Eleven Steps to Getting Published.

So You Want to be a Pro . . . ?
by Connie Flynn

Not in the world’s oldest profession way, of course, but as in professional writer . . . one who produces books regularly and, gasp, even gets paid for them.  The question always is, how do you get from rank beginner to a place where others pay you for your work?

It’s a simple path, but seldom an easy or one-step-follows-the-other process, and those who succeed almost always use these not-so-easy steps.

1.    Read, read, read.  Everything. Novels you love, novels you hate. Nonfiction in subject you love and those that bore you to death.  Newspapers, magazines, blogs.  Learn to recognize good writing and bad writing.

2.    By the time you get serious, choose a genre.  There are dozens. Way too many to cover here, but you need to know about them and if this is a foggy topic to you, start here. Everything seems to be well covered except for the romance genre, which is totally missing, so I found it elsewhere.

3.    Make sure the genre you choose to write is something you love reading or you’ll eventually hate your books. But if publication is your ultimate goal – and since you’re reading this blog, I suspect it is – it’s a good practice to write what is currently selling.

4.    When you’re educated about the marketplace, start getting familiar with the internal structure of a novel.  Just because you read them and have neat descriptions about theme and character building doesn’t mean you yet have the tools to do this yourself.

5.    Learn how to write a synopsis.  Boy oh boy, do writers hate those, but unless you self-publish – where, let’s face it, the publisher can read your mind – you’ll need to tell influential people about your book, clearly and with an entertaining voice.

6.    More and more writers are bypassing traditional publishers and putting their work out there as an independent publisher. This is, however, no license to ignore these steps because your first audience is your reader, the same one that traditional publishers are also aiming for, and they will judge you much more harshly if you slip up than they do the commercial publishers.

7.    Write your book.  Set a disciplined schedule.  If possible, do something on your book every day.

8    Finish your book.  Unless you have unusually good connections, your chances of selling an unfinished novel are nil.  So finish the baby.

9.    Revise your book, proofread it, then proofread it again.  The competition is so stiff these days you can’t afford to send out a sloppy manuscript.

10.    Don't let rejections or bad reviews get you down for long because some are harsh enough to send you into a  fetal position. Don’t indulge this urge more than a few days.  Submit again and keep submitting. If you're publishing independently, be careful not to dismiss the reviews. These are coming directly from your audience and you should study and learn from them. Just keep in an intellectual process, don't let them pierce your heart.

11.    There used to be six secret rules published authors never violate:  Write, write, write.  Submit, submit, submit.  Now there are nine: If you are an independent author, you must: publish, publish, publish. Do this repeatedly and well and you will succeed. And remember, you haven’t failed until you quit.

---

She woke up one morning on a Mississippi riverboat casino with a huge headache and no clue to who she was. With the help of new friends she rebuilt her life. Now, nearly two years later, a tall dark man with killer good looks comes after her. A bounty hunter, who claims she killed her father then ran out on her bail. She says he's got the wrong woman. He says she's guilty as sin. One of them is right . . .

Suddenly so many people are after her, she can't tell the good guys from the bad guys. But one thing she can do is KNOW WHEN TO RUN.

---

Award-winning, bestselling author Connie Flynn writes both long and short fiction and is published in multiple genres, including paranormal romance, romantic comedy, mystery and suspense, and contemporary fantasy/sci-fi. She lives in Arizona on a lush green park where she walks her dog and escapes from the hot desert sun. Her latest release is the-twists-and-turns romantic suspense, KNOW WHEN TO RUN.

Promo or Write?

I had an interesting conversation with some writing friends this past week. They believe traditional publishing is on its way out and authors should publish digital books either by self-publishing or through ebook publishers. They also believe you need to promo several hours a day to get your name out there. We've all heard the stories of writers who spent all day promoting and landed deals with the big publishers. But are there too many writers saturating online promotion sites now because they heard those stories, too?

I have to admit, I felt tired just listening to them. Like many other writers, I work full time, write after work, and then take care of things at home before crashing in my bed for the night. If I promo for hours a day, I wouldn't have time to write, or I wouldn't get enough sleep and would burn out. Don't get me wrong, I do have my Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. I just don't live on those sites.

It was also interesting that we shared ideas on where they promote, but neither could be sure just how successful that promotion was. We have a friend who makes much more money self-publishing and she doesn't promote nearly as much as they do. We all agree that some sites for promotion are mainly writers promoting to other writers.

So what do you do? I think every writer needs to follow the path that is calling to them and see where it leads. I for one do not want to lose the love of writing by worrying over how many times I tweet each day.

Until next week,
keep reading and writing.
Tina Swayzee McCright

Indie vs Traditional Publishing

The Valley of the Sun Romance Authors gave out these tote bags when readers bought our books at the Glendale Chocolate Affaire. Every name on the tote is a published author. Some writers went the traditional route and sold their books to a big publisher like Harlequin, Random House, St. Thomas Press, etc. These authors received advances and will eventually receive royalty checks. They have editors and deadlines. They have the added pressure of keeping their sales up in order to receive future contracts. The added bonus with traditional publishers is they send out thousands of copies of your book to bookstores and perhaps supermarkets.

Some of these writers sold to small digital presses like The Wild Rose Press. Authors who haven't been able to sell their books to the big publishers because they don't have an agent, their book is different than the books these editors are looking for, or they don't want the pressure of dealing with a big house, will often choose a smaller press. These publishers have editors and will send out copies for reviews. They do some promotion for you, but not a lot. The downside is some offer print copies and some don't. The Wild Rose Press does. Also, they often don't send out mass quantities to bookstores. If you choose this route you must make sure you are dealing with a reputable company. Ask other writers about their experiences. I believe every writer should join a professional organization like Romance Writers of America to help you guide your career.

Last, but not least, some of the writers listed on the tote are self-published or "Indie" writers. They usually hire someone to create a cover, then they format the manuscript and download it onto sites like Smashwords and Amazon. They basically cut out the middle man. The upside is the author will receive most of the profit for the book. The downside, besides paying hundreds of dollars to prepare your book for publishing, is the author is in charge of marketing the book. Some authors have found great success, but they also spend hours a day on promotion, and there is no guarantee readers will be interested in your book. Also, you must make sure your book is edited. I suggest getting a critique partner, but there are professional editors out there.
I know a few New York Time's authors who have decided to give up their big contracts in order to self-publish. These authors already have a following and are finding they make more money now.

How do you decide which route to go? There are many writers asking themselves that question daily. It depends on your goals and how much time you want to spend on promotion. Can you handle deadlines or do you want to set your own deadlines? Is your dream to make The New York Times list or do you simply want to see your book in print? Where do you see your writing career ten years from now? Once you answer these questions, you may be able to start down one of these paths.

Until next week,
happy reading and writing.
Tina Swayzee McCright