So You Wanna Be a Published Author? Here are 5 Key Things You Should Know
Skill Swapping
If you know me you know I love work trade and skill swapping.
That’s why when I saw a post pop up on a Skill Swap group on Facebook from a woman who was looking for someone to audit her website and give helpful feedback from a design perspective - I got excited! In exchange, she would dole advice about becoming a published author because she had gone through the process herself.
I’d been wanting someone I could talk to about the publishing world for some time because the path towards being published can be a daunting one. Because I’m a web designer who audits sites for a living, I reached out. She agreed to a meeting and the next day we scheduled an initial Zoom introduction.
At least that’s what I thought.
What ended up occurring was much more valuable than a meet and greet. During our 20 minutes together, she gave me a LOT of practical advice about not only getting published but also writing in general.
Here Were My Key Takeaways From My Brief Meeting With a Published Author
1/ If you find yourself waffling, or your brain is moving in lots of directions during your writing time, change up the medium.
Instead of click-clacking away at a laptop, pull out your trusty notepad and pen and write by hand instead. Your thoughts and ideas will become more clear when you are forced to slow down.
2/ If you are a nonfiction writer, don’t spend time writing a full manuscript.
Instead, focus on writing a great proposal and then reaching out to potential agents or publishers. Nonfiction agents will likely want to guide you during the writing process. If you submit a full manuscript there’s a good chance they will want to make lots of edits or tell you to rewrite completely. Save yourself the trouble!
3/ Allocate ample time to get samples of your writing published in various journals and media outlets.
Once your work is published on several sites you can submit these links along with your proposal when reaching out to agents. Or, in the case of the published author I spoke with, they might even reach out to you about writing and publishing a book.
4/ Network with the right people.
Getting published is highly dependent upon being in the right place at the right time…and on the connections you have. Increase your luck of being seen by making sure to follow publishers on social media platforms, interact with their content, and share links to your published articles on your platforms.
5/ Don’t expect to get rich.
Even if you do get signed, your publisher might ask for things such as additional pictures that you might have to pay out of pocket to obtain, for example. This can cut into your bottom line.
I have to be honest. Sometimes I wonder if my skin is tough enough to go through this process. I wonder if I have what it takes to stick it out until the end and not take all the rejection personally. And then sometimes the universe throws me a bone and says, keep going you got this. The meeting with a published author was my latest bone and I hope this blog post is YOUR bone.
As you go forth and navigate the publishing world, I recommend connecting with your why as often as possible. Ask yourself: Why do I want these ideas to spread? How do I want people’s lives to change after engaging with this content? Then print your answers on a big sheet of paper and hang it on your wall. That way when you do face rejection, you’ll be able to swiftly get back on that horse and try, try again.