How I Got My Book Published…Twice!

10 Authors. 10 True Stories. 10 Ways to Get Your Book Published.

Emily Harstone, Editor

Authors Publish Copyright 2016. Do not distribute without explicit permission.

To share this book, please go to: http://www.authorspublish.com/get-your-book-published/

Editor: Emily Harstone

Copy Editor: Marian Black

Associate Editor: Jacob Jans

Contributors: Eric Williams, Shirley Raye Redmond, Janice Oberding, Hester Schell, Patricia Gaydos, Rebecca Ann Smith, Linda Kush, Heather Smith Meloche, Kathryn Olsen, Shani Greene-Dowdell Introduction...... 5

How I got My Book Published…Twice!...... 7

"What are You Looking For?"...... 13

Self-Publishing as a Step Toward Traditional Publication...... 18

That is My Book...... 21

How I Sold Over 7,000 How-to Books...... 26

It is All About the Right Fit...... 32

How a Magazine Article Launchedthe Rice Paddy Navy...... 38

Winning was the First Step...... 45

Lost in Interpretation...... 48

You Should Write a Book!...... 53

Appendix...... 57

Recommended Tools and Resources...... 62 Introduction

Writing makes intuitive sense. One sentence follows another. Anne Lamott might have phrased it best when she said, “Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. . . the act of writing turns out to be its own reward.”

Trying to publish a manuscript is not always intuitive or rewarding. There is a lot of work involved and most of it, like self-promotion, research, and conferences have nothing to do with writing. Because of this, publishing your first book can seem overwhelming.

When it comes to publishing, everyone has an opinion of what is the best thing to do for your book. Some say it is best to self- publish. Others argue for an agent. Some writers say you should approach a publisher directly.

This book isn’t about the "best" way to get published. I don’t claim to know the best way. Neither do the ten authors whose essays are contained in this book.

Each of these authors followed a very different path, some self- published, others obtained an agent, still more approached publishers directly. No matter which path they pursued, all paths led to the same place: successful publication.

Some of these authors, like Kathryn Olsen, are just about to publish their first book. Others, like Shirley Raye Redmond, write full-time, with a number of successful books under their belts.

None of these essays will reveal exactly how to get your book published, but they will give concrete examples of how other people did it.

In the back of this book there is additional information pertaining to agents, publishers, and other resources that will help you publish your manuscript successfully. How I got My Book Published…Twice!

Erik Williams

So, how’d I get my novel Demon published not once, but twice? Well, gather around and I’ll tell you a tale.

It all started back in the spring of 2008. I was in Salt Lake City attending the World Horror Convention. I was a newbie writer with a few short story credits under my belt. I knew the next step was a novel, but had no idea for one. Sometime during that Con, I was walking around the dealer room, looking at all these different small press publishers (because no big publisher would ever take me, cuz I didn’t have a book or an agent, so why not try an easier path? Brilliant!) and their books and a thought occurred to me: I can do this, and I can do it faster and better.

Self-centered? Sure. But sometimes as a writer you need to think that way to fuel the creative drive. To get the pistons humming. You know, all that stuff.

Anyway, I’d been toying with the idea for a short story about a ship that finds a life raft adrift. On board is one guy. And that guy is possessed by a demon. Of course, they don’t know that when they bring him on board. However, they soon find out when all hell breaks loose.

Then I got to thinking, well, where did this guy come from? How’d he become possessed? And who the hell is this demon?

Suffice it to say, the book took on a life of its own. No longer a short story, I knew I had at least a novella in my hands. As I started writing it and learning more about the characters, I came to the conclusion it would be a novel. Not a big one, but your run of the mill trade or mass market paperback size coming in at around 80,000 words.

I plunged in, writing every single day, for multiple hours, until it was done. Side note, it was easier to do when I didn’t have kids. Anyway, in twenty-eight days, I had a finished first draft at just under 80,000 words.

Fast forward to January 2009. I decided to attend Thomas F. Monteleone’s Borderlands Writer’s Bootcamp for novels (I attended a short story bootcamp in 2006). Tom always lines up great professionals who will review (and by review, I mean tear apart) your work and give you honest feedback to make it better. That year I had Tom, author Gary Braunbeck, and a couple of big New York editors as my reviewers. The feedback was priceless and, thankfully, the book was well-received. In fact, for a moment, I thought I might come out of there with a publishing deal. Sadly, it didn’t happen.

In 2010, I sold a novella to Bad Moon Books, a small press specializing in limited edition hardcovers and collectable trade paperbacks. My experience with that book was so positive, I sent them a newly revised Demon. They bought it. So, there, that’s how I got Demon published the first time.

Ah, but what about the second?

Well, that is another story. Demon came out in 2011. The problem about that timing was the small press was imploding, while, at the same time, e-books (especially self-published e-books) were going through a parabolic rise in sales. Nobody wanted to buy the limited edition hardcover (because, hell, the economy sucked and nobody wanted to throw down $50 for a super-duper hardcover). Very few wanted to toss money in the hat for even a trade paperback. Thankfully, I had retained the e-book rights. I did my own cover art and book formatting and put it out to the world of e- commerce myself.

In 2012, sales for Demon had completely stalled. I was making a few bucks in royalties for the electronic edition. I had a sequel ready to go, but was hesitant to pull the trigger. And then came along this open call for submissions to this new e-book only imprint HarperCollins was starting. I figured, “Hey, I have the e- rights to Demon and Harper is accepting reprints. What the hell?” So I sent it off. And quickly forgot about it.

In late 2013, I bought back all the rights to Demon from Bad Moon Books. Basically, I bought what they had remaining in stock and they relinquished their hold on the trade paperback and hardcover rights. It was a good business deal for all sides.

And then something odd happened. I got this e-mail in early 2014 —literally out of nowhere—telling me HarperCollins wanted to publish Demon for their new Harper Voyager Impulse line. They wanted it and the sequel, Guardian, with an option for a third. All they needed to know is if I had all the rights back. Boy howdy, did I!

I quickly fired off all the info required, received the two-book contract with an option for a third, and found myself being published by a big New York publishing house. HarperCollins! Victory!

You may be thinking: Hey, great story. But how did you get your book published…twice! Enough yammering!

Okay, okay. Here’s how I did it: 1. I wrote the book. Sounds obnoxious but, hey, if you don’t have a book, what do you think you’re going to get published?

