The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 1 the 11 Secrets of Getting Published 2

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 1 The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 2

To Leslie Wilson and D’Ann Mateer. We’re in this for life. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 4

Table of Contents

Introduction

Secret 1: Learn the Craft

Secret 2: Develop Discipline

Secret 3: Know the Publishing Industry

Secret 4: Welcome Critique

Secret 5: Write Great Queries and Proposals

Secret 6: Embrace Marketing

Secret 7: Overcome Fear and Rejection

Secret 8: Understand the Key Players

Secret 9: Navigate Writer’s Conferences

Secret 10: Excel in your Genre

Secret 11: Thrive in your Career

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 5 Bonus Section 1: I’d Be Published, But…

Bonus Section 2: Quick Writing Advice

Bonus Section 3: Path to Publication

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 6

Introduction

Years and years ago in the decade of the Nineties, I wanted to be published. I wrote miles of unpublished words, developing my voice. I had some small successes writing video copy for an ultrasound corporation and a packet of homeschooling curriculum, but other than that, I had no idea how to go about getting published—either in a magazine or by a traditional publisher. Around that time, I developed a for–profit newsletter entitled The Giving Home Journal. That small scale venture helped pay for my first computer, and bought our family groceries on occasion. When we moved to a new location, I met a real author—a woman who wrote for a major magazine and had a book contract. I invited her to lunch so I could pick her brain about the secrets of publishing. We sat eating salads while I peppered her with questions. “So, how do you get published?” Silence. Hemming. Hawing. “I’ve tried to get published in magazines, but I think I’m doing something wrong. I send in the article, and all I get back is form letter rejections.” She responded in vagaries. By the end of the meal, I had no clear direction to follow, no understanding of the publishing industry. My author friend guarded those secrets as if she knew them to be national secrets. If she dared let them out, the world would implode. I tried to not let my anger implode me. Leaving that lunch, I made a vow. If I ever figure out the secret to getting published, I will share it with anyone who is interested. The secrets came to me over the period of a decade, bit by bit. I delved into the craft and made myself meet artificial deadlines. I learned how to write a query letter. I joined a critique The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 7 group. I wrestled and wrangled the nonfiction proposal beast. I penned my first novel. I studied the publishing industry just as I had studied the English language. I sold my first article to a major magazine. I became a columnist. I braved conferences. I met then landed an agent. I signed my first book contract. I became proficient in marketing. After all this, I became passionate about helping other writers navigate this crazy publishing process. To do that, I started a blog called WannabePublished and a mentoring service, The Writing Spa1. This book is the compilation of those two endeavors as well as a distillation of several of my writing talks I’ve given around the country. These are the secrets to getting traditionally published. The secrets it took me years to find. They are my gift to you, my way of sitting across a café table from you and answering all your questions. In addition to the 11 Secrets, I’ve provided three bonus sections at the end of the book. The first is how I responded to the excuse, “I’d be published, but …” The second is lists of pithy pieces of writing advice. The third is my story of publication (a longer version than what I’ve shared here). It’s my hope that this book helps you become not only a published writer, but also a writer who dares to spread the joy to other up-and-coming writers. Let’s start a publishing revolution with our mentoring!

With joy,

P.S. Would you be willing to do me a sweet favor? Once you’ve finished this book, would you be so kind as to write a 2-sentence blurb on Amazon for me? Simply click this link: http://amzn.to/pmDSLH Thank you so much!

1 http://www.thewritingspa.com The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 8

Secret 1

Learn the Craft

I start this book with the most important thing a writer needs to know: the craft. Neglect this at your peril. While it’s true that story trumps great writing and a terrific idea can get you published, if you consider yourself a professional, honing your craft will endear you to editors. It will make you stand out from all the other wannabe writers in an agent’s slush pile. Recently an editor from a major publishing house contacted me out of the blue. This led to a phone conversation where he quoted sentences from my memoir that he had committed to memory. “I love the way you use words,” he said. He never would’ve commented on my word-smithing had I not spent years studying the craft. This connection between an editor and my writing may lead to a significant contract. You may feel like learning the craft of writing is monotonous, boring, or insignificant. It is not. It’s the foundation on which you build your writing career. Shortchange this step, and you venture forth with a shaky foundation. Note about these chapters: Since this is a book compiling everything I’ve written about writing, it is divided up in short essays, which makes it easier for you to pick up and read, then put down and practice what you’ve learned. Each heading in bold connotes a new topic beneath the secret. So without further rambling, let’s consider how we can improve our craft. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 9

Write nekkid

I’m reading one of those stark books (like The Kite Runner) where the author writes pretty darned nekkid. What I mean by that is spare, harsh, in-your-face prose, the kind that evokes emotion and curiosity. The book? The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. Digest some of his prose:

“For the most part they carried themselves with poise, a kind of dignity. Now and then, however, there were times of panic, when they squealed or wanted to squeal but couldn’t, when they twitched and made moaning sounds and covered their heads and said Dear Jesus and flopped around on the earth and fired their weapons blindly and cringed and sobbed and begged for the noise to stop and went wild and made stupid promises to themselves and to God and to their mothers and fathers, hoping not to die.” (p. 19).

Beautiful, isn’t it? When I first started writing, I resembled young Anne of Green Gables (which my young daughter mispronounced and called Anne with Green Bagels). Full of pomp and circumstance, my writing flowered its way through sentences and paragraphs. Adjectives and adverbs became my trusted friends. But worse than that was a weird pompousness that came through, like I touted my English major, thank you very much. It reminded me of that poetry you read and go “huh?” afterward. Great, effusive words strung together that had very little meaning. I balked at editorial correction too, thinking myself high and mighty, a wielder of words. But, as the years wore on, I realized great writing isn’t the stuff of prettification. It’s not full of bright lipstick and rouge. It’s natural, stark, raw. I started concocting sentences that evoked emotion that kept rich in its description of place, but spare in its contrivance of human emotion. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 10 Ew. Now I just read that last paragraph and it sounds a bit hoity toity. Maybe I’ll always have Anne and her green New York rolls lurking inside. Even so, I want to write nekkid. To grab my reader and thrust her into the lives of my characters. I want my prose to serve the story, not detract from it. I think it’s working. To prove it, I’ll paste two snippets, one from my first novel (not published) and another from a newer novel (not published). See if you can tell the difference:

Sample one:

When Augusta finished washing the last jelly jar, the sun burst through the mist, and the lake water danced as it did every time the fog dissipated. To call its lifting a miracle might be an exaggeration, but she called it that anyway. Sometimes the house stayed shrouded until suppertime, other days it evaporated all at once. Sometimes it dissipated in tendrils, wild and inconsistent, leaving the valley resembling Grandma Ellsworth’s silvered hair. Today the retreating curtain of fog revealed the fields beyond the lake, their softness in stark contrast to the lake’s prismatic dance.

Sample two:

“We can go up,” he said. “Let’s take the stairs.” “Why not the elevator?” “Don’t you remember?” “Refresh my memory.” “We kissed there once . . . in our pajamas.”

My memories hung on a broken charm bracelet. Some charms suffered from inefficient clasps, dropping along the streets of life, never to be returned. Some broke apart, like the tiny hind leg of a horse that’d never trot again. Some blackened thanks to time’s tarnish. Yet others remained pristine, happy silver clasped securely to the chain. This memory was like none of those. This was a forgotten charm, one so crammed in between broken and happy charms that I’d forgotten it. Rediscovered, its brilliance startled me.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 11 ***

How about you? Can you see transformation in your writing? Are you moving from flowery to nekkid? Or the other way? As you’ve matured, how has your prose altered? Are your stories simpler or more complex?

Two independent clauses

The most consistent problem I see in manuscripts I critique is this: folks don’t know what to do with independent clauses all squished together. So, if you’d like to avoid a blaring mistake, please read this tutorial. An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a sentence. A noun or group of nouns joins forces with a verb or group of verbs to make a statement. Here are some independent clauses:

• It’s hard to believe I’m not yet published. • The agent loves everything I write. • Possum frolic in the spring. • Possum stew tastes like grease.

The problem comes in when we start combining these sentences. This is what I’m seeing:

• The agent loves everything I write and it’s hard to believe I’m not yet published. • Possum frolic in the spring but possum stew tastes like grease.

No! Not only do these sound like run on sentences, they are not combined properly. (Cue English teacher voice here.)

There are three correct ways to combine independent clauses:

1. a comma followed by a conjunction (and, but, or, etc.) 2. a semi-colon between the two clauses The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 12 3. a period at the end of one, the next word capped as the start of another sentence.

To use the possum sentence (nonsensical as it may be):

• Possum frolic in the spring, but possum stew tastes like grease. • Possum frolic in the spring; possum stew tastes like grease. • Possum frolic in the spring. Possum stew tastes like grease.

OK, class. You can go about your business now. Just be sure you’re combining your independent clauses well. If I catch you writing run ons, I’ll get out the ruler.

A double standard

A letter from a reader. (NOTE: the authors she referred to are changed to Author #1, Author #2, and Author #3 to protect the “guilty.”)

Hi Mary,

I’m troubled about something. I’m in the process of writing a novel (first one, I’m a newbie). I’ve been gleaning information from a variety of sources and all suggest (strongly, but in a kind way) to read, read, read, with the goal of learning from those who have been published. Okay, I can accept that. I’ve been doing a lot of reading (listening on Audio CDs actually) and trying to learn from the professional published writers. One example is Author #1 who uses a large amount of internal dialogue and a fair amount of backstory. Author #2 also uses internal dialogue as well as backstory. I do understand that backstory and internal dialogue should be kept to a minimum, so, with that in mind, I’ve attempted to do that. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 13 My novel is close to being completed, and I sent it off to a professional editing service. Below are some of the comments I received: “Also realize that Author #2 is a multi- published bestselling writer and can pretty much get away with writing anything she wants. Look at Author #3, who does head-hopping in her novels! You, however, are trying to break into the publishing industry and unfortunately, that usually means you have to hold to a higher editorial standard than a publishing house’s bestselling authors. It’s not fair, but that’s the way the industry works. I have seen this and it is confirmed by all the agents and editors I have talked to.” This situation sounds like a double standard for the industry. We are instructed to ‘Read and emulate what the professionals do, but don’t do what they do.’ In other words, we (the industry) want you do to it this way, but not the way we do it. What gives?

Dear Writer,

Unfortunately, that’s correct for the most part. Although you do see some pretty cool and wild sentence structures in Leif Enger’s debut novel, Peace Like a River. The point is that you must understand and practice the rules and show you understand them before you can branch out. What an acquisition editor will assume if you do tons of head hopping or internal monologue is that you are naïve and don’t know that those things are frowned upon. Or that you’re a newbie who doesn’t understand proper format. It stinks, I know, but it’s part of that paying your dues thing. Another thing to remember: Picasso was first known as an amazing portrait painter. He studied art, perfected his craft, and created amazing portraits. It was later, when he’d perfected the fundamentals that he ventured beyond what was conventional at the time. I wonder if he The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 14 would’ve garnered such attention had he not first applied himself to the fundamentals? He ended up creating masterpieces, wildly creative portraits from the reservoir of years and years of practicing the craft.

With thanks, Mary

Clichés

Oh how I hate clichés in writing. Do you? Do you know if you have cliché-ridden prose? Here are a few:

• Take the bull by the horns • Beat around the bush • Golf-ball sized hail • Nip it in the bud • Hungry as a wolf (Name that band!) • Tried and true • Pushing the envelope • Bite the bullet • Beat a dead horse • Better late than never • Cutting edge • Face the music • Hit the nail on the head • Insult to injury • Lying through her teeth • Make a killing • More than meets the eye • Sneaking suspicion • Play it by ear • Tip of the iceberg • Tongue in cheek • Last but not least • Water under the bridge • Between a rock and a hard place • Not by a long shot • Everyday life The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 15 • This day and age • Bitter end • Calm before the storm • Give 110% • Cinderella stories • Play favorites • Sweat blood • Gut feeling • Go with the flow • A spring in his step • In a word • All your ducks in a row • Walking encyclopedia • Light at the end of the tunnel • Run a fever • Turn a deaf ear • Head in the clouds • Bright and early • Calm before the storm • By word of mouth

One of the most frustrating things I see when I critique new writers is their overuse of clichés-those phrases that have lost their meaning because of their overuse. One way to make your prose sing is to kill these clichés. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 16 A little too much cliché

(Note: This clever piece is written by writing mentor, Leslie Wilson.)

As a writer and editor, I regularly remind fellow writers to kill their clichés. But, sad to say, I have a sneaking suspicion that many newbies turn a deaf ear to this tried-and-true advice. When I corner them, metaphorically speaking, many lie through their teeth when they swear on their mother’s grave that they won’t resort to cliché abuse. However, rather than hunker down in the trenches and sweat blood until they banish any manner of triteness in their writing, they rely on a gut feeling. Essentially, they play favorites and fall back on what’s easy—writing in clichés. What they don’t know is that doing so puts them between a rock and hard place. Editors and agents who know their stuff won’t give these manuscripts—or the folks who wrote them—a second glance. Instead they’ll peg such writers as fly-by-night folks who are all over the map, unwilling to get their arms around it to knock it out of the park. Seasoned veterans in the industry will see them as folks who simply want to pick the low-hanging fruit in their rush to see their names in print. In everyday life, it simply doesn’t work to go with the flow. Time is money, my friend. And these days there seems to be too little to go around as it is. So, to become the best you can be with your writing, you have to be a good little soldier, powering through until you have that first acceptance letter in your hot, little hand. And, to sweeten the pot, how about a paycheck for your time? I don’t mean to just dangle a carrot in front of you, but sometimes such drastic measures become necessary. It’s a dog eat dog world when it come to publishing. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid and think that every editor is just waiting on pins and needles to read your 100,000-word novel. Don’t think you’re God’s gift to the publishing world or the Lord Himself may knock you down a peg or two. Believe me, I understand the rush that comes from firing on all cylinders. You think that just by keeping your nose to the grindstone and thinking outside the box that the publishing industry The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 17 owes you a living that you can complete in your bathrobe. But, I beg of you, please don’t develop delusions that you’re going to quit your day job and begin making money hand over fist any time soon. Life just doesn’t work that way. In the publishing game, it truly is survival of the fittest. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but trying to get published can be like swimming with the sharks. So get your head out of the clouds, face reality, buck up. Anything you did—or didn’t do—last week, last month, last year is simply water under the bridge. You can have a fresh start today. You just have to keep your eye on the big picture. Sound good? Great! So, even if you’ve been guilty of cliché overuse, things aren’t over by a long shot. Tomorrow is another day. And if you can wrap your mind around this concept, you can resolve today to stop being lazy. Better late than never, right? Though I’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg by ranting and raving against the overuse of clichés, I hope you budding writers will take my words to heart. Instead of taking the easy way out, be willing to invest your time, commit your sweat equity and give 110% in your quest for publication. You’ll be glad you didn’t cut corners or sell out. I know I’m preaching to the choir, but the ball is in your court. Any minute now, you should be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now go kill those clichés!

How to create a masterpiece

I read an altogether fascinating book right now entitled Mockingbird by Charles J. Shields. It’s a book about the life of novelist Harper Lee. Though, granted, it’s frustrating that Shields has no first-hand interaction with his subject, I learned a lot about what went on behind the scenes of my favorite novel. Here’s what surprised me. Nelle Harper Lee wrote a novel based very closely on her life growing up in Monroeville, Alabama. I knew, of course, that Dill was Truman Capote, that Atticus was a prototype of her father, A. C. Lee. But so many other details correspond to the story as well: A character that looked and acted like Nelle’s distant, most-likely manic-depressive mother. A poor recluse boy-turned-to-man who was essentially held hostage The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 18 by his obsessive father (Boo, anyone?). A trial about two men accused of murder. The similarities are staggering. And all these years, I felt it wrong to base things so closely to a novelist’s life. I don’t know why I’ve thought that. Perhaps I’ve felt that to truly create a fictional world, one must completely make one up. I suppose that’s why it makes sense to me why I am in awe of sci-fi or fantasy writers. They completely make up worlds! Tolkien created his own languages. Now, that’s creativity. All my life I’ve had this deep longing to create things that no one else had created. I couldn’t bear writing a story someone else had written. I’ve been suspicious of all the Joseph Campbell mythic structures. I wanted to do something new. Something never done before. I know now that there is nothing new under the sun. But I also know that what a novelist does is bring herself/himself into the story in a vulnerable, naked way. It all makes sense now, thanks to Nelle Harper Lee. When Building the Christian Family You Never Had (a non-fiction book released in 2006) came out, I felt naked. Frightened a bit. In that book, I shared the story of my upbringing. Oddly, though, two months later Watching the Tree Limbs came out, and I felt more naked. More exposed. More afraid. Although I had exposed myself through the words of the pioneer parenting book, I felt my soul and heart lived on the pages of my novel. I used to feel a little annoyed when folks would ask me if I’m Maranatha, the main character of my first published novel, Watching the Tree Limbs. I’d say no, of course. Because I want to create something utterly new. But the truth is, Maranatha is a part of me, as I am a part of her. And it comforts me that Miss Lee spilled herself onto the pages of her book, that in a very real sense, she was Scout, telling the story of mockingbirds in the South. Maranatha is my mockingbird. I’ve made her breathe and sing and dance. My soul has enlivened hers. What a deep encouragement it is to me that Harper Lee wrote what was familiar to her. That her pen ignited the familiar, bringing words to mythic truths on the pages of one of the most influential books of the 20th century.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 19 Writing a masterpiece takes time, people, and humility

I’d always wondered why Harper Lee didn’t complete another novel. Shields’ book shed light on Lee’s journey toward publication. I think you’ll be surprised to know that she didn’t hand in a masterpiece. I guess I had these romantic notions that Nelle (her first name) frantically typed her book in the in between times of life, full of the muse. I see her type the last word, smile, and then march the streets of Manhattan, perfect manuscript in hand, and delivered it to her publisher, J. B. Lippincott. I see the publisher ooing and ahhing, the editor saying things like, “Well, I added a few commas, but this thing is beautiful!” Thankfully, that was not reality. In truth, Nelle was able to write the book because of some amazing generosity of friends who believed in her. One Christmas, in New York where Nelle held down a full-time job, her closest friends gave her a gift: money to live on for an entire year. And in that year, she wrote the book. She obtained an agent by showing her short stories to someone who handled film rights, but just so happened to be married to someone who dealt in books. The manuscript, when handed in, needed a lot of plotting work. Accustomed to writing short stories, Nelle had essentially strung together several vignettes without a cohesive story arch. The title originally was Go Set a Watchman, followed by Atticus. Only toward the end of revisions did To Kill a Mockingbird come about. According to the first publication meeting, Nelle’s characters “stood on their own two feet, they were three dimensional,” but the novel had structural issues. It was more “a series of anecdotes than a fully conceived novel.” (Mockingbird, page 115). That was February. She resubmitted the novel that summer, but it still wasn’t right. According to her editor, “There were dangling threads of plot; there was a lack of unity—a beginning, middle, an end that was inherent in the beginning.” (p. 116). In October of that year, Nelle was finally offered a contract. Once, so stressed and bothered by her book, Nelle read a bit of her book, a page to be exact. She was so fed up, she grabbed her manuscript and tossed it out the window! Her editor told her to go outside and pick up the scattered pages. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 20 Which she did. Encouragers surrounded her, folks who believed in her: her good friends who gave her the gift of a year of writing, her agent, her editor, and many more cheerleaders. Had any of these elements been missing, I doubt the book would ever have been written. A year after she first met with the publishers, she handed the script to her former high school English teacher, and then handed it in afterward. The galleys came the following November. What can writers gain from this amazing story? First, writing friends and other writing professionals are utterly important. We need encouragement. We need folks to believe in us. We need cheerleading when we want to chuck our manuscript to the wind. Second, Nelle Harper Lee needed editing. After a year of writing, there were serious flaws in her book. Another year of editing, with constant back and forth banter between Nelle and her editor, the book finally took shape. This masterpiece didn’t happen overnight. And Nelle, like the rest of us, needed the keen eye of an editor. (I know an author who bragged that the editor rarely has edits. I don’t consider that something to brag about. Nothing is perfect when it’s handed in. We all need edits.) Third, good writing takes time. It took nearly three years for Mockingbird to take shape. It took one year of day by day labor, morning to night. Fourth, humility is important. Imagine what would’ve happened if Nelle rejected her editor’s suggestions? We’d be robbed of one of the most influential books of the last century, a book many Americans cite as the second most influential book— after the Bible. I left the book duly inspired, ready to plug away at the writing craft. I can trace my writing journey in a similar manner— with dear friends who have cheered me on, for my amazing editors who sharpen my dullness, for time to sit in my chair and write, for an understanding that editing is so important.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 21 The myth of multitasking

In a fascinating article entitled “The Myth of Multitasking,”2 I read some interesting insights:

“In one of the many letters he wrote to his son in the 1740s, Lord Chesterfield offered the following advice: ‘There is time enough for everything in the course of the day, if you do but one thing at once, but there is not time enough in the year, if you will do two things at a time.’ To Chesterfield, singular focus was not merely a practical way to structure one’s time; it was a mark of intelligence. ‘This steady and undissipated attention to one object, is a sure mark of a superior genius; as hurry, bustle, and agitation, are the never-failing symptoms of a weak and frivolous mind.’”

And this:

“Dr. Edward Hallowell, a Massachusetts-based psychiatrist who specializes in the treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and has written a book with the self-explanatory title CrazyBusy, has been offering therapies to combat extreme multitasking for years; in his book he calls multitasking a ‘mythical activity in which people believe they can perform two or more tasks simultaneously.’”

This solid research shows the brain cannot multitask well. Truth be told, the brain can really only do one thing at a time well. I wholeheartedly agree. How does that affect our writing? As I write this, I’m also working on my novel—and the truth is, I feel pretty scattered. I write best without distractions, without blogging, without email, without interruptions. If the story is solidly in my head and I am alone and quiet, I can get much more done. That being said, it’s summer, and I have to write through the chaos of summer vacation. So it’s been harder for me. What about you? Are you a poster child for the new research about

2 http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the‐myth‐of‐ multitasking The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 22 multitasking? When you write, do you do so with distractions? Are there things you can do today to reduce your interruptions?

Adverbs and death

A new writer wanted clarification about my recommendation to get rid of adverbs—those pesky –ly words that modify verbs. (She ran slowly. He walked quickly). “Are you saying that when I see an adverb I am telling and I need to show instead by a sense (sight, smell)? Take it to that next dimension?” Not exactly. I’m asking you to do as Mark Twain suggested in a letter to a twelve-year-old boy: “I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words, and brief sentences. That is the way to write English—it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; and don’t let the fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don’t mean utterly, but kill most of them – then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when close together. They give strength when they are wide apart.”3 Beginning writers need to slay those adverbs. You can use them now and again, but for the most part, a verb + adverb is a weak combination. It almost always tells instead of shows. Here’s what I mean: Heidi wrote her sentences quickly. (Wrote is not a weak verb, but now that it’s modified, quickly weakens it.) Instead: When her hand touched the pen, it sped ink across the page in a blur. (See how you can transform a sentence from something mundane to something visual? How tweaking your verbs, making them stronger, helps you to show instead of tell?) The dog gnawed the bone maliciously. (This sentence would be better off without the adverb.) Or instead: The dog attacked the bone like prey. He hardly noticed the scar criss-crossing her cheek. (This isn’t too bad, but by eliminating the “hardly noticed,” you can make a more visual sentence.) Instead: He held her eyes, never

3 http://www.twainquotes.com/Writing.html The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 23 once glancing at the scar criss-crossing her face. In that moment, she fell in love with him. You will find a revolution in your writing when you kill your adverbs, I promise.

Sentence structure

I wish I could teach folks how to create flow of language. For me, word choice and syntax is a feeling. I’ll write something and it feels clunky or out of place. So I rewrite until it sounds like poetry to me. I have my father to thank for that, I suppose. He was a poet. Although I pen subpar poetry, I do think I’ve received his natural ability for word flow and imagery. One thing I see a lot as I mentor clients is their constant use of the same sentence structure. N-V. N-V. N-V.

Example:

Jim saw the dog across the open field. (N-V+N+prep phrase). He ventured closer. (N-V-Adv.) He hugged the dog. (N-V-DO)

Sure, we’ve got a direct object, an adverb and a prepositional phrase thrown in, but the essence of the sentences are the same structure. Jim saw. He ventured. He hugged.

Instead:

The dog, wet with morning dew, trotted closer to him. It was only when Jim spied the dog’s red studded collar that he ran flat out toward Rover, covering the smelly wet dog with unmanly kisses. “You were gone,” Jim sighed. “And now you’re back.”

I know, it’s a crummy example, but it shows how much more interesting we can create a flow to our writing simply by changing up our structure.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 24 Why only one space after a period

Back in the Stone Age, or Days of Yore, we folk who learned how to keyboard did so on a contraption called a typewriter. The type banging from that typewriter was called a monospaced font (think courier). A monospaced font letter took up the same amount of space. So an I and a W would take up the same amount of page real estate. Because of this, it looked cluttered to end a sentence and simply hit the space bar once. It looked smushed together. So, the Golden Rule in the Days of Yore was Period, Space, Space. Something strange happened, though, in the late 80s and early 90s. Computers shrunk from room-sized Star Wars behemoths to table top contraptions, and with that came word processing programs. The font for these could be courier, but you also had a choice, many of the other fonts were proportional type (think Times New Roman). Each letter was allowed its own personal space. An I and a W no longer took up the same amount of white space. This was when it became no longer necessary to type Period, Space, Space. Think of it as PS. Period Space. And if you forget, or your typewriter hands of the Days of Yore keep making mistakes like that, simply go to FIND AND REPLACE. Click two spaces on FIND and one happy space in REPLACE and hit REPLACE ALL. Voila! Like magic, your entire document will sport one space after a period.

Ditch the rules

Beginning writers often lament frustration with the seemingly random application of writing rules. Consider this comment:

I have a question about all the “rules” we’re learning about the craft of writing. I write for kids, but I like to read lots of books. I just got done reading a famous author’s latest. She’s a best-selling suspense novelist with a huge following. She doesn’t follow any of the rules, like POV (point of view) or killing adverbs or The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 25 dialog tags after the speaker. One page had “said Maura, said Bob, said Jane” at least 10 times with no beats at all! What’s a writer to do?

My answer:

It’s true. There are well-published, popular writers out there who don’t follow the rules. Some do that purposefully. Consider The Road or Peace Like a River, where an artist who has mastered the rules deviates with a purpose. Some just have never chosen to adhere to the rules in the first place. It’s so hard to get a foot in the publishing door these days. Why not make an editor jump for joy at your stellar prose? Why not show yourself to be approved? Why not master something you haven’t mastered. No one said this road to publication would be puppies and chocolate. It’s hard, hard work. Another thing: this also shows how deeply important story is. There are poorly written (from a grammatical and stylistic standpoint) novels that sell like hotcakes because the story is one that can’t be put down. So in addition to working on your prose, pay special attention to your storytelling. That is what sells books.

Kill, kill, kill

Did you know writing is actually violent? It is. Why? Because you must slay your darlings. Those precious words you love and drool over—they must be killed.

Here’s a massacre check list. Eliminate these:

1. To Be verbs. Of course they’re not entirely evil, but you should aim for one or two per page. Opt instead for beefier verbs. Go to find, type in was, am, is, were, be, etc. to find them. Then eliminate! 2. Adverbs. I’ve already mentioned ways of slaying these. 3. Rambling. When you go on rabbit trails and you ramble on and on without a succinct point (or, in terms of The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 26 fiction, you’re not progressing the scene), it’s time to cut out those excessive words. 4. Your ego. Yep. If you want to succeed in this business, you must subdue it. Sure, have some ambition on hand, but do your best to become teachable and open. 5. Your naive thoughts about publishing. Typically, people aren’t instantly successful. Most published authors have long stories about rejection.

Writing advice from U2

I read a fascinating article in the November 2004 issue of Vanity Fair.4 I’ve been a fan of U2’s music since the days when I wore an 80’s asymmetrical haircut (think Flock of Seagulls meets Duran Duran--only for girls). As I read the words of band members, I was struck at the similarities between making amazing music and crafting amazing prose. Consider these nuggets:

• “Cliches are killing music. In our music and our lifestyle, we’re trying to avoid cliches.” (Bono) The true mark of breath-taking art is its absence of cliches. I am a cliche- buster in my line of work. I try not to have eyes that lock, strands of hair being brushed back, sunsets that blaze, lower lips that quiver, speech that is halted. I hate saying something everyone has already said. That’s why I love U2. They sing things about streets not having names, fires made by Bedoins, and not being able to live with or without someone. It’s beauty. It’s poetry. It takes time and a commitment to freshness. We’d do well to emulate their example. • “Our goal is to write the perfect album. Every time we go into the studio we hope we’ll get closer to that. But I very much doubt we’ll ever attain that goal of perfection. It’s like Mount Everest. That must be a terribly depressing place; you’ve spent all your time preparing to get there, and when you get there all you can do is walk down again.”

4 http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286‐ 7181479_ITM The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 27 (Edge) I don’t want to settle in my writing. I want to always improve. I want my life to be marked by a commitment to lifelong learning. So, like Edge, I will endeavor to always improve upon my last successes, my last pieces of art. But, as in this quote, writers must also understand that “getting published” or creating perfect art is a short-lived climax. The truth is we may reach a pinnacle, only to have to walk down again. We may scale peaks, but we must just as willingly trudge through dark valleys in our writing careers. • “Rock and rollers generally do their best work in their first 10 years and then they break up like the Beatles. Or they repeat themselves ad infinitum and just bore everyone to death.” (Bono). Here are Bono’s twin diatribes: not finishing well and the pitfalls of branding. The key to good writing is a long-term engagement—a desire to hone craft as long as we have the mind to. The key to fresh creativity is not to bore everyone to death with 25 different takes on one exhausted topic. I’m stepping on people’s toes here, but I personally don’t want to write about the same thing forever! That will stifle my writer’s breath. It’s a sin to bore a reader. Worse yet, it’s a sin to bore myself while I write about the same old thing. • “What’s wrong with wanting to be a big commercial band and also an art project? The notions that you can’t do that are retarded. If you are a writer and you write a book that captures the public’s imagination and it becomes a bestseller, does that take away from the book you wrote?” (Bono) Ambition isn’t evil, though the thirst for power may be. Very few books make it on that elusive best-seller list, but that doesn’t mean the ones that do are less artistic. We writers need to write such compelling prose that “captures the public’s imagination.” • “Great hangs back until very good gets tired.” (Bono) This is a convicting one. Sometimes it’s so much easier to settle for very good writing while great writing is knocking at the door of your office. Push through. Wait for great. Aspire for great. Be great.

U2 has longevity. They continue to produce passionate music. I understand some may not appreciate their melodies and others may The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 28 not appreciate Bono’s profanities, but as artists, I hope we can glean from those who take their craft seriously.

Editing checklist

Following is a handy list of things to watch for as you write and produce.

Period spacing: Only one space after a period. To fix, go to Edit, then Find and Replace. In the Find box, hit the space bar twice. In the Replace box, hit the space bar once. Then click Replace All. Voila! Your whole document is correctly formatted.

Joining two independent clauses: See explanation of how to join them above.

Head Hopping: When you’re writing a scene, it should be solidly in one person’s point of view. If you shift into someone else’s head in the midst of a scene (without a scene break), you are head hopping. Solutions: Make a scene break where you shifted. Or delete the passage from the other person’s POV (point of view), or rewrite it so it’s in the scene-character’s point of view.

Example:

Heloise knew Jake didn’t like her. She could see his sneer from across the room.

Jake took a long drink of Coke, then spit it back into his cup. He thought of giving it to Heloise just so she’d know how much he hated the sight of her.

We are in both heads in this scene. Here’s a rewrite in one POV:

Heloise could see Jake didn’t like her. His sneer said it all. She watched him gulp down his Coke, spit it back in, then raise his eyebrows in that maddening way. He pointed to her, then the cup. As if she’d ever drink his dregs. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 29

Telling. The old adage, “Show, don’t tell” applies here. It’s insulting to the reader when you explain everything to him/her. Instead of telling us someone’s anger, show us.

Telling:

Bob was angry.

Showing:

Bob threw the cat across the room, hitting Hilda in the face with the poor animal.

Clichés. A cliché is a word or phrase you commonly hear in everyday speech, or read often. See examples above, and strive to write something fresh.

Passive voice: In passive voice, the subject receives the action rather than performing the action. Passive usually carries this form: “to be” + “verb-ed.” Microsoft Word usually catches passive constructions by underlining them in squiggly green.

Example of passive:

The spider was bludgeoned by Martha.

Active:

Martha bludgeoned the spider.

Weak verbs: Verbs should make up 10% of your writing. Nix forms of “to be.” Run a “search” on be, is, are, am, was, were, being. Eliminate was+participle (ing word). I was running to school. I ran to school. Even better: I sprinted to school.

Negatives: The mind takes 48% longer to process a negation. Eliminating no, not, don’t, and can’t will clean up your writing.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 30 Example:

He didn’t know.

Better:

He lived a clueless life.

Example:

The sun didn’t shine.

Better:

The clouds covered the sun.

Repeated words: Often new writers will repeat words within paragraphs or subsequent pages. Be particularly aware of pet words (your own personal overused words). Every author will have different words, but a careful reading of your draft will turn them up. Some oft-overused words include: since, just, still, might, manage, began, started, really.

Adverb Adoration: Adverbs strengthen weak verbs. Why not write with strong verbs instead?

Split Infinitives: No more “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” To go boldly is the correct usage.

Wimpy Voice: Be assertive when you write. Instead of “I’d like to thank you,” just thank the reader.

Misused Colons: Use after an independent clause to introduce a list.

Example:

He toted several items to the curb: a rug, four kittens, his spouse, and an old racecar track.

Voicing Problems: Each character must have his/her own distinctive voice. They must not sound alike. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 31 Lack of Details: Your writing will be richer if you stick to details rather than vagaries. Instead of: He ate lunch. He ate Copper River salmon with a dill reduction sauce.

