Many of us have learned that the journey to
publication is a tough road to travel. But how many times have you had a
conversation with someone who was clueless as to just how much time and work it
takes to get published? I’m so pleased that award-winning author Terri Blackstock is here to share
some of her wisdom and experiences with us. ~ Dawn
The Mark
of a Successful Writer
My friend, a successful businessman, wrote a
novel in his spare time. Now he wanted me to read it and give him advice. I
read a few pages and quickly realized that his book was a mess. It was far from
ready for publication. In fact, I worried that he’d embarrass himself if he
sent it out this way.
Unable to tackle everything wrong with the book,
I picked a few of the overarching problems and told him what he should do to
fix them. In my mind, it would take him much longer to revise the book than it
had taken to write it. Since he knew nothing about the craft of writing novels,
he would need to learn some of the basics of writing, and the book would
require several more drafts and many, many hours of focused attention.
Imagine my surprise a couple of weeks later when
he told me, “I fixed my book! I took a few hours Saturday and knocked out all
those changes. I’m ready to submit it to publishers now.” I couldn’t help
thinking how clueless he was. I usually take my books through umpteen drafts
before submitting them to a publisher—and that takes months--then a couple more
drafts after I get editorial input. But he had fixed his in a few hours?
Needless to say, he sent it to every paying
publisher he could find, and they all rejected it. He finally decided to
self-publish. I encouraged him to hire an editor, but he didn’t think he needed
it. Though he was very successful in his career, and had put many, many hours
into learning and honing his professional skills, he had decided that becoming
a writer didn’t require any of that.
For many years, writers had to endure the
process of submitting to publishers in order to break into the market. Though
that system could be frustrating and discouraging for many, it was a way of
vetting their work. It forced them to rewrite over and over as they got input
from publishers. By the time someone decided to pay that writer for his work,
it was a reasonably polished product that had a shot at success in the
marketplace.
But all that has changed now that
self-publishing is so easy and so attractive. Many writers are skipping all
those steps—often because they don’t know any better—and they’re throwing their
work out there before it’s ready for the light of day.
If I had one piece of advice for today’s writer,
it would be to devote as much time to learning your craft as you would to
training for any other career. Assume that your first draft of your novel is
just that—a first draft, during which you learn who your characters are—and
force yourself to rewrite it and rework it until you practically have it
memorized. Then choose your path. If it’s to go the traditional publishing route,
then submit it to editors and follow their suggestions, and believe them if they don’t think it’s
ready. If your path leads you to self-publishing, hire the toughest editor you
can find, and be willing to pay what he/she is worth. With their feedback, dig
back in and rewrite again and again. Don’t list that book until you’re certain
it can stand up to the competition out there.
Then you’ll have the best shot at success, and
those of us who read your book won’t have to be embarrassed for you.
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| Click to reach Amazon. |
Terri
Blackstock has sold over six million books worldwide and is a New York
Times bestselling author. She is the award-winning author of Intervention, Vicious Cycle and Downfall,
as well as such series as Cape Refuge, Newpointe 911, the SunCoast Chronicles,
and the Restoration Series.
To learn more about Terri and her books, please
visit
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tblackstock
Twitter: www.twitter.com/terriblackstock