2. Feedback. Not only feedback from your peers, but also professionals who are gracious enough to give your book a read. Luckily, I had a great writer’s group I was a part of at the time, in addition to capitalizing on my previous experience at the writer’s bootcamp. If I wrote the book, those experiences forged it.

3. My experience with the publisher of my first novella gave me an “in” where I could contact them whenever I wanted with possible other projects. Having these kind of relationships are invaluable. Instead of going in a slush pile, you go into the To Be Read pile, which may still be big, but not legendary like some slush piles are.

4. Keeping my e-rights for the first round helped me pocket some money. It also made it easy to submit to other markets, since I had retained them.

5. My decision—after realizing sales in the small press weren’t ever going to pick up—to buy back my print rights was, in hindsight, brilliant. Yes, I had to fork out some money out of my own pocket, but after I had, the book was mine again.

6. The HarperCollins open call was a huge opportunity. I didn’t think I had a chance, but sometimes you have to say, “What the hell?” Thankfully, when that opportunity came to fruition, I had the rights in my pocket to make the transition very easy.

7. As any experienced writer will tell you, this stuff doesn’t happen fast. Publishing is a snail’s world. It moves slowly and deliberately. But sometimes, unexpected and outstanding things happen you never dreamed possible. Be ready for them.

Erik Williams is a former naval officer and current defense contractor (but he's not allowed to talk about it). He is also the author of Demon, Guardian, and Bigfoot Crank Stomp, and numerous small press works and short stories. He currently lives in San Diego with his wife and three daughters. When he's not at his day job, he can usually be found chasing children or coveting carbohydrates. You can visit his website here: www.erikwilliams.blogspot.com "What are You Looking For?"

Shirley Raye Redmond

Eager to put my first children’s picture book manuscript in front of a Random House editor, I signed up for a writing retreat sponsored by the New Mexico chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Each attendee was guaranteed a private twenty minute critique session with the editor. When my turn came, I eagerly presented my fictional story and held my breath, waiting for her response.

She smiled and said, “Nice story, but it’s not the sort of thing I buy. Other editors at Random House do, but not me.”

Needless to say, I was crushed. I could have thanked her politely and given up the rest of my time with her. Instead, I asked the question that changed my writing life: “What are you looking for?” I wanted to know.

She explained that what she really wanted was nonfiction readers for the Random House Step into Reading line. She admitted that writing such books was not considered glamorous, but they sold well and most major publishers had their own line. I had no idea what she was talking about. “What’s a reader?” I asked.

The editor went on to explain that while both readers and picture books were illustrated, a picture book was intended to be read to a child, while a reader was structured in such a way that a youngster could read the book on her own. I also learned that nonfiction titles for youngsters do not go out of print as quickly as fictional ones, and that teachers, parents, and school librarians are always looking for kids’ books on nonfiction topics that tie into the school curriculum.

Following the retreat, I took the first available opportunity to check out readers at my local bookstore. I quickly found them in a spinning carousel. There were lots of titles on just about everything —from dogs and dolphins, wolves and whales, to anecdotal stories about U.S. presidents.

These simply written paperback books were aimed at youngsters in kindergarten through third grade. As the editor had mentioned, most of the major publishers had a line of readers. These books all looked the same—easily identified as readers and much cheaper to purchase than the picture books available for sale.

I bought a dozen and took them home to study the formatting, sentence structure, word count and diction. Each had a story arc— a distinct beginning, middle and end with interesting episodes in between to keep the story narrative moving forward. After doing a little market research, I was surprised to learn how well these little books sold. For instance, Joyce Milton’s Dinosaur Days sold more than one million copies and had surpassed its fiftieth printing by the time I’d discovered the book some years ago.

After doing my homework, I decided I would tackle a new project and write a nonfiction reader of my own. Recently, I had taken a family trip to Yellowstone National Park and learned a great deal about Lewis and Clark’s adventures out west. I decided to write an 850 word manuscript about the explorers' attempt to capture a living prairie dog to send to President Thomas Jefferson back in Washington, D.C.

When I submitted my manuscript to the Random House editor for consideration, I pointed out that the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition was just around the corner. In a matter of months, I received a contract and an advance for Lewis and Clark: A Prairie Dog for the President from the editor I’d met at the retreat. That same year, I also sold a second manuscript to the same editor: Tentacles! Tales of the Giant Squid. These titles were released in paperback for bookstore sales and in hard cover for libraries. Both titles have hundreds of thousands of copies. Scholastic purchased book club rights for both titles—more than once. MacMillan purchased textbook rights for the Lewis and Clark title. That book has even been translated into French—Lewis et Clark, Un Chien de Prairie pour le President. Each of these sales resulted in a nice financial bonus for me.

Insisting that it was not wise to put all my eggs in one basket, my agent Irene Kraas (now retired) made a deal with Simon & Schuster to purchase two other nonfiction reader manuscripts for their Ready to Read line: The Dog That Dug for Dinosaurs and Pigeon Hero! Pigeon Hero! won an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Book Award.

These sales opened many doors for me. I have gone on to sell more than two dozen children’s books—both fiction and nonfiction. I continue to earn royalties on these early titles as well, and am so glad I took the time to ask, “What are you looking for?”

Shirley Raye Redmond is a full-time writer with an M.A. in Literature. Her most recent nonfiction reader, Fairies! A True Story (Random House), gives young readers the details of the Cottingley Woods fairy photographs that fooled a gullible Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Connect with her at www.shirleyrayeredmond.com Self-Publishing as a Step Toward Traditional Publication

Janice Oberding

A lot of writers still think that self-publishing a book ensures that it will never be taken seriously by a traditional publisher. I never believed that. In fact, my self-published books actually opened traditional publishing doors for me.

I guess you could say that I found a need and filled it. There were a lot of regional nonfiction ghost/history books out there. But there were none for my state (Nevada). I wrote my first book, Haunted Nevada, and self-published it as an expediency to seeing my name on the front cover of a book. That was fifteen years ago. Since then, I’ve written and self-published nine other regional ghost/history books and one true crime book.