Flabby Prose. We writers are in love with words, so much so that we tend to flaunt our use of them early in our careers. (I was guilty of this.) Strong nouns and strong verbs make a great impact. Adding extraneous adverbs and adjectives ad infinitum weakens the structure. Don’t try to fluff up your writing to impress people. Tell it like it is. Don’t believe me? Read The Kite Runner. Hosseini’s sentences are stark, full of detail, and have amazing emotive impact.

Same sentence structure over and over again. I’ve elaborated about this above.

Starting the story too late. When I wrote my first novel, it took me 90 pages to get to the inciting moment. I believed I needed to tell all the backstory first. Not true. When I rewrote the beginning, I cut the first 90 pages, rewrote the beginning to have the inciting moment first. Then, I shared both beginnings with a critique group and asked which one had more emotional impact. Everyone said the second one. Start your story when it starts.

Lack of passion. If you’re not wild about your subject, it shows. Write from your passion and your words will have punch.

Overuse of had. When recounting something in the past, use “had” once, then keep the rest in straight past tense. Otherwise, you’ll clutter your prose.

Too many modifiers. Use a better noun instead of a weak one that needs an adjective. Use a stronger verb instead of one that leans on an adverb for help.

Misplaced modifier: An adjectival (modifies a noun) or adverbial (modifies a verb) placed in an awkward spot—usually far from the word or phrase it modifies.

Misplaced:

I learned how to tie-dye t-shirts on the radio. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 32 Correct:

I heard on the radio how to tie-dye t-shirts.

Punctuation and Formatting Errors: • Punctuation within quotes. This is a proper ellipses: … (space, dot dot dot, space, according to the latest Chicago Manual of Style). • Use an em dash in a sentence: Bob ran his business to the ground—right after he alienated his wife and children.

To create the elusive, continuous-line, em dash:

Type as usual, but when you want to make the em dash, type two hyphens in a row and simply continue typing the next word. As soon as you hit the “space” key after you complete that next word, the computer automatically turns the two hyphens into the correctly formatted “em dash.” (The funny thing is, the computer can’t not do this action automatically.)

Incorrect (but the “old” method on a manual typewriter): I left my favorite baking dish--a wedding present from Aunt Jackie--at the church potluck dinner yesterday evening.

Incorrect (a symbol, actually an “en” dash): I left my favorite baking dish – a wedding present from Aunt Jackie – at the church potluck dinner yesterday evening.

Correct: I left my favorite baking dish—a wedding present from Aunt Jackie—at the church potluck dinner yesterday evening.

• Don’t use ALL CAPS. • When writing a title, italicize it, don’t underline. • Don’t hit enter twice when you start a new paragraph. • It’s no longer five spaces when you indent; use the Tab key instead. • 11- or 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman. • One-inch margins all around. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 33 • Use exclamation points sparingly. You don’t want to be the writer who cried Wolf!

Pronoun/Antecedent Problems. Be sure your pronouns agree with the words they’re replacing. A writer makes a mistake when her pronouns don’t match.

No Parallel Structure. When listing things in a series, be sure the structure of the first words in each series are parallel.

Example:

The cat dodged the ball, ate a mouse, and is sleeping now.

Correct:

The cat dodged the ball, ate a mouse, then fell asleep.

Dangling Participles. When you have a participle (-ing word) followed by a comma as a phrase (dependent clause), the word following the comma should be the one the phrase modifies.

Example:

Crashing outside, I jumped when I heard the thunder.

Better:

Crashing outside, the thunder made me jump.

Purple Speaker Tags. When you attribute dialog to someone, refrain from using purple speaker tags. Said works best most of the time. Or creating the dialog with beats (sentences of action) works better, too.

Example:

“Herb, you irritate me!” she exclaimed vehemently.

Solved:

She stomped her tiny feet. “Herb, you irritate me!” The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 34 Avoid Addressing Characters by Names in Dialogue. Listen to how people really talk. They don’t use each other’s names very often. Check out how annoying this is:

“Hi Karen. How are you?” “I’m doing great, Anne. How about you?” “Well, I got some bad news yesterday, Karen. But I think everything will be OK.” “I’m sorry to hear that, Anne. I’ll pray for you.”

Instead, try these methods:

• Use bits of business (pouring a cup of coffee or fidgeting) to identify who’s speaking. • Replace names with terms of endearment (sweetie, honey, snookums), but don’t overuse these either!

Mundane Prose. We don’t need to hear the mundane parts of a character’s day, or hear his mundane speech.

Example:

John ate breakfast. He wiped his mouth, then slurped down some coffee. He put on his fedora, then slipped on his galoshes. He opened the front door, shut it, then opened the car door, heading to work.

Better:

John ate a quick breakfast, then headed to work.

MRU problems. Motivation Reaction Units (See Techniques of the Selling Writer, by Dwight V. Swain for a full explanation.) Please read this enlightening article footnoted here.5

Lack of emotional depth. In novel writing, we need to see the depth of a character’s inner landscape, which includes his/her emotional state. A reader needs to relate to the character. Some

5 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/scene.php The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 35 ways to create emotional depth: Shove the reader into the character’s head in the midst of a highly emotional, painful, surprising scene; show the character’s reaction to a dilemma; have the character physically react to some disheartening news.

Word Choice. Sometimes a word isn’t the right one. If an editor writes WC in the margin, it means you need to rethink the word you chose.

Wrong Word. Other times, you simply use the incorrect word. Consider:

Affect (a verb meaning “to influence”)

Effect (a noun meaning “result”—used as a verb when you mean “bring about” or “accomplish”)

Example:

Lisle wanted to effect a change on her college campus so she smiled at every person she passed.

Correct:

The effect of her perfume affected me for hours in the form of a splitting headache.

Nouns in Apposition. If the person you reference is one of a kind, you separate with commas. (Apposition means placed beside. The noun in apposition, called an appositive, identifies or explains the noun or pronoun that precedes it.)

Incorrect:

My wife Esther is the best cook on the planet. (Unless you live in biblical times or you’re a fugitive from Federal Agents, you have only one wife.)

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 36 Solved:

My wife, Esther, is the best cook on the planet.

Correct:

My friend Rebecca sent me a rather lengthy e-mail. (If Rebecca is one of many friends, this is correct. If she is the only friend, you need commas before /after her name.)

Avoid –ing. Overuse weighs down prose. When you finish a piece, search for “ing” and see how you’ve used—or misused—it.

Example:

(Awkward and wordy)

Families were purchasing . . .

Correct:

Families purchased . . .

Book Recommendations:

Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynn Truss Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain The Complete Guide to Writing and Selling the Christian Novel by Penelope Stokes (the chapter on POV is worth it—the best way I’ve seen it presented.) The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown and Dave King Scene and Structure by Jack M. Bickam The Novelist’s Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes by Raymond Obstfeld On Writing by Stephen King The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 37

Secret 2

Develop Discipline

The best-kept secret to great writing is something attainable, an ability within your power to tackle: discipline. Before my first published article came out, I practiced creating and meeting deadlines early. I still create word count goals for myself. Discipline is utterly, completely important. (Sorry for the adverbs!) You will not sustain a long-term writing career without discipline. Take these snippets of admonition to heart as you pursue your writing goals.

Inspiration versus perspiration

At the keyboard, we experience moments when our muse bursts forth—words flow into inspired sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. But the opposite is true as well, times where each word typed is agony. So which is it? Is writing purely inspiration, when we hurl beautiful phrases to the page; or does brilliance come through sheer perspiration? Both, actually. Understanding the dynamics of each and how they relate to the final writing product helps us capitalize on inspiration and push through perspiration. The following are four ways to work through the inspiration and perspiration paradox.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 38 1. Remember the clutch-hitting phenomenon.

I recently came across an interesting study of baseball clutch hitters. Successful clutch hitters have similar statistics whether they’re batting in a stressful (clutch) situation or whether it’s the top of the first. “What they’ve found is that while there may be a small clutch ability … that ability is dwarfed by the normal differences in overall performance. In other words, in the bigger scheme of things, it’s the best players who do best in the clutch.”6 Taking that analogy from the diamond to the keyboard, it’s the writer’s patient dedication to the craft in the mundane (perspiration) that fosters brilliance (inspiration). Editor Andy Meisenheimer agrees. “Perspiration leads to inspiration, even though that seems counter-intuitive.” Many want to be “clutch writers,” successful without the sweat. Though I tell my entire story of publication at writing conferences around the nation, I find most people latch on to the last few years of my journey, where I wrote a book, met an agent, and signed several contracts in the course of one year. What they don’t latch onto: ten years writing in obscurity, perspiring over hundreds of thousands of words before an agent ever expressed interest. My “clutch” story stands on the shoulders of miles of typed words.

2. Don’t trust your emotions.

Many writers I surveyed for this article found their best, least- edited work came from their hard won perspiration-filled words. They might’ve felt each sentence lacked luster, but that feeling didn’t confirm the reality of the final product. When I wrote my first published novel, the story unfolded like magic. Detail upon detail came to me like a gift. But once I hit my third novel, agony arrived on the page. Each storyline felt like labor. The characters wouldn’t speak to me, wouldn’t tell me their plans in sweeping statements—just one terrible word at a time. And yet, I’m most satisfied with that book, and critical reviews confirm its merit.

6 Fox, Dan. http://www.post‐gazette.com/pg/07114/780470‐ 63.stm The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 39 Multi-published humor novelist Rene Gutteridge experienced similar worry about her supposedly un-inspired, perspiration-rich words. “I wrote one book that was nearly all sweat. I kept thinking I’d made a horrible mistake—that this wasn’t ‘inspired.’ I turned it in, terrified. This is going to be the book that cancels my entire contract, I thought. When my editors read it they loved it. I only had a half of a page of notes—the least rewriting I ever had to do. But each and every page in that book made me work for it. And about four times I was left bawling at my computer, believing I was, indeed, a hack.”

3. Stick your BOC.

BOC stands for Butt on Chair. Initially, when we’re naïve in the writing journey, we write for the sheer joy of penning stories and articles. We’re happy to keep our derrieres there in the chair because inspiration looms. But as we progress through this journey, inspiration gives way to simple, plain work. Award-winning novelist Susan Meissner elaborates. “I found it much easier to write in the beginning. But it’s like running up hill now. With a head wind. And rocks in my shoes. And a monkey on my back. And hecklers on the sidelines. And the top, if there is one, is shrouded in mist.” What do you do when your words only drip out? When each phrase is like hauling water with a bucket full of holes? Several writers queried reported they started their writing day by sheer BOC determination, only to have the words flow after they’ve trickled a few words out. RITA award-winning novelist Robin Lee Hatcher asserts, “I would say that most writing days for me are heavy on the perspiration side, far more than the inspiration. But I believe, once you start writing, getting out the dross if you have to, that inspiration will follow.”

4. Embrace the ambiguity of the paradox.

Sometimes the words do flow. Sometimes they don’t. Write them either way. Critically acclaimed novelist Athol Dickson experiences both inspiration and perspiration when he crafts a first draft. He writes, “I assume by ‘inspiration’ we mean what some call being ‘in the groove,’ when the words just seem to flow The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 40 without any pause to think. Francis Bacon said, ‘Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable.’ That happens to me about half the time during a rough draft, and the other half I just slug it out to finish the scene, sentence by difficult sentence. When I go back to fix the slugfests, inspiration sometimes happens in the editing. If it doesn’t, I keep rewriting until it does. That’s why I’m a slow writer. I want the whole thing to be inspired, no matter how hard I have to perspire to make it happen.” Seasons of inspiration come, weaving in and through long stretches of perspiration. As writers, it’s the paradox we must embrace to go forward in our careers. We may be reveling in the newness of putting words to page. Or we may be wrangling our words to the ground, trying to tame them into submission after years of success. Don’t despise the perspiration needed to write your words. And welcome the inspiration when it comes. Both will transform your writing.

Brush the dog every day

I love our golden retriever Pippin. See Pippin. See Pippin smile. See Pippin drool all over his chest. See Pippin’s chest get crusty. See his long red fur turn into dreads—a canine Jason Castro. See Mary take the brush. Yet again . . . The constant act of brushing is a lot like the disciplines of the writing life. Here are the parallels:

One. We have to brush Pippin every day or he’ll get tangled. Likewise, if we don’t write something every day (with the exception of times of rest), we’ll get tangled. Our words won’t come out as well. Our minds will dull. It’s possible it could take longer to retrieve a thought. But if we brush up on our writerly skills every day, we’ll more easily retrieve ideas and thoughts. Two. Life is a lot like Pippin: entropy personified (dogified?). No matter how much I brush that smelly dog (oh, how The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 41 he smells like decaying fish), he wakes up the next day with matted fur, stinky breath and unruly ears. Still, I brush him. (And when I’m up for a full-body wash, I bathe him). I wash him because he needs it and I need him to need it. Our manuscripts follow Pippin’s entropy lead, often written with the best of intentions before they sputter out of control, moving from order to disorder. Our editing is necessary. Needed. Editing staves off entropy-laden novels and books. But if we let the hairdo of our manuscript get out of control, we may lose heart, or we might have to lop off part of it (much like a matt-ridden dog needs to be shaved.) Three. Beauty comes from grooming. Sure Pippin is cute as he is, but he seems to puff out his chest when he looks like a hottie of the dog world. He knows when he’s looking good. Similarly, we will exact beauty from our work if we groom it regularly. Used to be I’d throw any old words out into the world, never bothering to trim or brush or tweak. The better I get at writing, the more meticulous I am about grooming my words before others see them. Four. Pippin’s coat is much nicer when we feed and exercise him regularly. Similarly, a writer is only as good as what goes into her and what she does to work out her sustenance. Great writing flows from within. What are we feeding ourselves? TV? Internet? Does our diet consist of classics or comics? Word candy or word feasts? Sure, we need to read a wide variety of works, but a regular diet of fluff will produce, eventually, fluffy writing. Dig deeper. Read great literary works of art. Pippin sits beside me when I write. He looks at me with those impossibly brown eyes, as if he knows everything I’m writing and wants me to continue. From time to time, I rise, grab the brush, and run it through his crazy hairdo. He smiles at me, and I get back to writing.

From Golden Girls to golden boy

Did you know that George Clooney appeared in The Golden Girls’ episode, “To Catch a Neighbor” in 1987? He was one of two police officers who stayed in the women’s home as protection. And now? What’s he up to? Anything he wants. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 42 But George had to work. He had to pretend he was a young police man on The Golden Girls. He paid his dues. And this, even with a famous relative! We all have to pay our dues. Success comes after many, many attempts, and many bit-parts on the writing stage. Next time you feel the publication you are writing for is small potatoes, just remind yourself of dear George. And keep at it.

What you can control: meeting deadlines

I enjoyed lunch with a new writer friend. As we progressed in the lunch, I asked her what her goals for her writing were, especially since she quit her job to freelance full time. She had some goals, but I could tell the question had piqued her interest. If you want to go anywhere in the business of writing, it is imperative you set goals and then meet them, particularly when you’re starting out. Here are some examples of types of goals you can set:

1. A weekly (daily, monthly) word count goal. Or it could be a chapter goal. 2. A financial goal (usually monthly). Pretend your goal is $1,000 a month. If you set this, you’ll have to logically think through how you will make that. If you write books, this is a difficult goal because the book writing business is sporadic. You might get a $7,000 dollar advance one month, then make nothing for a year. So if you would like consistent income, you need to flesh out the goal more. How many magazine or newspaper or online articles will it take to make that amount of money? This will force you to go after new options, and if they arise as a result, will give you the opportunity to meet a deadline. Yesterday I sent in four queries because I could see I wasn’t making enough money this month. 3. A production goal. If you want to make consistent income, you must set a production goal, particularly in the query department. Make a goal to write 5 queries a week (one a day). Whenever you get a rejection, recycle that query to another publication. If you don’t query, you won’t land The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 43 assignments. If you don’t land assignments, how can you practice meeting deadlines? 4. Make an integrity or hard work goal. For instance, because I am concentrating on making more consistent income this year, I am working hard on developing my relationships with periodical editors. Last spring an editor had to scrap one of her stories. She asked if I could turn around an article in one day (1000 words). I said yes because I knew one of my goals was to develop positive relationships with editors. I worked hard, gave her the article. We have a good working relationship now and she asks me for stories (instead of me asking her through a query). This entire relationship began with one query that eventually sold. I proved myself consistent over time. 5. Make a professional goal: go to the conference you’ve been pining after. This will force you to create that book proposal you’ve been postponing. Or decide to take a risk and attend a critique group, and ask them to hold you accountable to your own deadlines. 6. Make a project goal. Finish that novel. Write that proposal. Really learn how to make stunning query letters. Start a blog or Web site. Give yourself a date you must complete this. That’ll strengthen your deadline muscle.

So, don’t be shy. Set a writing goal for the month (or the year). Then meet that deadline! I mean it!

Develop a daily schedule

After several years writing nearly full time, I have come across a little system that works for me to order my writing day. That’s not to say it will work for you. We’re all crazy creatures with various sorts of quirks. But for the sake of example, here’s what I’ve learned. First: What do you feel is the world’s greatest need? Stay with me, this will make sense. Second: What are you uniquely gifted to do? For me? It’s writing authentic, take-off-the-mask prose. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 44 Third: What time of day does your brain work best? For me? It’s morning. So, I combine all three. In the mornings I write about healing from trauma and trials, whether in non-fiction or fiction. I leverage my mornings for my most creative work. The afternoons are spent on:

• filing • blogging, facebooking, tweeting • bookkeeping (oh, so much fun) • marketing • Interviews, PR • speaking mailings, follow ups • e-mails • phone calls • the other million things to do on my plate • errands • meeting with my critique group weekly • mailing • mentoring clients at the Writing Spa, including detailed critiques

Other tips that keep me organized and on task:

• I keep a moleskin daily calendar for my daily goals. • I also keep every appointment also on my Entourage calendar which syncs with my iPhone. • I set weekly word count goals (6,000 for nonfiction, 10,000 for fiction). • I set submission goals (a few queries a week, depending on my current workload). • My goal is to stop working when my children come home from school, although admittedly, there are seasons in which that is difficult.

What if you think it stinks?

I remember the first major writer’s conference I attended. I participated in the Intermediate Writers track. During one session, The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 45 the teacher pointed to a guy in the back of the room. “Guy,” he said (I can’t remember his name), “You need to stop editing your stuff so much.” Turns out “Guy” had written a beautiful, passionate novel, but he was so tripped up about making it perfect that he ended up editing all the life out of the prose. Believe me, I read a lot of writing. You don’t want passionless prose. The remedy? It’s pretty boring and pedestrian, but here it is: Write anyway, all the while silencing the English teacher in your head. Part of that comes naturally by developing confidence. Confidence usually comes by writing enough to have your words out there garnering attention. And you can’t get your words out there if you don’t write them. The best thing to do is plow ahead. If you are starting a piece and you already hate the beginning, give yourself the grace and permission to keep going. Keep at it. Remember that often the beginning doesn’t really show up until you’ve finished a piece anyway. (Side note: most new writers start something way too early. It’s only after you’ve written a good deal of the piece that you know when the actual story or article begins.) Do I hate my words? Do I stare at the computer screen? Yes, but it’s less and less and less the more I write. Writing is a muscle you use. If you don’t, you atrophy. I’ve found the more I’ve made myself write pieces I wasn’t happy with, the more I completed. The more I gave myself permission to write poorly (at first), the more I had to edit later, producing a much better article. The truth is, you can’t refine a piece that’s not yet written. So turn off that nagging voice in your head that tells you you’re writing dribble. Say, “Crazy voice in my head, you may be right. But I’m not giving you any power because I know this is just my first draft. I’ll listen to your words later, but only if you’re constructive.” Then go on with your words. The only way to get through those bumps in the writing journey is to write your way through.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 46 Perseverance

If I were to give you one present as an up and coming writer, it would be the quality of perseverance. Obviously, first you need to know that you are called and gifted to write, which will help you cultivate perseverance when you butt up against obstacles. But perseverance will take you far. Why?

1. Because anything worth doing well involves mucking it through. I meet lots of writers. I can usually tell if they’re going to make it by their ability to see the industry realistically, and their tenacity to keep going when rejection comes. If they make it through to the other side of rejection and keep at it, they’ll get somewhere. Another obstacle to persevere through is editorial direction. I cringe when I think of my first editorial response. It was for a non-paying gig, and the editor changed my story without telling me. I got mad. I shouldn’t have. It actually was the right thing to do. I learned that editors are my friends and usually (99%) of the time know better about what will work in their publication. They are more realistic about my writing and can edit detached, something that’s hard for me to do. 2. Because perseverance delineates between those who will be published and those who won’t. It’s not necessarily the most gifted who are published. It’s the most tenacious. Don’t believe me? Watch the biography channel next time you’re sick and in bed. See how many obstacles politicians, artists, and actors had to climb over to get where they are today. Seldom is it a Cinderella story. 3. Because you will run up against obstacles in your writing life. There’s an inherent inevitability of obstacles in writing. And they’re not always what you might think. An obstacle can be:

• Editorial direction, as I mentioned earlier • Lots of rejection • Too much fame too soon • Unforeseen difficult relationships in the business • Gossip and slander The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 47

• Yourself and your inability to grow in the craft • Yourself and your confidence level • Yourself and your desire to have everything in life come easily

The lesson? Keep going. Take one writing step after another. Just keep walking. And writing. And submitting. And trusting.

Work hard, but with perspective

I love to work. In college, I never figured I’d be where I am today. One thing I knew when I entered and exited: I would never be in business. Ever. Ever. And here I am, working full time from home as a writer (and trying to raise kids and make dinner and do laundry). A lot of my writing life is pure, joyful work. And much of it, to my surprise, is business-related. It surprises me that I enjoy marketing. I’m in love with budgeting. It’s all very strange, if you think about it. When I was a stay-at-home mom, busying myself with coupon-clipping and diaper changing and story reading, I never imagined myself in this place, though I dreamed someday I’d have the opportunity to write. I truly was utterly content being home with my kids. Though I wrote when I could, I felt satisfied. I worked hard. Very hard. From dawn to night. In the evenings, I’d fall into bed, exhausted. I still fall into bed the same way, but now my day doesn’t consist of diapers and bottles and runny noses. It is filled with words I string together like a Cheerio necklace. The worry I’ve had has been that I’ve loved this word-stringing too much. And although I feel a certain level of contentment when I write (as I do when I read to my children or create a unique meal), I don’t want to become a workaholic. In the throes of mommyhood, I had no idea I had these tendencies to burn the candle at both ends. I had no idea I was a workaholic. Not until I met with book deals and deadlines and The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 48 interviews and marketing did I realize I’m a full-fledged work- lover. I love working! So this year, it’s my goal to learn when to stop. To close up shop when the kids come home from school. To button down my word-fascination for the sake of my sweet family when it’s time for me to rest. It’s not easy. I feel like I’ve come into my own, in a sense, through this writing gig. But I want to enjoy time with my family and fully engage. I fail often. I let deadlines get the best of me. I work very, very hard. But I’m learning.

Discipline

A blog reader once asked if the ability to write fast, to be disciplined in writing, came with practice. She wanted to know how to speed up the process of writing while still writing well. In truth, the answer is a tad boring, but I’ll share it anyway. You just write. A lot. Over and over again. You set weird little deadlines for yourself and meet them. Like training for a triathlon, you improve your time if you practice. Your muscle tone increases with more weights added. The longer you run, the better you endure. I learned to be a fast writer because I wrote a lot. Much like I’m training to swim-bike-run right now, I pressed myself into more difficult assignments. Interestingly, when I take a break from writing, when I come back, I feel lethargic. It takes me awhile for the words to start flowing again. It would be like completing a triathlon, then slacking off for three months. It is not likely you’d do as well as you did right out of the gate. You’d have to train all over again. But it comes back quickly, this writing muscle. It forgives you when you’re lax. Each word you type, you’re typing into a great reserve. No word is wasted. Keep at it. Keep at it. Keep at it.

Kill the wimp

Seasoned and “newbie” writers scribble notes while the lecturer shares her publishing expertise. Both a magazine editor and a creative writing professor, Sandra Glahn teaches the workshop “The View from the Editor’s Desk” where she extols the benefits The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 49 of beefy verbs and pines for the demise of adverb overuse. She finishes her time with the writer’s group by asking, “Any questions?” A woman in the back raises her hand. “You mean I need to go through all my past manuscripts and make the changes you suggested in your lecture?” Sandra nods. “Yes, if you want to be published.” “That’s too much work,” she says. She never returns to the group. Writing isn’t for wimps. It’s an arduous adventure where writers scale an ever-increasing learning curve. For beginning to advanced writers, the question remains: What do you do with the new knowledge you’ve gained from that writing seminar, book, or lecture? Stop learning? Embrace your inner wimp? Push through and improve the craft? The following are four ways writers can react to learning new techniques and skill. Two coddle the inner wimp; the other two kill him.

1. Embrace your inner wimp by giving up. Those editors and educators don’t know a thing about your genius! They can’t recognize stellar, winsome prose, or seize upon your raw talent. What do they know? George starts writing, believing his second grade teacher to be a prophet. “You’re a terrific writer,” she penned across his summer vacation story in happy red ink. He’s coddled that affirmation all these years—something that’s hardened him to actual feedback. After several attempts to convince fellow writers of his abilities, he gives up. George stores his spy thrillers in a box in the garage, spending his days looking up his second grade teacher on Facebook. He’s embraced the wimp, lazing around the Internet, murmuring about what could have been.

2. Feed your inner wimp by submitting subpar writing. I call this the delusional, yet hopeful writer—one who believes she’ll break through by submitting, submitting, submitting. Edna comes to writer’s group month after month, bringing the same story in increments of five pages. Although the group has kindly reminded her to flee passive The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 50 voice and curtail her purple prose, she continues to stubbornly adhere to her ways. She submits faithfully to contests and the occasional publisher who takes unsolicited manuscripts, and she garners rejections aplenty. She never learns; it seems beneath her. She will never be published, but she is sure she will be. She feeds the wimp, preferring lazy writing with a kick of tenacity to genuine improvement.

3. Kill the wimp inside by grunting through your old drafts. If you’re wondering what the publishing process is like, take an old piece of yours and rip it to shreds in light of what you know now. When you sell your first book, you’ll experience the same kind of work—agonizing over run on sentences, discovering, then slaying, your pet words and phrases, killing clichés, cutting paragraphs and chapters that don’t propel the reader forward. It’s never too late to go back and fix things, but be warned: sometimes it’s better to let those stories and articles go. You could mire yourself in your inadequate past. I’ve taken unsold articles, revamped them, and sold them. I’ve tried to resurrect my first (yet unpublished) novel several times, resuscitating my flabby descriptions and plot flaws, only to tangle myself inside the story, weary and unmotivated. I’ve killed the wimp by grunting through, sometimes with success, sometimes without.

4. Kill the wimp inside by forging ahead. When you’ve discovered your penchant for adjectives, instead of slaying them in the cobwebs of past documents, move boldly forward, writing clean, powerful sentences chock full of strong nouns and verbs. Sometimes it’s right to turn the page of your past body of work in order to construct better pages today. Give yourself permission to say goodbye, so you can say hello to great writing in the present. Mayla wrote four good novels. During the process, she read writing books, attended conferences, and welcomed hard critique. She views her books as stepping- stones to publication, but she won’t resurrect them. Instead, she pens a new novel, armed with new expertise. The The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 51 result? She’s a finalist in a prestigious first-novel contest, and an agent has requested the full manuscript. She has successfully killed the wimp by moving forward.

Place yourself in a writer’s group. Hear a lecture about strengthening your prose and take notes. Raise your hand. Instead of lamenting all the changes you’ll have to make now that you know better, simply tell the lecturer thank you, and vow to kill the wimp lurking inside.

What does it take to write full time (and make money)?

It is not advisable to quit your day job (with benefits aplenty and regular paychecks) to fulfill your dream of writing full time. That is, unless you have several things going for you. Here are eight things that helped me be able to write full time.

1. Tenacity, guts and perseverance. Without these, I wouldn’t be writing/speaking/mentoring full time. 2. A spouse who makes a good living (with health insurance). My family could not survive on my “salary.” 3. Diversification. I edit. I mentor. I write articles. I speak. I write books. All these things together make my salary. 4. Thrift. I now no longer travel unless I’m paid to speak and my travel is covered. I buy office supplies at a discount. I’m cautious about everything I spend. 5. Talent. I am not one to toot my own horn, but enough folks in the writing industry have confirmed that I am gifted at writing and speaking. Honing that gift has been my lifelong work thus far. 6. Relationships. Story: One BEA (Book Expo America), an editor from an online entity e-mailed and asked if we could have lunch. I said sure. We had a great discussion. At the end, the editor said, “I had a hard time finding authors who would meet with me. Thanks for taking the time.” Since that lunch, the editor has sent me a lot of paying work, which goes to show—how you pursue and cultivate your The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 52 relationships, no matter how others may perceive them, is truly, truly important. 7. A head for business. So far I’ve been able to manage my business on my own, taxes and all. I had a stint when my husband was in seminary where I ran the business side of his corporation. That has certainly helped me as I write. 8. The long view. Knowing that I’m doing little things that may have a big impact later keep me going. Developing a good Web presence and newsletter sign up list takes a lot of time, a lot of busy work, but I know it will eventually pay off. I also know bestsellers are flukes, and that to truly make a living, I simply (ha!) need to keep writing books, one after another.

10,000 hours

As a writer who loves the craft, I look for clues everywhere to improve. In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell elaborates on the importance of sustained hard work as a condition for success and mastery. A study orchestrated by K. Anders Ericsson who looked at musical prodigies found the common denominator for mastery and success: 10,000 hours of practice. “The emerging picture from such studies,” says neurologist Daniel Levitin, “is that ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world class expert—in anything.” Think about that for a moment. If you work hard at something for twenty hours a week, in ten years, you’ll have mastered it. And yet, when I teach and evaluate manuscripts at writers’ conferences, it seems very few understand or embrace this. When I share my publication story, that I spent ten years writing without being published, folks inevitably want me to share the “fun part” when I met my agent at a conference and my success seemed to blossom overnight. So many want to know the secret of instant publishing success. Those who write novels ask me how to deepen characterization, or create a character out of a setting, or evoke mood, or widen suspense. I usually can’t answer that. Why? The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 53 Because most of what I write now is instinctive, born from years of experimentation and failure. It’s something I cannot teach. It’s something an author must do on their own behind a desk, in quiet places where rewards of publication seem far off. In evaluating nonfiction and fiction pieces, I see the disparity. Some naïve writers think they can bank on their friend/parents/kids’ over-the-top praise, believing themselves to be an instant prodigy. Or they’ll invoke God’s name, saying He told them to write. And yet some of these “geniuses” won’t receive critique. Some are unwilling to count the cost by practicing BOC (butt on chair). While it is true that some publishing sensations happen overnight, it is more true that most authors spend years and years toiling over craft, trying techniques and failing, submitting to smaller entities and suffering from perennial “rejectionitis.” That’s the reality. With all that as the backdrop, here is a checklist I’ve created to determine if you’re the type of person who will invest 10,000 hours to become a master writer:

1. I am willing to write unpublished words. 2. I am thankful when a writer farther along the journey offers critique. 3. I understand that honing my voice is not merely a weekend exercise, but a decade-long fight. 4. I am developing thick skin with each rejection, while maintaining a tender heart. (I realize that rejection can make me bitter and entitled.) 5. I see obstacles to my publishing journey as hurdles to jump over, not walls to stop me. 6. Folks who describe me use the words tenacious, dedicated, and disciplined. I am a lifelong learner of the craft. 7. I set word count goals or production goals each week. Then I meet them early no matter what. 8. In the beginning of my journey, I write pieces for free, understanding the importance of apprenticeship. 9. I am passionate about helping others in their writing journeys even if it means they surpass me. Because when The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 54 I teach, I learn. And when others succeed, I rejoice because I’m expanding my writing beyond myself. 10. I understand and appreciate learning for the sake of learning—published or not.

How did you do? Are you a ten? Are you willing to put in 10,000 hours to master your writing? This journey is not for the casual. It’s a disciplined way of life. This is one reason I’m so thankful my first book didn’t catapult me to success. I’m still not a well-known author, but I do believe that each book I write is better than the last, perhaps because I’m working toward my twenty-thousandth hour.

The parallels between exercise and writing

I’ve trained and participated in a few sprint triathlons. Although I am no athlete, I have learned a lot by trying to stay in shape. As I worked out this morning, I tied ten lessons to the journey of writing. Here they are:

1. No pain. No gain. I’ve had some new authors meet with me, expecting to hear that the journey toward publication was like a walk in the park (a slow, meandering one at that). When I share my story of publication, either newbies will freak out, or choose to believe that my story isn’t normative and that they’ll get discovered right then, or give up. Here’s the truth. It hurts. It’s hard. It takes dedicated work. It’s not a sprint. Writing for a living is a marathon full of shin splints, side aches, and breathlessness. If you want to succeed, you have to have some pain (including rejection.) 2. Just do it. In terms of working out, I rarely feel like doing it. Half my battle is just putting on workout clothes! Once I do that, I figure I may as well sweat a bit. That’s the key to writing. It’s a choice. A dedicated choice. An intentional choice. 3. Don’t expect immediate results. I’ve been back on track the past 6 weeks. I haven’t lost all the weight I want to lose. In fact, I stayed at a certain weight for a The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 55 period of time. This made me want to give up. But I knew that if I kept at it, eventually I’d see results. I’m starting to feel stronger. Some weight has come off. But beyond weight and how I look, the interior goal of becoming in shape has really been met. It’s the same for writers. We may not be published right away, but we will improve. Our craft will get better slowly. That in itself is a worthy accomplishment. 4. Hire a personal trainer. Sometimes we get stuck in a fitness rut. I know I had. So I hired a personal trainer for a few sessions. She truly helped me see things differently. She pointed out my weak spots (my arms are as strong as Jell-O). She made me work harder than I ever thought I could. A good writing mentor can do that for you. He/she can point out where you’re weak, challenge you to dig deeper, inspire you to improve beyond what you thought yourself capable. 5. Fuel yourself well. As I’ve worked out, I’ve included good eating. Eating whole foods (those items you find in the perimeter of the grocery store) really help to feed your body, make it strong. Similarly, writers need to feed on great words to be able to produce amazing words. Poems, stories, anthologies, books in and outside your genre, essays—all these in variety help feed your imagination. 6. Go outside. I’m happiest when I work out under a canopy of sky. And when I’m stuck in writing, a simple jog through the neighborhood usually helps jog my memory (pun intended). 7. Don’t yo-yo. My trainer told me this yesterday: “It’s almost worse if you work out for a period of time and then become sedentary. It’s better to keep working out steadily.” It’s the same for writing. Sure, there are seasons in our lives where we need to place writing as a lesser priority, but if you’re truly serious about making writing a career, you’ll find a way to add writing to your life (even if in a small way) every day. 8. Build muscle. Muscle burns fat. It helps us in many ways. Already I’m noticing my posture improve, and I have less neck aches at the computer because I’m lifting. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 56 In terms of writing, the more I work my writing muscle, the faster and better I write. Some folks ask why I write fast. It’s because I write a lot, building my muscle. And if I’m out of shape (not writing), my ability to generate words wanes. 9. Welcome others alongside. Working out is not as much fun if you do it alone. I bring my twelve-year-old with me, and we have a blast. As writers, we are more apt to succeed with community behind and around us. Go to conferences. Find a critique group. Interact online. Join associations. Going it alone will be a lonely, frustrating road. 10. Have fun. Ultimately, if working out is drudgery and frustration, you will quit. Similarly, in writing, you must cultivate a fun, carefree attitude. Instead of letting rejection sideline you, see it as a redirection. It’s not a no per se, but a new opportunity to grow! Use your words, too, to encourage others. Don’t simply write for publication, but seek to write words to others that will bless them. Often it’s our unpublished words that make a lasting impact. And learn to laugh along the way. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

I’m no workout queen. But I’m getting stronger. I’m able to run faster and longer. I can lift more weight than I did when I started. I can do push ups and modified pullups now. I took a test online that calculated my age as 7 years younger! So I’m seeing results. As a writer, I’ve spent twenty years getting word-fit. In that time, I spent at least 10,000 hours and ten years in obscurity, writing miles and miles of words. I’ve had twelve books published. I’ve had the privilege to be a personal trainer to many through conferences and The Writing Spa. I’m happy, thankful, and blessed. All that work and discipline has paid off.

