Hi everyone!
As those of you who follow me on Twitter have probably seen, very late last night I turned in what will hopefully be the final draft of UNCOMMON CRIMINALS. Yay.
So today I sat down to work through the questions everyone left on the Publishing and Writing Q&A post. The answers are there now, so check them out.
While I was going through all the questions, though, I noticed some trends in the questions you’re asking and mistakes you’re making, so in addition to the specific Q&A I’m going to write about those here.
Advice #1: Don’t be in such a hurry
Advice #2: Don’t skip steps
A lot of the questions revolved around getting published, getting an agent, selling a series. These are all perfectly-valid questions except most everyone asking hadn’t even finished a book yet.
Trust me, folks, the books come first.
Always.
Agents know the editors and the editors work for the publishers and the publishers will decided if you need to be writing a series or not.
You know what all of them need to do their jobs? A book. It’s your job to write the book, so get to writing and cross these other bridges when you come to them.
2. being published isn’t the goal. It’s the byproduct of writing something really good. Writing something really good should be the goal.
3. All writers are self-taught.
Read.
A lot of questions that can be answered by picking up 20 books and seeing–really examining–how those authors did it.
Teach yourself.
again, it takes time.
4. It takes WORK. Don’t be lazy.
A few hours, a stab here or there. A draft…these things to not a novel make.
PEOPLE WANT TO SKIP STEPS
–Getting an agent isn’t hard. Everyone acts like the agent is what’s standing between them and success. The book–the book you HAVEN”T WRITTEN–is what’s standing in your way.
BITING OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW
You don’t have to start with a series. You don’t even have to start with a novel.