There’s no reason to write a book if no one is going to read it. Being self-published, I had to do my own marketing and promoting. This was nearly as much work as the writing had been. I’d heard all the arguments against self-publishing. I’d witnessed firsthand many of the obstacles. But I wasn’t about to be stigmatized with the self-published label. I realized that even in an alternate universe, my books probably wouldn’t be appearing on the NY bestselling list, so my goal was to find ways to make damn sure that readers saw them.

I decided to become an expert on my subject matter. I contacted the local community college and offered non-credit classes in my field of interest. Along the way, I met many people who became readers and thus helped get my name (and that of my books out there).

My books had attracted readers and I’d sold much more than the two dozen or so they say most self-published books sell. Still, I wanted the attention of a traditional publisher. I looked at my books with a critical eye. The printer had done a beautiful job with the covers. The material was good, but I knew it could be better.

Honestly, what writer hasn’t looked at their earlier writings and seen the need to rewrite? I did. And so I got to work and rewrote two of my early books. Haunted Nevada was my first book. But it wasn’t the first to be published by a traditional publisher (it was published later by Stackpole Books). That honor went to my Haunting of Las Vegas that was published by Pelican Publishing. I approached Stackpole through the internet and Pelican via snail mail. I like the internet. It is absolutely a Godsend to writers. I maintain a presence on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. And because of this, I have fans. Certainly not as many as novelist Dan Brown, but enough so that when an acquisition editor for History Press started looking for someone to do regional books on Nevada’s ghosts history and haunts, my name came up. That might sound more like luck than an actual game plan. Yes, luck may have had something to do with it. But I also knew that if I hadn’t ever self-published my books and promoted and marketed them for all they were worth, I probably wouldn’t have heard from History Press.

Janice Oberding has self-published over a dozen books and had six books published by traditional publishers: Stackpole Books, Pelican Publishing and History Press. She teaches non-credit classes on how to get your book published and self-publishing at Truckee Meadows Community College. That is My Book

Hester Schell

My book came after much urging from two friends, who not only encouraged me, but insisted I publish all the pearls of wisdom I was dishing up for my students. They kept asking, “When are you going to put all this in a book?” I kept telling them, “The market is already saturated with books on this.” and “The world really doesn’t need another one.” Truly, there was already a plethora on this content out there. My limited thinking was, there’s no way another one would sell.

So, months later there I was again, on the phone with a potential client, answering the most obvious questions, the kind of basic questions that they should know the answers to. That was my “eureka” moment. It hit me: That’s my book. If this person has this level of questioning and truly doesn’t know how to get done what they need to get done, then others are out there as well.

In that flash, that “eureka” moment, I realized that while my friends were thinking about a particular segment of our industry on one side of the aisle, my potential client was on other side of the aisle. There it was staring at me: change the targeted audience, adjust the approach for a different part of this industry, a different audience. Write a book on casting aimed at directors.

After an hour or so of online research I discovered—much to my surprise—that there were no other books on this topic targeted to this other side of the aisle reader in need of help. There was not a single book about casting written for directors. What I did find was a chapter here or there in a very limited arena of college text books or a bit in an occasional blog or advice column on what to do and how. But believe it or not, there just wasn’t a thorough step-by-step resource guide.

I had found a niche occupied by no one else. I had something no one else had for an audience no one was targeting. Today, my book is still the only full volume on the topic.

What? Hasn’t everything been written about already? It’s so rare in today’s world, and nearly never happens, especially in non-fiction. It wasn’t so much that the content was unique. It was that my book would be for a different segment of our industry.

This was the shift that did it: shifting the audience.

Next, it was the query letter and the online submission form. I pitched the book to the two top publishers in my field. Since I knew no one had published on this topic for this audience, I sat down to write that short and perfect query letter, emphasizing “Don’t take my word for it. Check Amazon, Barnes and Noble, any bookseller you want, and you won’t find a full volume guidebook on the market.” I didn’t even tell them the topic until the very last paragraph of the query letter. I grabbed their attention with “No one else has written for this audience,” and waited to spill the beans until the very last paragraph to reveal the audience. I got the two publishers curious with “Go look.” I motivated them to check it out for themselves with “I was as surprised as you’re going to be.”

The head of acquisitions from one publisher said, “We like it, and we can get it into our pipeline in about six months. Please recontact at that time.” The head of the other got back to me in about thirty minutes saying, “If you will send us your table of contents, we’ll take a look.” So I did, and within a few days I had a book deal with the world leader in film publishing do-it-yourself books, Michael Wiese Productions, out of Los Angeles.

Sales were not great and after five years my publisher informed me they were dropping the title and placing the book on “out of print status.” Perhaps it was a really sunny day or maybe it was because it was nearly my birthday, I refused to get upset that day back in February of 2015. How could the only book targeting this audience go out of print? Ridiculous. So, rather than put myself through a fit of depression, I immediately went to that other publisher who had put me off for six months, five years ago. I filled in the online submission pitch form and simply spoke from the heart. I told them all this had happened just as I was thinking about revisions for a 2nd edition. I reminded them that they had passed on the book five years ago, and that still, no one else had published to my targeted readership. Would they like to take on the 2nd edition? Might they want to give it a stronger textbook focus?

You know where this is going. They said, “Yes.” The new revamped, redesigned, updated and improved book would include a new companion website (which they would design) with a blog to reach students and keep in touch with my readers and fans. My new publisher, Focal Press, part of Taylor & Francis, a subsidiary of the global power house Routledge, was bigger in the textbook market and had a full staff to get the book out to schools, colleges and universities.

It was thrilling and it still amazes me. Here I am, five years later, working on the 2nd edition.

So, what’s this book about? It’s a resource guide about the casting process of hiring actors for the entertainment industry, a step-by- step procedural manual of standard industry practices and resources. But it’s not for actors. A plethora of books had already occupied that market. There were numerous books on auditioning, for actors to learn how to do it better and land jobs. But what about all those new, young, low budget and independent film directors coming into the industry?

So, how did I get my book published? By identifying a unique and specific targeted audience, and a lot of luck. How did I get my 2nd edition with a new publisher? By not giving up, either on my content or myself, and by understanding that old adage: write about what you know about.

Now that I have my foot in the door at one of the largest global book publishers, I hope the jump across the hall to fiction will be a bit easier when I’m ready to pitch my novel.