Finding your voice

You know how I found my voice? By writing miles and miles of words. True story: I penned a weekly family column for my local The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 57 paper back in 2002. I’d been writing for ten years up until this point (but not for publication until then.) Every week I’d send out said column to friends and family. One week, I felt a change in my writing, like I had hit my stride, like I was truly coming forth from the page. After I sent the column to my editor, then my family and friends, I waited. My writing mentor e-mailed me back that day. She wrote something like, “Mary, I think you found your voice.”

So, finding your voice comes from:

• Writing lots of words • Knowing, somehow, that you nailed it. • Hearing from others that you’ve found your voice (a bonus—this doesn’t always happen).

In terms of novel writing, your voice should not be the same as each character’s voice. Your voice is the manner in which you tell the story. Consider the difference between these two “voices”:

She looked up through the pecan tree to see the blue sky jigsawed through it. One leaf flittered and floated toward her, brushed her cheek gently, and settled at her feet. She filled her lungs with the humidless air and headed toward Eliot’s tidy blue house. Weeds shot through the sidewalk cracks, erecting little grass walls every three feet or so. Mara took to hurdling them—a somewhat tricky endeavor since Burl’s pecan branches had recently dismissed their nuts. If she leapt over a grass wall and landed on a pecan, she’d fall flat on her backside with spank.

—From Watching the Tree Limbs (by me)

Maguire reclined in his cheap vinyl office chair, which didn’t have a recline feature. The chair groaned in protest like only a pleather chair could. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 58 Honestly, did the man hug trees and not eat his animal friends? Did he have a moral objection to real leather? He put the awful sandwich back in the sack. I almost made the sign of the cross out of gratefulness. I looked up into his eyes. “You’re not going to tell me anything about her, are you?”

—From Death, Deceit & Some Smooth Jazz by Claudia Mair Burney

You’ve just read two very distinct narrative voices. Mine is more descriptive, evocative, literary. Burney’s is more sassy, to the point, funny. I would love to be sassy, but it’s not my voice. And when I speak to audiences, I’m not this way. I tend to be just like my prose. So it is true that your writing voice is similar to your speaking voice. In the initial stages of writing, we imitate those voices we love. But as we grow in the craft, our voice gloriously emerges. Sometimes I hear new authors panic about stealing. “If I write on my blog about my book idea, someone will steal it,” they lament. That could happen, but I doubt it. And even if someone “stole” my plot idea, they could never, ever become me. They could not write the same book I would write.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 59

Secret 3

Know the Publishing Industry

When I meet new writers at writing conferences, I can easily see which ones are serious about their career by their knowledge of the publishing industry. Thankfully, it’s easy now to understand the world of publishing, thanks to agent and editor blogs and sites like PublishersWeekly.com. My desire when I blogged for Wannabepublished was to demystify the process, to provide great, accessible and practical information about the industry. This chapter will better enable you to understand this fluctuating industry and the path to publication. I must caution you that reading this chapter is merely a start. The industry is currently in a great state of flux, so keep learning, growing, and adapting.

Two ways to be published

Here is the publishing journey in a simplified nutshell:

You can choose two ways to get your book published:

1. Traditionally published (Simon & Schuster, Random House, etc.) 2. Self-published (You pay a company like xlibris to print your book.)

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 60 In traditional publishing (how I am published), you first need to find a literary agent. In order to secure one (can take years!), you must write a nonfiction proposal (not the whole book) and three sample chapters. I sell a product on my Web site7 that helps someone write a proposal. It’s seventy-five pages long and has several proposal examples. Folks who have used my template have been able to secure agents (not always, but some of them have). If you write fiction, you need to write the whole novel and a proposal. Here’s the link for my fiction proposal tutorial.8 How to find an agent is typically to go to a writer’s conference to meet with agents there and pitch your idea. You still have to have a proposal though. If an agent signs you (big if), then he/she pitches your book to several publishing houses. If a publishing house is interested, they will take it to the publication board and present the project. Most of the time, these are rejected. But if they’re not, then the publisher sends the agent a contract (agent gets 15%) and the agent sends it to the author. You sign the contract, then typically receive an advance on royalties (either 33%, or 50% or the advance they’ve promised. You get the rest when you deliver the manuscript, and in the case of 33%, when the actual book publishes). Then you write the book and hand it in on time. From that point it takes a year before it is on the shelves, having gone through several editorial processes, marketing stuff, cover art, etc. The positive of this is that you get paid to write, and the book is distributed for you to practically every bookstore and online outlet. The negative is that it’s very hard to get traditionally published, and it takes a very long time. In self-publishing, you have to pay to have the book published. The positive is that it doesn’t take very long to get it published. The negative is that self published books rarely sell more than 500 copies because they aren’t distributed through normal, proper channels (usually, I’m oversimplifying). In self-publishing, you obviously have to have written the entire book. A typical nonfiction book is about 50-60,000 words. You can send in the manuscript unedited and have it printed as is, but it will be full of mistakes. It’s better to either:

7 http://www.marydemuth.com/store/book-proposal/ 8 http://www.marydemuth.com/store/fiction-proposal-tutorial/ The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 61 1. Write the book and hire a professional editor to edit the book, or 2. Hire a collaborative (also sometimes referred to as a ghost writer) to write the book for you. We have both services at my company, The Writing Spa. Click here to see those particular products: http://www.thewritingspa.com/subfiction.html

I hope this explanation helps you figure out your next steps in the publication journey.

More on self-publishing

Publishing is a tough industry to break into. It’s not easy or a piece of cake. But neither is self-publishing. Why? These reasons:

1. Self-publishing costs a lot of money up front. It is true that you make much more per book, but it’s also true that it’s often very hard to sell books by yourself without distributors. So, you can have a large outlay of money for very little return. And if you don’t have a platform now, what makes you think you’ll magically have one once your book is published? If you do POD or Print on Demand, your up front costs will be less, however, and this could be a viable option only IF you pay well to have a great cover design done (Oh how I can spot a self-published book! Poor cover art!) and pay a professional to edit the book, both of which cost thousands of dollars. Now, however, there is an easier way to get your content out there via e-publishing. Sites like CreateSpace help authors get their books in the hands of the e-reading public with little or no start up costs. 2. The public’s view of self-published books is problematic. Though this is changing, the overall bias is that self- published books are seen as inferior in quality and content. As to the reputation of self-published books: that’s hard to overcome. I have not liked any self-published book I’ve read, even The Shack. There’s just something to be said for having professional editing. And if I find typos aplenty, I’ll stop reading. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 62 3. Sometimes working harder and facing more and more rejection makes you a better writer. Just because an agent or editor says no doesn’t mean you’ll never be published. Having rejections is part of the journey. Keep at it. Consider that this is the way people who truly want to write and those who don’t are weeded out. 4. Publishing houses and agents work with new authors all the time. I was unpublished when my first agent took me on. My first book sold anyway. Be careful you don’t throw some mountains in your pathway and then give up. Yes, it’s hard, but not impossible. I fear that many writers let their smallness and the industry’s bigness become an excuse to give up. No. Let it be a challenge instead. And realize that sometimes our American addiction to instant gratification will not work in the world of publishing. I wrote in obscurity for ten plus years before I saw my name in print. It is a long journey, but it is possible. Just don’t think it will happen overnight. 5. Publishers don’t owe new writers contracts. New writers earn them by writing terrific stories and nonfiction books. It’s not like publishers are adamantly plotting against the new kid on the block. On the contrary, every editor I know goes to conferences with one thing in mind: Will I find that next fresh voice? The question is: will you become that fresh new voice? 6. Having an agent makes things much easier. My agent takes my books and proposals and shops them for me. She has connections and relationships with all sorts of people in the industry. Because of that, the publishers respect her when she pitches a project. So, as a new writer, a good goal would be to write such amazing prose that you would woo an agent.

Ways to increase your chances of traditional publication

Consider these legitimate complaints/questions from unpublished writers:

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 63 • I’ve written good proposals. Yet over the past two years, I have experienced untold rejections. • What gets me is when I get my work back in the mail, untouched. If publishers’ Web sites tout their seriousness of accepting proposals, why do they barely glance at un- agented work? • Is an agent necessary? • Am I going to have to spend thousands of dollars to attend writer’s conferences that I cannot afford in hopes of someone thinking I look okay just so my work can get a read? • It just all seems so unfair at times. What does one do with simmering dreams and hopes and deep-seated gifts that seem to walk unnoticed for a long season?

I can hear the frustration pouring through these writers’ words. It’s so exasperating to jump through the hoops, pay your dues, do your homework, and then get rejected. I’m so sorry. Though no magic publication formula exists, there are things you can do to increase your chances of publication. If there is no feedback on your proposal and a blank rejection, something is probably funky or wrong with your proposal. If I were you, I’d send it to a few people you know and trust in the industry and ask them why they think it’s been rejected. Several reasons come to mind:

• The market is saturated with your idea. • Or it’s so specialized, it doesn’t even qualify as a niche market. • The chapters you’ve written have failed to entice the agent/publisher. • You lack a platform. • The publishing house or agent already produces or represents something similar to what you’re writing. • Your proposal format is funky. • You haven’t given sufficient evidence to prove your book is unique or that it fills a slot on the bookshelves. • It may simply not be the time for your book yet. • You haven’t grown sufficiently in the craft of writing to pull off a full-length book. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 64

Rejection is a hard one. Those simmering dreams can’t be killed, can they? And suffering rejection on different levels does make one crazy. But remember this: almost 100% of published authors have long stories about rejections. Rejection makes the acceptance sweeter. So, do the best you can in the meantime. Content yourself with writing words for the blogosphere. Rest, trust, and rest again. Will you need to go to a conference? I’d certainly give it a try. Start with a local conference that isn’t cost- prohibitive first. Then save up to go to a big conference. It’s the best way to meet agents and editors.

Publishing is subjective

In the land of fairy-times, in the anon time before I understood the publishing biz, I held this cherished belief that publishers knew everything, were perfectly consistent, and had universal opinions about each work that flew across an editor’s desk. Now I’m not so sure. I just received my edits from a publisher. The editor did a terrific job, although I must say all the red ink made my eyes hurt a bit. I appreciate his kind attentiveness to the book, his eye for detail, his ability to discern when a reader would be confused. As I read through his comments and edits, I remembered that he was not initially my editor. This caused my mind to walk an entire journey . . . What would the other editor have said? What red lines would he have made? What verbs would he deem weak? Where would he add clarification? This is just one book in the pipeline of thousands of books. I realized how different the book might turn out with a different editor or with a different publisher for that matter. Then I remembered the rejections of this particular book. A couple of houses passed on the manuscript, but what if they hadn’t? (At this time, my crazy-awful mind had visions of advance-wars, spiraling my fledgling advance to more digits.) At this point, I realized that a book has to be held like water running through hands—it is a fluid endeavor, spilled out by some, consumed by others, edited by one. Sure, the book is “my baby,” but in a sense it belongs to many more spheres—the publishing The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 65 house, small bookstores, megaplex bookstores, the reading public, the gift-giving public. Suddenly, this kernel of an idea has taken on a life of its own. I’m thankful for that in one sense. It means that the book is out of my hands. On the other hand (to continue my poorly wrought metaphor), I feel loss—like my baby has grown up with a mind of her own and is ready to explore the world without me. All this to say this profound truth (drum roll, please): Publishing is subjective. While one house may love your prose, another may be riled by it. One editor may slash and burn, another may gently lead. Sometimes I view it like the surprising ending to St. Elsewhere, where what we really thought was a hospital drama was actually a snow-globe manipulated by an autistic boy who dreamed the entire plot of the series in his head. Publishing is a snow globe, manipulated by . . . well, who knows. Snowflakes are whirring around at the tip of a whimsical hand. That being said, the subjective madness doesn’t crush me, nor does it disillusion me. I’m just so flat-out happy that I actually sold some books, that publishers thought my ruminations worthy of the printed page!

Publishing realities: fewer books, higher pressure

Publishers are publishing fewer books. A few years ago, a major publishing house cut its output in half. Other publishers are trimming lines. Why? Less books means less output, which means less cost to the publisher. With rising costs in distribution and production (gas for trucks and paper costs have risen exponentially), publishers are finding ways to cut costs. And the other reality is that people are buying fewer books from different sources. (The independent bookseller is getting squeezed out by big box retailers, even competing with Walmart and Costco for marketshare.) It’s only natural that publishers have to respond to these factors. The question is, what does that mean for the average author trying to write great books and promote them well? All that results in high pressure for an author. When Michael Hyatt, the CEO of Thomas Nelson said this about The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 66 concentrating on acquiring bestsellers, the stress gets higher. Here’s what he wrote:

“These books are generally more predictable. They are typically written by known authors or from authors who at least have media platforms and can help us promote them. Obviously, we have to find the next generation of talent, so we can’t afford to completely eliminate new authors. In fact, we will continue to take risks on those relatively few manuscripts that are exceptionally well- written. But we can still do a much better job of focusing on the authors and the content with the most potential.”9

Publishers interested in bettering their bottom line want authors who are known, who sell well, who have great platforms. Yes, they will take risks on lesser known folks, but only if those writers stun them with great writing. Since nearly 99% of submitted manuscripts are rejected, according to ACW Press, what’s an author to do? How can we woo a publisher in the first place? And if we do, how can we stay woo-able? Here are some ways:

1. Great writing trumps it all. I don’t know of an agent or acquisitions editor out there who isn’t looking for stunning writing. But it doesn’t stop there. The writer’s voice must be compellingly unique. The idea must be fresh, the story one-of-a-kind. As published authors, I fear we may forget the importance of this first point. If we’ve been published, we slack a bit, creating mundane books without character or voice. The time to kick your writing up a notch isn’t merely reserved for your first sale. It’s critical for the second, third, etc. 2. Book sales, though not a measure of us, do define our potential in the industry. Like it or not, it’s a reality every author faces. If your sales tank, a publisher will notice. Of course, this being such a fickle business we exist in, it’s nearly impossible to predict or create or manage sales. It’s important for us to be seen as authors who are willing to

9 http://michaelhyatt.com/too‐many‐books‐too‐few‐ shelves.html The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 67 promote, who have a great Web presence, and who actively keep ourselves out there in the marketplace. 3. Gone are the days when an author can say “I only write books. That’s my job. It’s not my job to promote them.” Sure, a few authors can say this. But only a very few. And even the big names are out there promoting, touring, blogging. Sure, I would love it if I didn’t have to promote alongside writing. But with shrinking backlists, and publishers asking bottom line questions, it’s imperative that I think along marketing lines.

There are more implications, I’m sure. But these three pop out to me as I write this. We writers have to be a savvy bunch, creating excellent books, promoting well, and being willing to take risks. And that’s where I’ll end it today: risk. That’s the gist of it all. Publishers take a risk when they publish our books. We risk rejection when we write them and send them down the transom. When the book is out there, we risk being misunderstood. We risk small sales. We risk privacy. Are you willing to take a risk?

Moving and shifting

People are moving. In a recent issue of Publisher’s Weekly, the big news was the shifting and moving around of various publishing CEOs. If you’ve never experienced a personnel shift in your writing/marketing/publishing/speaking career, you will. Just blink your eyes, and it will happen. And it’s not merely shifting and downsizing from the top that affects a house. That usually affects the demeanor and atmosphere of a publishing entity. But it’s the professionals who work directly with authors whose shifts affect us most.

How?

1. If your acquiring editor moves to another place (or becomes an agent or a publicist or a freelance editor), you have lost your cheerleader. This has happened to me twice, and it wasn’t fun. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 68 2. If the person in charge of marketing your staggering work of genius takes an extended leave, you will have to scramble to catch the next marketing person up on your book, its message, and its audience. 3. If a publicist moves to another position in the company, you have to backpedal and remind the new person how exactly your book ties in with the current events of the day. 4. If your agent moves on to become a school teacher, you have to stop everything and start interviewing other agents, getting recommendations, writing queries, etc.

What can an author do?

1. Keep everything. Keep every file you’ve written about your book, its message, its unique selling point (USP), the back cover copy. These things can easily get lost in transition. Be sure to keep a backup copy of your manuscript too. And back up all of that daily. I use Carbonite10 to back up my files online, and I also have an external drive that automatically backs up every day. 2. Keep a good relationship with those who move on. Don’t burn a bridge. This is a small industry. You may not think so when you first start this journey, but don’t be fooled. It’s tiny. Burning a bridge has big implications. Hold your tongue. Keep your cool. 3. Know that sometimes this happens. It’s not worth throwing a hissy fit if your book doesn’t get the attention you feel it deserves. Be proactive instead of reactive. Think of ways you can promote the book yourself. Actively seek to partner with the new person you’re working with. 4. Send Thank You notes to those who have moved on. 5. Send “I’m glad to be working with you” notes to the people who are new. 6. Slay the tendency to gossip.

10 http://www.carbonite.com/

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 69 7. Remember that ultimately, your book is your responsibility. Someone moving on shouldn’t drastically change things. 8. But even so, things sometimes don’t go well. Anticipate that—not in a self-defeating way but in a realistic way. Things don’t always pan out the way we expect. 9. Unless it’s your agent who has moved, share everything openly with your agent. It’s his/her responsibility to help you share your needs/wants with the publisher in transition.

Recently, I received a kind e-mail from my editor. His house had recently experienced downsizing. He e-mailed me to assure me that his job was intact. I let out a happy breath. Because the reality is, it’s stressful to walk through transition. For everyone involved.

It’s not about you

So many authors—me included—have walked down a strange path, believing that this whole bookselling thing is about us. About getting out our message. About sharing our story. On an elemental level this is true. But the reality is much more exciting. It’s not about you. It’s about the audience. Because they are the people who will buy your books, listen to your message, read your stories. And they are the folks who stand to change for the better as a result. The question becomes: What value do you add to your readers? What is it that you uniquely share that will better the hearts/souls/minds/bodies of the people who pick up your tomes? To figure this out, try writing some statements about what your readers or listeners will gain after they’ve experienced something you’ve written or said. Here are some examples off the top of my head. These aren’t necessarily indicative of what I write, but they’ll give you a good idea.

• I help readers regulate their diets in such a way that they’re able to have more energy throughout the day. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 70

• I help listeners understand what it means to walk through genuine healing. • I help teens navigate their culture in such a way that they can rise above and be happy in their own skin. • I help parents create the kind of haven-like homes that kids are wildly enthusiastic about coming home to. (This is one of mine).

It’s not about me. It’s about what benefit I bring to others. I like that shift. Making this shift from me getting my message out to me considering the needs of my audience has been crucial. It helps me make sense of my own participation in the publishing industry. There’s the old adage: They’re not going to care about what you know until they know how much you care. So true. So love your readers. Consider them as you write. Think of ways you can translate your words so you directly benefit them. Simply put: Serve your readers.

Spikes and thick skin

(Note: I wrote this in the olden days when I still mailed a physical query letter, early in my publication journey.)

I need more rejection in my life. That spike Stephen King used to impale his rejections on? I have a thumbtack. My skin is still baby- thin, thank you very much—not yet hardened to leather by reams of rejections. I’m going to change my modus operandi. Going to beckon editors for snubs, for form letters starting with “Dear Writer,” for over-Xeroxed writer’s guidelines shoved into SASEs (self- addressed stamped envelopes). No more writers’ conferences with self-important folks in turtlenecks. No more online support groups. No more proofreading. Nope, I will court rejection. I’ll forget that there even is such an animal as a Managing Editor. May as well go right to the top for rejection. I’ll buy rose-scented stationery and spell the editor’s name wrong—from Michael to Michelle. I’ll start lots of sentences with “I think.” Come to think of it, I think I’ll use the word “lots” lots. My thumbtack’s become a straight pin. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 71 I’ll query Motor Trend with a sure-to-miss story about the teething habits of male squirrels. Seventeen will express-mail my SASE back after I pitch my “Grandmas and navel piercing” article. Better yet, I’ll forgo the query altogether. I’ll submit my stream of consciousness piece—7,000 words, to be inexact—about man’s inhumanity to man to American Girl. My straight pin’s become a thin silver nail. John Grisham’s agent will get a rose-scented letter from me, where I handwrite “I think I would make you lots of money, because I write just like John.” I’ll submit rhyming phallic-less poetry to poet magazines, complete with stars and flowers and sunshine and, well, happiness. My thin silver nail’s become a drywall screw. I’ll burn my writer’s guide, rip out the pages of my thesaurus, do a dance on my manuscript, dip the corner of my business card in coffee, and start reading computer manuals for fun. I’ll beg my friends for computer viruses, hoping against hope that all my writing will be morphed into gobbledy-gook. My drywall screw’s become a ten-penny nail. When writer friends come to check on my sanity, I’ll shove my danced on manuscript at them and ask for honest feedback. When it comes, I’ll double over in raucous laughter. “You’re telling me a joke, right? I think these words are perfect,” I’ll say. My ten-penny nail’s become a bike hook. In the unlikely case that I attend a writing conference, I’ll be sure to follow agents and editors into the bathroom and shove my rose-scented manuscript under the bathroom stall door, saying “I think you’ll like this lots.” There’s no better place for rejection than in the ol’ latrine. My bike hook’s become, yes, a spike. Spiked and thick-skinned, I’ll now be able to join the ranks of the true writers—those whose ink-blood spills hesitantly on a blank page, those whose thick skin resembles an armadillo. But first, I think I need to buy some rose-scented stationery—lots of it.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 72

Secret 4

Welcome Critique

Another determining factor of an author who will succeed is his willingness to receive and heed critique. I’ve run into plenty of wannabe writers who believe their words are golden and must not be touched. Every one of them is unpublished today. In order to survive and thrive as a writer, you have to swallow your pride, listen to critique, even welcoming it as a friend. This doesn’t mean you heed every single person’s advice. It means you discern and sift. But you still have to have an attitude of approachability.

When should I hire someone to professionally critique my work?

To determine where you are in the writing journey, see Randy Ingermanson’s distinctions about Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior writers on his Web site.11 After you process that, you’ll know more whether you need a critique group or a professional editor or book doctor. If you are a freshman or sophomore, all you really need is a willingness to be critiqued by fellow writers, either in a critique group or by a fellow writer who is a junior or senior. Believe me,

11 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/freshman.php The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 73 you do not want to hire a professional if you’re still not grasping basic grammar and spelling. You will be spending your money needlessly because these are things you can learn right now. If you’re unwilling to hone your writing this way, consider if writing is really what you want to do. Also, pour through writer magazines, good writing books, and read really great books. Great writers are great readers. Take notes on books you like. Learn vocabulary and practice using it effectively in a piece you’re writing. But most of all: be teachable. I can’t tell you how frustrated I get when I hear a new writer say, “God told me to be a writer,” and then when I critique the prose, he/she balks, defending everything. You will never be published if you argue with those editing you. If you’re a freshman or sophomore, now is not the time to be facing off with your critique group, always trying to prove them wrong. Take it all in. All of it. Sift through it later. Eventually, when you grow in your craft, you’ll learn discernment—what to listen to, what to discard. But right now, you’re job is to be a sponge. Soak up critique. However, if you’ve been critiqued a lot, learned to develop a thick skin, and are puzzled why your writing is not selling to publishing houses, it may be time to hire an editor. It’s more valuable to do this when you’re farther up the ladder (Junior, Senior) because you will be looking at the deeper issues of your writing. I’ll end with a story. I’ve edited books before, just for the experience. One stands out in my mind. Rift with clichés, horrific paragraph-long dialogue, and an agenda-laden plot, I spent a great deal of time working through the manuscript. I never did find out what the writer did with it, but my guess is that he kept his words as they were. He was a freshman writer, and I think the experience for him was stressful and painful because of all the red ink everywhere. It would have been better for him to study writing, learn to be critiqued, and then, when the book was well formed, hire an editor. This writing thing is a marathon, folks. Or maybe better put: an ironman triathlon. I started writing in 1992. I had no instant success. I believe I am published today because I:

• Created imaginary deadlines for myself and met them early. Every time. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 74 • Wrote every day, even when I knew it wouldn’t be published. • Developed my writing voice, which took years and years and miles and miles of written words. • Listened to critique (though I admit, it stung at first) and then implemented what I learned. • Learned to critique others (You’ll be surprised how well you’ll learn writing when you’re critiquing others). • Read writing books and magazines. • Read great books and took notes. • Took lots of risks, sent out queries aplenty—the majority of them rejected.

If you’re serious, do these things first. Then venture out into the paid critique area. And please, don’t despise humble beginnings. Writing is not easy. There’s a mountain of work involved, often un-applauded. Most of what is done is hidden. But none of that is wasted. Every step we take along the journey helps us improve.

Should I Revise It All? Even If I Disagree?

A writer’s question:

An agent read through my manuscript, and though he rejected it, he gave me a critique and said he’d be willing to look at it again if I did rewrites. All the critique but one piece resonated with me, but this one piece doesn’t make sense to me—which could either be my naivety as a writer or my instinct about the book (I’m willing to bet the former). I’m working hard on the rewrites, but still struggle with changing this one part. If you want to resubmit to this agent, should you go ahead and rewrite it as they suggest verbatim? I want to show that I’m teachable and flexible, but I also am having a hard time making this one piece work.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 75 My answer:

That’s a tough call. But I would say in the beginning of your career, you have to take a lot of advice. As you take it, you begin to learn the art of letting some advice go. If I were in your situation, I would ask another publishing professional to read through the agent’s suggestion and the section of your work in question. If they agree with the agent or can see his point, I’d change it. If you’re not sure how to change it, ask your critique group. Just last week I shared my synopsis of my upcoming novel with my critique partners. They gave great feedback, showing me where my holes were and asking good questions. Where I saw weaknesses, I asked for help. They helped me come up with solutions I wouldn’t have seen before. So get some help. Ask further advice. And then write it well. In my initial read-through of an editorial letter, I balk at a lot of it. I want to argue back and tell the editor she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. And then I read it again, drier eyes this time, and realize she’s nearly 100% right. Sometimes it takes someone completely outside the project to point out the weaknesses of a work. My point? The more you learn now to take editorial direction, the better off you’ll be later. And, ironically, the more you take it now, the better able you’ll be to discern the times when you put your foot down and say, “No, I don’t agree.”

Should I get a critique early in the book process?

There are two schools of thought about critique in the earlier stages of a manuscript:

• You could use all the help and insight another reader can give. • Hearing any other voice than your own will sully the piece.

If you are new at writing (meaning, you haven’t published much yet), it’s imperative that you solicit some feedback before you try to finish an entire book. Sure, you’ll learn a lot in The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 76 completing it, but you could avoid some pitfalls if you have published authors look over what you’re trying to do. For instance, in nonfiction, the biggest mistake I see when someone is writing a NF book (other than trying to write the whole book when all that is necessary is a proposal and three chapters) is having the book be all about the writer. So many times we go through tragedy or stress and immediately want to write about it. We reason that the compulsion to complete the book means we’re meant to write it, when, in actuality, writing could simply help you process your grief. The truth: we all have hard stories to tell, but not all those stories are ready to be told. Many new authors write thousands of words about their struggle with addiction, anorexia, death of a spouse, care-giving, child abuse, sexual abuse, etc. But they do not make it translatable to a reader. You must ask yourself: How will writing this book specifically benefit a reader? Getting a solid critique will help you get over that hurdle. In terms of fiction, it’s the same. If you are new, yes, get critique. Therein lies a story: When I wrote my first novel (not published yet!), I ran into some difficulty. Through a providential conversation with an author, I asked her what to do. I’d created a Hitler-like character because I felt that the plot had to have this kind of external conflict to keep the book moving. It didn’t. All she told me was this: “Mary, you can have a book with internal conflict. What is it that your character wants. And why can’t she seem to get there?” Those questions helped completely reframe my stalled novel. I rewrote the beginning, then finished the book in three months. Now that I’m published, I still welcome feedback weekly. I go to my little critique group. I trust them. I love them. I need them. They understand me. They see flaws I can’t see. They help me when my book’s not on track. So, yes, you need feedback. Otherwise you’ll end up having a lot of false starts, which may discourage you so much you may quit. Get some help.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 77 Critique groups

A critique group is essential to the beginning writer. Here are ten thoughts about critique groups:

1. Be sure you meld. Sometimes a group of writers, for whatever reason, don’t meld together well. 2. It is helpful to have people critique your stuff who understand the parameters of what you’re writing. To have only novelists critique your nonfiction would be good in terms of being sure you’re telling good stories, but you really need the input of another NF writer. Be sure your group has a balance of both. 3. Bring your best work to your group. Sometimes I’ll run across a person who brings something they threw on the page. Believe me, it takes much more work to wade through something like that. 4. Similar to the above, take your work as far as you possibly can. Then think of great questions to ask of your crit group: Is the voice consistent? Are my tenses correct here? What is missing? When did you tune out? You’ll get much more from your group if you ask specific questions. 5. You might need to weed out people who aren’t focused on publication. The lady who writes poetry for her grandchildren may have interesting opinions about your piece, but if she’s not familiar with writing for publication or the industry, she may not be what you’re looking for in a critique partner. 6. Welcome diversity. I led a group in Southern France where several different types of folks participated. We learned a lot from each other. 7. If you find a group of writers who critique well together, be thankful. They’re not always easy to find. 8. Don’t rule out the Internet as a possibility to create an online group. 9. Set up great guidelines and stick to them. 10. Don’t be afraid to regroup or pull away if things aren’t working. That happens sometimes. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 78

If you’d like to improve in writing, you will eventually have to carve out time to be critiqued and to critique. Critiquing someone else’s piece is never a waste of time. And having yours critiqued will be invaluable too. Belonging to a live critique group that meets once a month for a few hours helps both beginning and seasoned writers, those who write full time or part time, those who write professionally or personally. Some writers never use critique groups. Some always do. I am in the latter camp. I need all the help I can get!

What about discouraging critiques?

What do you do when you’ve received a harsh critique? Give up? Take it to heart? Weigh it? Figure it out? Keep plugging away? Here’s what happened to me at the genesis of my writing career: I went to my first writing conference, a small regional affair, after I’d completed several chapters of my first novel. I rode with a woman who had become my mentor who was also a graduate-level writing professor. I selected two people to meet with about my piece. The first one, a nonfiction author, ripped my piece to shreds. Hers was not constructive criticism, it was downright mean. And most of what she said didn’t make sense to me. I should’ve realized that a nonfiction author might not be the best person to critique my novel. The second person was also a professor. I am embarrassed to write this, but I showed him a short one-act play I’d written. And when we were done, I slid it across the table to him. “You can have it,” I said, secretly nursing some painful hope that the professor would see my genius and recommend me to a screenplay agent. Ha! But on the way home, all I could do was concentrate on the woman’s harsh criticism. I was naïve and easily crushed. I nearly gave up writing. But my mentor pep-talked me back to reality. She listened. Told me to keep at it. Three months later I finished the book, attended a major writer’s conference, and met my agent. Had I listened to the snarky woman and not the voice of my mentor, who knows what would’ve happened?

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 79 What about welcoming critique?

Here’s the thing about me. I come across as much more harsh on paper than in person, so I need to work harder at softening my editing comments when I’m in the midst of track changes. However, I will say that those who truly want to learn will welcome hard/deep critique. If you find yourself shying away from a more red-lined manuscript, it’s time to take stock and see if you’re ready for the big time. Ask yourself:

1. Is the person a professional in the industry? Does he/she know his/her stuff? 2. Are the comments consistent with the other comments I’ve received? 3. What is it inside me that happens when I start reading critique? Do I feel less than worthy? Smaller? Needy? Evaluating your own emotions here will help you determine why you have a hard time with critique. And dealing with the underlying self-worth issues will help you develop a thicker skin. 4. Are you willing to make changes? If not, then why are you soliciting help?

If the person offering feedback is a professional, providing confirming critiques, then it’s time to dig deeper and humble yourself under the critique. If the critique appears random, or comes from someone who hasn’t been writing awhile, sift through it and decide what to keep and what to let slide off. And remember this: all along the journey of publication you will be faced with discouragement, editorial direction, and frustration. How you deal with it right now will determine how well you navigate it in the future. The truth? Feedback never ends, and it often gets deeper and harder to heed. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 80

Secret 5

Write Great Queries and Proposals

The first step on your path to publication involves the handshake of the query letter, then the full embrace of the proposal. It took me some time to understand, then perfect the query, and even more time to discern and execute the scary proposal. If I can learn those two processes, so can you. Note that I have 75-page tutorials on both nonfiction and fiction proposals at my Web site marydemuth.com. There, I not only help you understand how to write one, but I give several examples and a template you can use to make your proposal professional. Let’s start with queries (baby steps!) and then move on to proposals.

