Today I am going to talk a little about what I have learned of publishing. Now, I don't claim to be an expert, but I want this blog to be less like a lot of ramblings and more akin to something useful. First off, if you ever have any questions about trends for novels, poems, TV scripts, movie scripts, or graphic novels, please, please, PLEASE do some research. Always look at what AGENTS want, not what people SAY agents want. That was my little disclaimer.
Okay, now onto the real stuff. The first step to getting published is to write your novel. Write the rough draft. I have done some research on my own to help determine what can make a good writer. Now, you may be naturally good. That's awesome. But don't forget the fundamentals. There are some things that even you should know about writing. One is that you should write to entertain. Your work is a product to be marketed. This is common knowledge, but a lot of authors (including myself) forget this at times. See what people are buying. I'll give you a hint: Sanderson is big right now, as are Terry Prachett, Neil Gaiman, and many, many other writers. Well, cool. You may have a story idea like theirs that you think can sell, but examine their writing style before you jump to conclusions. The writing style of an author can tell you a lot about their work. See my previous blog for more information on first books of authors. Someday soon, I promise I will go into more detail about this. I am currently writing a paper for myself describing what I mean. It's a complex system that needs some serious thought put behind it.
Next, as you write your first draft, don't think to yourself, "Everyone's going to see this. It's so terrible." That's a good way to get writer's block. This was an interesting tidbit I picked up from around the Web: Write your first draft as if no one will ever read it but you. Seems a little counter-productive, doesn't it? Especially when I just said you have to write to entertain. Well, think of it this way. The first draft is trash. No matter how good you are, you're never so good that you can't improve. Write your first draft to get something on paper. Make sure you're hitting the entertainment points you want: Whether it be that your book is funny, suspenseful, horrifying, or any other intriguing aspect, it has to entertain. The second, third, fourth, fifth (and sometimes more) drafts are where you smooth it out and let other people read it to give you feedback.
Last time I mentioned something in passing. As an author, you'll love your characters, your creations, and your world in general. It's a bad habit we have. Agents, prospective readers, etc., may not be so inclined to love your ideas off the bat. If you're lucky enough to get an agent, then listen to that agent. He or she will give you advice that can't be beat! If they want you to change something, change it. How often do you think you'll be picked up by someone at all? It might be worth it to make a few small tweaks to help your work sell at first, then to use your prestige later on to write whatever you want. Changes can always be undone, and the original will always be with us. Of course, it may so happen that you LIKE the changes made to your novel. If this is the case, you're damn lucky. Push forward and persevere. That's a rare trait among writers--especially new ones. I've worked with a few writers who want things their way, and nothing can ever be changed. It's really difficult to appease them, and you don't want to be difficult to work with. Agents want someone who will be easy to work with (at least, I presume so. Always check with your agent. I think that you'll find in most cases that an agent wants someone easy to work with instead of someone difficult and pretentious).
Okay. So by your Nth draft, you think you've got something sellable, interesting, and entertaining. You've been writing queries and trying to get an agent but no one's biting. Now what? Well, that's normal. There are HUNDREDS of agents out there for any genre. Before you try them all, use Websites or writing groups to help you fix up your query. There are two places I frequent. One is interactive: Query Letter Hell: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=174. The other one is less so, but damn, it's useful. Janet Reid is an agent, a shark, and will eat your query letters: http://queryshark.blogspot.com/. Listen to what she has to say. Yes, there are almost 200 blog entries from her. Do you have to read them all? I would recommend it. If you're serious about becoming a writer, you'll realize that it's a lot of work. It's a JOB, not an instant fix to money problems.
You're query is spicy, it's sexy, it's got people asking for pages. Now what? Well, you've made it that far, so keep going. Find an agent that works best with you, and you'll probably do fine.
Best of luck writers!
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