Hester Schell, MFA, is an award winning comedy director, master acting teacher and recovered academic. She resides in Portland, Oregon and is working on a novel and several scripts with roles for middle-aged and senior women. The second edition of her book, Casting Revealed: A Guide for Film Directors, hit shelves in summer 2016. How I Sold Over 7,000 How-to Books

Patricia Gaydos

My self-publishing career began while I was earning a MA degree in Publication Design at the University of Baltimore. I was an intern working in the graphic design lab. My job was basically to assist students who were in the graduate program and were using Adobe Publication software.

The software included Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, and PageMaker. My opportunity presented itself one morning while I was on duty in the lab. The software instructor had quit without notice, leaving the lab director in a lurch. The director approached me and asked if I knew anyone who was proficient in PageMaker and may be available to teach a two-hour workshop. He said the workshop was scheduled for the next evening.

Now keep in mind, I had no experience teaching when the light went off in my head. My husband, who was a successful entrepreneur, always said, “When an opportunity presents itself, put your foot in the door and don’t let it close.” So the next thing I knew, I was saying, “I know PageMaker and am willing to teach the workshop.” The director replied, “I’ll let you know,” and within an hour my career as a self-publisher of printed books began. Notice that I said "printed books." Electronic e-books did not yet exist. The year was 1992.

The next evening, I taught my first workshop and discovered that I enjoyed teaching and sharing my knowledge with others. I remember thinking, my goal is to write and layout books, not teach software. But here I was teaching. And by the end of the semester, I was officially the software instructor for the publication program.

After instructing a few workshops, my director then asked me if I would put together handouts to aid the students whom I was teaching. I said “yes.” Those handouts eventually evolved into booklets including a cover and table of contents. My husband next advised me to ask my director for permission to sell my booklets in the workshops. I asked and he said yes.

I sold my booklets for $10.00. Since writing and designing books were my crafts of choice, my booklets were a great success. Just about every student in my workshops happily bought one. The input from the students who clarified my written directions was immeasurable in producing great books. My books were selling and I was honing my skills. I was also earning an intern stipend, an hourly wage for teaching workshops, and receiving booklet sales. My next step up my ladder to success came after I graduated from the publication program. I secured a position as the Director of Digital Education at a large printing company. I was basically a liaison who instructed graphic designers in the use of the Adobe programs and how to setup digital files for the printing press. I now had the opportunity to sell my booklets to these designers and clients. I still taught the workshops at the university two evenings a week.

My husband told me it was now time for a price increase because of the continuous Adobe software updates. He said, “Software updates means book updates.” He also said, “Why not ask if the university will include the cost of the booklets in the registration fee.” So I outlined a proposal, presented it to my director, and within a week the proposal was accepted. I now decided to include "update time" in the cost of the booklet and increased the cost to $15.00.

In 1998 and 4,000 sold books later, my husband and I moved to Florida. I was hired as an adjunct at Daytona Beach Community College teaching Adobe Photoshop and digital design. Realizing the value of my booklets, I made an appointment with the bookstore manager and was granted approval to sell my books through the college bookstore for a 30% per book fee. Students who registered in my classes were directed to purchase my book to enable them to follow my instructions in the classroom.

As the years passed, the information and techniques increased in my booklets, as did the amount of pages. I had always printed my booklets from a home printer and bound them using a long arm staple gun.

But with the increase in pages, I now required a professional cutter to trim the page edges (creep). So I researched the area in which I lived and found a print shop with a large paper trimmer. The owner agreed to trim my books for ten cents per book. My booklets had grown into books. I had by now also inserted a CD in the back of each book; the CD contained technique exercises and an e-book version of my print book in PDF format. It could be opened and read on any computer using the free Adobe Acrobat Program.

With the increased expenses, I raised the price of the books by $22.00 to cover the bookstore fee, the physical cost of the CDs, the CD design, book trimming, plus the basic printing expenses such as paper stock, ink, and staples.

Today, I am retired, but I still dabble in the marketplace. I’m still teaching workshops and selling books. I have sold approximately 7,000 printed Adobe Photoshop books. It may not sound like a lot of sales to you, especially if you have expectations of selling millions. But for me, my goal remains the same as it did back in 1992 when I was in the Publication Design Program: to write and layout books

I no longer teach Adobe programs; instead, I teach Amazon Kindle workshops and sell Kindle manuals in both print and e-book formats. I take my workshops to libraries and Adult Education Programs. I also sell e-book versions on Amazon and Barnes and Noble’s marketing sites. I still print my own books, but I no longer have to limit the number of book pages; in today’s market, the necessary tools are both available and affordable. My trimmer trims up to 400 pages and I can purchase binding glue, cover stock, and ink at a reasonable price via the internet. What a wonderful world a writer/publisher lives in today.

I am a successful self-publisher. A feeling of satisfaction fills me every time I walk into my office and look at my self-published books lined up on a shelf, or when I open my e-mail and see the subject line "Pay Day" from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. And the most rewarding part of my story is that I never have to share my profits with anyone. I do it all myself. After all, I am both a writer and self-publisher. Patricia Gaydos is a how-to writer who has successfully written and marketed a series of six self-published Adobe Photoshop books. She recently mastered the Kindle tablet and has written a Kindle Fire User Manual. All books are in print and e-book format. It is All About the Right Fit

Rebecca Ann Smith

It’s a cliché, but I got my break the moment I stopped trying.

You know the way a person gives up on dating, and meets the love of their life in the post office that very afternoon? Or perhaps better, given the subject of my novel, you know that old story about the couple who decides to walk away from another grueling round of IVF, only to fall pregnant naturally?

Back in 2010, I’d written what I thought was a well-polished, high- concept, psychological thriller about fertility medicine; a kind of Handmaid’s Tale meets Brave New World, by way of Before I Go to Sleep.

I’d already been through several drafts, workshopped scenes with my writing group, changed the ending several times (as well as the point of view and the names of half the characters). It had to be finished, right?

I did some research, drew up a list of agents. My book was so great it was bound to get snapped up. When nobody signed me I wasn’t disheartened. I’d seen successful writer friends jump through all manner of hoops to get their agents, and later their publishing deals. When one agent told me she’d be interested to read a rewrite and gave me the name of an independent editor she trusted, I took that as encouragement. I spent a year rewriting and resubmitted, expecting good news.

When the news came it wasn’t good. The agent liked the rewrite, but not enough to take me on. "Keep trying," she said.