The query letter

What is a query?

1. It rhymes with scary! (Or depending on how you pronounce it, eerie.) 2. Seriously though, a query is a business letter sent to a magazine, newspaper, or publishing entity that pitches your The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 81 story or book idea to an acquisition or managing editor or to a literary agent. You send a query instead of a manuscript.

Why query?

1. Most editors will not accept unsolicited manuscripts. 2. It saves time. They ensure you don’t spend time and energy in creating an article that won’t be accepted. 3. It’s easier to secure interviews when you can say, “I’ve been assigned an article by Salon. Would you be interested in being interviewed for my story about fighting fair?” 4. It helps you forge a relationship with an editor…an editor that can give you feedback, help focus your article, hem you in with a word count, or suggest possible sidebars. 5. You have the chance to show an editor your unique writing style, to illuminate your credentials, and to demonstrate your professionalism and reliability. 6. Once you’ve written an excellent query, if the editor likes it, you are farther along than if you had sloppily put it together.

In terms of articles, should I write the article first and then query? It depends.

1. Yes: Some say it is easier to write a piece from passion and then query. Querying can quell creativity. 2. No: Others believe it’s better to query first so you don’t waste time, and you can develop a story the way an editor wants it, eliminating re-writes.

When not to query

1. Humor articles are normally just submitted as is. 2. You’ve already spoken with an editor and they have given you a verbal go-ahead to submit something. Be sure that you briefly remind them what you’ve spoken about. On the subject line write: Requested Materials to ensure it won’t get spammed. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 82 Surefire ways to end up in the rejection pile

1. Be chatty and overly personal. “Hi my name is Mary DeMuth, and I really love to write.” 2. Confess your lack of familiarity with a magazine. “I don’t know much about Popular Mechanics, but I’d sure love to write for you.” 3. Request writer’s guidelines in the body of your query letter. You should already have done that, and this demonstrates your inexperience. Check a writer’s market guide or a publication’s Web site for guidelines. 4. Have a crabby tone. Some have said we write because we are angry, but an angry tone doesn’t work well for Good Housekeeping. If you have to rage against the machine, perhaps Anarchy Today would be a better fit! 5. Be lazy and say, “Dear Editor:” Find out the managing editor’s name. Sandra Glahn, editor of Dallas Seminary’s Kindred Spirit, received a recent query that said, “Dear Sir:” 6. Ramble on and on, without a point. You don’t want to sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher, do you? “Blah blah blah blah- blah blah.” A query letter should be one page long—when you type it into MS word, single spaced, and convey your point succinctly. 7. Use the shotgun approach, sending article ideas to unrelated magazines. “Dear Better Homes and Gardens, Would you be interested in a story about motorcycle repair for retired persons?” 8. Be a brown-noser. “I’ve been a subscriber for 100 years, and I just adore your magazine.” 9. Sing a sob song. “I have never ever been published before, and you would be my first magazine. My children are starving, and I need the money.” 10. Sing a self-aggrandizing song. “I am expertly experienced to inform your readers. I am God’s gift to print media. My article ‘Hamsters on Vacation’ is perfect for your enlightened readers.” 11. Bring in quotes from family members or friends. “My mother keeps bugging me to get published; she says I write like David Sedaris.” or “My fourth grade teacher said I write The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 83 with insight.” or “My children read my short stories with interest and always ask for more.” 12. Have a query that looks like a seventh grader wrote it, with amateur language and spelling errors. 13. Have True Confessions of A Rejected Writer be your mantra. “This article has been rejected 7 times. I am hoping number 8 will be my lucky number.” 14. Discuss payment. That is premature and presumptive. 15. Misspell the magazine’s or managing editor’s name.

Keys to unlocking the query mystery

Key 1. Follow format

1. Classic font like Times New Roman or Garamond. 12-point font. 2. Italicize magazine and book titles. “Quotes” around article titles. 3. One page. Single-spaced. Double spaced between paragraphs. This is not a hard and fast rule. Some editors prefer no spaces between paragraphs with indented (using the tab key) paragraphs. While it may be hard to gauge page length in an e-mail, you can check by pasting your letter into a Word document to check its length.

Key 2. Keep the correct elements in order.

Date Your name Title Address Phone E-mail, Web site, Twitter, etc.

Editor’s (Agent’s) name Editor’s title Publication Name Address

Dear Correctly Spelled Name of Editor (Agent): The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 84

First paragraph: This should be your elevator pitch—the fifty or so words you’d give to an editor or agent in an elevator, ending with a question.

Body. The body can be one to two paragraphs long. One to elaborate about the uniqueness of your book, another to possibly highlight your marketing plan. One more idea: use this space to show you’ve done your homework about an agent or publisher. Write something like, “I am interested in you representing my book because my genre or style is similar to (title) by (author).” This shows you’ve done your research.

Qualification Paragraph. List your publications, memberships, awards, etc.

Closing request. Would Name of Editor/Agent be interested in discussing publication/representation of this project?

Closing. I like “Warmly.” Type your name under the closing. Your e-mail tagline can go after this as long as it’s not too flashy and long.

Place for listing enclosures or attachments

NOTE: This is a typical format for a book query. If you’re writing an article, be sure to pitch the article idea in paragraph one, then elaborate your points in the body paragraph. Here it’s nice to add a bulleted list of the major parts of your article. Also indicate if you have sidebar ideas. The qualifications paragraph and closing request remains the same.

Key 3. Sell your article.

1. A selling point for an article can be that you already have digital photos available. 2. Include sidebar ideas. A sidebar is usually a list of sources, a mini-article related to the larger one, or a vignette. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 85 3. When pitching an article, be sure it interests you. You will write better if you are passionate about the topic, and your excitement will show through to the editor. 4. Brainstorm experts you know who would add some relevant quotes. Be sure to mention those people when you query. “George W. Bush has agreed to be interviewed for my story about Texas politics.” Now that would sell! 5. Use statistics. “One out of five women are raped in America” will show an editor the relevance of your story about avoiding date rape. 6. Keep your focus. Choose one idea. “How to be organized 365 days a year” is too broad. “10 Ways to Organize Your Pantry” is focused. 7. Similarly, editors seem to love numbers and lists. Use numbers like 5, 10, and 100. Example: “100 Places to Kiss in Nashville.” 8. Be sure the article has what editors call “takeaway value.” You should be able to show readers that there is immediate benefit to reading your article. 9. Include well-written personal anecdotes. It is usually better to avoid personal victories. (Tell them your foibles!) Elevate others’ triumphs. It’s a good way to stay humble. 10. Make use of proximity. An article sells if it is relevant to its geographic audience. Writing Spa mentor Leslie Wilson sold a pool story to a family magazine in Florida. That same query would not do well in Seattle. 11. Make sure the topic is timely. How AIDS started is old news. How it is ravaging Russia is timely. 12. Show the editor you have done your homework. Know the bias from both sides. Study the opposition. Contact experts.

But what about my novel or nonfiction book?

1. Typically, you will query in this instance even if you’ve met with an editor at a writer’s conference. The query should follow a similar format, except that paragraph two will have a one– to two–sentence summary of your piece— not an exhaustive summary. 2. You may also include a brief marketing analysis paragraph. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 86 3. Usually included (after the query) is a bio, a two– to three– page summary of the piece, the first three chapters, and if it’s a nonfiction book, an entire proposal, 4. If you’ve met with the acquisition editor or agent, be sure to note that in the letter. “It was so nice talking to you at the conference last week…” 5. If you query an agent, be sure that you have done your research and that your book is a good match to the agent. Detail this in the first part of your query with something like, “I am interested in your representation because my book is similar to (title) by (author).” This shows you’ve done your research.

What about rejection? 1. Keep a file of rejections and successes. Rejections can say a lot and show you where to improve. 2. Always keep a copy of the query on your computer. If one magazine rejects your proposal, paste it in an e-mail to a new editor, but be sure to change the names! 3. Don’t assume you are a bad writer because you have been rejected. There are a lot of reasons for rejection: wrong market; they’ve already done this story; they have staff writers already; they simply aren’t interested in the idea; they just had a fight with their boss or spouse; they just used up the budget for freelancers.

What should I put in my query?

A writer asked me the following questions about query letters:

1. I had two articles/devotions published for a new print magazine, which went caphooey after two issues. So, for any bio used in a cover letter, proposal, or whatever, where one is requested to list one’s published writings, is it better to leave out the ones in this short-lived publication?

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 87 No, I’d still list it as a credit. There are really good magazines which are now caput (Country Home comes to mind). Just because it folded doesn’t mean you weren’t published. You don’t need to say the publication has gone belly up; just list it as a credit.

2. Is there a limit to how many articles should be listed?

In a query, list your absolute most important publishing credits. Limit to seven or less. (That’s a guess, but inundating a query with obscure references makes it clunky. Use your strongest work as examples.)

3. Should a writer list in his/her bio any other things such as social media like Facebook, writing a monthly column for online sites, devotionals for other sites, etc.?

Yes, if you have a significant presence. Lots of people do Facebook, but an editor won’t be impressed unless you can give traffic numbers or number of fans. When I say that wannabepublished gets close to 15,000 hits a month, that gets attention. Merely saying I have a blog does not. If you have stats, use them. If you’re a monthly columnist, I’d certainly mention that, and anywhere you’re a regular contributor.

Three query examples. (Note: All these used by permission, and all three sold.)

Josie Editor Bob’s Publishing House 1313 Mockingbird Lane Dallas, TX 75555

Dear Ms. Editor,

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 88 Grounds to Believe is a completed 75,000-word contemporary romance that could also be called “inspirational suspense.”

It is the story of Julia McNeill, who has grown up in a strict religious sect where she has been taught that the world is evil, and the only safety is found inside the rigid boundaries of her community. She believes . . . until the children begin to die. After the third death, local police call in Ross Malcolm, who works undercover to infiltrate groups to find evidence of crime. Ross targets the unsuspecting Julia as his informant, since the most recent victim is her nephew. He discovers that evil is living in this supposedly safe community, and it is up to him and Julia to stop it before another child becomes a victim. Julia’s spiritual journey happens at the same time, as Ross helps to free her into an appreciation of the freedom that comes with faith.

I spent eight years working for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, so my “insider knowledge” brings realistic investigative detail to the suspense of the story. I have an M.A. in fiction, and am published in short contemporary romance. Grounds to Believe won the grand prize in the Lagniappe for Literacy national fiction contest, and also took first place in the San Francisco Romance Writers of America “Heart to Heart” contest.

I believe it is a good fit for your publishing house because, while Julia is a believer, she is blind to the real meaning of love, both human and divine. Her learning process is entwined with the romance as she comes to love the forbidden outsider who shows her what can be possible if she has the courage. I look forward to hearing from you, and hope you will be interested in reading the manuscript.

Best regards, Shelley Bates

****

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 89 Dear Editor,

Think Waking the Dead & Wild at Heart (John Eldredge) in fiction form.

• Title: Rooms • Genre: Contemporary Christian adult fiction with a flavoring of the supernatural • Target audience: Readers of Arena (Hancock), The Oath (Peretti) White/Black/Red (Dekker), Eli (Myers) 65% male - 35% female • Setting: Seattle, Washington and Cannon Beach, Oregon

The story: Micah Taylor has it all—youth, good looks, a beautiful girlfriend and 60 million dollars in the bank from his software company’s recent IPO. But a persistent splinter in his mind keeps asking if he’s traded his soul, and heart, for what he’s gained.

On a rainy day in early April a letter arrives from a Great Uncle he never knew, telling Micah of a home he’s inherited on the northern Oregon coast. Micah figures it’s got to be a shack. Why would someone he never met leave him a home on one of the most spectacular stretches of beach on the west coast unless it was a dive?

He gets there to discover a 9,000 square foot home of his dreams. However as he spends the next few weekends exploring his inheritance, he realizes it is far more than just a house. It’s a physical manifestation of his own heart; some rooms full of joy, others of terror, all of them making him face the fact his current existence is full of everything but life.

Significant characters: Rick the owner of the gas station in Cannon Beach that becomes Micah’s mentor, and turns out to be far more than anyone imagined; the “voice” living in the house that is either Micah’s greatest ally or an enemy out of his deepest nightmares; and Sarah, the woman that has been destined for him all his life, if he chooses the right path.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 90 In the end, Micah faces his greatest fear and must choose to live for this world or the one eternal.

Three reasons it will sell:

1. The Right Platform—I know the audience this book will reach. I’ve been talking to them for the past five years as a speaker at men’s retreats and as a leader of men’s groups. Men (and women) restoring their hearts and facing their wounds has moved into the Christian mainstream and I believe fiction can be a powerful way to continue reaching them and seeing them set free. 2. Marketing & Advertising—I’m not only willing to do it; it’s been my profession for 18 years. I’m not your typical author who is uncomfortable “selling.” I know how to market, speak, captivate and promote. 3. Connections—I started my career on air at Spirit 105 in Seattle and currently buy media on radio and TV stations across the country. Because of this background, I already have commitments from media friends to promote the book via interviews once it is published.

Thanks for your consideration,

Jim Rubart ****

Jill Williamson Represented by: Mr. Bob Agentman We Read Literary Agency 1234 First Street, New York, NY 00000 555-555-5555 [email protected]

June 11, 2008

Sam Publisher Foraging Press 2345 Strange Street Colorado Springs, CO 80920 The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 91

Dear Mr. Publisher:

Bloodvoicing is a gift, an endowment to communicate from one gifted mind to another. For a slave to have the gift is unheard of, yet one slave has more power than all the rest combined.

A young adult fantasy novel, Prince Gidon tells the story of two young people with a unique, ancestral ability to speak to, and hear, the minds of others: a slave forced to serve a prince who wants him dead and a young woman masquerading as a boy to avoid a forced marriage. The novel alternates between their points of view until their stories collide on the battlefield.

Judging from the steady stream of medieval fantasy novels on the bestseller lists, young adult readers remain fascinated by epic fantasy adventures. Projects similar to mine like Eragon, Dragonspell, Chosen, and The Bark of the Bog Owl bring a fun mixture of fantasy and faith.

I have two books contracted. Jason Farms will be released in spring 2009 (a young adult suspense novel from The Wild Rose Press), and A Mango and a Mud Church will be released in 2010 (an “all reader” book from Beacon Hill Press). My articles have appeared in Brio, Brio & Beyond, Shine Brightly, and Devo’Zine. My husband and I have worked with teens in the youth pastor role for nine years. I researched medieval life and swordsmanship for three months before I started to write this novel and can provide a works cited page.

If the premise appeals to you, I would be happy to meet with you to discuss the project. My agent, Bob Agentman at We Read Literary Agency, can provide a marketing proposal and the complete 96,000-word manuscript.

Sincerely,

Jill Williamson

Enc. Synopsis, One Sample Chapter The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 92

Proposals

What doesn’t work in sending a proposal:

1. Send things FedEx. 2. Send chocolate (It can melt...all over your submission)! 3. Pester with e-mail over and over again. 4. Call frequently. 5. Send gimmicks with your proposal if you’re mailing it. 6. Send attachments when an editor has clearly said not to. 7. Drop names in your proposal when you have no relationship with John Grisham or Oprah Winfrey.

What I do (that has worked thus far):

1. Be patient. I’ve let my agent do her job by checking in. 2. Be responsive. If an editor e-mails with a question about the proposal or the fiction sample, I respond immediately. 3. Be gracious. If I am rejected, I thank the editor for his/her time and express an interest in perhaps collaborating in the future. 4. Be thankful. If the manuscript gets accepted, I try very hard to send thank you notes or give small gifts when I see the people involved in making the manuscript work (administrative assistants, marketing folks, graphics people, editors, publishers, special markets people, publicists). I’m not doing this to brown-nose, but to cultivate thankfulness and gratitude in my own life.

Proposal nuts and bolts

A well-written proposal will greatly benefit you because:

1. You will learn more about your book through the proposal writing process. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 93 2. You’ll quickly realize if the book is necessary in the market. 3. By the time you’re done writing it, if you lack passion for the subject, you can walk away, instead of investing in more time writing something that won’t come to fruition. (Side note: I’m absolutely convinced that passion is what sells a book to an agent or publisher. You must be absorbed and wildly happy about your idea. Passionless proposals and prose ends up on the slush pile.) 4. You will endear yourself to whoever receives the proposal because professional, well-written proposals stand out. 5. You will know you’ve done your best to be a ghost in the publication board (pub board) meeting. Your proposal is putting you in the meeting. If you’ve anticipated every question a pub board might ask, and have adequately answered those questions, you’ll produce a favorable impression on that board.

First things first: You need to know a few things before you start.

1. Know your passion. A good book proposal emerges from a passionate idea. Examine yourself. Think about the topics you get passionate about when you talk to folks. Talk to others who know you well. Share your book idea and see if they catch your passion for it. It’s a huge undertaking to write a proposal, so be sure you have the passion to carry an entire book. 2. Know your book. What genre is your book? Where it would be shelved in a bookstore? How well do you know what the book will be about? Do you have access to good research, great interviews? How unique is your book? Will a pub board find it unique? 3. Know your immediate audience. The first audience of your proposal is actually the agent or publisher you’re querying. Find out everything you can about the agent or publisher. Do they specialize in the genre you’re writing? Do they take new authors? How many? Have you attended a writer’s conference and spoken directly to the editor or agent? What kinds of books are they looking for? The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 94 Purchasing a market guide is a great first step. Analyzing books already represented or published is another great step. (If an agent already represents three mom authors, chances are he/she won’t want to take on another mom author.) 4. Know the bookselling industry. Do you know what is selling in the industry? What has oversold? What trends are up and coming? Go to bookstores and walk the aisles, sign up for newsletters and updates from the publishing industry, go to conferences, talk to booksellers. It’s absolutely imperative that you know what you’re getting into before you embark on this journey. 5. Know yourself. Writing a proposal is the first step in a very long journey. Do you have what it takes to count the cost of bringing a book to fruition? Can you take constructive criticism? Do you have the time it takes to not only write the book, but to edit it in a timely manner and promote it when it releases? Do you have a critique group to support and help you through the process? Author Jan Winebrenner says publishing a book “is like giving birth to an elephant— only more painful.” Are you ready for that?

Quick overview of a proposal’s components:

1. General Overview of the Book (You can create a chart that lists the title, word count, genre, audience and bio.) 2. About the Book (more detailed—target audience, why there’s a need for this book, working title, USP (Unique Selling Proposition/Potential), felt needs, reader benefits, special features, series potential, alternate titles) 3. About the Market (what’s out there, potential readership demographics, current trends) 4. About the Competition (comparative analysis where you compare your upcoming title with other similar books already released.) 5. About Promotion (speaking, platform, Web presence, social media, media opportunities, blog tours, endorsements, influencer list, affinity groups, summary of publishing credits, press release list, willingness to The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 95 participate in PR, periodical list for article submissions, special venues, social media, etc.) 6. About the Author (personal background, speaking, writing, professional memberships, awards, educational background) 7. In Summary (a summary of the proposal and book) 8. Chapter Summaries (short descriptive paragraphs about each chapter) 9. Three Sample Chapters (your staggering work of genius)

Proposal Format:

You will want to add page numbers to the document. If you have Word, go to INSERT, then PAGE NUMBERS. To create a header, go to VIEW, then HEADER AND FOOTER. A box at the top of your document will appear. Type in your last name, then first name, then the title of the book. You can also add “proposal.” It should look like this:

Munster, Herman, Repairing the Dilapidated Home. Proposal.

Use Times New Roman, 11 or 12-point font. One-inch margins all around. Only one space after a period. (See note in chapter one).

Also, before you send anything out, go to TOOLS then SPELLING AND GRAMMAR. But remember that your word processing program won’t catch everything, particularly homophones. Read through your selection one million times before you send it out. And ask a friend, a good reader, and your dog (if she can read) to proof it before you hit Send.

Spacing: The proposal portion will be single-spaced, the sample chapters, double–spaced. Find my 75-page tutorial for a nonfiction proposal here.12

12 http://www.marydemuth.com/store/book-proposal/ The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 96 What are the ten parts of a fiction proposal?

1. A Query Letter serves as your handshake with an editor or agent. 2. The Cover Page includes the name of the book, your name, tagline, address, phone, and e-mail. Optional: Include a paragraph summary of the book. If applicable: Share agent’s name and contact information. 3. An Introduction includes a working title, high concept statement, genre, length of manuscript, audience and a bio. Here’s where you share what your novel is about. 4. A Market Analysis consists of what’s currently selling on the market. 5. A Comparative Analysis details what books are out there similar to yours. 6. A Marketing Plan involves your overall strategy to get the book into readers’ hands. 7. About the Author is where you share your own strengths, current projects, and published works. 8. The Conclusion is where you succinctly wrap up the book and your proposal. 9. A Synopsis is a one– to three–page summary of your novel written in present tense. 10. The First Three Chapters of your well-polished work of genius complete the proposal.

My fiction proposal tutorial, complete with template, is here.13

13 http://www.marydemuth.com/store/fiction-proposal-tutorial/ The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 97

Secret 6

Embrace Marketing

I’ve heard it said that writers write 50% of the time, then market the other 50%. I used to discount statistics like that until I published my first book. While I would disagree with the 50/50 figure, I can say my ratio is more like 60% writing, 40% marketing. Surprised? Particularly if you’re writing nonfiction, your commitment to marketing will entice an editor. If you feel uneasy about promotion, it’s time to take inventory of your strengths and weaknesses and try to build on what you do well. Marketing is part of the inevitable work a writer must master. This chapter will help you think through your platform, use the Internet to your advantage, and think strategically about your book in the marketplace.

Platformitis

Ah, yes, the dreaded platformitis. Actually, that’s a misnomer, since itis means inflammation of the platform. My guess is that many of us suffer from deflation of platform. This is a stressor for many, many new authors. It’s the typical catch-22 situation. How will I get a national platform without a book? How will I ever get published without a platform? First, a definition:

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 98 Platform Defined: A platform is an author’s effort, ability, and current reality in being able to connect with readers. This includes publicity, speaking, Web presence, personal and professional connections, social media prowess, and e-mail distribution list.

What you master today in any of these areas will increase your visibility and endear you to an editor. Of course, the absolute best way you can woo an editor is to have great prose, particularly something fresh and original. Any author longing for publication should start there. But after that, it’s marketing, baby. So, what’s a writer to do? An acquisition’s editor has the marketing and sales and publicity folks in mind when he/she reads a proposal. The editor knows he/she will be asked if the book is saleable, and how many books could potentially sell based on the author’s platform. The better you can beef up (honestly, of course) the platform aspect of your nonfiction proposal, the better. Here are twenty ideas. You don’t have to use them all. Pick what fits best:

1. Develop a content-rich newsletter, the kind that readers will deeply benefit from. (Newsletters that just talk about you, your book, your stuff can get very boring and go in the trash bin. Writing articles in your newsletter that help change someone’s life will benefit your reader; and if a reader likes it, he will forward it.) 2. Make it easy for readers to sign up for your newsletter on your blog, Web site, or social media sites. 3. Make a goal to up your subscriber list to a certain number by the end of the year. 4. Begin speaking at a local level. As you progress, start crossing state boundaries. 5. Write articles with your byline (including Web site, Twitter handle and Facebook page). 6. Learn how to craft a press release. If you’ve become an expert in something (such as a topic relating to your book), craft a press release about that and send to local radio stations. 7. Teach your topic in other venues: schools, libraries, community colleges. 8. Reconnect with your alumni association. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 99 9. Brainstorm your professional affiliations. For instance, if you write medical thrillers and are a member of the AMA (American Medical Association), think about how you might be able to promote your book through your existing AMA channels. 10. Start a content-rich blog and post frequently. Link to other blogs. Comment on other blogs. Be a part of the blogging community. 11. Participate in blog tours, particularly ones related to your topic. 12. Kindly ask other authors in your same genre/specialty how they have built their platforms. 13. Consider becoming a newspaper columnist for your local paper, where your column relates directly to your content. (I did this several years, writing about parenting and kid issues for my local paper. It didn’t pay much, but being able to say the circulation number and the consistent deadline schedule endeared me to my soon-to- be agent.) 14. Don’t despise small beginnings. Even if you feel your platform is mini, trust that everyone had to start somewhere. 15. Let passion drive you. If the idea of doing all this stuff for your book topic makes you tired and crabby, reconsider if your book is worth pursuing. Platform building should naturally flow from the passion you have for a particular topic. 16. Be willing to take risks. When I did my first spot on TV, I was afraid. But I did it anyway. No platform will come to fruition without significant risk. 17. Dust yourself off when something doesn’t work. If your newsletter doesn’t fly, either shut it down or ask a trusted group of folks why it didn’t fly. Then improve it. 18. Google your name or your topic and see what comes up. Watch and see how other authors promote a topic similar to yours. 19. Test the market with a product. If you’re writing about helping people navigate taking care of their aging parents, create a download article (long) and see if folks buy it. Or create a shorter version for free. Then track the The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 100 sales. These sales/click through numbers will show an editor the potential market. 20. Be sure that your idea is fresh and new and different and engaging.

Taking little steps eventually gets you farther down the road than taking no steps at all. Now is the time to start building your platform—before you’re famous. Not only will you impress editors and agents with your foresight, but you’ll have an instant audience when you’re first book comes out. I’d start first with a good blog, where you gradually build traffic. Create an eye-catching blog with a unique blogskin. Then send an e-mail with the blog address to as many folks as you know (You might want to use www.constantcontact.com to send out the e-mail so you comply with CAN SPAM laws14). Next, begin a monthly e-zine. You can have folks sign up on your blog. In Constant Contact, you can create a widget to have people sign up. Offer great content, the kind of content that will make people want to forward it to their friends. Think of the times you forward something. It’s valuable to you, right? Last, invest in a Web site. They cost much more, and involve a little more effort.

Building your online platform

One thing that proved to be very successful in terms of building a platform online and developing an online presence was sending an extra update to my newsletter list when my nonfiction proposal tutorial first came out on my Web site. I gave it away to the first five folks who responded, and I highlighted it in the e-mail. Sales for the tutorial were brisk after that promotion. Why it worked:

• I practice what I call “honor marketing.” The people who sign up for my monthly e-zine, Inside Renewal,

14 http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus61‐can‐spam‐act‐ compliance‐guide‐business The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 101 know I’m not going to spam them. It is rare that I will send out an extra promotional e-mail. I believe if someone has taken the time to subscribe, I need to honor them. • Many of the people signed up have some sort of relationship with me. This would be the same as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, except that I have a further relationship: I send them a relevant e-zine every month. So, when I do promote something, folks pay attention. • I’ve also found great networking via my blogs— because I offer value. I prefer teaching sites to other types.

Marketing books the Ya-Ya way

In the book The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, I read the story of how Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood went from average sales to amazing sales. How? By word of mouth through book clubs. This didn’t surprise me because I know how I buy books: through recommendations from friends. This illustrates what Gladwell calls “the power of context.” Epidemics take off when small groups of people have a shared experience. This occurs in epidemiology as well as marketing. This is why marketers aim their marketing at specific target groups, hoping that if a small portion of a specific group likes a product, they’ll infect the rest of their group with the news. What closer-knit group is there than a book club? Ya-Ya took off because book clubs started reading it. Then the folks in the book clubs started sharing their experience with other book readers. And soon, the book took off in sales. Gladwell writes, “The lesson of Ya-Ya . . . is that small, close-knit groups have the power to magnify the epidemic potential of a message or an idea.” (p. 174). Spring of 2006, on the heels of Watching the Tree Limb’s release, I decided to embark on a little soft marketing along Gladwell’s lines. So I took the bait. For any person who headed up a book club, I offered them a free book. My publicist agreed to send out books to those who wanted them, which turned out to be about 50 or so books. Just The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 102 think! 50 book clubs will possibly read the book! I know of at least five clubs who covered the book in September as a direct result of this campaign. So consider giving your books away strategically. You just never know what kind of epidemic you’ll be starting . . .

Branding

Branding is a marketing term. It means that to be effective to consumers, you need to have some sort of consistency for them to keep coming back and purchasing the product you are offering. In our case as authors, this branding is about who we are and what we write. Here are some examples:

• When a reader picks up a Brandilyn Collins book, she knows she’s in for a suspenseful ride. Brandilyn’s tagline, “Don’t forget to breathe,” fits perfectly. And, if you chat with Brandilyn, you’ll find that phrase as well as “seatbelt suspense” came through her interaction with readers. • When a reader picks up John Grisham, he expects a legal thriller. But here’s the thing that changes with Grisham. He’s broken through that, writing about baseball, a true-to-life nonfiction book, and The Painted House. He does this because he’s John Grisham. • When you reach for a box of Wheat Thins, you know you’ll get a little two-inch square of wheaty goodness. (And again, since Wheat Thins are huge, they’ve branched out to different varieties: sun dried tomato, less fat, etc.)

I’m a free spirit, so this branding thing has bugged me for years. Plus, I write both fiction and nonfiction, so that clouds things a bit. But now in the building years, I’m coming to understand its importance not simply for those who buy my books, but for me as a person. The thing I wish I would’ve thought through when I signed my first contract was to think through who I was and what I wanted to be. I was just too thrilled to sign that contract to think ahead or The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 103 be strategic. For all I knew, it was a fluke and I’d never write for publication again! I wish I would’ve grappled with a mission statement way back when. Now I’m going backwards, trying to mine who I am from what I’ve already written, searching for common themes, different messages. It’s been really hard to do in retrospect—but a valuable exercise. If I could pull aside a new writer today, I’d say, “Think it through. What do you really want to write? What are you uniquely gifted to do in the writing arena? What are your strengths? What is your life message?” Answering those questions now will help you develop a brand, a tagline, a direction, a laser-like clarity about what you are called to. Also, solicit help from your writing friends and those who know you best. I’d send an e-mail that says something like:

Dear friend, I am learning to be strategic as I flesh out my writing career. I want to isolate what I believe is my life message, but I need your help. When you think of me, what words come to mind? What am I uniquely gifted to do? To communicate? When someone finishes something I’ve written, what do they get from it? How do I specifically benefit my audiences? Thanks for your time....

There is no easy way to navigate this process. It takes time. It takes a lot of interaction with those who know you well. It takes journaling, thinking, asking questions. What are you all about? What are your greatest strengths? How are you uniquely gifted? I know part of this exercise may sound selfish. I thought so on the surface of it. But going through it has been one of the biggest benefits of my life. I learned who I was. I really do wish I’d thought about who I was, what my message was, and what I wanted to be known for earlier in my career. It would’ve helped me have better direction. I tend to be this crazy, idea-producing machine, flitting hither and yon with all sorts of schemes. Knowing my life message then, or at least a good idea of what it was, would’ve helped me not be so willy-nilly. I will say that going through the hard work of finding out who I am is already garnering great benefit for me personally. I’m The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 104 thinking more and more about how I come across to others, how selfish I’ve been. I want to know the message I’m uniquely qualified to communicate and share it in a way that will benefit others.

Work on the foundation

Most people start with marketing tasks, but it’s imperative we start the marketing journey on the inside, in our hearts. The most important thing we can do to build a successful marketing platform is to spend time working on the foundation. Believe it or not, taking this process may launch into personal revival, something I did not expect when I started the journey. Let’s explore together the foundations of your marketing plan: YOU.

• What is your life message? • What can’t you help but write about? • What are you uniquely gifted to write about? • What thing riles you the most about the world?

Action points:

• Go through your file of positive feedback (e-mails, letters, etc.) and try to find the common thread. • Send an e-mail to your closest friends, asking them to identify what they think your life’s message is.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 105 What value do you present to your reader?

• In other words, what specific benefit will your reader take away from your novels? A better understanding of friendship? A new understanding of poverty? • Learning to think in terms of how you benefit others sounds small, but that shift in focus will change the way you view marketing.

Action points:

• Hands on: Write a value statement. I help readers ______o Example: I help readers find hope after tragedy. o I help readers identify their emotions. o I help readers understand family dysfunction.

• Some of mine: o I help readers turn their trials into triumphs. o I help people so fully heal from tragedy that others would think the tragedy never happened.

Now that you’ve built a strong foundation (and this will take some time thinking, talking about your strengths and gifts in community), let’s look at 10 ways to build upon your foundation:

1. Speaking. The number one way to sell books is through speaking. Why? When people hear and “meet” you, they’re more apt to buy your books. 2. Web presence is key. In an April 2006 survey about which types of publicity and promotion sells books, the authors of the survey concluded, “The most effective way to promote a book, the survey found, was through the Internet, followed by coverage in trade magazines that report on an author’s particular field. Book signings were far down the list . . .” (source: raintoday.com). Things to consider: a. An effective, professional Web site with bio, books, speaking tab (if applicable), store, and newsletter sign up (if you do a newsletter), a specific place for radio listeners to land on, a free resources page. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 106 b. A non-Olan Mills headshot (Please hire a photographer. No cutting your head out of a family photo.) c. A blog (if you’re willing to update frequently. If not, don’t do one.) d. A way for search engines to find you e. Business cards with all your contact information, including Web site f. A way to gather data for a database g. Presence on a good social networking site. (Become an expert at one. Resist the urge to join them all.) h. Amazon Connect, Amazon Affiliates i. Be interviewed on blogs. j. Participate in blog tours.

3. The best way for media exposure/publicity is twofold: Sending books for review (either by you or your publicist) and finding a nonfiction idea that ties into today’s topic-du- jour. 4. Word of mouth. With the power of word of mouth in mind, don’t despise small marketing efforts. You never know what will end up becoming viral. 5. Articles. Find nonfiction topics related to your novels and submit magazine articles. Consider the reach an article has: 20,000—100,000 readers! Be sure your bio at the end of the article lists your recent book. 6. Creative events. Instead of a book signing, throw a party. Sell and sign books to benefit a favorite charity. Go to craft fairs and set up a booth. 7. Teaching. Teach writing to students in your local district or community college. Sponsor a writer’s event where you teach something writing related, and have a book table. 8. Database. Always think database. a. When you speak, bring a sign up sheet for folks to receive your newsletter. (And be sure that the newsletter isn’t all about you. Write your newsletters with the needs of others in mind. Make it something they need and that they’ll want to pass on to their friends.) The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 107 b. Make a goal to reach 10,000 on your database, but give yourself intermediate goals like 500, 1000, 2500, etc. c. Have a sign-up spot on your Web site 9. Book Clubs. Find a way to interact with book clubs. Give books away to leaders. Offer to speak to local clubs. Ask your library for a list. Speak with non-local groups via speaker phone. 10. Facebook fan page. It’s great to have a personal page for your friends, but if you’d like to reach out to your readers in a more targeted, effective way, start a fan page. There is no limit to the number of fans you can gather.

