
Guide to Getting Published
I don't have a guaranteed formula for getting published beyond self-publishing... and that's not as easy as it sounds either.
Other than having a readable book and getting lucky, here are a few tips I shared with an unpublished author. He found them helpful.
- Establish a social media platform. If you don't have a blog or website, get one. Make Facebook your friend and Twitter your best buddy. Publishers expect you to have these things in place.
- Enter contests - especially ones where you can get some feedback. Write short stories. Get your name out there.
- Write reviews for other authors. Network with the people you want to be your peers. Join organizations that will help you write better and market your book.
- Hope that your fellow authors don't sign with the same publisher as you.
"Bruce delivers a shocking surprise at the very beginning of her novel and the action only ramps up from there. The characters are credible, likeable people who make the reader want more. An excellent read!"
- Catherine Astolfo, author of the Emily Taylor mysteries.
On the other hand, I can recommend you check out the Emily Taylor mysteries being re-released on Kindle.
Congratulations, Alison,on your upcoming release! One thing I didn't know when I started writing is that on average it takes about 8 years of writing to learn the craft. Persistence is key in this career!
ReplyDeleteOne of my biggest regrets is that I gave up trying to get published after my first couple of rejections. I was twenty-one at the time. Maybe I'd be rich and famous by now... or not.
ReplyDeleteI worked at my craft because I loved to write. It took my sister dying to push me into trying to get published. Life is to short to let a couple of rejections get you down.
The first book I wrote, The Calling, was finally published as my fifth book last year. I originally had the basic idea in 1989. Good thing I'm stubborn I guess. It always makes me laugh when magazine produce a list of the top ten ways to make a million - write a blockbuster is usually in there somewhere. Now I'm wiser I assume that the list has been compiled by an author with a dark sense of humour.
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