A friend suggested a new project might help. So I wrote another novel, and for a while got very excited about that. My writing tutor told me she expected to see it published. I polished the manuscript, and sent it out to agents.

Almost exactly the same thing happened. There was plenty of praise for the concept, and for my writing, but no contract on offer. A couple of agents said they’d be interested to see the book reworked, others offered to read the next book I wrote.

Somewhat shaken, I threw myself into yet another new project. It was much better than those other books, I knew it was. I sent it out to agents, filled with new hope.

Exactly the same thing happened. There’s something particularly demoralizing about hearing "nearly, but not quite" time and time again, year after year. How should I respond to this latest one? Spend another year rewriting? And then what? None of these agents were offering to sign me if I rewrote according to their notes. By this time, I’d written four novels that were "promising" but not "good enough" to win me representation. I didn’t appear to be moving forward, or getting any closer. How would I ever make the leap?

Then I saw a tiny ad in the news section of Writing Magazine, a call for submissions from a small independent press called Mother’s Milk Books. They were looking for uplifting stories about parenting and breastfeeding for an anthology. A quick glance at their website confirmed the kind of publisher this was: poetry pamphlets, beautifully illustrated children’s books, anthologies of fairy-tales.

Of course, I hadn’t written uplifting, encouraging prose or poetry about early parenthood.

What I’d written was an occasionally violent, often confusing thriller, with shed-loads of plot, a dark conspiracy theory at its heart, a complicated timeline, and a borderline unreliable narrator. It wasn’t the kind of book you’d buy a new mum to offer her some encouragement. It was the kind of book you’d buy Steig Larsson if you wanted to give him a headache.

But it had lots of breastfeeding in it (along with a couple of gruesome medical procedures, and a very nasty bout of mastitis).

I wrote an email to Mother’s Milk Books and attached my manuscript. The email took me about fifteen seconds to write and I’m not even sure I read it over before I pressed send. I thought, they’ll never publish it, never in a million years. I think I just wanted someone else to read it, before I put it away for good.

I’d spent years waiting, hoping, dreaming, yearning for agents to come back to me with the response I wanted. This time I didn’t expect any reply; I forgot all about the email.

So I was amazed when some time later the editor at Mother’s Milk Books emailed back to say she loved my book. There was a lot wrong with it, she said. It was much too long, and much too complicated. The plot needed streamlining, and did I really need quite so many point-of-view characters? But it was a brilliant idea, compelling, and, she felt, important.

I braced myself for "rewrite it, resubmit and maybe we’ll look at it again." I wasn’t sure I had it in me to get back on that treadmill. But she didn’t tell me to rewrite and resubmit. Instead, she sent me a publishing contract, and then she worked with me to make the book better. We had a few long phone calls (we didn’t live close enough to meet in person) and we went back and forth by email.

When I handed in the rewrite we treated that like a first draft. She sent me copious notes on what was wrong with this version and I worked through a structural edit; then she sent me more notes on the following draft. And then there was the copy edit.

So, yes, it’s been a long process, but there’s a world difference between "not quite, try again," and someone who believes in a book – even the idea of a book – enough to bear with you while you struggle to make it work.

Baby X comes out in June 2016. I’ve just seen a draft of the cover illustration and I love it.

I still haven’t got an agent.

Rebecca Ann Smith writes novels for adults, teenagers and children. Her first published novel, Baby X will be published by Mother’s Milk Books in 2016. She's interested in creativity, feminism and social justice, and blogs about swimming, parenting, writing and other random bits and pieces at www.rebeccaannsmith.co.uk She lives in West Sussex with her husband and two young sons and works part-time as a copywriter and project manager. How a Magazine Article Launched the Rice Paddy Navy

By Linda Kush

I never imagined that I would be a published author. But at the age of fifty-eight, I found myself at a podium at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., reading from my first book, The Rice Paddy Navy.

Although I began writing professionally late in life, the dream of being a writer dated back to my childhood. After completing my bachelor’s degree the year I turned fifty, I finally had a chance to realize my dream.

I started writing freelance stories for local newspapers in Boston, while working part-time as an editorial assistant for a university alumni magazine. As a late bloomer in an evolving profession, I couldn’t risk giving up my day job, but I kept striving for more complex stories in larger publications.

Looking for a new challenge, I set a goal to publish in a national magazine. I had a great story that I had uncovered through family history research. My father, who died in 1979, had served in the U.S. Navy in China during World War II, teaching demolition techniques to members of the Chinese army.

Researching his service career, I discovered that he had been part of the Sino-American Cooperative Organization (SACO), a complex, top-secret Navy group of spies, weather forecasters, and military advisors. This organization worked intimately with the Chinese army in the fight against the Japanese occupation of China.

Friends were intrigued by the story. It seemed to be the perfect vehicle to break into magazine writing, and I pitched it to World War II Magazine. The editor loved it and assigned me to write an article.

The effort to cram this remarkable tale into 2,500 words was painful, because there was so much to tell. Based in the mountains of central China, U.S. Navy personnel established posts throughout the country. They traveled on foot, via sampan, and in charcoal- powered trucks, working in caves and abandoned Buddhist temples. The cast of characters included friendly Chinese pirates, a gun-toting-moonshine-making Catholic missionary, a Thai princess, and Chiang Kai-Shek. My piece could offer a mere glimpse into this multi-layered story. By the time I filed the article, I had plans to write a book about SACO as a retirement project.

But an incredibly lucky break advanced my timeline.

A few weeks after the issue of World War II Magazine hit the newsstands in November 2010, a message from a stranger appeared in my LinkedIn mailbox. Kelli Christensen, a freelance acquisitions editor in Chicago, had seen the article and recognized the story’s potential. She asked if I would consider writing a book. Her client, Osprey Publishing, a military history publisher based in London, was seeking new titles to expand its American market.

Kelli and I spent an hour on the phone. She believed in the story and in my ability to write it. She equated the project with writing twenty magazine articles in a year, which seemed possible—if challenging—to me. She would help me assemble the book proposal, and if Osprey accepted it, I would receive an advance of $5,000.

After I hung up, I was ecstatic but scared. I had never attempted such a large project, and I felt utterly unqualified for the job. Osprey was a serious military history publisher, and other than what I had learned through the article, I knew nothing about the military or China. Besides, the offer seemed rather slim for twenty magazine articles. After discussing it with my partner, I realized I could not pass up this opportunity. No one calls an unpublished author and asks her to write a book!