Great Resources:

1. Inbound Marketing by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah 2. Tribes by Seth Godin 3. Facebook Marketing for Dummies By Paul Dunay and Richard Krueger 4. http://www.authortechtips.com/ 5. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/

Marketing schmarketing!

Marketing is the portion of my writing life that I estimate will take only a little bit of time, when in reality, it takes quite a bit. Consider this comparison to some missionary friends of mine who sought funds to support their work: “Raising support is like hunting for the thirty or so pieces of gravel that have been painted red on the backside. Your job? Start at the beginning of a gravel driveway, and start turning over rocks until you find them all.” That’s what marketing feels like to me. Or at least it did. At a pivotal point in my career, I hired a marketing mentor to help me sift through my promotion efforts. The process was enlightening. Instead of turning over thousands of rocks, he helped me locate the red rocks strategically, thus saving me time. And a little sanity. Here are some things he helped me do:

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 108

• Develop a brand: Turning Trials to Triumph. This covers fiction and nonfiction. • Redesign marydemuth.com. • Strategize places I can send articles to for free, in order to generate buzz. • Send out a snail mail newsletter to potential speaking venues. • Form strategic alliances with groups that might need my books. (Counseling entities for my novels, and several moms’ organizations for my book about family conversation starters). • For speaking he helped me hone the way I speak, offering painful, but helpful critique on one of my speeches. I’m a much better speaker now and have a high quality recording of my speaking to give to potential speaking gigs. • He coached me on effective radio techniques, including learning the beauty of sound bites, and tying in my topic to a giveaway on my Web site. • Put my book cover and contact information on any free article I send out. • Prioritize selling my books on my Web site. Before my new site was up, I created a PayPal page on my blog to sell Authentic Parenting while the blog tour was going on. This gave us tangible numbers on the success of the tour, whereas, if we had relied on Amazon rankings, we wouldn’t really know how many we sold as a result of the tour. • Probably the most important thing he did was to help me create value statements; in other words, what kind of value do I bring to my listeners and readers.

Big marketing push

Many new writers seem surprised to find that publishers don’t throw massive marketing dollars into their specific project. In fact, one of my pet peeves about the business is that that kind of money is typically reserved for big names, who have already created such a big following, that running a one page ad in USA Today wouldn’t really matter. My frustration is that there are few risk takers out The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 109 there, willing to throw dollars out there for a no-name. And how will a no-name become a big producer if he/she is not promoted? How do you know if your book will get this treatment? You don’t. If your publisher chooses to, they’ll let you know. One of my books got a bigger push last summer, which I was very thankful for. The publisher let me know the additional things they were going to do as the book was releasing. And of course, I did my part too. Still, the best way to sell books is still word of mouth. The most effective method is to figure out how to generate that. What kind of need does your book fill? How can you get it into the hands of people who have that need? Marketing dollars sometimes do come after a book has been released, but that’s usually only after it surprised everyone by selling a ton. I get a lot of mileage by the story of Blue Like Jazz, that didn’t sell well its first year. I can’t remember the actual number, but I think it was around 5,000 books. Then Campus Crusade for Christ decided to offer the book in its campus pack giveaways. College kids ate it up, told their friends and families, and suddenly BLJ exploded. And then marketing dollars happened. This industry is very weird and unpredictable and exciting. All you can do is choose to do the most you can on your end and accept any publicity and marketing your publisher does as gold. Be grateful. Write thank you notes to your marketing, publicity and sales teams. Be accessible. Think through ways you can sell your book. And on that note, here’s something I’ve seen in new writers. They are very gung ho about learning the craft and improving. (Hooray!) But they neglect to grow in their knowledge of the industry. My advice: set aside a few hours a week to get to know and understand the publishing industry. Sign up for Publishers’ Weekly Daily15. Meet a professional for lunch. Browse a bookstore. It’s vitally important that you learn this industry. Two things will show your naiveté when you pitch a project: poor writing and poor knowledge of the industry and the way things work.

15 http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/email‐ subscriptions/index.html The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 110

23 ways to promote and stay sane

Traveling, promotion and marketing always take far more time than you think it will. When I had three books release in one year—which made for a hectic year before in terms of writing—I grew very, very tired doing all that promotion (and I did it from France for the most part). But in some ways it was beneficial to be in another country because when I did travel, I got a lot done at one time. My family is a priority for me, so I try to stagger my time away. But the best thing you can do now is strategize. Believe me, the marketing/publicity machine will take you by surprise. Having a plan in place beforehand will greatly benefit you. Here are 25 tips:

1. Decide how many out of state visits you’ll do in a year, then stick to it. 2. Winnow out non-paying jobs (speaking-wise) to maximize time. 3. Try to cluster your speaking all at once. 4. If you’re going somewhere anyway, query local radio stations and bookstores to book several venues. 5. Consider using part of your advance to hire a publicity person. A good publicist is worth his/her weight in gold (or these days, gas!). They do all the hard work for you— finding media outlets, scheduling appearances and interviews, and garnering reviews and articles. Although I know I could do these things, I simply don’t have the time to do them. I do have time for interviews of course, but all the behind the scenes stuff overwhelms me. 6. Consider hiring a personal assistant part time (5-10 hours a week) to help you with marketing and publicity. 7. Have an accountability team who keeps you honest about the time you’re spending away from your family. 8. Each publicity/media opportunity that comes your way, see it as an opportunity to help people. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 111 9. Enlist the help of your spouse and kids to do promotion (sending out books, database entry, etc.) so they feel ownership in what you do. 10. Ask your family for permission if you take a far-away opportunity to speak. 11. In the initial stages of your speaking career (if you have one), you’ll usually say yes to low-paying, far-away venues. But as you improve and charge higher fees, really consider the cost benefit analysis of your time. I can write a sellable article or two in the time it would take me to speak. So I’m more careful of my time, and speak fewer times but more strategically. 12. Consider paying for a housecleaner (same rationale as above…I can write enough to pay a housekeeper several times over in the time it would take to clean my house). This frees me up to do more writing or promotion. 13. Try to create a window of time when your book releases where you can solely concentrate on its promotion. It’s hard to do, but will be rewarding. That one-month launch window closes quickly. 14. Organize your calendar well. Be sure you place family obligations, bills to pay, and medical appointments, on one master calendar. Otherwise you may book yourself on a day your child performs in the school play. 15. Remember the tyranny of the urgent. Instead, create goals for your career, including marketing and publicity, and stick to those when the urgent things come up. 16. That being said, be interruptible. 17. Consider giving some of your time away as a sacrifice. I write and speak for free on occasion, when I feel the tugging to do so. 18. Keep a marketing idea file on your desktop. When you find a great idea, copy and paste it there. When your next book comes out, you’ll have a whole arsenal of ideas to promote it. 19. Remember the power of the Web. If you don’t have a book out, right now is the best time to concentrate on creating a strong Web presence. Write a monthly newsletter and begin to amass subscribers. Create a blog that gets read. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 112 20. Keep a list of all your media contacts in a database. When a book comes out, you can send an e-blast to those entities, letting them know you’ve released a new title. 21. Network now. Make friends with media professionals, publishers, people in the industry. 22. Consider introducing yourself whenever you’re in a bookstore as an author or potential author. 23. If you are building a speaking career, let your circle of friends and family know. Sometimes the coolest speaking opportunities come through relational connections like this. Your network can also help you connect with pertinent media and marketing people.

Seven touches

A consumer typically needs seven points of contact about a product before they buy it. These points of contact come in many different forms: a TV ad, a friend’s recommendation, a radio interview, a colleague’s encouragement…any number of things. And lately, a lot of touches happen via the Web. That’s why blog tours and virtual book tours are important.

Here’s a possible scenario:

Once upon a time, Carly Consumer is worried about the culture and its influences on her kids. She googles “postmodern and parenting” and lo-and-behold, my Web site comes up. (one touch). She clicks over to my blog (another touch), then goes to Amazon to read reviews about Authentic Parenting (touch three). But, she’s tired of spending her money on gas and groceries and having too little money left at the end of the month, so she balks. Later, her pastor writes a plug for Authentic Parenting in their church’s family newsletter (touch four). Her best friend Barbara Bookbuyer rushes over to her after church and says, “Carly, you need to read Authentic Parenting (touch five.) Hmmm, Carly thinks, maybe I should. But she doesn’t because, again, that pesky money thing. So she drives home, only to look up at a stoplight and see a giant billboard with Authentic Parenting emblazoned across (one can dream!) (touch six). On Monday, she drives to her local Christian The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 113 bookstore to pick up a Thomas Kincaide coverlet and sees the book on an end cap (touch seven). She grips the book to her chest, tears streaming down her face, and uses rolled up pennies she’s saved for a rainy day to purchase the book. And then, of course, her life changes. Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband starts cooking all the family meals in gourmet fashion, and she wins Mother of the Year. All because of seven touches.

Starbucks and marketing

I read a fascinating article in the Seattle Times about Starbucks’ unconventional approach to marketing. They spend millions, even billions less on advertising than other well-known companies. And yet, there’s a Starbucks on nearly every corner, and folks flock there in java droves.

What can we learn from their techniques? Several things:

1. Thinking outside of the box doesn’t cost money. I wonder how many marketing ideas I’ve let fall by the wayside because I felt if it didn’t involve money, it wasn’t worthwhile. Not true. In fact, it’s better for an author to think thriftily, don’t you think? (Unless you believe that false notion that authors are raking in the dough. I can assure you, that is not the case with this author.)

2. Serving instead of promoting endears people to a product and a company. I love that Starbucks sponsors charitable events without a view of “we’ll surely make a lot of money if we do this.” I think folks appreciate it. We live in a hyper- materialistic society. I believe many of us are tired, weary consumers, sick of advertisers trying to use us. It’s beautifully counter-cultural for Starbucks, or authors, to give away books and do charitable work for the joy of it.

3. Creating an amazing product is sometimes all that’s needed. So steeped in marketing, we forget that a great product sells itself. So, let’s be sure we’re working hard on honing the craft, creating prose that sings. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 114

4. Thinking of customers as valuable and important is more important than viewing them as consumers of your product. My husband and I were thrilled when acquaintances invited us over for dinner. We were new to the church. When we put our coats in their bedroom, we saw the charts. “They sell _____,” I said to my husband. He said, “No way will they ask us to join them.” “Yes way,” I said. And I was right. Within three days, they called, asking us to be a part of this bustling opportunity. Ick. Let’s please not treat our readers this way. Let’s love and respect them.

5. Sometimes it’s just plain fun to party. Why not party? Why not throw the best-ever book shindigs with music and dancing and laughter? We catch more flies with honey, so I’ve heard.

It’s all about who you know

My view of a marketing plan is forming more cohesively the more I market my books. It’s who you know. First, do you know yourself? It’s important to boil down your life message. For me, it’s turning trials to triumph. This encompasses my nonfiction and fiction as well as my memoir. It’s what I speak about when I have an audience. It’s my passion. That comes through on my promotional materials, my Web site, my business cards. It truly helps to know who you are and how God has uniquely gifted you to meet specific needs in this world. Then the question becomes: Who do you know? Of course, we all have to create marketing plans that involve folks we don’t know (TV peeps, newspapers, radio entities), but I’ve found the most successful marketing campaigns involve people who already have a relationship with you and become a champion for your book. That’s why social networking sites are beneficial. More people “meet” you and get to know you, so a higher percentage of people will want to help you. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 115 Plus, when I think about the whole schlamazzle in terms of relationships, I get excited. It makes me expectant to see what folks will do. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 116

Secret 7

Overcome Fear and Rejection

Every writer must face their fears in getting their words out into the public. The weight of the task can loom large. After we dare to write published words, we risk rejection. Perhaps if we can see the inevitability of rejection we’ll take it in stride, as an expected badge of courage as we seek publication. Yes, rejection happens. But if you don’t try, you’ll never get rejected. And not trying is copping out.

Spotlight

Today, I’m addressing the fear some of you have of being in the spotlight. This is a fear I had, which is probably why I listed it in the first place. I had a titanic fear of “making it” in the business and then becoming some crazy megalomaniac. I so feared becoming a Me-Monster, I sought advice from Randy Alcorn, an author who seems to weather the spotlight very well, with lots of integrity intact. He wrote this to me: “Focus on being a servant. Ask yourself, ‘How can I serve in any situation, whether it be . . . with a taxi driver, flight attendant, waitress, etc. Think of what you can do for that person. It’s not about you. This gets your mind off yourself and onto another person. The greatest danger of notoriety is you start The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 117 thinking about you. People then exist to serve you. This is exactly the opposite of the servant mentality.” The time to prepare your heart for the limelight is now early in your career. Begin to process just what that might look like. Determine how you will withstand the test. There is a danger in success. Here’s a great quote I found: “Never cease praying that you will not become a star or a celebrity. Donald Davidson has said, ‘Our culture places an absolute premium upon various kinds of stardom. This degrades and impoverishes ordinary life, ordinary work, ordinary experience.” From Scribbling in the Sand, by Michael Card. It’s important to know that affluence can impoverish. Samuel Johnson said it beautifully: “It is by affliction chiefly that the heart of man is purified, and that the thoughts are fixed on a better state. Prosperity, unalloyed and imperfect as it is, has power to intoxicate the imagination, to fix the mind on the present scene, to produce confidence and elation and to make him who enjoys affluence and honors forget the hand by which they were bestowed.” I hope you’ll take time to think about how you’ll thrive in the spotlight someday.

Confidence

Recently I received this question:

I’m afraid I often suffer from the “I’m not good enough” mindset. I often think I don’t deserve to be a good writer, and yet it’s a burning desire for me. I have found some success, but am not comfortable with it. Some days I have enough confidence to keep going and imagine a great writing career. Other days I don’t think I’m worthy of any attention. I hear that roller coaster of confidence is common for writers. How do you work that out? The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 118 It’s not easy. And in some ways, I think I vacillate between confidence and internal anarchy more now that I’m published than when it first began. When I first started, I had the fuel (hope of getting published) that spurred me on. Now, it’s the hope that a publisher will take a chance on me again, which depends on those pesky sales numbers, something I can’t control. Even so, there are some things that have helped my confidence level and may be markers for you:

1. I knew-knew-knew that I was gifted to do this writing gig. That’s the crux of my confidence. I sensed this for quite some time, but had to wait on timing to go forward. I wrote unpublished words ten years, perfecting my skills. 2. Others noticed the talent. In high school. In college. In critique groups. After I’d written our Christmas letter. Folks would say to me, “You know, you should write.” 3. I had the capacity to improve, to learn, and to be critiqued. Here is the truth: you will not be published if you can’t take critique or become passionate about honing the craft. 4. Usually when I felt like quitting, encouragers entered my life. 5. A certain level of “I’m not good enough” is appropriate and merited. Reading the classics will do that to you. Staying humble isn’t the opposite of confidence, it’s a complement. It simply shows that you have a learner’s posture. 6. And yet, there is a time when you learn to be settled in your abilities. It took me some time. Little encouragements stand out to me where I learned that, yes, I was going to be published, and yes, I had been gifted to write. My first critique group experience was very positive. When another critique group read aloud the first chapter of Building the Christian Family You Never Had (before it had been contracted) and most of the folks cried (in a good way), I knew I’d hit a nerve with my writing. When I read my Publisher’s Weekly review of Watching the Tree Limbs behind my computer in France, I felt deeply validated. My advice for those who struggle with confidence, then, is this: The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 119 be alert and attentive to encouragers. Instead of staying discouraged, be expectant.

I hope that helps those of you on the roller coaster of confidence and publication. It’s a battle that stays with you, one that you need to start grappling with today.

Fear: Writer’s Block

Many writers fear writer’s block. I’ve experienced that on occasion. Here are some little practical tips to get you through:

• Take a walk. Removing yourself from your artificial desk- shaped environment will change your perspective. • Work on something different. If an essay is giving you problems, write an article, or polish a short story. • Get sleep. Our creativity dwindles when we’re exhausted. • Take care of yourself. Be sure you’re eating well, taking strategic breaks throughout the day, and exercising. • Free write. Give yourself twenty minutes to physically write anything you want (with pen and paper, not on the computer). Just doing that will free your pen. • Read a book. Let your mind engage somewhere else, in someone else’s world. • Push through anyway. Stuck? Make yourself write the next word, and the next. Give yourself a deadline to finish 500 words. Often if you push yourself through the block, you’ll break free. Truth is, this writing gig takes heaps of discipline. Sometimes you just have to do it.

Bottom line? Don’t let the fear of writer’s block prevent you from going forward. You will get through it.

Fear of Failure

I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who is living today on cloud nine. Seems a query he sent into a big time magazine has garnered some very encouraging interest. He said, “I was guessing The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 120 I’d fill a notebook with at least fifty rejections, so this really surprised me.” The cool thing: despite expecting lots of rejections, this writer sent in his query letter anyway. That’s how we get past our titanic fear of failure. We face it. Acknowledge it. And go forward anyway. Let me give you one solid guarantee: In this writing gig, you will fail. I know I have. Many, many, many times. The inevitability of failure is simply a launching pad for your own battle with tenacity. The question is, are you willing to go forward, even if it means more failure? Are you willing to take feedback and keep coming back for more? Are you able to welcome failure as a friend instead of resenting it like an intruder? It’s only in retrospect that we will see how our failures defined us. In the present moment, we have a choice. Let failure derail us, or let it be just another step in the publishing journey. My friend ventured forward. Writers who get published go forward. They doggedly pursue the next opportunity. They have little pity parties, yes, but then get over them and start again. They fall down, make mistakes, and then get up again. That’s the not-so-glamorous part of this writing journey, folks. It’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon, replete with injuries, cramps, pain, and amazing times of accomplishment too. Don’t fear failure. Just see it as a part of the necessary journey. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 121

Secret 8

Understand the Key Players

When I first started my publication journey, I thought agents and editors were magical people who never shopped at Walmart or had problems or ate junk food. No. They were perfect specimens of humanity who held myth-like stature in my mind. I learned, though, that they’re normal folk just like you and me. They are not cyborgs; they’re living, human beings with issues and joys and to do lists. As you venture into publishing, it’s vitally important that you understand the key players: editors and agents.

Agents

How do I know I’m ready for an agent?

Recently, I received an e-mail from a long lost acquaintance who decided it was time to write a book. He asked me if I could give him contacts in the publishing industry, including my agent. In his letter, he proved he didn’t know anything about this crazy publishing industry, so I sent him my standard “Dear New Writer” letter and haven’t heard back. The truth is, this writing gig is not easy. It’s not as simple as asking a friend in the industry to put in a good word for you. It’s tedious and time consuming. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 122 My friend’s words got me thinking. How would someone know if they were ready for the Big Time? Is there a magical way of discovering when one is ready to find an agent? Curious? Read the checklist below to see if you’re ready.

• I have attended a conference—local is fine—and received feedback from someone in the industry. If that feedback is negative, I’ve learned to thicken my skin and change what needs to be changed. • I have found a critique group—online or in my city. I’ve submitted several things to be critiqued and have learned to take criticism in a constructive, productive way. • I have learned and trained myself to make deadlines. (If you haven’t done this, give yourself a deadline today. Say, “I will write three query letters”—or something like that—”by January 25th.” Then meet that deadline. Make another. Meet it.) • I have mastered the art of query letter writing. • I have published several magazine articles on the local level, and perhaps a few on the national level. • If I write fiction, I have completely finished my novel and had it critiqued (or even paid for a critique). • If I write nonfiction, I have finished my proposal and three polished chapters until they shine like a new copper penny. • I have learned the industry well. I have purchased and pored through a Writer’s Market guide. • I have a body of work that’s been recognized (either by being published or garnering awards). • If I write nonfiction, I have a good, solid platform. (If you don’t know what this means, you’re not ready for an agent. And you should re-read Secret 6.) • I’ve established a readership online through a blog or Web site. I have a significant online presence. • I have read more than five books on the craft of writing. • I am not naïve about the fiscal workings of the business. I have a cursory understanding about advances, royalties, rights, copyrights, and how authors get paid. • I am not delusional, thinking my first book will hit it big and land me on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 123

• I am teachable. • I am not a one-book wonder. I have a good listing of book ideas. • I understand the concept of branding. • I have started to develop friendships within the writing community. • Someone in the industry has said that my writing is ready for publication (and he/she’s not related to me). • I write every day. • I have not despised writing unpublished words. • I value BOC (butt on chair) time. • I set word count or page goals and meet them. • I have integrity. • I am low maintenance. • I value professionalism. I am willing to make strategic investments in my career. (Professional photo and business card, a Web site that doesn’t look slapped together, etc.)

If you can say “yes” to most of the things on this list, chances are you’re ready to start thinking about an agent. The best way to meet an agent is in person at a conference. But if that won’t work, do your research and start submitting. A word of caution: Do not submit unless you are completely sure what you’ve written is fresh, stellar and breathtaking. Agents are longing for excellent writers who have surprising, world-altering ideas. Work-work-work until your book is that. Study the market to make sure your idea is different.

Why find an agent if some publishers take un- agented stuff?

Often intermediate writers ask why they need an agent when some publishing houses still accept un-agented manuscripts. First let me say, everyone’s path to publication differs. Some land a contract without an agent. Some meet an editor on the plane, give her a staggering work of beauty, and get signed for six figures. Some start with lots of articles, developing a strong platform, then find an agent, who then sells a manuscript. All those things can happen. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 124 And, truly, the best way to get noticed is to go to a conference. While there, if you have a saleable manuscript (nonfiction: three stellar chapters and one killer proposal, fiction: a completed manuscript and proposal), it would be a good idea to query both agents and editors. I did that at my first major conference. The cool thing? Publishers were interested enough in the book that it made meeting with an agent very easy. I could approach an agent and say, “Hey, Publisher XYZ is interested in this manuscript. Mind if we meet and I can pick your brain about what to do?” The reverse is also true. If an agent loves you, publishers will hear about it through the conference grapevine and start wanting to sign your dance card. Can you get published without an agent? Yes. Definitely. But, if you are willing to improve enough to woo an agent, it would be better to start there. Why?

• An agent bypasses mountains of busy-work. • An agent’s reputation gets your manuscript in the front door of a publishing house; whereas, if you send in your manuscript, it’ll go directly to a slush pile the height of a refrigerator. Well, perhaps not that tall, but you get the idea. • An agent has the expertise to tell you what is wonky about your proposal or book. He’ll show you where to change it so it appeals to a pub board. • An agent guides your career. This is one of the best aspects of having an agent. I can call my agent—usually I e-mail her first—and discuss my next step. She’s really helped me hone my message, understand the business, and not spread myself too thin.

Yes, you can query houses with your book proposal, but the reality of this publishing biz is that the number of houses that accept unsolicited manuscripts (with the exception of going to a conference) is shrinking rapidly. Attracting and securing an agent is a viable first step.

Improving your agent chances

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 125 I’ll admit that the gap has narrowed and the odds of securing representation by a literary agent can be challenging. However, consider these thoughts:

• Truly, truly, truly the agents I know are longing to find great writers, particularly fresh voices. When an agent goes to a conference, he is hoping to find that one great voice. So, they are actively looking for folks. • Investing in your career will pay off. If you’re consistently getting rejected, consider hiring an editor or book doctor to help you sort through what is working and what is not.

How to ensure an agent will give you a second look:

• Write a non-boring, totally engaging query letter. • Add to that a killer proposal. • If you’re at a conference, be professional—which includes looking and acting professional. • Don’t stalk an agent. Don’t put a manuscript under the door of the bathroom stall at a writer’s conference. Don’t follow them around. Don’t tell them you’re the next Jane Austen. Put yourself in an agent’s shoes. Would you want to hire a client who stalks you? Creeps you out? • Write a book that is utterly different. The main beef I have with the manuscripts I read at conferences—I would imagine it’s the same if they come through the slush pile— is that they’re mundane. Or they are all about the author’s personal experience with no connection whatsoever to the audience. Yes, it’s cathartic to write about helping your aging parents, but unless you translate that into truths a reader can sink his teeth into, your manuscript will be rejected. If you must write solely personal experience, start a blog. Another beef: someone copies someone else’s original idea. How many Eat, Pray, Love knockoffs do we need? Instead of following trends, set them. • Do not make copyediting mistakes. An agent is looking for a reason to say no (even though they’re looking for stellar authors, they can get pessimistic and tired). If you have typos anywhere on the first page, they will send you that The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 126 politely worded, standard form rejection. There’s simply no room for grammar, syntax, and typographical errors. • Have a body of published work. Some folk bite far too much off when they’re starting. They think about the glory (ha!) of having a book published and circumvent writing the lowly newspaper or magazine article. Doing that will short circuit your career. Start small. Get published. An agent will adore seeing that you’ve had twenty-five pieces published. Why? Because it shows you have initiative and pluck. It shows you know how to take editorial direction. It shows your writing was good enough for an editor to buy. Plus, it adds to your platform.

How do I find the right agent?

Consider your task of finding an agent a lot like dating. You most likely dated more than one person before you decided on a mate, right? During those dates, you asked questions, interacted, shared your dreams. You also watched the person from afar, seeing what they have to say to others, how they carried themselves in crisis, etc. I’m not advocating stalking an agent and getting all weird. Just remember that an agent is a human (yes, it’s true) who has needs like you. Speak directly with an agent at a conference. Listen to him or her on a panel. Read an agent’s blog or Web site. Don’t try to put all your eggs into one agent’s basket if you sense it’s not a fit. Some new writers get so thrilled an agent wants to represent them that they sign an agreement before really knowing if the agent is a good fit for their goals, their readership, their potential market. And, remember this: No agent worth his/her salt will charge you a reading fee. Or require you to pay for editing. (Exception: A good agent may pass on you but then suggest you hire someone . . . not their specified client . . . to fix your manuscript.) The most important thing to remember? This is a business partnership. You, most likely, will be in it for the long haul. Be sure you meld well with your potential agent. That you actually like the person and feel that he/she “gets” you.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 127 Change agents?

The title of this section really represents what authors want from their agents. Change, in the most positive sense of the word. We want to know we’re being heard, that our agent is passionate about our projects and careers, that he/she is willing to speak the truth in love when we’re delusional, and that he/she acts strongly on our behalf to change our current status. I’ve been fortunate to have three great agents. The first agent saw the diamond in the rough and took a huge risk. He saw something in me I could not see—that I could and should write for parents. I bucked against that advice a long time, but he was right, and now I have four solid parenting books under my belt. He moved on in the industry, and I was assigned another agent. That was a precarious time for me. I’d long felt that deep down, I was really a storyteller (and if you read my nonfiction, you’ll see that). I had this novel I wanted to sell. So I sought counsel and chatted with a few industry professionals. I ended up staying with the agent who was assigned to me, which proved to be a terrific move. She sold that novel, and another, and three more. I’m living the dream of writing fiction, but she still steered me well in my nonfiction pursuits. She counseled me. Called me. Answered my e-mails. Kept me updated. Mostly, she managed my crazy up and down emotions about this biz, which is worth its weight in chocolate gold. Sadly, that agent left the business. My current agent is a firecracker of a person, pushing me beyond what I thought myself capable. She knows the industry. She has relationships in Hollywood and New York. She’s positioned to take me to the next level. To change an agent is difficult. It’s certainly a transition that must be navigated slowly and with due diligence. It begins with communication. Beyond that:

• Ask other industry professionals for advice. • Look into other agents, but discreetly. • If your current agent doesn’t “get” you, ask clients of other agents lots of questions. This is a lot like dating. You need to know a lot about the person before you go out for pizza. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 128 You don’t want to break up with one agent who doesn’t get you only to fall into the arms of another who doesn’t understand you either. • Be professional. Follow the agent’s termination guidelines. • Talk to your agent before making this decision. • And don’t make a decision based on the emotions of the moment. • Ask your spouse (if you’re married; if not, a trusted friend) for advice. He/she can see the situation as a removed, objective voice. • Don’t let the fear of hurting your agent prevent you from taking a necessary career step. If after seeking God and counsel from others, and you know it’s time for a change, make the decision. Will it hurt your agent? Yes, of course. But you have to do what is uniquely best for you and your career. You don’t want to perpetuate a relationship that isn’t working. You don’t want to stall your career because you’re afraid of what your agent will think of you. But even so, please have the courtesy to kindly talk this out first. • Don’t burn a bridge. This is a small industry. • And consider this: Maybe you’re not at the stage in your career when you’re saleable. In that case, it would be better to stay with your agent who knows you and can help you develop saleable ideas than to sign with a new agent and your existing, non-selling projects. • Do some soul-searching. Are you high maintenance? Are you asking too much? Do you realize that agents have a full plate and can’t be your very special friend?

Editors: How to Know Them

Here are some questions I commonly get asked about editors and publishing.

How do you approach a new editor for the first time? E-mail? Cover letter? Send clips? What?

I usually try to make the most of my conferences by meeting as many editors as I can—who work with both magazines and books. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 129 I bring high quality chocolate and hand it out. This hearkens back to the adage of doing unto others as you would have others do to you. If I’ve had a memorable conversation, meaning the editor asked for a manuscript or seemed to be interested in what I’ve pitched, I’ll write a hand-written thank you note before I follow up with a query letter or proposal. If it’s a cold call, I’ll write a professional query letter, listing the articles and books I’ve published. I almost always query by e-mail, but I’m sure to keep it professional. Just because my follow up involves e-mail doesn’t mean it should be lax or casual communication.

What if you send a manuscript and don’t hear for a long period of time? How long is too long? When and how do you follow up?

I would give it at least four months. After that time, drop a quick e- mail that’s friendly and inquiring. “I’ve not heard from you and wanted to check on the status of my proposal.” If you don’t hear back after eight months, consider your proposal as free game and resubmit elsewhere, but let the editor know.

If an editor rejects a manuscript with a form rejection, is it okay to ask them to explain why?

No. I wouldn’t do that. Editors are very, very busy. They have a form because they simply can’t write handwritten, personal responses. Chalk it up as a “no” and leave it at that. If you’re truly curious, ask your critique group why it might have been rejected, or hire a professional to give you pointers.

If an editor rejects a manuscript with suggestions for improving it, is it OK to make those corrections and resubmit it?

Only if the editor says this is okay. If an editor says no and is kind enough to give suggestions, use that as an impetus to improve the The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 130 proposal. I would not resubmit unless they specifically asked you to do so

Is it ever okay to send a manuscript back to the same publication if you have revised it and enough time has passed?

In my opinion, no. Once the book has been passed over, it’s been passed over. An editor will most likely not be happy to have the same (albeit reworked) proposal again. However, I will say that if a house has changed editors, you may consider resending. Another thing to consider. My first novel was rejected by a house within a few months. A year later, an editor remembered it, read it again, and acquired it.

Are there ways to follow-up with editors you have met at a conference?

As I mentioned earlier, a nice hand-written thank you note is appropriate.

At what point do you start calling editors by their first name?

I’ve always done that, but that’s because I usually meet editors at conferences, which goes to show just how important conferences are. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 131

Secret 9

Navigate Writer’s Conferences

The best place to skyrocket your writing career is a writing conference. If money is an issue, start small at a regional event. Save your money to attend a major national conference only when you are truly ready for it. (You have a completed novel or a finished nonfiction proposal with three sample chapters. You have several magazine queries.) Remember that agents and editors are at the conference seeking great writers. They are seeking you! So be sure to put your best professional foot forward, and be yourself when you meet with industry professionals.

Conference Rules of Thumb

Here are some wee little rules of thumb when meeting with an acquisition editor or an agent for the first time:

1. Breathe. Truly. Don’t let yourself get worked up into nervousness. Instead of thinking of the person as larger than life, view your appointment as you would with a teacher in your child’s school. You are there to transfer information, as is the editor—like a student-teacher conference. 2. Stay humble. Try not to over-present yourself as “all that.” Simply state the premise or pitch of your book (your quick elevator pitch in 50 words or less) and ask questions. Don’t The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 132 argue back with the editor or agent. You are there to inform and absorb. 3. Create a one-sheet for your project. This is your book in a nutshell, compressed into one nicely formatted page. If you’re nervous, simply going through the bullet points of your one-sheet will help steady you. 4. Don’t expect the editor/agent to take your proposal home. They have heavy bags. If they ask for it in e-mail form, send it as soon as you get home. 5. Send a hand-written thank you note to each editor and agent you formally meet. 6. Go to a conference to learn. Understand that you may not yet be ready for publication, or that your idea may be overdone, or your proposal might not be up to snuff yet. That’s okay. Learn from that. Understand that you’ll be better prepared for the next conference. Don’t put all your eggs in this conference basket. 7. When you meet with an editor or agent, do your best to be professional. Don’t try to be over chatty or personal unless the other person initiates that. Have really amazing business cards with you, the kind that show you understand professionalism. Wear nice clothing—or whatever is the common dress of the conference. 8. Don’t stalk agents and editors. And don’t pitch in a bathroom. 9. If it’s clear your project isn’t going to work for that agent or house, kindly ask if they know of houses that are interested in the type of writing you are doing. 10. Eye contact is key. So is a genuine smile and a confident attitude. If you’re nervous about pitching your book, pull your spouse or friend aside and start practicing over and over again. Your pitch should easily spill out of your mouth like the times tables. Make it second nature.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 133 Getting ready for a conference

I received this e-mail from a writer not too long ago:

Good morning, Mary.

