Suggestions for New Writers

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Being a writer is one of the most wonderful jobs and at the same time one of the most frustrating. You work for months or years on a manuscript. Each day you reach down in your heart and soul with words that seem to flow from your deepest self. You read it many times to be sure there aren’t any errors. Then your masterpiece is completed! The feeling is awesome! You feel so excited about your work. Now, will anyone publish it? You start researching publishers who publish in your genre and what their guidelines are. You read about the publisher. Do they offer royalties? Is there an advance? Who do you send the manuscript to and how do they want it sent. Do you need an agent? Much information to research. Then you send out your heart. That is what it feels like. Then you wait. Then you wait some more. It seems like an endless period of time before you finally get a response. You are a little nervous. Did they like it? You open the letter and they are nice but let you know your manuscript was good but didn’t fit in their current publishing plans. You get many letters like this. One right after another. Then when you least expect it you get an envelope saying yes they will publish your book. You can hardly breathe you are so excited!

How do you handle the rejections and the waiting? For some it is too difficult and they give up. They didn’t think getting a book published would be so hard. That is alright. This might not have been their calling. If you get up each day wanting to write. If you know in your heart that you have been given a gift and it even goes beyond wanting to write. It is a need. Something you were born to do. If you want to help your readers and touch their hearts and minds. You are a writer! Here are some suggestions I have found which work for me.

While you are waiting for publishers, keep writing on other projects. Keep researching new publishers. Work on getting your name recognized on websites etc. Learn more about the art of writing. Look for an agent to represent you. Most larger publishers want you to have an agent and won’t except a manuscript without one. Keep in mind it is almost as hard to get an agent as it is a publisher.

When you get rejections realize this is all apart of wriitng and you will get many of them. We all do. You can learn something from them. You may get a positive one. That may sound odd, but if a publisher says they aren’t able to publish your work but they would like you to send in other manuscripts. That is great!! You have got your foot in the door.

These are just a few suggestions. I wish you the very best and I hope your book is in stores soon. This is a very hard time for publishers and authors. But if you have passion and perseverance you can make have your book published. The average book that is published with a traditional publisher is 3,000. That is pretty cool! So, hang in there and keep writing.