Additional research convinced me to request a larger advance. I agreed to write the proposal on the condition that if accepted, the advance would be $1,000 higher. And Osprey said yes.

Kelli provided the format and instructions for the proposal and gave me two weeks to map out the book, chapter by chapter. I had expected Osprey to request revisions, but the proposal was accepted without changes.

I had one year to write 100,000 words.

My original intent had been to visit an archive in Washington, D.C. for research, but lacking the time and the money, I had to abandon that plan. Instead, I relied mostly on secondary sources.

Fortunately, as a staff member at Harvard University, I had all its libraries at my disposal. I read hundreds of articles and books, including an early manuscript of the published memoir by the founder and leader of SACO, Milton Miles. I interviewed scholars and a few surviving SACO veterans. Then I supplemented with primary source materials available by mail and online. I realized that my book would not break new historical ground, but it would introduce an intriguing, little-known piece of history to a new audience. I focused on writing an exciting adventure story for the general reader, emphasizing colorful characters and anecdotes.

But six months into the project, my fragile confidence was shaken by a conversation I had with a new acquaintance. As I described the book, he asked brightly, “Then you have a PhD?” When I said I did not, he snapped, “Well, how can you be writing a book like that without a PhD?”

PhD! I had barely managed a bachelor’s degree. That remark played on my deepest insecurities. Still fretting over my book’s lack of primary sources, I felt like an imposter tapping away on my laptop in the library.

But when I delivered the first chapters to Kelli, she was delighted. My work far exceeded her expectations.

Writing the book was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. As I wrote the final chapter, in which the SACOs left China one by one, a surprising wash of sadness swept over me. I, too, was leaving China, a place I had come to love, although I had never been there. And I would never see it, because the China of my imagination, if it ever existed, was long gone. The opportunity to publish my book was a stroke of luck, but I have since realized that I contributed to my good fortune in several crucial ways.

It took nerve to embark on a freelance writing career later in life. As a fifty-year-old cub reporter, I eagerly lapped up my editors’ advice and improved my skills quickly.

I recognized a great story, and my hunch that it would resonate with editors proved to be correct.

My LinkedIn profile helped Kelli find me. I had initially discounted advice to join LinkedIn, but once convinced, I took it seriously. My profile emphasized not my “real” job at Harvard, but the freelance writer I wanted to be. I included a professional photo and regularly added to my publication list. Kelli recognized me as the writer of the magazine article and a potential book author.

Self-doubt plagued me throughout the process and threatened to paralyze me. But with the help of loved ones, I overcame it. I reminded myself that the Osprey editors had asked me to write the book after seeing my resume, and my lack of an advanced degree had not deterred them.

I am very proud of The Rice Paddy Navy. It received good reviews in several media outlets, including the The Washington Times and the monthly newsletter of the CIA. I was invited to speak at the International Spy Museum and at Harvard University Extension School.

But the accolades I treasure most came from SACO veterans, men in their 80s and 90s who loved the book and were deeply grateful to have their story revealed. They invited me to their reunion two years ago, and I still correspond with them.

Soon after I finished the book, my job and family responsibilities increased, rendering it impractical for me to jump into another book with a deadline. I am now working at my own pace on a historical novel about Polish immigrants in old Chicago.

Linda Kush is the author of The Rice Paddy Navy, a book about the U.S. Navy’s secret operation in China during World War II. She is a freelance writer based in Boston and has published in many magazines and newspapers. She is a communications coordinator at Harvard Business School. Winning was the First Step

Heather Smith Meloche

“You should submit this short story to the Hunger Mountain contest.”

It was a simple suggestion stated back in 2011 by one of my critique partners regarding my short story in verse, “Him.” At the time, I had no idea that comment would lead to me getting an agent and then a contract for a novel from Penguin Putnam.

When I first started writing for children and teens back in 2001, I went to tons of conferences, workshops, and anything that would help me learn the craft and the industry better. I remember going to a presentation with the very talented children’s writer Lisa Wheeler. Lisa had mentioned, prior to publication, she gauged her progress as a writer through contests. If she got an honorable mention, she knew she was progressing. Once she started taking top prizes, she started submitting to publishers, and she was quickly realized as a strong talent and given contracts.

So I sent stories to various contests. I won a couple of top prizes from the Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition and continued searching for strong contest options. After my critique member’s suggestion, I submitted “Him” to the Vermont College of Fine Arts’ literary journal, Hunger Mountain, for their annual Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing. I got a call several months later from Hunger Mountain’s editor to tell me I had won. I was over-the-moon thrilled, but my success didn’t stop there. After the story was published in Hunger Mountain, I got an email from a very seasoned agent, Heather Schroder; at the time she was with International Creative Management and has since started her own agency, Compass Talent, in New York City.

Submitting to reputable contests that editors and agents took notice of was a golden way for me to get my foot in the publishing door. My agent said she randomly checked out Hunger Mountain to see what kind of talent was there, and when she read my winning story, it really resonated with her. I’ve been working with her on various projects since then, and she’s sold my novel based on “Him” to Penguin Putnam. It will be released in the fall of 2016.

Heather Smith Meloche’s work has appeared in Spider, Young Adult Review Network (YARN), and Once Upon A Time. She has placed in the children’s/YA category of the Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition and the Hunger Mountain Katherine Paterson Prize. Penguin Putnam will release her debut novel, Ripple, in Fall 2016.

Lost in Interpretation

Kathryn Olsen

Ten months ago, a friend invited me on an adventure. We worked together and she had overheard enough of my conversations with clients to be impressed with my Spanish fluency. So she suggested that I pay a $25 testing fee to evaluate my English skills and start the process of becoming a certified court interpreter. She was Peruvian and I was flattered, so I said yes.

The next few months saw me sitting through workshops and observations, and it was honestly one of the best learning experiences of my life. One of the things I took away from the training was what the trainer called “intralingual interpretation.” The best example of this was when we had to describe a victim as lying in a pool of blood. In the heat of the moment, almost every student chose to interpret “a pool of blood” as “una pecina de sangre.” Individually, those words were correct, but the phrase literally described a person in a swimming pool full of blood. We discussed the true meaning and revised the interpretation to say “un charco”—a puddle.