Thank you for all the time you’ve put into creating an amazing blog and Web site. I first “discovered” you when a friend gave me your book Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God. Your honest words have encouraged and inspired me over and over. For Christmas, my husband gave me the gift of attending a major writer’s conference. I’d like to take the next few months to prepare wisely for that experience. I have attended local writer’s conferences in the past, but I have not ever attended a conference that offers as many opportunities for networking as this conference. My specific hope is to land an agent and make some strong connections in the non-fiction publishing world. I am not a novice to the world of publishing; I have casually freelanced for a variety of magazines over the past decade in between changing diapers and carpooling. I have published articles with Name of magazine, and a few other small publications. At the moment, I have completed one book proposal for a nonfiction book geared towards moms, and I have many other ideas. I am wondering if when I attend the upcoming conference I should bring just one proposal or several. In order to promote my writing to an agent, should I The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 134 have many proposals or a list of ideas that can be developed? The only agent contact I’ve had in the past was at a conference I attended and quite honestly, I was rather discouraged because the agent there basically said, “It’s too risky to represent new unknown writers.” How do I move from an “unknown” to a “known”? My bio is primarily used for speaking, so do I need a different one to represent myself as a writer? I would appreciate any advice you have that could help me take the next step into the publishing world. Thanks in advance for your time. And thank you for using your gift with words to bless so many.

My response:

You’ve already done so much! Rest in that. Having published clips, a speaking platform and a blog is a terrific start. For anyone wanting to lay the foundations, I’d give you as an example.

Here’s what you’ll need as you prepare for a conference:

• Research. Find out which agents will attend. Look at their Web sites, blogs, etc. If possible, see if you know any of their clients and send an e-mail to see how they like their agent. Also, hold your findings loosely. You may think one agent doesn’t look like a fit on paper, but then you meet her in person and really like her. Don’t negate chemistry. • Use the same diligence in researching publishing houses. Do they have books similar to yours already? Does your book fill a gap? What kinds of books does the house buy? Do you have friends who are published by those houses? Get feedback. You may think that since your primary goal is to pursue an agent, you can neglect this step. But it’s The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 135 always great to meet with editors. Besides, if one asks for your proposal, it gives you a little leverage when you talk to agents. • Perfect your one proposal, including the bio section to reflect your platform. If you are passionate about another book and you have the time to create an amazing proposal, it doesn’t hurt to have two in hand. • Do have a list of book ideas. An editor or agent might pass on your proposals, but they may be interested in what other ideas you have. • Invest in a few professional clothing pieces. They don’t have to be expensive. I’ve found great pieces at thrift stores. This doesn’t mean a suit, but more like “business casual.” • Create eye-catching, succinct one-sheets. These help when you’re meeting with an agent or editor. They’re useful tools to help you talk about your project. • Be open to new relationships. You’ll be extremely blessed to meet writers in your stage of the publication journey. Don’t overlook those. My closest friends are folks I’ve met at conferences and throughout the writing world who were unpublished (like me) at the time. Now we’re published and enjoy great friendship. Also, be on the prayer alert for those who may be hurting or in need of encouragement. Writing conferences can be lonely, scary, overwhelming, and discouraging. Seek to befriend those who are hurting. • Don’t neglect magazines and periodicals and online writing relationships. I’ve made some amazing connections with magazine editors at conferences that have garnered some great assignments. And, actually, this kind of writing tends to pay better and have more consistency than book income. • Seek to serve. Contact the director and see if there are any opportunities to volunteer. This will help you feel like you’re connected to the conference and will automatically help you meet new people • Be professional. Have business cards created with your photo on them. Have an amazing picture taken of yourself. No head cut out of a family picture. No red eye. • Work on your one-minute pitch. Learn to address the audience, felt need, hook, and uniqueness in a short period The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 136 of time. Practice it with your spouse, for your kids, with a friend. Perfect it.

What is a pitch?

Writing mentor Leslie Wilson from The Writing Spa created this acrostic to help you hone and craft the elevator pitch you’ll give at a conference. This is the pitch you give when you’re sitting at a dinner table with an editor or agent, or when you find yourself walking to class with an industry professional, or wherever you might encounter a time when a professional asks you to pitch.

Her acrostic? A PITCH (Audience, Promotion, Idea, Theme, Close, Hook)

Audience—Who are you writing for? Identify your ideal reader. What makes this project appropriate for that particular market?

Promotion—What will you do to publicize your book? Describe your platform.

Idea—What’s your working title? Subtitle?

Theme— Describe your project in one or two sentences. Answers the question “What is your book about?”

Close—How will you seal the deal with your reader? Identify the takeaway value of your project.

Hook—What new slant/angle do you bring to this topic? What makes your approach unique compared to similar books on the market?

One Sheets

When you meet with an editor or agent face-to-face at a conference, having a one-sheet will help you have a successful meeting. What is a one-sheet? It’s a one-page document that describes the project you’re pitching. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 137

First: What is included?

• A couple paragraph summary of the book. This is more likely the kind of copy you’d find on the back of a book. It should be punchy, to the point, and invitational to the reader. Your goal is to woo an editor and/or agent enough to make them long to read the book. • Another option is to write your one-sentence summary of the book at the top of your one-sheet before you get into the nitty-gritty of the book. This is that punchy summary that nutshells your staggering work of genius. • Graphics. Make sure they are clean and don’t detract from the story. Use readable fonts and a simple picture. • Bio. You’ll want to highlight awards you’ve won, publishing credits, important affiliations, your unique platform. • A picture of cute you. Please, folks, shell out the money for a professional picture. Do not crop yourself out of your family photograph. Don’t try to be cool and Photoshop yourself with impressionist dots. Get an amazing picture, preferably taken outside, with a photographer who has a killer lens and great lighting. • Your contact information.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 138

Secret 10

Excel in Your Genre

Nonfiction and fiction are two different animals. Chances are you write one or the other. I’m a rare bird in that I write both, which helps me impart some of the things I’ve learned along the journey.

Nonfiction

Getting ideas and fleshing them out

I’m often asked where I get my ideas. For me? Usually when I’m running. Why? Most people who produce innovations or conjure up new ideas don’t find the idea during work. Ideas and innovations appear on a walk, in the midst of dish cleaning, in nature, or stillness. When I run in the mornings, I become clear. Writing ideas flow in. Insights about my life and my heart become focused. Recently an idea popped into my mind for an article about when it’s appropriate to shake the dust off your feet in a difficult situation. I queried a magazine, and they asked for the full manuscript. (Of course, this is on speculation, but I’m hoping the editor will like it.) What I do now:

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 139 • Query a professor who specializes in the New Testament. I sent him the passages I’m researching and asked for his advice. • E-mail some other friends from graduate school to round out what I find. • Interview a few others who have endured difficult ministry stress to get their perspective and possibly include their stories in the article. • Continue to read great books. Often I’ll find quotes directly related to the thing I’m researching. • Write the story and have my critique group look it over before I send it in.

More ways to find story ideas

Many new writers ask: How do you take an ordinary story or situation and turn it into something unique—something that will capture a reader? That’s a difficult question to answer, as I’m sure there are a thousand answers. Here are a few: 1. Some folks read the newspaper and find that a story can’t let them go. So they base a novel on the events of a real news story. 2. Some dig into their family issues to mine a story. My first novel, The Quarryman’s Wife, was based on the life of my great grandmother during the Great Depression. Because I was familiar with the story and did a lot of historical research, the book came to me quite easily. Though not nonfiction, it had a lot of true elements. 3. Some people dream their books. I dreamt the conclusion to one of mine. 4. Many base a book on their own emotional journey: losing a child, drug addiction, sexual abuse, etc. Because the person has firsthand experience, he/she can add deep emotions to the book. 5. Some ask the question, “What if?” 6. Some see an injustice in the world and want to explore it. 7. Some want to work out a private anguish. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 140 8. Another place is to take notes while you read great books. Figure out what makes you want to turn the page. Is it language? The author’s voice? The ideas presented? A high level of angst?

Organizing quotes

My friend Kristin once asked me how I kept track of the quotes I use in my writing:

You have a way of peppering your blogs, presentations, proposals, letters etc. with great quotes. I personally appreciate expanding references beyond scripture to provide a current cultural context for writing. I notice your quotes come from a multitude of sources (places/publications/authors) and wondered how you keep track of them all and decide when and where to use them to support your case. I imagine stacks of books with sticky notes, dog- eared pages and highlighter markings, but somehow I think you have a more sophisticated system for finding and filing quotable quotes. Is this something you would mind sharing?

I wish I had a sophisticated, organized way to answer this question! The reality? I read a lot. If I like a quote enough to have it impact my heart, I jot it down in my journal, along with the author, book, and page number. When I write a nonfiction book, I will read through my journal from the previous year. Often, the quotes I have jotted down are exactly what I need for my upcoming book. It’s uncanny! If you are writing a book for publication, one thing you should do to keep your sanity (and endear you to your editor and publisher) is to photocopy the page you found the quote, along with the copyright page. Staple together and place in a folder. Then, when you’re creating endnotes, you have all the information there. Often a publishing house will want this information for verification The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 141 purposes. And if you’ve quoted over fifty words, chances are you’ll need to contact the publisher for permission. There’s nothing worse than quoting someone in your book, only to forage around trying to find the quote! Another really helpful resource is this book: Quotionary. It’s great to have in a pinch.

The iStep method of writing creative nonfiction

There’s internal and external work to tackle when you’re adding fiction techniques to your nonfiction work. Here’s an acrostic that will help you. iStep. i = inner guts. Wordsworth wrote, “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” How do you do that? How do you cultivate inner guts as a nonfiction writer? First, explore your inside world. Pay attention to what makes you angry, what causes you to shed a tear, what makes you laugh out loud. Journal. Spend some time alone. But also realize that great writing comes from a heart that’s willing to risk in relationships. Too much solitude will make your work suffer. We need to listen to bantering, engage in arguments and discourse, rub shoulders with people different from us. Taking risks also deepens our work. Living safely does not. You may have heard the old adage, “Show, don’t tell.” In order to develop inner guts, we must “Live, don’t tell.” The secret of showing on the page is actually living our own stories well. As we develop guts, we need to learn, then, how to translate what we’ve learned and experienced onto the page. It’s one thing to explore your own interior; it’s another to use your emotions to build an article or a book. Find a way to connect the flatness of your work in progress with the richness of your current struggle. Mine your emotions.

S = Story. When writing nonfiction, take note that people remember stories far more than they remember facts. Strive to write your narrative with dialog, great scene setting, and the five senses. Flesh out the people you write about. Make them live and breathe and emote. If possible, start with an inciting incident, The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 142 followed by a continually rising action (lots of obstacles and setbacks) that climaxes in the pinnacle of the story.

T = Tension. Where novelists can arbitrarily throw obstacles at our characters, nonfiction writers must come up with ways to add tension to our books and articles. Don’t answer a question right away. Become an investigative reporter, then share the facts slowly in a way that makes the reader need to learn more. Remember Franz Kafka’s words, “If the book that we are reading doesn’t wake us up with a blow on the head, what are we reading it for?” How do we give a blow to our reader’s head? Tension.

E = Empathy. Whether our nonfiction involves villains or heroes, the reader can tell if we lack empathy. Truly learning to walk in people’s shoes will engender empathy for your readers. An excellent example of this is Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Lynn Vincent. They captured the beauty of every person in that story. Because the authors had empathy, we empathized with each person.

P = Passion. In order to carry your reader through an entire book, you must be passionate about the topic. Don’t simply write a book because you want to be published. The topic must keep you up at night, ignite your dreams, barrage your thoughts.

Writing memoirs

First, one clarification about memoir: no memoir can be 100% accurate. Every memoirist must recall, to the best of his/her ability what happened in the past. To protect the people mentioned in a memoir, it’s permissible to alter names and distinguishing characteristics. That’s allowable in a memoir, and is often expected. Can you create a novel from your life? Yes and no. It must have a plot. And you must be subsequently healed from your past to be able to write it. If you’re not healed, you’ll vomit on your reader.

To make a memoir work, it must be: The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 143

1. From someone famous. 2. Or a story so strong and surprising, the story carries the book.

My memoir, Thin Places, is from the latter category since I am by no means famous. But my story is raw and redemptive. And a bit out there. One last thing: It’s not easy to write a memoir. I fear that some people are so afraid to do it because the people involved aren’t yet dead. So they work on a fictionalized version. Is that really honest? What is the purpose of telling your true story if you make it fiction? Of course, you can take elements of your struggle and life and place that in fiction, but I’ve found that tacked on messages seldom make a book.

Fiction

Sweetness and light? Darkness and despair? Or both?

“What do you want to be writing?” she asked. She is my long time critique partner. She asked me this after reading a particularly dark chapter in my WIP (work in progress). She remembered my first novel, about a widow who detaches from the hearts of her children. Though a hard story, enough light infused itself into it to make it almost Karon-esque. She remembered a book I started about two feuding ladies, who later became friends (entitled Two Peace . . . I’m still proud of that title). Her question caught me by surprise, so it took me some time to answer. What do I want to be writing? The answer? What I’m writing right now: Southern Drama with enough darkness to make the light shine even brighter. The problem was she was mucking through the dark chapters, wondering if I was depressed and angry. Because she didn’t yet have the vision of the entire book, she didn’t know resurrection was on the way. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 144 Even so, I do believe there is a difference, a line, a place where we dance over our darkness-for-the-sake-of-light into despair. Marilla Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables tells Anne, who is despairing, that “To despair is to turn your back on God.” To court darkness too long, one dances a dirge and forgets goodness. So I take seriously my friend’s question. I ponder it, chew on it, hope through it. Am I writing depressing fiction? Why? But then I remember two books, both by the same author. At the end of The Kite Runner, I felt hope. I believed in beauty again. I saw resurrection. At the end of A Thousand Splendid Suns I felt despair, hopelessness as well as a supreme desire never to make Afghanistan a vacation destination. The author piled so much evil on one character that I wanted to throw the book. And her redemption felt entirely unsatisfying, because even in that small piece of redemption was a hunk of fatalistic despair. I don’t want to write like that. But maybe I’m naive. Sure, I don’t want to write plots that tie up neatly. I don’t want to write trite. I want my plots to be plausible and real. But I also want folks to see the redemption. How can I do that if I don’t create those impossible situations? I’m dancing the dance, trying to stay this side of despair, but not prettying up darkness so much that the light has no contrast. It’s a hard place to dance.

Backstory

Backstory is when an author puts background information into the present part of the story to give texture and revelation about a character or situation. New authors tend to start their books with only backstory. I find most stories actually start on page 25, and the backstory written is simply something the author needed to write to get things straight in her head. Skillfully woven backstory is very hard to do, so be sure to ask someone who is a great editor if you’ve done it well.

What is POV? (Point of View)

Defined:

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 145

• It’s the person’s perspective who is telling the story, whether that person is in the story or not. • It’s the narrator’s relationship to the plot of the story. • When done well, good POV allows for the continuous dream of fiction. • It’s whose senses each scene is filtered through. • “Viewpoint is the spot from which you see a story. It’s the position and perspective you occupy in order to best savor a fictional experience. Ordinarily, that vantage point is inside somebody’s skin.” Dwight V. Swain • Author Penelope Stokes aptly describes viewpoint as the character who holds a movie camera. Only what that camera can see is what the viewpoint character can see. If a heroine’s facing away from the door with her iPod blaring, she cannot see Drake burst through the door behind her. Only-only-only what the camera lens can see is what the POV character describes.

TYPES OF POV:

1. First (I), second (You), third person (He/She) 2. Omniscient (the narrator knows everything…often in children’s stories or books written before the 1900s.) Example of omniscient, from Stephen King’s The Stand. He has a character who cannot speak or hear, so he uses an omniscient form of POV: “Nick turned off the TV and went out onto the Bakers’ porch. There was a glider and he sat down in it. The back-and-forth motion was soothing, and he couldn’t hear the rusty squeak that John Baker had kept forgetting to oil. He watched the fireflies as they hemmed irregular seam in the dark” (p. 198). He obviously couldn’t hear the squeak, so an omniscient narrator adds this tidbit. 3. There are two additional subcategories to omniscient: The Butler’s Perspective and The Wide Angle Lens. The butler’s perspective where the author detaches for the story and tells the story without any commentary. In the wide angle lens technique, you give a broad view of the story world that a POV character may not have understood. A good example is the first and last scene of Forrest Gump The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 146 with the feather. We’re not in Forrest’s head, we simply see the feather on the breeze. 4. Side note: Reading omniscient POV and watching a movie (often omniscient POV) are not the same—reading omniscient can be chaotic, watching it is logical. This may be why many modern novelists head-hop, because of a saturation of media in our culture.

10 questions you can ask in determining a POV for a novel.

1. Who do you want the reader to identify with? 2. Whose story is this? And who is best qualified to tell it? 3. Will there be multiple POVs, and if so, how many? Why? 4. What type of voicing do you want the main POV character to have? Can you create other, credible voicings? 5. Should you defy convention and jump to omniscient? Second person? 6. Does the story need secrets? 7. Will suspense be heightened with another POV? 8. Which character can best portray the main theme of your novel? If it’s another character, then you may end up with that character preaching your message to your POV character. 9. When determining whether a secondary POV is needed, ask: Does the reader absolutely need to know this information, and would the main POV character be able to impart it? 10. Which POV unfolds the story best?

Head Hopping

Head hopping is when you shift the point of view back and forth without breaking the scene. It messes with the flow of narrative because you chaotically shift between one person’s brain and another.

• Head hopping is different than skillfully using POV shifts. • Head hopping is like telling. It takes more skill as a novelist to show the reader another character’s reaction than to simply give you his thoughts. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 147

• There must be a break in action, something delineating a shift so the reader won’t be confused.

Head hopping is when you show what everyone is thinking at once. It’s chaotic and hard to follow. Here’s an example:

Bob placed his hand on his stomach, feeling the turmoil there. He looked at Muriel, her eyes captivating him. Oh how he wanted to kiss that woman! Muriel grabbed her stomach in like manner. But it was not for affection’s reason. Bob made her stomach churn, made her want to vomit her lunch pizza. To say that Bob gave her the creeps was the understatement of the world.

See how we’re in Bob’s head, then in the next paragraph we’re in Muriel’s head? That’s head hopping.

POV Problems • Author intrusion problems. This is when the author intrudes on the timeline of the story with information a character cannot know in the moment. Example: “Little did he know that this one mistake would ruin the rest of his life.” • Author convenience—telling information through narrative or dialog that sounds preachy or didactic. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown exemplifies this issue. In one long scene, you have people pulling books off the shelves of a library and sharing passages with each other, imparting information in a wooden, didactic way. • A POV character with a lack of reticence. Not all characters tell all. Be restrained; it allows for mystery. • Indistinct narrative voice—not what the character says, but how she says it. If all your characters sound like you, it’s time to reinvent them. • Use of passive instead of active verbs weakens POV. Characters should do things, not have things done to them. • Side note: Consider (if you are writing multiple POV) using the other POV for emotional impact. Instead of placing the The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 148 reader inside a character’s head and telling us how she feels, have the scene from another character’s perspective as he observes her. This can be a powerful way to tell (show!) a story. This also allows for misunderstanding and suspense.

Other POV issues:

• Not asking, “Can my character see, feel, know, observe, understand this plot point?” • Giving more knowledge to a character than he/she should have • Having a character observe an unobservable thing • Wearing expressions • Using tags like “she felt.” Instead of: That driver’s an idiot, she felt, as she avoided a collision. Try this: Idiot! She swerved away from the erratic driver.

Resources:

• Card, Orson Scott, Characters & Viewpoint (Writer’s Digest Books, 1998). • Swain, Dwight V., Techniques of the Selling Writer (University of Oklahoma Press, 1965). • Browne, Renni and Dave King, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers (Quill, 1993). • Kingsolver, Barbara, The Poisonwood Bible (Harper Perennial, 1998). Read this book to catch how different each POV character’s voice is. You don’t even need to know who it is. Just reading one sentence, you’ll know whose head you’re in.

Qualities of a fiction author

• Has been known to spin a great story his/her whole life. • Retreats into her head to chat with characters. • Reads books on the writing craft, ever improving. • Needs to get more exercise (too much BOC—butt on chair—time!) The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 149 • Takes criticism well to become a better storyteller. • Has a good command of the English language and an infatuation with words. • Understands the business of publishing. • Has a willingness to be pressed and stretched, particularly in the area of publicity and marketing. • Has a Web presence. • Develops relationships within the writing industry— authors, editors, agents. • Is willing to pay his dues, understanding his first or third or eighth book might not sell.

A fiction writer has raw talent plus determination plus a teachable spirit.

Synopsis

Consider this question about writing a synopsis:

Does a surprise ending belong at the end of the plot portion of the synopsis—to surprise the editor—or at the beginning? For instance: He spends his life looking for his sister, blah, blah, and in the end learns she is dead. Or, His sister is dead but he spends his whole life, etc., looking for her. Or does it matter?

Typically a synopsis is written chronologically. So, you’d write the summary of the story as it would happen on the page. The dead sister would come only when the reader would find out about her. Side note: Don’t try to be cutesy or mysterious or clever when you’re writing a synopsis. A synopsis is simply a boring retelling of the story, written in present tense. I have the hardest time writing a synopsis. It’s actually easier for me to write a book than to encapsulate the book in just a few pages. So, hear me when I write I feel your pain. But following these simple guidelines will help you. Also, be sure to have a critique partner read through your synopsis. They can often spot the holes you can’t see.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 150 1. Should be written in third person, present tense. 2. Covers major plot points and story arcs but not every little detail of the story. 3. Is usually single-spaced. 4. Introduces each character by CAPPING them. After that, they can be normal size. 5. Should reveal the ending. 6. Indicates if you have good story structure or a flawed plot. 7. Tells, not shows. (Yep, the opposite of what you’ve heard. This is the one time you’re supposed to tell!) 8. Is 2-3 pages. Don’t ramble! 9. Is the same format as your manuscript: one-inch margins all around, Times New Roman, size 12 font. 10. Is about 1% of the total words of your novel (100,000 words, 1,000 word synopsis). 11. Introduces all of the main characters, but doesn’t always introduce every minor character. 12. Is not the same as back cover copy. 13. Should be sparse, clean writing. 14. Is not easy to write.

Here’s a synopsis for a yet-to-be-published book:

SYNOPSIS: WAITING FOR RIVERS By Mary DeMuth

Twenty-five-year-old social worker MARANATHA WILSON vows God owes her a perfect life. After all she’d been through, she deserves it. But God doesn’t listen to her vow. Her life untangles when she meets RIVERS, a man who points a gun at her face, and MAGNOLIA, a young girl with haunted eyes.

Her husband CHARLIE WILSON, struggles in his job as a warehouse manager. When he is promoted, he has to navigate the angry prejudice of CYRUS DAVIS, now his subordinate. Cyrus threatens Charlie, vows he will take his job.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 151 As Maranatha delves further into Rivers’ life, she unearths a mystery. Why does he know so much about her? And why does she see him on occasion walking outside her home?

Charlie and Maranatha struggle in their marriage. Charlie exudes affection while Maranatha shuns it. She can’t seem to touch Charlie, can’t make herself kiss him anymore. ZADY tells Maranatha she needs healing, for Jesus’ rivers to flow through her and clean her out. But Maranatha says she’s fine, that God has already healed her.

As Magnolia unravels her own stories of abuse, Maranatha relives GENERAL’S assaults. She’s perplexed because she’d already forgiven General. She seeks advice from her friend CAMILLA, who, because she’s dealing with a devastating divorce, tells Maranatha to get over it.

UNCLE ZANE is dying while his wife GEORGEANNE falls apart. OLD MACK tries to console her, but Georgeanne rebuffs his offers of help. Uncle Zane tells Maranatha that he wants to settle things, once and for all. She thinks he is talking about his estate.

With DENIM’S help, Maranatha uncovers disturbing information about Rivers—that he’s deeply involved in racist activities with Cyrus Davis. Cyrus refuses to shed light on their alliance, preferring instead to increase his threats against Charlie.

It is Magnolia who sneaks Maranatha the missing piece—a document that shows Rivers is HAWKINS’ and Uncle Zane’s estranged brother—an uncle Maranatha didn’t know she had. Maranatha asks Uncle Zane about Rivers while Georgeanne looks on. Uncle Zane revives a bit, but Georgeanne mistakes this for panic and bans Maranatha from his room.

Cyrus frames Charlie for misconduct, causing Charlie to lose his job. He needs Maranatha more than ever, but she can’t seem to be there for him. She yells at God for not accepting her terms for life. She was supposed to have no more pain, but the pain has multiplied.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 152 When Maranatha presses to have Magnolia removed from her community, Rivers threatens to kill her. “I know who you are,” she tells him. “And your brother is dying.”

Maranatha arranges for a reluctant Rivers to see Uncle Zane when Georgeanne is away. The two brothers share a painful conversation about their difficult upbringing while Denim rescues Magnolia and brings her to protective custody. Though Uncle Zane forgives Rivers, Rivers won’t return the favor and crashes out of the room.

Maranatha realizes she has a choice—to forgive General afresh, or possibly end up like Rivers. With Zady’s help, she writes General a letter, one she releases to a river. Upon return, she weeps in Charlie’s arms as God begins the healing process she’d been shunning. And she accepts that her vow to never experience pain has so-far prevented her from experiencing God’s healing touch.

Unique to the Maranatha series, Waiting for Rivers is told in the first person, indicating the narrator has been healed enough to be able to tell her story up close.

Start in the middle; don’t look back

What you must learn: Do not set up your characters and plot. Start the story in the middle of the action. Don’t spend a lot of time setting things up. Plunge us into the story. Don’t reflect back on your main character’s backstory, even if you believe it’s desperately important. You’ll be surprised how much you don’t need to tell the reader. Trust the intelligence of your reader. Show the scene, don’t tell us stuff about it.

Lame Example, wrong way to do it:

Lara thought back about her tragic life on the farm. Even with Michael’s untimely death, she still missed the verdant days, the way the sun played peek-a-boo on the morning horizon behind the old oak tree. But today, as she sorted mail and bit her fingernails, Michael’s face haunted her. He seemed The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 153 to be saying something. A plea from the grave perhaps? It all made the envelope in front of her even more sinister: a letter from Michael his mother found among his things. It was addressed to her in his awkward script. She remembered his first love letter, how he’d scrawled out a poem of his undying love. But now he was dead, proving undying love didn’t exist.

That was a lot of looking back. Instead:

“He didn’t love me.” Lara barked it to the empty room. Michael’s scrawled words scarred trenches into her heart. And it was then, when Michael’s letter found its way to her four months after his death, that Lara made one choice: She would not live to see morning.

See how that makes you want to read on? How you want to know what happens next? Will she succeed? Who was Michael and what was in that letter? A first chapter must propel the reader forward.

Dialog

New writers often expose their greenhorn status by refusing to use the word said. One wrote:

I’m a big fan of using words such as “replied,” “remarked,” “commented,” etc. and I just think it’s repetitive to write “he said” and “she said” over and over again. One writer I spoke to, however, told me that using anything other than “said” is really amateur.

The writer you spoke to speaks truth. Once in awhile you may deviate from said, but the industry standard is to either write said (because it appears to a reader as invisible) or write a beat. Writing different speaker tags (exclaimed, declared, hinted, whispered) is The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 154 wearying and is sometimes seen as lazy writing. (Instead of having someone exclaim something, show them exclaiming.) And often, a speaker tag isn’t even needed, which then eliminates the need for saying said over and over.

Here’s an example:

“Bob is my enemy,” Heloise said. (using said) “But he’s my best friend. How could you say such a thing?” I picked up the near-empty pie plate and hurled it at Heloise. (This is a beat.) “Gmph.” (No said, but we all know it’s Heloise who now has pie on her face, in her mouth, etc.)

Deepening your stories

While I prefer to have a life like a maple tree in spring—full of promise, growth, and branches that reach for the sky in greening prayer—I realize I’m a better writer when I’m an autumn oak, bereft of leaves, dried out, my arms brittle from the reach. On my run today, I see why. When trees begin their shedding, when the promise of life floats away on a crisp breeze, you see more of the sky. More sun, more blue, more clouds peek-a-boo through barren branches. What is hidden is revealed. I’d never see the curiosity of bird nests had the camouflaging leaves not fallen. That’s the secret of great writing. Naked lives letting the sun poke through, revealing snatches of life not otherwise seen. That all sounds breathtakingly ethereal, but really, it’s pragmatism at its best. Because I’m at my best, literarily speaking, when I embrace my frailty. And I think you are too. The best novels out there are populated with characters who fail, struggle, reach for heights but miss the mark, lose loved ones, rail at the heavens at the unfairness of it all. How can we possibly give our characters such beautiful angst if we’re not willing to experience life ourselves? The best novel chapter I wrote came after an excruciating conversation with a loved one. Such hollowness poured over me, I asked the question, “What if my character had these same feelings? The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 155 But toward another person?” With all the raw energy of my fragile emotions, I scratched out that scene, let it sit, then sent it to my good friend who’s an excellent novelist. She deemed it my best writing. I wept. I thanked God for the scarred circumstance that brought it about, how He made beauty from the ashes of a painful conversation. In life we long to have things tied up neatly with a velvet bow; but life, in all its wild tumbles, wrestles the bow away, flinging the box wide open. It is that way with our stories. I’m guilty of writing first drafts full of black and white characters and plots that tie up neatly and happily. I’m thankful for editors who point this out and make me go back, adding wayward flesh to my characters and twists of reality to my plot. In that exercise, I only have to look at my own life to see that the most beautiful parts of my life were birthed in the cauldron of bitterness and unmet expectations—in the autumns and winters of my life. Why would I deprive my characters of that same experience by making everything springtime and summer? And why would I deprive my reader? They’ve experienced their own share of worry and heartache. They’re looking for storytellers who understand, who dare to tell their stories because that is what readers relate to. It’s not easy to go there. It’s never easy. But how can you expect to mine the depths of human depravity and grace in your stories if you’re unwilling to mine them in yourself? Someday, God willing, I’m going to teach novel writing. It will be unlike any other workshop I’ve attended. Of course, I will delve into story structure and passivity and point of view, but before I begin any of that, I want to inspire writers to understand how we deepen our stories beyond mechanical constructs. I want writers to see that great stories grab you by the throat because of their terrible humanity, because readers feel the story is theirs somehow. And that can only happen when we’re willing to live in the pain and joy of our own stories. It’s my firm belief that great writing flows from the pen of self-aware writers. Here’s your assignment. Right now write something from a place of emptiness, angst, bitterness, bewilderment, or nakedness. You know what I’m referring to. Take those emotions, feel them, then, write like the wind. See your story not as a tree in cacophonic The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 156 bloom, but as a shrub awaiting winter, leaves gone, glory faded. Let the sun glory through the spindly branches. Sometimes I’m asked how I write deep, relate-able stories. It’s because I do what I assigned above. I recognize those autumn places, walk through them (not always graciously either), and translate those emotions into the landscape of my stories. This is something you can do. It’s something you must do. Embrace your frailty today, and venture forth. The world needs your story. I tend to splay my heart on the pages of my books, exploring my inadequacies, embracing little parenting triumphs. It makes sense: the way to a nonfiction reader’s heart is an author’s vulnerability, her ability to reveal emotional depth. Can the same be said for fiction? A resounding “yes.” Now that I’m past that forty-year-old marker, I’ve given myself permission to put down novels that don’t grab me by the throat—a liberating experience. What I’ve found through putting books down and teaching Inside Out Fiction sessions at writing conferences is that great novels have emotional depth; mediocre novels don’t. How do you harness emotional depth? Is it possible to write stories that suck readers in, enamoring them with characters who resonate? Absolutely. Here are three ways.

1. Write truth from the Inside Out

A novelist relies on many tools to improve and perfect his craft. Still, the best tool is what he uniquely brings to a book—his heart. It’s the place his characters form, his stories emerge, his plots thicken. I could give you ten tips to superimpose emotional depth upon your novel, but if you’re not writing from the passions of your heart, what will it profit? Prose where your heart’s not in it becomes mechanically correct but bereft of soul. It becomes outside-in writing. How do you write from the inside out, from your heart? Start here: Reveal secrets on the page of a journal, daring to write the truth. Write it to yourself, about yourself, about the world you live in. In the safe haven of a blank notebook, explore your passions. If a publisher permitted you only one book, what book The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 157 would you write? Why? And how would that one novel compare to your own journey? Keep this journal for the next step. Anne Lamott, in her hilariously poignant writing memoir Bird by Bird, writes, “Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer, you have a moral obligation to do this. And it is a revolutionary act—truth is always subversive.” I experienced this kind of subversive truth when I wrote my first novel Watching the Tree Limbs, a story about a young orphan girl battling the worse kind of bully—someone who rapes her. Though not my story, writing my character’s journey was an enlightening, yet painful exercise. As I wrote it, I remembered my own sexual abuse at age five. I saw the world through the eyes of my protagonist. I wanted to shrink back, to not make her situation so stark. In the first draft of the story, I wrote safe. I kept my character detached in the aftermath of abuse. The substantive edit letter I received from my novel’s in-house editor detailed the problem: I was not telling the truth about my character’s reaction to the abuse. One of the most difficult experiences of my writing life was going back through the novel, assigning emotions to my character—the prickly feelings I’d been afraid to confront. The payoff? I’ve received a lot of feedback from readers saying they could relate to the protagonist. One reader wrote, “As I met Mara, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was looking in a mirror. I relived all of the emotions of having been through much of what she experienced.” Had I not delved into my own emotions, I doubt the book would’ve resonated so deeply with readers. (See Before and After for a sampling of my revisions.)

2. Translate Your Emotional Experiences

It’s one thing to explore your own interior; it’s another to use your emotions to build a character. But it must be done. Pull out the journal where you’ve bled some truth. Then, find a character in your story that lacks depth or verve and then begin to connect her flatness to the richness of your current struggle. Free write the character into a scene until you sense your own emotions surfacing. In the novel I recently delivered to my editor, I needed to humanize a character that had everything together—a prophet of sorts who lived an immaculately moral life, who always seemed to The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 158 live unaffected by tragedy. Try as I might, he remained one- dimensional. During that time, I had a one-sided phone conversation that ended abruptly, leaving me feeling abandoned by someone I longed to be close to. I asked the question, “What if my character had these same feelings? But toward another person?” With all the raw energy my fragile emotions could muster, I scratched out a scene where my character ruminates on his mama. Here’s a snippet:

“I’ve tried to convince myself I never really needed a mama. But you know what? I did. I do. And I’ll never really get over that. It’s one thing to get over a daddy you’ve never met. But it’s quite another to get over a mama who never really loved you.”

