest, or
wherever you have found the information. Remember you put your best foot
forward by submitting either a query or partial the way the editor or agent
wants it, not the way you want to send it.
If they ask only for a query letter, you keep it to the point. What your
book is about, who you are, and what qualifies you to write on this subject,
and thank them for considering your book or article. If they request a partial or full, send a
cover letter, again be brief, what the story is about, why you wrote it or were
qualified to write it and again thank them for considering your work. Unless a house says they do not take
simultaneous submissions, you may send out to more than one place at a time,
but do make sure that somewhere you state it is a simultaneous submission. And
if someone does buy it, you follow up with a letter to the other people letting
them know it was picked up.
Rejection letters are a given in this business. If you don’t
have a tough skin you won’t make it as a writer. I threw away a file 3 inches thick a couple years
ago.
Rejection letters can’t be taken to heart. It may be your subject isn’t
what they are looking for or they just bought a book or story close to
yours. It’s hard to take a photocopied
rejection that you know was sent to thousands of other writers, but the one
that says, loved it, but- That’s a keeper.
That means what I stated earlier. Either they just bought something that
was similar or they don’t have slot to fill it with- which is why I like
Ebook. They don’t have to worry about
shelf space and they will purchase similar books simultaneously.
If you decide to go the self-publish route, make sure you have taken craft classes, have had your stories edited and proofed, the stories are formatted correctly and learn what you need to know to upload. There are many books, websites, an blogs out there with information on self-publishing. Here are some books I recommend: Secrets Every Author Should Know: Self-publishing Basics by Maggie Lynch and Secrets to Pricing and Distribution: Ebooks, Print, and Direct Sales by Maggie Lynch
Publish – You get the call! The editor loved
your book and they want to publish it. If you don’t have an agent to help you
through the contract (if it is for a book) you might want to get help from a
lawyer who knows literary contracts. If you have sold a short story, or an
e-book the contracts are pretty cut and dry and you don’t need any mediator to
complete the transaction. With a book, you will get your manuscript back with
the editor’s comments, they will give you a certain length of time to get it
revised and you will send it back. Then they will send it to you in a galley.
This is the last time you get to make any changes. Then it goes to print when
it is scheduled. Usually if you are with an e-book/print publisher, the e-book
will be out 6 months to a year before the print version.
Magazines can be up to a year or better.
If you are self publishing, the book will be out within 72 hours of hitting the publish button on most ebook vendors.
Promote- You believed in your abilities, you
perfected, you networked, submitted, and now you have a published book. Unless
you are with a large NY publishing house and they paid monstrous dollars for
your book, you are on your own to promote your work. If you can get on a local
TV station talk show to promote an upcoming book signing or reading that’s
good, as well as contacting your local book store and arranging a book signing,
or if you purchase books at the author’s
discount you can set up book signings anywhere an establishment will let you.I have had book signings at Wine stores, chocolate shops, flea markets. The skies the limit for where you can sell your print books if you look for them.
If you do have an event coming up, send PR to the local paper and always have
your promotional packet up to date to send to the establishment where you are
having the event. Try to set up book signings or readings in the area where you
live, where you grew up, and where the story takes place. If you have an e-book
- joining online readers and writers groups is a way to promote. They have
chats with authors and highlight specific authors on specific days. Always be
looking for an opportunity to promote your book. Another form of promotion are blogs and
websites.
I also purchase or make items to hand out at book signings
and to send to conferences when they are looking for promo items for goodie
bags to be given away at conferences. I
also have a monthly contest on my website and give away a book, chocolate and
other small western items. I am always
on the look out for little things I can tuck into envelopes and send out as
prizes. When I do online chats I hold a
contest and give away an ebook or print book I’m promoting. You have to have people read your work to
build a readership.
Never Forget- Never forget the people and
organizations who helped you get where you are. Give back by talking at a
meeting, giving a workshop at a conference, and telling others who helped you
along your way. Remember those who helped you perfect, network, submit,
publish, and promote - you didn’t get there alone.
LIST OF WRITING
ORGANIZATIONS
Pacific Northwest Writers
Association
Issaquah, WA
Willamette Writers
Portland
Newport
Eugene
Medford
Romance Writers of America
chapters all across the U.S.
Western Writers of America
Women Writing the West
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers
Colorado
Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America
Sisters in Crime (Women Mystery Writers organization)
Horror Writers Association
Places where you can find information on submitting
your work.
Writer’s Market Place
Publisher’s Market Place
Children’s Writer’s Market Place
Freelance Writer’s Market Place
Sources of writing information
Writer’s Digest
Poets &
Writers
The Writer
Magazine
Writer’s
Journal
Magazine
Writers
KidMag Writers