Intralingual interpretation is the deceptively simple process of finding another way to say something without changing an iota of its meaning. This is an instinctive step in interlingual interpretation most of the time, but it’s not always that simple.

On the surface, this account from a courthouse conference room has nothing to do with the publishing process, but one aspect of getting my book into its finished form required a lot of intralingual interpretation. To be clearer, this is the story of how I finally came up with the ending to my 21st-century retelling of Swan Lake.

I am not alone in having problems with the finale of this fairy tale. In its original form, the ballet ended with the lovers drowning at the hands of the evil sorcerer. After Tchaikovsky’s death, his brother decided that the lovers should break the curse by throwing themselves into the lake. At my alma mater, a version was done in which the world’s most artistic stage fighting led to the sorcerer being defeated with fisticuffs.

Drafts one and two of Swan and Shadow ended with the lovers choosing to separate and the swan maiden voluntarily returning to her cursed life. My roommate/informal editor read that version and cried as much as I did while writing it. I sent in draft three to two editors and sat back to nervously wait.

When the editor who acquired my book first contacted me, she told me that my prose was lovely and witty, the characters interesting and the ending untenable. I’d long dreamed—as a fanfiction writer —of having my first "shipper" (someone who is a diehard fan of one particular romantic couple and also a fan of the fanfiction written on that couple), but didn’t think that it would happen in the form of an editor telling me that there was no good reason for the romance to fail.

Naturally, I respectfully argued. I pointed out the obvious reason that they had gone through a catastrophic argument. I then informed her that the swan maiden’s proverbial prince might have been right for her at seventeen, but would be unsuitable for her when she was ready to marry after college. On her invitation, I even sent over the synopsis of the second book, in which the swan maiden marries another worthy man from the first book. She granted that in the grand scheme of things, she understood why I wanted to keep the ending as is, but she could not move past that objection.

Let me pause here to say that her idea wasn’t dumb or wrong or invalid, but it was not mine. I felt as though she were speaking my native language with a very confusing accent. In the interest of bridging that language barrier, I explained that for the swan maiden, the bravest thing she ever does is to choose the curse over a loveless relationship. I finally put into words why I’d chosen that ending. It was unpleasant, I told her, but it wasn’t unrealistic; the split was based on a former relationship of mine. I didn’t tell the editor that I myself had left an abusive marriage and suffered my own curse of PTSD in the aftermath. The character was only like me in that moment of courage and I didn’t want to lose that.

I thought the discussion would come to a close at that point, but she wouldn’t yield. She asked if a greater act of courage wasn’t staying. With that question, I decided to explore that angle.

I started by deleting everything that followed the beginning of the fight. I relinquished a scene that depicted depression more honestly and personally than anything else I have ever written. I borrowed a few lines to set the stage, but brought the characters to an understanding instead of a breaking point. The moment of understanding led to an unplanned moment of compromise, and while the curse still held sway, hope returned to the story.

In the original version, the character finished this episode of her tale with an act of courage. Because of a literary form of intralingual interpretation, she lost none of that bravery. It was not the ending I wanted, but it was the resolution that I unexpectedly needed. Kathryn Olsen (aka Kaki) has been to 17 countries on five continents. After an illustrious upbringing in Massachusetts, she studied English at Brigham Young University. As a result, she's been known to find theological flaws in zombie lore and Peruvian sacrifice metaphors in Superman movies. When not working a desk job or overanalyzing media, she enjoys writing about anything from possessed iPhones to dragon-smuggling androids and has been called upon to lecture on writing by various organizations. Her debut novel, Swan and Shadow, was published in March, 2016. You Should Write a Book!

Shani Greene-Dowdell

The year was 2005 and I was sitting in my cubicle doing what a lot of people do at work–daydreaming. My coworker was sitting beside me telling a grand, new story about her romantic life. Her stories were as interesting as some of the stories I’d read from my Black Expressions subscription. As I was taking in the juiciness of her latest tale, I said, “You should write a book.” I was confident that if she crafted one of the stories into a novel, I would be able to say I worked with a bestselling author.

When I suggested that she write a book, she looked at me and said, “You’re the one who loves books, so you should write a book!” Hearing those words did something for me. It was the first time I seriously thought about writing as a career. Before then, I’d followed national bestselling authors and imagined that I’d written an acclaimed novel that was the staple of households in America, but I had never acted on it. Needless to say, I took her up on the challenge and started drafting my first novel, Keepin’ It Tight, in 2005.

In early 2006, I was watching BET and I heard a musician say to follow him on Myspace. I got on the computer, created an account, and followed him. I also started connecting with friends and eventually with people who loved books. I began blogging about different topics, including sharing some of my writing. I began researching publishers and reading the many stories of authors who had received rejection letters before they were published. To skip past this process of rejection, I chose to self-publish using Lulu.com.

When my book went live in May of 2007, I had one person purchase my book, out of the hundreds who promised to support it. It was disheartening to get only one sale, but I was determined. I found a print company that had affordable rates, printed 200 copies of my book, and began selling the books everywhere I went. Within one month, those books were sold. I began scheduling book signings at military bases, festivals, and I joined a group of writers and toured, signing copies of Keepin’ It Tight in Seattle, Cincinnati, New Jersey, Alabama and Atlanta. By the time the tour was over, I’d sold 500 copies of my debut novel.

Things really started to turn around with the eBook revolution. My second novel was Secrets of a Kept Woman, which I eventually directed and produced as a stage play in 2011 that opened to an audience of 800 people. This live event helped me hit the bestsellers lists for African American Romance, which accounted for most of my sales coming from electronic downloads through Kindle and Nook. The play helped me receive exposure for my books, which totaled over 5000 eBook sales for the Secrets of a Kept Woman title alone.

In 2014, I was blessed to sign with David Weaver Presents, the leading eBook publisher for urban books. In planning my first book to release with David Weaver Presents, I decided to publish a multicultural romance series, which sold 5000 downloads in the first month; the series was a bestseller in the African American Romance and Multicultural Romance categories on Amazon. I wrote five books in 2015 and was able to bring home thirty thousand dollars in 2015 in author income. I’m currently working part-time as a medical transcriptionist, and publishing other authors who are hitting the bestsellers list.