While it may be true that in the grunt of daily living we long to have things tied up neatly with a velvet bow, life, in all its wild tumbles, wrestles the bow away, flinging the box wide open. Stories are a lot like life in that way. I’m guilty of writing first drafts full of flat characters and plots that tie up neatly. Which is why I’m thankful for editors who point this out and ask me to revise. When I’m stuck, I simply have to look at my angst-filled journal and draw upon its messiness.

3. Get out in the world

Writing is a solitary art. We pine over words behind the glare of the screen, seldom venturing out to the land of people (at least that’s how I am on a deadline!). But too much solitude makes our novels suffer. We need to put down our journal pen, abandon the blinking curser, and rub shoulders with people. To hear bantering. To risk ourselves in relationship. To once again be reminded of the astounding beauty of humanity alongside its depravity. One such brush with beauty and depravity reminds me of a broken friendship I once had. I knew pursuing my new friend was a risk since she tended to bristle when I tried to get to know her. Eventually, she turned on me. After enough distance had passed, I used the situation to bring depth to a character. But I never The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 159 would’ve had the emotional palate to paint that character with dimension had I not pursued my friend in the first place. I’ve found that safe living—hiding away, shrinking from risk in relationships—makes for antiseptic writing. But muddied living when I’m out there in the crazy world hanging with messy folks (and aren’t we all messy?) makes my writing empathetic. It’s not easy to go outside the walls of your office. But how can you expect to mine the depths of human depravity and grace in your stories if you’re unwilling to mine them in yourself? You’ve heard the mantra over and over: Show, don’t tell. Perhaps the secret to showing is actually living our own stories well. About living beyond the confines of our own interior world to explore the world we long to write about. It’s in that diving into real life that we no longer settle for telling about a character’s journey. We must show it because a simple recounting will deprive its vitality.

As a book mentor, I want to inspire writers to deepen their stories beyond mechanical constructs. I want writers to learn that stories with emotional depth grab you by the throat because of their terrible humanity, because readers feel the story is theirs somehow. And that can only happen when we’re willing to live in the pain and joy of our own stories. It’s my firm belief that great novels flow from the pen of self-aware writers, that no internal work is wasted on the page.

Workout:

Here are two assignments that will spur you on to write emotionally-deep fiction:

One: Permission

I hereby give you permission to write something from a place of emptiness or angst or bitterness or bewilderment or nakedness—or even surprising joy. You know what I’m referring to. Take some fresh emotions, feel them, journal about them, explore them in the pages of a journal. Then, take that emotional experience and shove it between the four walls of a story. It could be a new story never written or a The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 160 scene in a novel you’re currently working on. Tell the truth. Translate your emotional experience into the lives of your characters. Some questions to consider as you journal and integrate: • What is the underlying emotion you’re experiencing? Often anger is a primary emotion, but as you peel away the layers, underneath is something altogether different. Do you feel abandoned? Fearful? Needy? Regretful? Alone? • Once you’ve peeled away the emotions, how can you layer the same kinds of complex emotions in your character or scene? A character might present as disinterested, then slowly unravel to show his insatiable, yet unfulfilled need for relationship. • What are the hesitancies you have in revealing the truth? Why is it hard to say it like it is? Are you afraid of hurting someone? Does the truth frighten you? Will it unravel you? Give those same hesitancies to a character in your story.

Two: Exterior/Interior

Go to a public place and find an unusual person to “sketch.” Describe: • Physical attributes • Mannerisms • Clothing • Tone of voice • Anything you can see. Now pretend this person is coming to you, a professional counselor, for counseling. He drops his all-is-well façade and unfolds a harrowing, painful story. Write down his exact words. What emotions come out as he tells it? What does he conceal even now? Who does he blame? Does he feel cathartic when he spills his story? Why or why not?

Before and After: The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 161

Problem: Young Mara, in Watching the Tree Limbs, has very little emotional response to her daily life—a life fraught with abandonment by her aunt, the mystery of her parents’ whereabouts, and sexual abuse at the hands of a neighborhood bully, General.

She twisted and turned in her sheets, entangling her sweaty self in them like a cocoon. She closed her eyes and longed for an adult embrace—of a fond touching from her mother or her father. For a moment, one tiny moment, she willed her parents into existence— parents who would hold her like the sheets held her now. Instead of fighting against the percale, she slowed her breathing and begged for sleep. And God, if You are out there, please let me find my voice in the nightmare.

Solution: In the second draft, I’ve expanded the scene to give the reader a clearer picture of Mara’s emotional landscape.

She twisted and turned in her sheets, entangling her sweaty self in them like a straight jacket. She closed her eyes and longed for a hug—of a fond touching from her mother or her father. For a moment, one tiny moment, she willed her parents alive—parents who would hold her like the sheets held her now. Instead of fighting against the bedding, she slowed her breathing and begged for sleep. As she started to fall asleep, a tear trailed out of her eye. She wiped it, but another one came. Then another. Before she could wipe them all away, a sob burst from her chest. She smashed her pillow to her mouth, suffocating her wail. Heaving chest, watering eyes, aching heart—all these combined into a display of weepy helplessness. She ached for Nanny Lynn to come back from heaven, to swoop down like a cowbird to rescue her from General. But no matter how much she cried, nothing would change. And this made her weep all the more until she heard footsteps. Aunt Elma appeared in her doorway. “You crying? What for?” Mara heard a tinge of tenderness in her aunt’s voice. For a moment, she wanted to spill everything out. “I’m sad.” “Mara, how many times have I told you that Nanny Lynn, she ain’t coming back, no matter how much you boo-hoo.” Aunt The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 162 Elma walked over to her bed and bent low. In a rare show of motherly attention, she smoothed the covers over Mara and stood. She shook her head. Mara could see her wet eyes. She misses Nanny Lynn as much as I do. Maybe she’ll understand if I tell her about General. Maybe that’s love behind her eyes. “I know, but—” “No buts about it. Get over it. I want no more tears about her. She’s gone. You should be over her by now.” She turned abruptly and shut the door behind her. Mara slipped her thumb in her mouth, thankful she hadn’t spilled her words, worried if she didn’t plug her mouth, she would.

Resources:

• Getting into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn from Actors by Brandilyn Collins • Write from Life: Turning Your Personal Experiences into Compelling Stories by Meg Files • Advanced Fiction Writing Ezine by novelist Randy Ingermanson: http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/ezine/

Fiction checklist:

❏ Do you have a map of the places you’re writing about? Would a reader clearly understand the layout of the place in her head? Have you assumed folks would know a place? Have you included enough detail to flesh out a town, a house, a community? ❏ Similarly, do you have a house plan of the main home the story takes place in? Would a reader be able to draw a floor plan based on the cumulative description throughout the book? ❏ Have you told what you’ve already shown? Trust your reader the first time, and check for redundancies. ❏ Does each chapter end at the right place? Could you divide differently? ❏ Is each scene a mini-novel? Is there a conflict? A climax? The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 163 ❏ Do you want to turn the page at the end of each chapter? Is there sufficient enough tension or angst to make you want to turn the page? Do you provide enough mystery to make the reader want to read on? ❏ Have you given your characters enough emotional response to traumatic situations? ❏ Have you spent too much time inside a character’s head, forsaking action? ❏ Is the plot feasible? ❏ Do things tie up too neatly? Or not at all? ❏ Have you done a check on am/is/was/were/had? Check each, then beef up your verbs. Strive for 2 weak verbs (or less) a page. ❏ Point of view. Are you in one head per scene? Can your character know/see/touch/feel/understand what s/he encounters? ❏ Is your main protagonist proactive? Does s/he do things or are things done to her/him? ❏ Would a reader be able to answer this question: What is at stake in this novel? ❏ Do you provide hints along the way before you pay off in the climax? Does the plot promise more than what you can deliver? Do you meet the reader’s expectations that you’ve built throughout the book? ❏ Are your characters unique? How? What makes them differ from other literary characters? Are they different than you? ❏ Can you clearly define your character’s motivation? ❏ Is your protagonist likeable in some degree? ❏ If you were reading your book for the first time, would you find the characters predictable? The plot predictable? ❏ Have you killed adverbs? ❏ Have you identified and killed your clichés? ❏ Have you checked your grammar, formatting, punctuation? ❏ Have you read your work out loud? ❏ Have you varied your sentence structure throughout the piece? ❏ Do your characters have opposite traits, enough to make them complex? ❏ Do your characters change, or have the ability to change? The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 164 ❏ Have you started your novel in the middle of the action? Where have you placed the backstory? ❏ Have you considered changing from third to first person? Past to present tense? How best would the story be told? ❏ Are you using all five senses in your descriptions? ❏ Do you clog up the narrative with mundane conversations, details, actions? ❏ Are your tenses consistent? ❏ Are there places where you know there should be more angst/pain/emotion, but you’re afraid to go there? Choose to go there. ❏ Do your descriptions and metaphors match the person who says them? Does a baseball player use a mom metaphor, or a mom use a baseball metaphor? Use what makes sense for the particular character. ❏ Are there any questions you raised in the book that go unanswered? ❏ Have you over-personified emotions? Example: Anger boiled his belly. Fear gripped her throat. ❏ If you have flashbacks, do they occur at points that make sense in the story? Does something specific trigger a memory? ❏ Does your dialog further the story? ❏ Does your main character demonstrate consistency? And if s/he has changed, did something happen that justifies the change? ❏ Is there sufficient conflict in your dialog? ❏ Do you change things throughout the story? Names, places, cars, settings? ❏ Do your characters sound distinctly different from each other in dialog? If a reader read a line of dialog out of context, would she know which character said it? ❏ Have you given large pieces of information or backstory in one place? (Also known as an information dump). Can you spread out the information? ❏ In an overtly dramatic scene, have you considered how to convey the same outcome with subtlety? ❏ Does each scene further the story? If it’s filler, kill it. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 165 ❏ Have you identified an underlying theme for your story? What is it? Does the story support the theme in a subtle way? ❏ Does your beginning pull the reader in? ❏ Does your middle sag or compel the reader forward? ❏ Does your ending satisfy? ❏ Who is your target reader? Have you written the story with that reader in mind? ❏ Does the book give the reader a powerful emotional experience? ❏ Have you found your pet words and killed them? Very, just, still, really, sort of, pretty, mostly, little, a bit, that, somewhat, began, started, managed, etc. ❏ Does action precede reaction? ❏ Are there leaps in logic, where a hole in one part of the manuscript is either filled in a wildly circumstantial way, or not filled at all? ❏ Are the hair/eye color/descriptions of your characters consistent throughout the manuscript?

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 166

Secret 11

Thrive in your Career

If you’re new to this writing gig, you have probably experienced the writing catch-22 that you have to be published to get published. But there’s even more. As publishing houses are downsizing their lines, they are taking fewer risks on new authors. And if you happen to publish your book, you then have to ensure that the book sells, or you won’t get another contract. Publishing houses are about bottom lines. If books don’t sell well, it hurts their bottom line. So it behooves us to not only survive in our career, but to also find strategic ways to thrive.

Spend your money wisely

One of the most important things we as freelancers have to learn is discernment. We can pinch pennies so much that we hurt our career. I’ve had to spend a lot of money on particular things, but those investments have paid off so well in terms of career that I have no regrets:

• Taking several trips to premier writer’s conferences. I can’t afford to go this year, but the other years I went were very well spent. That’s where I met an agent. I interacted with some really great folks all around the publishing world that have blossomed into amazing friendships and publishing relationships. One of the years I went, I attended The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 167 on a scholarship. Another year, I taught. I’ve never regretted spending the money. • Paying my way to a book retail show. One of my trips merited some great interaction, good publicity, and a contract. Last year, I struggled whether or not I should go. My publishers weren’t going to pay for me to come, so I had to make a choice. Ultimately, I decided to pay the outrageous high-peak airfare. The cool thing is a major radio program interviewed me there. Had I not gone, I don’t know if this opportunity would have arisen. • Printing bookmarks. Friends distributed these for me. A great place to order bookmarks is gotprint.com. I love this company. They are so professional, reasonable, and they do a terrific job. • Sending books for free to people who need them. • Buying a good, reliable computer and then paying an online company to back it up.

Is writing a viable career option?

I recently received an e-mail from a writer friend. She lamented the onset of the Kindle and also worried that maybe writers would go the way of music artists, where our progeny (writing) would be free to download in the future. I hadn’t really thought of that before, so for a brief moment, I panicked too. Would this career of words I loved so much become obsolete? And the bigger question: Would writing cease to be a viable career option? Or would it be relegated to hobbying? I’ve spent the last several months working on my writing as a business. I did this because my children are nearing college, and it’s time to start putting money away. So I feel the tension in my neck as I wait for a check. I watch my Amazon rankings, only to shake my head. I’ve dabbled in writing for the general market, which is starting to pay off. I’ve written for Writer’s Digest, as well as another piece for The Writer. I’m developing ancillary products for my Web site. And I’m in the midst of developing a physical product. What I’m saying is, barring a breakout bestseller, even those of us who have contracts and write for magazines cannot The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 168 make ends meet. If my husband lost his job, we could not survive on my income alone. It’s frustrating. I’d like nothing else than a year and a half to really, really hone a novel to closer-to-perfection, but the monetary needs of my family intervene.

Be positive

I subscribe to Publisher’s Weekly, which has been a boon of information. One thing I read was this positive report from Baker/Revell:

“Baker Publishing Group reported record results for its fiscal year ending April 30, 2008, with publishing sales up 16%, to $57.9 million. President Dwight Baker emphasized that although sales of its bestselling 90 Minutes in Heaven helped the company achieve the gain, “this is much more comprehensive, with growth in all divisions.” Revell was up 26%; Chosen, 25%; Baker Books, 15%; Baker Academic, 13%; Brazos, 10%, and Bethany House, 9%. “In just about all channels and all categories we are up,” Baker said.”16

Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson, said these wise words in response: “I think in large part you get what you expect. If you buy into the assumptions that we are in a recession, consumers aren’t buying, retail traffic is off, and books aren’t selling, then guess what? That is probably what you will experience. Call me a incorrigible optimist, but I am not buying it. I believe in growth, and I am planning for it.”17 Let’s bring this from the macro level down to the micro level, shall we? How much does your attitude affect your writing?

16 http://www.phenixpublicity.com/blog/tag/baker‐ publishing‐group 17 http://michaelhyatt.com/this‐publisher‐evidently‐ didn%E2%80%99t‐get‐the‐memo.html

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 169 Do you write with a wet blanket over your words, woe-is-me-ing your lot in this publishing life? Do you feel your words are in vain? That they’ll never be published? When I first started getting very serious about publishing at the beginning of this century (an interesting way to put it!), I felt that someday, I’d be published. Why?

• Others had told me I had a gift. • I knew I had it in me to improve and learn. • I sensed a pulling in this direction. • I began seeing moderate success, first in newspapers, then magazines.

Even when rejection hit, even after I wallowed in my own pity party, I got back into the publishing game and kept at it. That’s why tenacity is so important. I shudder to think it sounds like I’m tooting my own horn. I’m simply saying that if you are truly destined to be published, you’ll keep going. You’ll be persistent. You’ll keep at it. You’ll stay positive. And like Baker Books, continue to be faithful, even when the economy sings woe is me.

Business cards

What constitutes a professional, amazing business card?

First: Here’s an amazing place to get wonderful business cards for cheap.18 I designed 1000, 2-sided full color (both sides) cards for 25 bucks. Wow.

• I like to include my picture on my cards because it helps people remember me. When I’m back from a conference, I’ll go through the cache of business cards people have given me. So quickly, I forget who the person was. But if she has a picture on her card, it’s hard to forget. • If you’re not good at design, consider hiring someone (or bartering services with someone) to design your card.

18 http://www.gotprint.com The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 170

• If possible, unify your look (Web site, blog, business card, stationery.) • Opt for full color and great, glossy, thick paper. (You can afford it at gotprint). • If you have books out, consider placing their covers on the back of your card. This is a really handy thing to have when you’re giving your card away (even in the grocery store line). • Include all your contact information, but if you’re scared about weirdos, do get a Post Office Box (not expensive) and place that address on your card. • Use both sides of the card. • Consider altering the orientation (vertical vs. landscape) for something different. • Include your Web presence on the card.

Publishing doesn’t validate your life

I wrote this article a few years ago, based on something a literary agent once said:

Publishing doesn’t validate your life.

How true.

I have to admit before I was published, I thought that if I reached that nirvana called “published author,” I’d have sweet validation. Every day would be smiles and dancing. You know what? I was wrong. Being published is terrific, mind you, but it doesn’t bring happiness or validation. Instead, it adds more stress to your life. Gone are the days when I could write for the sheer joy of it. Always looming is a deadline. And though I pinch myself because I “get” to write, and I feel like I’m doing what I was created to do, I sometimes get lost in the cycle of publicity, sales and marketing. Maybe I’m the only one—and I’m embarrassed to admit this publicly—but I check my Amazon ratings for the three (note: now twelve, and I don’t do this as much anymore, thankfully) books I have in print. I know, know, know that these ratings mean very little. I know that a high rank—which is bad—just means that The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 171 during that hour the book didn’t sell. I know that if a band of readers collaborated and bought ten of my books in one hour, my rating would shoot lower—which is good. But it doesn’t mean anything. Why do I pester myself with such nonsense? After all, publishing doesn’t validate my life, right? It’s like this weird endless cycle of neediness. It evolves in incremental steps of “if onlys:”

• If only I could be published in a magazine, even if I’m not paid. • If only I could be paid to be published in a magazine. • If only I could go to a writer’s conference and have an agent show an interest in my proposal. • If only I could sign with an agent. • If only that agent could sell my work. • If only I could have more than one contract. • If only I could earn out the advance for the book I wrote. • If only I could sell enough books so a publisher would want another book from me. • If only a publisher would treat a mid-list author like me kindly. • If only I could make a living at writing.

That’s a lot of if onlys!

I remember reading about blocked goals once and it’s stuck with me. A blocked goal is a goal that is dependent on other’s actions or happenstance. All these “if onlys” fit, albeit somewhat awkwardly, as blocked goals. I don’t have any control over whether I’ll get a contract offered. I can’t make people buy my books. I can’t make my book sell enough to earn back an advance. I can’t control the fickleness of this industry. What I can do is create goals that can’t be blocked. Goals like:

• I will not let writing overshadow the needs of my family. • I will write the best books I can write, always seeking to improve, abounding in humility and teachability. • I will be patient when sales wane. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 172 • I will laugh at the unpredictability of this industry and strive to be lighthearted. • I will serve others and not let elusive and fleeting fame (if that happens) inflate my head. • I will attend conferences, read writing books, and welcome critique. • I will write for the sheer joy of it, not despising unpublished words.

Publishing does not validate me. Sure it feels great to hold my book in my hands. It’s lovely when I get a good review. But it doesn’t determine my worth.

Purpose in writing

A blog reader once wrote to ask me this:

A few years ago I was writing regularly, submitting often, actively pursuing publication. With working more than full-time, I was content to be at least writing, and doing some stuff on the side. Over the past two years, some things have happened in my personal life that knocked the wind out of my sails. And I just can’t seem to get back on track. I have been talking with someone and getting some things worked out. But where writing is concerned, yuck. I can’t even imagine what I might have to share with anyone else. Many of the things I wrote in the past seem to be un-validated by things that have happened. So that’s my question I guess. How do I get back to a purpose in writing? Practically speaking, any suggestions?

This is a terrific question. Today, I talked to a writer who is in the same situation. Life has taken over (lots of stress and worry). Every time he starts to write, he erases it. He’s an amazing writer, but all this stuff has sapped his creative energy and confidence. I The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 173 can imagine him a year from now, asking your question. A few things to consider here. Don’t let your fear of sounding contradictory to your previous writing prevent you from writing today. You were a different person back then. My earlier writing was a lot more about trite answers and easy solutions to life’s problems. Then life happened. I’m not that same person anymore. Do I cringe at what I wrote? Yes. But it aptly reflects where I was in my journey. If I do not write today, I’m depriving myself of seeing how I’ve grown, and in a way, I’m limiting my reader’s experience because I am unwilling to share my newfound knowledge. Maybe now is a time to receive and rest. I remember listening to a speech I gave. I navigated some very traumatic stuff in France. I basically vomited all over my audience, poor things. Why? Because that story wasn’t done percolating yet. It needed to marinate longer. I needed perspective. I needed to get to the point where I could restate the story without crying, where I could translate my story to other people’s needs. Otherwise, I’m just being plain selfish, emoting on everyone. And I’m not offering hope. I’m not saying don’t be authentic. But evaluate your authenticity as it relates to the trauma you’ve experienced. If it’s still too raw, it’s not yet time to get that particular story published. I see this a lot from first time authors at writing conferences. They’ve gone through something terrible a year ago and then they write a book, which is cathartic. But it’s not translatable yet. It’s dumping on the page. Pragmatically, if you’d like to get your feet wet again, I would set some goals:

• Write a certain number of words per day or week. (1000 a day?) • Make a financial goal. (Something like, “I will make 250 dollars a month from writing.”) • Make a production goal. (“I will write five queries a week.”)

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 174 Question: Should I send my book to a manuscript service?

Answer: For those of you who don’t know what a manuscript service is, it’s a place where you pay to have your manuscript (or a portion of it) posted on a server. The idea is that acquisition’s editors from publishing houses cull through the entries and possibly might contact the writer if he/she is interested. This circumvents the process of having to go to a conference or finding an agent. In theory this is a great idea. However, how it’s played out isn’t as simple. I do have a friend, novelist Susan Meissner, who was discovered by Harvest House Publishers through a manuscript submission site. I must caution you that this is an extremely rare occurrence. I believe those submission services exist to play off the hopes of unpublished writers (and profit from those hopes). A better way to spend your money is to invest in a conference where you can meet editors face to face. I hate to beat a dead horse, but this writing business is very much about relationships. Submitting to a service does nothing to add to your relational capital. Rant alert: I’m stomping my feet now. Can you see me? Don’t shortcut your career by trying to circumvent the process. Don’t become so desperate that you’ll throw money at things that may not profit your career. Want to know how to get published?

1. Sit down, write, and then write some more. 2. Go to conferences. 3. Find a critique group. 4. Listen to critique even if you disagree. 5. Make good relationships with people in the publishing industry, not merely to put your foot in a higher rung on the publishing ladder, but because it’s a blessing to be in relationships. 6. Be willing to take the lowest seat. 7. Understand the importance of small beginnings. 8. Write in obscurity for the sake of honing the craft. 9. Say thank you to those who have helped you. 10. Take risks and submit your articles to bigger and bigger publications, from non-paying (initially) to paying gigs. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 175

I hate to say it, but I’m not doing you any favors if I don’t: Writing and getting published is hard work. Trying short cuts usually only suspends the journey, or makes you backtrack until you find the path again. Or makes you discouraged. Or poorer. It is a rare case indeed where a shortcut works. Please realize that and determine to do the right thing. Put your behind on the chair and write. Become disciplined, even if that’s not your bent.

What I would write to myself now that I know better

Dear Naïve Me,

You’re going to work harder at this thing you’re passionate about than you initially thought. Set some boundaries. Rest. Don’t give into despair. Cultivate hope when things feel hopeless. Decide now about your professional parameters with folks of the opposite sex. Don’t shun, of course, but also create suitable, confident lines. Don’t assume everyone in the business is full of integrity. Assuming will lead to heartache. Take folks at face value. Keep a teachable, humble heart. When you feel you’ve been unjustly treated, seek to have the discipline of silence. There will be folks who don’t like you, even hate you, for your ideas, your words, your position. Don’t let the naysayers muddy your mission. Listen to critique, but also know when to shrug off attack. Keep your head on straight, your heart tender, your skin thick.

Love, Older, Wiser Me

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 176 John Townsend on effectiveness

I had the privilege to be a part of a small group of authors who heard author and speaker John Townsend give leadership advice unique to us. I thought I’d pass on what I learned:

1. We should create two teams. One team is the Technical Team. These are the folks who do video trailers, Web sites, graphics, PR, media, booking, etc. The other team is a Life Team, a small group of people who truly know you, who hold you accountable and with whom you meet on a regular basis. He said most people neglect to form the second team. The Life Team should be a safe place, a no shame zone, where people are a vehicle of truth and grace to you and to each other. He stressed the importance of asking for spiritual, emotional, vocational help—that we tend to be people who focus solely on the needs of others and therefore neglect our own. 2. We should consider ourselves assets. The healthier we are, the more creative we’ll be. But we often neglect ourselves and therefore, stifle our creative work. It’s okay to take time for yourself. He highly recommended connecting with a mentor or a spiritual director. He also suggested we take up to 30 minutes a day where we are completely unplugged from people and needs. In that space, we give ourselves permission to do what’s truly on our heart—phone calls we’ve been wanting to make, dreams we need to dust off, etc. 3. We should resolve catastrophic thinking. There are three levels of stress: low, medium and high. Low isn’t good, as it creates slothfulness. Medium is the best because it’s enough to keep us working and moving forward. But high stress, the kind of debilitating stress many of us face, will cause us to become control freaks, or it will paralyze us, or it will make us hole up and not take risks. In that place, our world shrinks, and we can’t be expansive. Three things that help when we’re under very high stress: telling our stories to someone who actively listens and can shoulder some of it for us, continuing to live within structure, and adapting to The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 177 reality instead of fighting it. The latter is called resilience, the ability to stop fighting the current reality and choosing to embrace it as a friend. He encouraged us not to live in the world of protest.

I thought this might help you as it did me. It showed me I’ve instinctively done things right (I have a technical and life team). I haven’t been so good at #2. I’m often spending myself without letting others give to me. And I’m working on number three, but it’s hard to do in publishing. As you know, I just had two novels become out of print. That’s the reality. I’m trying to embrace it. As I do, I feel better.

Gardening and the writer: where are you?

Recently I spent two hours in the garden, pulling up strawberries, relocating them to a new location, amending my soil, enjoying the sun. I love getting my hands dirty, love feeling the warmth of the Texas sun as I dig. As I did, I dreamed again of living in the country with more land. We live in suburbia on a small corner lot. Even so, I’ve had a relatively hard time keeping up with my plants, though this year, I am working harder in the yard and will soon feel like I’ve got it under control. As I worked, I thought about my writing career. It’s taken me six years to write 800,000 published words (and at least that many unpublished). I’ve watched book sales wane. I’ve gotten frustrated at the pace of the publishing industry. I realized that if I’d been given a gigantic yard, I’d have been overwhelmed with far too much responsibility. I’m now thankful for the small yard. I’m determined to bloom here first. My books, one by one, didn’t sell bucket loads. I didn’t become an instant bestseller. And now I’m so thankful. Like having a pasture to maintain, I would’ve become overwhelmed. I wouldn’t have developed the discipline I needed to write better, smarter, more intuitively. And, I hate to admit this, I would’ve become a Me Monster. Instant “fame” would’ve been too heady for someone like me who loves praise. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 178 I’m grateful for journey. I’m thankful things haven’t happened in a whirlwind pace. On the journey, I’ve been humbled a lot. I’ve learned reliance on the Lord. I’ve taken the publishing industry with a grain of salt. And, slowly, I’ve become proficient at my little publishing plot. What about you?

• How has your journey been? Too slow? Too fast? Just right? • What do you need to be thankful for today in terms of timing? • When has having too much on your plate been overwhelming? The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 179

Bonus Section 1:

I’d be published, but . . .

By far the most popular part of Wannabepublished was my weekly column where I invited writers to fill in the blank, “I’d be published, but ______.” Perhaps you’ll find yourself in one of the statements.

I’d be published, but . . . my life is crazy.

Amy wrote:

I’d like to be published, but . . . I haven’t finished the first draft of my current novel yet, and it’s the first one I’ve felt confident enough about to actually submit. On top of that, I would love to submit this year, but I’m going to be in my third year of university next year and writing my dissertation as well as taking my professional exams, and I don’t think publishers take kindly to ‘sorry I missed my deadline, I had to revise.’ nor would my examiners take kindly to the reverse. C’est la vie. I’ll submit when I’ve finished university May 2009, and by then hopefully I’ll have the strongest novel I could possibly produce, as well as one or two more in the pipeline.

There are a lot of different reasons here, Amy. (Hmm, do I sound like Dear Abby yet?) The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 180 First, I love that you know that your other books haven’t been ready. That’s a first huge step as a writer. So often I go to writing conferences and I meet eager writers who thrust their unfinished, non-ready manuscripts my way, hoping I’ll declare them perfect and recommend them to my agent. But their manuscripts are shoddy, not ready for the world of publishing. So, Amy, I want to commend you for your honesty. You’re right. You obviously need to finish that novel. Work at it when you can, which leads me to the rest of your post. Sometimes life conveniently and inconveniently gets in our way of writing. In your case, I’d say it’s convenient because what you are learning and doing will greatly further your writing career down the road. Think of now as foundation building. So many writers skip this process, then they wonder why their writing house of cards comes tumbling down. It reminds me of a story. When we moved to East Texas from Seattle, we attended a small, up and coming church. The church was full of energy, based solely on the charisma of the pastor. Problem was: he eventually left, taking his charisma with him. The entire structure of the church was based on his personality. My husband had to step into this place and start working backwards to develop good foundations (mission statements, vision statements, etc.). He helped hire a new pastor. That pastor is now building on the foundation Patrick built and the church is growing. As writers, we sometimes base our careers on our personality or gifts, forgetting that the grunt work of a career starts when no one is looking. It’s unglamorous work, folks. I wrote in cognito for over a decade because my circumstances (named Sophie, Aidan and Julia) kept my focus on them. But none of that is ever wasted. When you’re writing in the wilderness, you are building on your foundation. That’s what Amy is doing right now. She’s writing, but she’s also recognizing that she has a degree to finish, a dissertation to write. My recommendation for Amy: Keep at it. Excel in your dissertation. Be a great student. Write your novel when you can. None of this is wasted. And when you finish your novel, let us know here so we can rejoice with you.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 181 I’d be published but queries are scary!

Sarah Grace wrote:

I’d like to be published but the thought of sending a query letter still baffles me. I don’t know why—I’ve read all about them many times.

Also, it doesn’t seem like my time yet.

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah: I can solve your problem right now. I know you’ve read about queries, but truly, the only way to learn how to write one is sit down and write one. My first query was atrocious. Absolutely terrible. But as I practiced, I got better, even learning enough to teach others how to write them. You can do this. You can do this. You can do this. My guess is that underneath it all, you’re scared. It’s hard to submit a query when there’s a strong possibility you’ll be rejected. You’ll have to work through that issue first. Settle it in your mind right now: Every writer gets rejected. In fact, it makes our stories of publication more intriguing, don’t you think? I spent ten years garnering form-letter rejections from magazines. As to the timing of things, let that go. But be careful you don’t mistake your own fears for your career direction. Sometimes we convince ourselves that we shouldn’t pursue publication because of circumstances or fear. That can obviously be true. But I’m afraid there are many potential writers out there who never take the leap because they’re afraid. Pep talk: If you’ve felt the rumbling in your heart to write, take some risks and do it. Yes, there is time to wait. Yes, there is time to write unpublished words. But if you sense a pull toward publication, you should be taking little risks every day. I wrote in quiet a long time, but that didn’t mean I didn’t try to learn the industry, write queries that got rejected, or submit stories for publication. I did those things. And with each rejection, I learned something. The truth? Yes, there are many, many books on the shelves of your local bookstore, but there is only one you. Only one you— who has your own unique voice to contribute to the world. Your The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 182 voice will reach certain people that my voice can’t reach. Please don’t hide your gift under a bowl. The world needs to read your words.

I’d be published, but the writing journey is discouraging and hard.

David writes:

I don’t really want to take years to build a platform to be able to sell for non-fiction that I really don’t want to write to convince some editor or agent to give my fiction a chance. Don’t mind me; it’s Cynical Monday. Happens almost every Monday, after a weekend of probably spinning my wheels, trying to be a published writer.

I love your humor, David. May I say that laughter and the ability to infuse levity into this crazy journey is one of the most important traits a writer can have? Even with a lighthearted view, it is true that the writing journey is full of plain old hard work. Building a platform takes a long time. Doing so will certainly help you when your nonfiction book is being bantered about in publishing committee. Want to know a tiny secret though? I didn’t have a huge platform when I published my nonfiction. My first book was written in conjunction with Hearts at Home, a ministry that had its own huge platform. My second book zeroed in on a felt need: those parents who didn’t want to duplicate the homes they were raised in. And, at that time, there were no books addressing that kind of parental stress. The third parenting book did this as well, helping parents navigate a postmodern world. So it is possible to write nonfiction books without a huge platform. The books need to be:

• Unforgettable. They have to stun an editor. • Unique. They cannot be a re-hashed version of what’s already sold. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 183 • Hole-filling. In other words, your book must fill a hole in the market that’s not yet been filled. • Full of great voice. Your voice, which, hopefully, is unique, should woo the reader.

In terms of fiction, don’t write a book to impress anyone other than yourself. Write the book of your heart. Write it with passion and vigor and joy. Well, David, it’s Tuesday now, so I’m assuming you’re past Cynical Monday. Set a word count goal this week and meet it. Keep plodding. Keep submitting. Writing’s not glamorous most of the time. Like ditch digging, it’s just a lot of hard work.

I’d be published, but I’m not sure what I’m doing and I don’t have support.

Kennisha wrote:

I’d like to be published, but sometimes I feel like I don’t know what the heck I’m doing, like I’m walking into this thing with a blind fold around my eyes and besides putting a nice sounding story together, I am clueless. I’d like to be published, but I feel it’s difficult when I don’t really have much support or anyone to really push my behind and make me finish this manuscript. I’d like to be published, but I have a 7.5 month old and I don’t get much time to really concentrate- when I have free time, it’s to try and get rest that I don’t get at night. Signed, A Bit Stressed

Kennisha, I’ve addressed the life situation part (not having time, babies, etc.), but I can talk about the other two issues.

Issue #1: You don’t feel like you know what you’re doing.

This is the nature of writing. I’d love to say it goes away after you’re published, but it doesn’t. There are days I still don’t know The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 184 what I’m doing. It keeps me humble. It pushes me to dig in and learn some more. My best advice would be to check out writing books from the library. Then, save money for a small, inexpensive local conference. See if you can audit (very cheap) a writing class at a community college. The only thing that is holding you back from learning more is simply not learning.