As you can see, my journey to becoming a paid writer was not a short one. I worked a full-time job and raised three children during the process. Now that I’m able to focus more time on my writing, as well as having the support of a publishing machine like David Weaver Presents, I’m finally able to reap the benefits of my creativity.

Shani Greene-Dowdell is a medical typist who turned her love for words into a career as a writer and publisher. This amazing storyteller found her true passion between the pages of her journal while working on her debut novel, Keepin’ It Tight. Shani's work has received special honors at the African American Literary Award Show, SistahFriend Book Club, Imani Book Club, Liberty Theater and The City of Tuskegee Key to the City, among others. You can follow her on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/shanigreenedowdell Appendix

After I finish the first draft of a novel, I always have a great surge of adrenaline. When I was younger, I would enjoy the thrill of completion for days and then start on a new project. It should surprise no one that my early efforts were not published (thank goodness).

Now that I am older and wiser, I know that the first draft is just that, a draft.

If you're not sure if your work is a ready to submit, this article can really be helpful. It covers the three steps you need to follow in order to make sure that your manuscript is ready to be sent out to agents or publishers.

Once you are sure that your manuscript is ready, you can start submitting it. But realize that you still might have to make changes in order for it to be accepted by a publisher or an agent.

For a long time, submitting seemed strange and mysterious to me. It seemed too overwhelming to actually do.

In fact, for the most part, submitting is relatively easy. Most publishers want the same two things - a query letter and a synopsis. They also expect an excerpt of your book, generally the first two chapters.

There are specific requirements that differ from publisher to publisher and from agency to agency; it is good to have a basic query letter and synopsis that you can modify to meet the needs of the given agent or publisher. Just make sure you send the correct version to the right person; it really annoys a publisher to receive submissions with another publisher's name on it. The same goes for agents.

You should spend a lot of time and consideration crafting the cover letter. This is the first impression you will make on agents and publishers. This article is very helpful to read before starting your cover letter. It is written from the perspective of submitting to agents, but all of that information can easily be applied to a small publisher as well.

It is important note that most publishers expect information about your author platform or marketing plan. Don't know where to start in terms of an author platform? Building an Author Platform by Chantelle Atkins is a great place to start.

If you meet a publisher or an agent directly at a conference, most want a pitch. A pitch can also be handy to include in your cover letter. Don't know what a pitch is? This article talks about what a pitch is, and more importantly, how to make a good one. I always include my pitch in my cover letter.

Not all publishers and agents require a synopsis, but many do. Most want a complete synopsis of the plot that fits on one page. By complete synopsis, I mean that they want spoilers. They also generally want information about character development.

It should go without saying, but edit and polish the query letter and synopsis. If you can afford an editor get them to review the query letter, the synopsis, and also the first twenty pages. Twice. Or more. The first twenty pages of the novel are all that most agents and many publishers will initially see, so make sure they are compelling and error free.

M.J. Moores interviewed a literary agent, an editor, and a published author to see what the top reasons most manuscripts are rejected. Her article The Top Three Reasons Most Manuscripts get rejected, should be read before you begin the submission process.

Once you have completed a query letter and a synopsis that you are happy with, start to research where you are going to submit your book. You can start your research earlier if you want. You should decide early on if you want to submit directly to publishers or if you want to submit to an agent.

If you are focusing on finding an agent, you should read the article The Safest Way to Search For an Agent before proceeding. One of the best free reputable search engines for agents is Agent Query. So you can start looking for an agent there.

If you are looking at submitting a manuscript directly to a publisher, our index of manuscript publishers is a good place to start. We always check Preditors and Editors and other watchdog sites before reviewing a publisher.

Remember, there is no such thing as a legitimate traditional publisher that charges its writers. You should be paid by your publisher, not the other way around.

When examining a publisher's website this article will help you know what to keep an eye out for.

Some publishers can respond to submissions within weeks, others within years, so keep that in mind. If you have not heard from a publisher in six months, you should email them to ask about the status of the manuscript, unless they explicitly say they will take longer on their website. Once you find agents or publishers that you feel would be a good fit, you should check and double check their submission guidelines.

Most publishers accept electronic submissions through email or a submission manager, but a few still require submissions through the post. Either way, the publisher’s submission guidelines should walk you through the steps. The same goes for agents.

It is important not to submit to an agent or publisher if they say they are closed to unsolicited submissions. Your manuscript will not be read and in all likelihood you will annoy the person or persons who receive it, which could hurt your chances in the future.

Hopefully this helps give you the courage, the motivation, and the information to start taking steps to turn your manuscript into a published book. If you have any additional questions, please email me at [email protected] Recommended Tools and Resources

As this anthology makes clear, everyone takes their own path to publication. Out of the hundred plus essays I read for this book, less than 10% of the authors had an agent who actually landed them a publisher. About 20% of the authors whose essays I read had an agent who did not work out.

That said, an agent can be very helpful. If you are looking for an agent the following two resources can be very helpful.

The Safest Way to Search For an Agent

This very helpful post by Victoria Strauss really helps authors navigate the overwhelming waters of agents and agencies. Her advice is thorough and practical. She also runs Writers Beware, a great watchdog site for publishers.

Agent Query

This is the largest free reputable agent search engine. If you are in need of guidance in terms of writing a query letter this article is very helpful, not just in terms of writing a query letter for an agent, but also for writing one for a publisher directly.

If you are interested in find a publisher that accepts queries directly, we review one a week in our electronic magazine, which you can subscribe to here. We check all the publishers we review, before reviewing them. The watchdog sites we recommend are listed below. I also recommend that you read our article on how to avoid the wrong publisher and how to evaluate a publishers website.

Preditors & Editors

Preditors & Editors is a website devoted to listing publishers, agents, and book distributors. They are established, reputable, and receive many tips about publishers that are not. If they have a legitimate and verified tip about a publisher, they put the words “Not Recommended” next to the publisher’s name on the listing.

The Index of Agents, Publishers, and Others

This section of the Absolute Writes forum contains a lot of valuable information, particularly about publishers. Because it is a forum, there is a fair amount of speculation and unproven facts mixed in. Writers Beware

A great watchdog site run by Victoria Strauss.

The 2015 Guide to Manuscript Publishers

This book reviews 81 publishers that accept submissions directly – no agent necessary.