Issue #2: You don’t feel supported.

This is very hard. I am thankful to have supportive kids and a cheerleading husband. But I can say that my extended family rarely encourages me. Most have never read one of my books. No one has said, “I am proud of you.” It’s like I’m floating around, detached from my family of origin. They don’t understand, don’t care to understand, or don’t want to understand what I do for a living. So I can relate in a little way. The solution? First, you must settle your calling to do this. That sense of calling will pull you through all those times of dryness, when folks don’t support. Second, keep at learning the craft. Don’t use someone’s lack of support as an excuse to become lax in your understanding of writing or the publishing industry. Third, seek encouragers. This could be a critique group or a couple of good friends. I can’t tell you how much my critique group Life Sentence has helped me over the years. They’ve become my lifeline.

I’d be published, but my dog ate my piece of genius.

My dog never ate my homework or my WIP (work in progress). Chances are yours didn’t either. Still, we all use excuses like this on our journey of publication.

• I can’t afford a conference. • My computer crashed. • My critique group is mean to me. • My spouse is unsupportive. • I’d rather play Wii. • I’m too sick-busy-tired-overwhelmed. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 185

• I’ve had writers block since George Michael sang for Wham!

Here is my question, and I’m going to shout it:

DO YOU WANT TO BE PUBLISHED?

If you do, then you need to place those excuses somewhere else. Hide ‘em. Or give them to your dog to chew on. The truth is, this business of publication is hard. Published writers are the ones who push through excuses and rejection. They keep going when things get tough. They write joyfully when no one knows their byline. They write when their fingers are tired, their brains are weary. They write, write, write. Here is your assignment: Handwrite or print these words in all caps: DO YOU WANT TO BE PUBLISHED? Place them by your computer to remind you to stop making excuses. This is boot camp, folks, not a picnic.

I’d be published, but I hate waiting.

Kristi wrote:

When you’ve done all you can and should do as a writer, it becomes a matter of learning to wait well (not get discouraged, not stop working, etc.) We could all tell stories of waiting so long we nearly quit—and then were so glad we didn’t!

Bill wrote:

No one bothered to tell me about the waiting part when I began writing, and about all the things you think about while you’re waiting, and about how all those things you think about can lead to other things. I know that now, of course. It’s nice to see that there are others out there who know it, too.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 186 Kristi and Bill, you get it! Congratulations! Like Bill said, not many let me know that writing would really be a bunch of waiting. And patience. I liken it to getting ready to give birth. I read through the books. At the very end, there might be a throwaway paragraph about recovering from birth, but not much. The thought was that once you got through the birthing process, all would be rosy and joyful. But I had to sit on that donut thing for weeks in recovery. Sure, I loved my baby madly, but that didn’t diminish the pain I experienced waiting to heal. That’s how writing is. We think it’s all about the baby, the birthing of our book. But once the birthing is over, we have this excruciating wait. We figuratively sit on donuts, hoping for relief. Sometimes it comes; sometimes it doesn’t. HARD TRUTH: If you wannabe published, you have to make peace with the waiting. In fact, just look at those two words:

WRITING WAITING

They’re nearly the same word, the R replaced by A. Let A stand for your new, blossomed attitude, that you will learn the joy of waiting. Because, believe me, you’ll be waiting aplenty.

I’d be published, but I’m not sure where to start.

Michelle wrote:

I’d like to be published, but I am having a hard time focusing my writing. I wonder if I should start submitting material to magazines or writing a book. I sometimes feel I should save material for the book idea, but I am not sure if I have enough ideas in me for an entire book.

Even when you write a nonfiction book, you simply write three chapters and a proposal. Why not write three amazing articles— and queries for those articles—and submit them to magazine The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 187 editors? If magazine editors are interested, it will show you that you probably do have a great idea for a book. If they don’t bite, either you’re not yet ready or the subject isn’t sustainable even for an article. Let’s say all three articles get published. Re-tweak them for your book, write your proposal and go to a conference to meet an agent and some editors. With as simple as that sounds, I’m going to back up a bit and say this: writing for magazines is a thing of beauty and importance. Don’t despise that. And writing for magazines is simply one small step in a very long journey of a nonfiction author. Other steps include:

• Establishing your expertise in a particular area • Building a platform through public speaking • Developing a Web presence • Deepening your craft • Growing as a person and a writer • Paying your dues

The last part isn’t so fun. I meet many writers who want a quick solution to publication. They want to know how to get a book published now. After I get up off the ground from laughing (just kidding, but it’s tempting), I tell my unsuspecting friend that we have to start small, being very humble and teachable in the small things. We must be faithful in small things before we’re entrusted with big things. It’s called apprenticeship. Here’s another list of things I did before my first book came out:

• Wrote and edited a newsletter. • Expanded to write for church newsletters. • Wrote short stories that didn’t get published. • Wrote nonfiction articles I sent to friends, to encourage them. • Wrote witty Christmas letters. • Created many rejected queries. • Wrote for free. • Entered contests. • Read tons of writing books. • Went to conferences. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 188

• Joined two critique groups. • Wrote more rejected queries. • Got paid 25 bucks for my local newspaper column. • Wrote 1 complete novel (never published), one novella (never published) and abandoned two novels three quarters of the way through.

Do I despise all that “wasted” effort? Not on your life. I’m a better writer today because of it. I’ve garnered a good level of humility, knowing this journey is about failure and grace and grit and keeping at it.

I’d be published, but I’m interrupted.

Tami wrote:

I’d like to be published, but it seems something or someone else is always more important or more pressing. I feel like the timing means “Not yet . . .”

The most important thing in this case is discernment. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Do I allow circumstances to interrupt my writing time because deep down I’m afraid to really try my hand at writing? Or are the interruptions truly important and necessary? For those of you trying to make a living at writing: There is a paradox here. We must set a schedule, meet our goals, but we must always be interruptible. • In other areas of my life, do I have discipline? If no, then it’s time to re-evaluate my life. • What is the goal of my life? What is my mission statement? Does writing slip right into that goal and mission? If I am truly called to write, why is it that I am not doing it? • Do I settle for having a life where I only respond to the blaring urgent things? Or do I discipline myself so I can make room for what is truly important?

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 189 I’d be cautious about blaming interruptions for an excuse to quit. It certainly may be. If you have a family member you must take care of, that certainly trumps the rest of life. But sometimes I worry that we subconsciously invite interruption so we don’t have to try. Because if we try and fail, we’ll not know what to do with ourselves. Let me just clear it up now:

IF YOU ARE A WRITER, YOU WILL SUFFER REJECTION AND BEWILDERMENT.

Plan on it. Prepare for it. But don’t make excuses to never, ever try in the first place because of your fear of failure. I’m sure that doesn’t represent Tami’s heart, but perhaps it reaches someone out there today who may be shying away from something amazing because of fear.

I’d be published, but I get in my way.

Judy wrote:

I have had articles published, but haven’t completed a novel in many years. When my girlfriend was here the other day and we were talking, I mentioned that to her and also outlined an idea I had. She asked me what was stopping me from writing it. I looked at her and thought of my current crocheting “addiction” and said, with a smile, “Me.”

Judy, it’s great that you acknowledge what’s getting in the way. The question then becomes, is writing simply one of many hobbies you’re interested in, or is it something you’re terribly passionate about? If you truly feel you should be a writer, and that publication is your goal, you will have to make sacrifices to get there. You will have to set aside other hobbies in lieu of growing in the craft of writing. You may have to hire a housekeeper (if you’re able). You The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 190 may need to talk to your husband and ask him to give you the space you need to create. This is a serious business. You won’t succeed if you go about it haphazardly or in a sporadic flurry one day, nothing for a week after. It takes consistent, dedicated work. It takes setting goals. It takes good time management and self-discipline. If that overwhelms you, then perhaps writing isn’t truly supposed to be your vocation. Maybe it’s a hobby you can dabble in from time to time when the mood strikes. That’s okay! I dabble in art. I know it would take me years to become a really good graphic designer. As a photographer, I’m pretty good, but, again, it would take me a long time to become great. I can’t do all those things well. So I choose.

I’d be published, but I’m pain avoidant.

Heather wrote:

First, this comment section feels like a support group for us wannabe writers. I’d like to be published but, I don’t know what to write about, I don’t think my writing is good enough yet, fear of rejection keeps me from trying again. And to top it all off, I know I don’t have a good platform yet so I guess I ought to be building that up but that hasn’t been going very well either. It’s a painful process, and the truth is I’d rather avoid pain if possible.

I’m going to concentrate on the latter half of Heather’s comment about being pain avoidant. I so understand. This post will post while I’m in Ghana, exposed to Malaria and Typhoid and any number of ills. It’s much easier hanging out in Texas! Nothing worth doing is easy. And no journey is interesting unless there are obstacles. How boring it would be to say, “Um, yeah, I submitted my first query for my first book and ten publishers loved it. They all offered me seven figures and now I’m famous!” How boring! (Sure it would be nice, but way too mundane.) The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 191 Risk. And write, write, write.

I’d be published, but I’m not where I want to be . . . yet.

Ariel wrote:

I’d like to be (re)published but...I want to grow and master the craft of writing first. It’s an ongoing process I know, and no one ever arrives at perfection, but I don’t want to settle for the level of skill I have today.

I’ve had the privilege of corresponding privately with Ariel, and I can attest to you that she’s the real thing. She is passionate about improving. She wants her words to have impact, and she intrinsically knows when they’re not quite up to par with her vision of excellence. This is a great place to be, though sometimes frustrating. I’d encourage those of you who have had some success in publishing, but have pulled back to improve your craft, to keep at it. But also rest in where you are and continue to send things out. I fear that perfectionism may hold some of us back from submitting. If you don’t submit when you’re not exactly where you want to be, you won’t have the opportunity to hear from editors how exactly you can improve. The truth is: We don’t usually improve in our writing in a vacuum, or by ourselves. Yes, it’s important (vitally so) that we read great books and write in isolation, but there comes a time when we need to be okay with where we are and submit so others can help hone us. I am a published writer because I worked hard on craft. But I’m also a published writer because I took risks. I sent things out. I have several books that were never bought. But some were. And every time I had the privilege of professional editing, I improved. So Ariel, go forth. Keep working on your craft, but don’t be shy about submitting. In that process you will grow.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 192 I’d be published, but rejection stinks!

A five-time mom wrote:

I’d liked to be published, but I’m scared of submitting anything and being rejected. I also want to start some new articles but struggling to get past the first paragraph because of writers block.

First, let me address writer’s block. A few cures:

• Do it anyway. Make yourself write a crummy paragraph. It’s easier to revise something terrible than to fret over coming up with something in the first place. • Turn off that English teacher. She’s mean (I know; I was one). She takes away your courage. Tell yourself, “Yeah, it may be incorrect, but at least it’s words on a page.” Kindly tell that English teacher that you’ll let her have her say . . . after the first draft. • Take a walk. Getting out of your office and away from your computer will help. • Do something creative other than writing. Take photos. Draw a picture. Often doing something like that will free you up.

Now, on to rejection. A few years ago, I asked about rejection to a group of published writers. Rejection does stink. It’s hard. But you need to think realistically about it, heralding its benefits:

• Rejection is proof that you’re gutsy and you’ve tried. • Rejection is not a “never,” but a not yet. • Rejection is a writer’s badge of honor. What good publishing story is complete without the obstacle of rejection? • Rejection keeps you humble. • Rejection is simply one person’s opinion. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 193

• Rejection helps you grow in your craft. It is the impetus for change. • Rejection provides paper to cover one or two or three or four walls of your office. Just think! You won’t have to buy costly wallpaper! • Rejection, as you get closer to publication, will be more personal. What I mean is that at first you will get form rejection letters. But as you improve, your rejections will get real, live feedback. That’s a good sign. • Rejection can give you direction for a project. • Rejection may help you realize your current project is not marketable. Then you can tweak it or abandon it for another project. • Rejection gives you thick skin. (Believe me, the idea that once you’re published, you’ll never have rejection again is a PollyAnna view. In fact, it gets more painful. Learning to accept rejection with grace now will help you immensely when you get more painful rejections later as a published writer.) • Rejection gives you empathy for other writers. • Rejection weeds out the hobby writers from the real writers. If you’re stymied by rejection, if it paralyzes you, then you might want to search your heart to see if writing is really what you’re supposed to do. If you are called to be a writer, rejection will not stop you from submitting. It won’t. If it does, re-evaluate. • Rejection helps you with your people-pleasing tendencies. (Ouch, I resemble that remark.) • Rejection helps re-direct your career. If your staggering work of genius is rejected, then maybe it’s time to write something different. • Rejection helps you know if you’ve found your voice or not. • Rejection adds texture to your writing journey.

And now, what not to do when you’re rejected:

• Immediately send off a nasty e-mail to the editor who rejected you. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 194

• Or blog about your rejection in specific terms. “That terrible Mary DeMuth rejected me.” Search engines, in this case, will not be your friend. • Wallow longer than one hour. • Believe it must mean the end of your career.

What to do when you’re rejected:

• Take that query, re-tweak it, and send it out again, baby! • Eat dark chocolate. • Remember that every great writer has been rejected numerous times. • Allow for a thirty-minute pity party, then get on with your day. • If there are critical things said about your piece, let them sit for several hours or a day, then get back to them. Truly, truly read the editorial feedback. Don’t view it as problematic, but priceless. Make the changes necessary. It won’t mean that you can resubmit to that editor, but when you submit it elsewhere, it will be stronger. • Bring your piece to your critique group and ask them to be merciless. Often, we can’t see our own flaws.

I hope that helps those of you today who are struggling with writer’s block and/or rejection issues. This is a hard journey, folks. It takes perseverance, grit and guts. Keep at it.

I’d be published, but I’m afraid of failure and success.

Amy wrote:

I’m just scared—and vain. I want this so much! But I’m scared to tell people “I write,” because then they’ll know when I fail. And I’m scared to succeed, too, because then I might turn into an egomaniac. Honestly, success scares me more than failure.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 195 These are normal fears, Amy. I had them too. I so much wanted to be published, but I was afraid to tell people, “I am a writer” for fear of failure. Saying that out loud to people, though, is the first step. It’s a risk. But a necessary one. If you can’t say it out loud, how do you expect to believe that you actually are a writer?

So, all of you, here is your assignment for the day:

1. Look in your mirror and say, “I am a writer.” 2. After you’ve mastered that without crying or laughing or shrugging, find someone you haven’t told (your mailperson, a friend, your spouse, a lady in the carpool lane), and just let it out. I AM A WRITER.

As to the worry about becoming a crazy meglomaniac writer, I teach about that from time to time. Here are some of my notes that may help.

5 Preventative Steps so Your Head Won’t Explode

“Most writers fail from lack of character than from lack of intelligence.” — Ezra Pound, ABC of Reading

1. Develop an encouragement team

• Send out updates every once in awhile to a group of encouragers. • This gives others the opportunity to be a vital part of your writing process. • If you are getting published regularly, you will need this. Others can be a good checks and balances system for you.

2. Give back

• Don’t forget where you once were. • Recall your journey and offer hope to others. • Give away your work. Edit and teach for free.

3. Develop thick skin, while maintaining a tender heart The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 196 I’d be published, but I’m trying to learn.

Lisa wrote:

I’d be published, but I’m too busy learning how to write instead of just writing.

Lisa, there is a balance between the two. You do need to study the craft by reading excellent writing books and magazines. Perusing classics or exceptionally written modern books helps too. Listening to teachers, attending conferences, doing online courses, and putting your stuff out there for critique will help tremendously. But truly? The secret to my publishing success lies mostly in volume. I’ve simply written and written and written and written. Lots of writing. Gobs of it. For years and years. To become proficient and compelling, there’s no simple formula other than to exercise your fingers across the keyboard over and over and over again. So, yeah: learn. But practice too. Think of writing like training for a triathlon. You could read all the triathlon books in the world. You could scrounge the Internet for useful tips. You could listen to triathlon lectures forever and ever. But none of that will prepare you to finish that triathlon. You must swim, bike and run. A lot. You must do the thing you’re learning about. That’s how improvement happens:

Practice + Learning = Achievement.

So exercise those writing muscles! Set a weekly word count goal and GO FOR IT!

I’d be published, but my first five pages are boring.

Everyone do yourself a writerly favor and buy The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman. It will really help you. My biggest pet peeve is that most manuscripts drag, are boring, or border on the mundane. One of the things I’m good at as an editor/critiquer is helping folks enliven those first few pages. You must throttle your The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 197 reader by the throat and not let them go. Seriously! Here’s an example:

Old version of The Quarryman’s Wife, my first novel, yet to be published:

Why Augusta sat on the porch swing that foggy Monday morning, she did not know. Maybe she hoped for a miracle. “Porches are for miracles,” Mother had told her when Augusta lived as a skinned-knee tomboy perched in the climbing trees that lined the streets of her childhood. “You just never know what miracle the day will bring, and a porch is as good as anything in helping you discover its mystery.” Her mother’s oft-repeated advice was something forty-three-year-old Augusta Walker longed to embody—that today she would be one who captured the moment, whether the moment held some sort of private delight scribbled on her mind or if it would be announced to others through the nib of her pen. She hoped this same pen would liberate her from a childhood fear—that if she wrote and wrote and wrote, she’d no longer think that yes, today, someone will die.

New version of The Quarryman’s Wife, after reading The First Five Pages:

Augusta always knew Thomas would die young. Always knew God would thrust his angry finger through the muggy Ohio air and point right at him. “Your time’s up,” the Almighty would say. And Thomas, being obedient to the depths, would nod quietly, then slip into glory without so much as saying goodbye. The word accident repeated itself with each slap of Augusta’s shoes against shale. Accident. Accident. The word screamed in her head, longing to release, but clenched teeth kept her terror to The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 198 herself. Olya followed at her heels as they passed stilled shovels, empty water pumps and halted rail cars standing sentry-like in reverential silence. The quarry’s Dinky engines saluted the two wives as they raced toward the rock quarry’s belly. Thomas, you promised me there’d be no accidents.

I’m blog published, but no one reads my words.

Many of you have shared this frustration with me over the years. For those of you who are blog-published, but few folks are reading your words, here’s a bunch of unsolicited advice (from me) about blogging and traffic. I know this might sound inflexible, but if you want traffic, you have to do a few things:

• You must post regularly. It can’t just be a passing whim or hobby. And going days and days between posts will mean you will lose a substantial amount of readers. • You must offer something of value to your readers. • Remember, blogging is not for everyone. You must be: 1. A fast writer. 2. A disciplined writer (so that you don’t linger writing your blog or reading others) 3. Have a specific desire/calling to reach out through a blog and 4. Willing to open your heart up to a new community (and understand the needs of shepherding a cyber community) • A nice, non-cookie cutter template. While content is king, it is nice to look different than a standard blog template. • A caveat: Don’t blog just because people say you have to. Do it because you feel called to it, because you see it as a viable tool to connect well with your readers. • Find a niche. Your blog must be different and stand out from others to get noticed. It must be a good reflection of your wit and voice. And it must be fun for you, not drudgery or an icky obligation, like getting a root canal.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 199 I’d be published, but I’m too busy chasing trends (and getting dizzy).

Some of you have mentioned that you’re worried the topics you tackle are too edgy. To date I’ve never been censored in my content, and I’ve felt free to write about all sorts of things openly. I don’t feel my voice has been squelched. I’ve written for a wide variety of magazine and book publishers. Some of the things I’ve tackled include:

• Sexual abuse • How sexual abuse affects the marriage bed • Hypocrisy from the pulpit • Moving away from rules-based parenting toward relational parenting • People living more for their facades than being authentic • Making peace with a difficult parent

My encouragement to you all is to do the hard work in finding and perfecting your voice. As you understand and know it, you will be less intimidated by rumors about the publishing industry (Oh, you can’t write that…That’s off limits, etc.) Instead, you’ll write what you’re passionate about. If you have confidence in your voice, you’ll be less likely to be swayed by every trend, no-no, or topic-du-jour. I fear sometimes we take someone’s strong opinion in the industry as gold, forgetting that it’s simply an opinion. And we also forget that trends are set by people who don’t necessarily listen to naysayers.

I’d be published, but I haven’t submitted anything.

Myrtle wrote:

I’d be published, but I’m still practicing, establishing good writing habits and improving The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 200 my technique. Bottom line: I haven’t submitted anything yet.

Myrtle, I’m heartened to hear you’re establishing good writing habits and improving. That’s certainly the first step in getting published, and it’s essential if you’d like to stay published and continually grow as a writer throughout your life. Kudos to you. However, and this is a big however: there comes a time when you have to test the waters (to use a cliché). A good critique group will help you hone the craft. Writing books and classes and conferences will help too. But nothing is more indicative if you are ready for publication than taking the risk to submit. What will happen if you do?

1. You could get a blank, standardized rejection. If you get one, then you can finally call yourself a writer. I’ve had my share of them. A plethora, perhaps. It’s part of the journey. Don’t cry if you get one. See it as a notch on your belt toward publication. 2. You could get a personal rejection. These are gold. On one of my later queries (after sending in several and getting lots of standard rejections that started, “Dear Writing Professional, I regret to inform you . . . “) an editor wrote, “This won’t fit our needs, but please keep submitting.” I did. And eventually had some things published in that magazine. 3. You could get a “Please send me the manuscript” note. Hooray! Send it! See what happens. This will help you realize all that toiling over your writing has helped. 4. You could receive a “Thanks for your manuscript, but it doesn’t fit our editorial needs at this time.” If that happens, simply recycle the query, send it again, and see if you can sell the article elsewhere. One magazine’s no may be another’s yes. 5. You could get the e-mail stating how brilliant you are (in no uncertain terms) and would you like them to PAY you for your story?

See all the possibilities! How will you ever know if you’re ready if you don’t try submitting? And how will you ever be The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 201 published if you’re never published? How will you show publishing clips of your work if you’ve never been published? Start small. Try regional magazines and newspapers. Build your portfolio and confidence all at once. What’s stopping you?

I’d be published, but I don’t know where to start.

Sarah wrote:

I’d be published, but

• I have no idea where to even start querying (or what to query, or whom to query, or . . . any of it); • I’m scared to death (of what, I don’t know! Rejection? Screwing up? That’s a given!); • I don’t believe I have anything better to say than anyone else; and • I just flat haven’t submitted anything. That makes getting published very difficult. • I have issues.

Dear Sarah-with-Ish,

Here are some good steps to get your feet wet:

1. Buy a Writer’s Market guide. Peruse the book, earmarking pages. Start with magazines. Choose five to query. 2. Pick up a copy of each magazine (online, at a bookstore, from a friend, from the library) and study it. What kind of tone does it have? Who is the audience? Are the articles step-by-step informative or inspirational? 3. Brainstorm article ideas. Ask your critique group for their input. Tailor your story idea to the actual publication. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 202 4. Craft a query letter. Use my free query tutorial from my Web site.19 5. Send it! 6. Wait. 7. If the acquisition’s editor says no, go through your market guide and find another magazine to pitch it to. 8. Re-query. 9. Wait. 10. Wait for a response, and either repeat as necessary, or send in the requested manuscript.

As to fear, it’s something you’ll have to work through. Yes, it’s scary. But it’s not so scary that someone will kill you if you fail. So relax! And remember that rejection has nothing to do with you personally. You are not invalidated as a human being if you’re rejected. If anything, a rejection simply adds you to the writer hall of fame. It’s a badge of honor, proof that you’re trying.

I’d be published, but those pesky agents keep “passing” on my queries.

Serena wrote:

I’d be published, but those pesky agents keep “passing” on my queries.

This is the funny rant of a girl who will be published someday. Why can I say that? Because she is a good writer. She’s worked hard on her craft. She has a unique voice and story. And she’s not afraid to put her neck out there and query agents. Serena has done what she needs to do. She can continue to work on her platform and writing skills, but at this point, she’s waiting for the fickle winds of the market to find her. It may take time, but she’s closer to publication than she’d be if she never queried.

19 http://www.marydemuth.com/wp‐ content/uploads/2010/07/QueriesNow1.pdf The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 203 The lesson from Serena? Put away your wimp cape and start submitting. Each submission is one step closer to your publishing dream. (Now, remember, I’m saying that about a writer who has done her homework. If you’re not ready for an agent, submitting before you’re ready isn’t a good idea. But if you are ready, don’t let fear hold you back.) The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 204

Bonus Section 2

Quick Writing Advice

Below are pieces that give you little punches of insight into the publishing and writing world. Feel free to read this on the fly, but be sure to implement the advice into your daily writing regime.

Twenty ways to avoid HMA

An author in financial crisis berates her agent because she needs her advance check—now! When that doesn’t work, she calls the publisher directly, ranting. She’s a High Maintenance Author (HMA). A novelist takes it upon himself to detail every failure of a publishing entity—seven pages single-spaced—and e-mails it to the entire company. He’s an HMA. HMAs can ruin their chances of further publication through bridge-burning, preening, and defending every intricacy of their prose. Here are twenty practical tips established and newbie writers can implement to become Low Maintenance Authors (LMAs), the kind of author agents and editors herald.

1. Hone Your Voice.

This comes through years of BOC (Butt on Chair) time. The more confident you are of your own voice, the better you’ll be able to discern when an editor’s squelching that voice. If you’re not sure, The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 205 you’ll bristle at editorial direction. The best gift you can give an editor besides an amazing manuscript is confidence in your voice.

2. Meet Deadlines Early.

Send in your manuscript early—and shock and please your editors.

3. Write Thank You Notes.

You’ll endear yourself to your agent, editors, and friends in the business if you pen thank you notes. Make your thanks specific and genuine.

4. Join a Critique Group.

Find a group that understands you and is ruthless, yet kind, in editing your pieces. That way, when you hand in a story, many eyes have glanced over the work. Low maintenance also means submitting well-edited, excellent work.

5. Put the Phone Down.

Don’t call editors on the phone unless they’ve given you the go ahead. A quick heads-up in an e-mail is so much easier to respond to, and less intrusive, than a phone call.

6. Relax About Finances. Hounding your editor or agent for payment sounds desperate and unprofessional. Of course, if things are wrongly delayed, you should ask. But don’t pester.

7. Slay the Prima-Dona or Mr. Big Lurking Within. Strive to put others first. How can you make your editor smile today? How can you help someone else promote her book? How can you make your agent’s life easier?

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 206 8. Heed Your Editors.

Particularly when you’re new at this writing gig, you’ll have to bend to editorial direction a lot. Chalk it up to learning the ropes. Later when you’re more confident in your writing, you can decide which editorial hills to die on. Even so, treat your editors with kindness and respect.

9. Don’t Hit Send When E-mailing a Grievance. Let it sit and percolate. Remember that e-mails take on a terrible life of their own. If you’re disgruntled, write the note, but show it to a trusted friend first.

10. But Send Encouraging E-mails at Will.

On the positive side, e-mails that praise something specific in a publishing house or magazine make the rounds too.

11. Do Your Homework.

Instead of pestering an editor about his publication needs, research it. Study the magazine or publishing house you’re querying. Be informed. Simply knowing writers guidelines will endear you to an editor.

12. Become a lifelong learner of the craft. Go to conferences. Read great books. Read outside your genre. Go to lectures. Take a class. Try new things. Grow, grow, grow.

13. Network widely.

An author who has a large network of professional relationships will positively build his career. Remember, though, if you’re seen as an HMA right out of the gate, it’s really hard change others’ perceptions. Though the publishing machine may seem behemoth, it’s really a small industry.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 207 14. Which Brings Us to: Don’t Gossip.

If you didn’t like the way a particular editor treated you, go through the proper channels with her. Don’t spread your angst around the industry. If you spew, other editors will think, Hmmm, if he slanders that editor, will he slander me too? When in doubt, hold your tongue.

15. Be Professional.

When you’re in industry settings, dress the part. If your publishing house asks you to put up a Web site to promote your book, please- please-please make it look professional. And do yourself a huge favor by hiring a photographer to take your picture. (Hint: no photo-shopping allowed). Maintaining a professional look is your responsibility.

16. Nix Entitlement. Remember that publishing is a strange mix of grit and grace. Grit because it’s a whole lot of work. Grace because sometimes surprising things happen. (And sometimes expected things don’t.)

17. Don’t Brown Nose. People know when you’re being nice for the sake of getting something. If you want to scratch the back of an industry professional, please do, but not merely with the motivation to get something in return.

18. Learn Patience.

Editors and agents are terribly busy and often won’t get back to you on your timetable. Accept that. This goes for editorial direction too. If you receive edits that initially make you angry or defensive, don’t shoot off a quick e-mail. Wait. Write back when things aren’t so elevated in your mind.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 208 19. Don’t despise small beginnings. Everyone’s had to start somewhere. If you’re new to publishing, revel in the space right now where you don’t have pressing deadlines. Use this time to become a better author who meets her deadlines and loves to improve. Jump up and down at your first sale to a regional magazine. It’s all a part of the grand journey of publication.

20. Eat Humble Pie. Here’s an irony: usually those bursting with themselves are new authors thinking they’re God’s gift to the literary world. Established authors have learned this publishing and success thing is hard to measure, that talent takes guts and work and sweat, and that they’ll grow when they heed editorial feedback.

I haven’t always followed these twenty steps. But I’ve worked toward them throughout my career. At a national fiction writer’s conference, an agent panel was asked to describe their ideal client. My agent bent to the microphone and said, “Mary DeMuth.” Though embarrassed, I was thankful. Her words were proof that I’d graduated from HMA to LMA.

10 ways to get started in writing

Here are some specific ways you can hone your writing skills this year. This list is by no means exhaustive, but if you incorporate some of these ten tasks into your writing life, improvement awaits you (how’s that for passive voice?):

1. Find a writing mentor.

I fledged my way through eight years of writing before I met my mentor who is also one of my closest friends. Although I definitely see those eight years as greatly important in terms of learning to labor unseen, I see the last four years as more fruitful because of my friend Sandi. She helped me craft my first sellable query letter. She rejoiced with me when I actually sold an article. She attended my first major writer’s conference with me. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 209

2. Start blogging.

If you would like to make yourself write (and volume of writing is very helpful in developing your voice), start a blog.

3. Join a writer’s group.

If you haven’t been critiqued yet, it is important that you accustom yourself to this. There are also amazing online groups that provide information, community, and sometimes critique.

4. Go to a writer’s conference.

That’s where you’ll meet the folks who will eventually publish your book. Relationships are key.

5. Set a weekly word count goal.

For the novel I just handed in, I set a 10,000 a week word count goal. For my non-fiction (since the writing involves more research) my goal is 6,000. I used to think that many words were impossible, but once I set the goal, I met it. If you are serious about writing and improving your craft, set goals.

And set deadlines, too. Tell yourself you must finish an article or book by a certain day and then beat that deadline.

Give yourself baby-step goals. Want to break into publication? Set a query letter-writing goal per week, or an article-producing goal per quarter. Write a short story a month, or three poems.

6. Pay it forward.

Do some writing for free, whether for a personal letter to a struggling friend or a non-profit publication needing your words. When you’re starting out your journey, there will be opportunities to do this. My teenage daughter got her first writing publication (not paid) through our church’s magazine. Not bad, considering the circulation is 10,000. Not only did she minister to many, but she The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 210 also has a publishing clip to show magazines when she pursues publication.

7. Do something you’ve never done before.

Terrified of poetry? Pick up a book of sonnets and try to construct one. Non-fiction proposals freak you out? Write one. Never written a short story? Just do it! Stretch your wings; flex your writing muscles. Doing a variety of writing will also help you hone your voice.

8. Read great books and articles.

Read outside your comfort zone. Read classics. Stretch yourself beyond what you normally read.

9. If you’ve had a novel in your head for days (months, years, decades), why not make this year the year you write it?

November is National Novel Writer’s Month. My friend D’Ann wrote a novel in a month that way, later honing it. It garnered the attention of a really great agent!

10. Get your head (and heart!) on straight.

Writing for publication is a difficult journey. Realize that. And write anyway.

Grace and grit

It takes both, folks. There have been times when I gritted my way through writing, working 12-hour days, messing with my shoulder and back, only to see very little result. A ray of grace bursts in, showing me it’s not all about my effort. But that grace doesn’t negate the grit. If I hadn’t persevered in the first place, would I have recognized the grace I needed to continue the writing path? I don’t think so. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 211 I wrote my first novel in four months of gritted frenzy. My hope was that the novel would be published, but it never was. But the grace that broke through was an e-mail from a top agent asking me if I’d like to be represented. Was all that persevering writing a wash? Not worth it? No. If I hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t have met my first agent, who helped launch my career. I wrote my next novel in a similar flurry. And it got rejected. A lot. By every major house. But grace seeped in as one of the houses that passed had an editorial shift. The new editor remembered my book, asked for the full manuscript, and bought it and its sequel. Grit and grace. I spent three years writing a for-profit newsletter called The Giving Home Journal. I published it while my kids were very young (Julia wasn’t even born yet). It helped me to buy a computer and aided me in meeting my own deadlines. It was a lot of work for very little pay. Several years later, I decided it was time for publication. I started with my local paper. I tweaked several of my articles from The Giving Home Journal and marched into the Rowlett-Lakeshore Times and asked if they needed a columnist. They did. That they did was a grace I hadn’t anticipated, a grace undergirded by years of laboring alone. Even in speaking, I’ve seen the grit-grace phenomenon. I’ve been working very hard, sending out a bazillion speaking newsletters with absolutely no response. It’s taken every bit of grit I’ve had. This last week, I spent some time on the phone with a seasoned speaker who told me her journey of grit and grace.

Wished I would’ve known these 20 things before I started this journey of publication.

Since I’m telling these things to you now, I’m sparing you years of stress and anguish! Please send dark chocolate as payment. Just kidding!

1. Sometimes the book you’re most passionate about doesn’t do well, while a book you aren’t as passionate about succeeds. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 212 2. Quality of writing doesn’t equal sales. And the fickle nature of sales is nearly impossible to figure out. Best advice? Write about what you’re passionate about. 3. People move all the time in the industry. Expect it. 4. This is a long, long journey. Don’t let a myopic view of today’s rejection color the whole path for you. 5. Promotion takes a lot of time and energy. 6. Most likely you won’t make enough money to live on. Plan accordingly. 7. Burning bridges is not a wise idea. Learn to keep your tongue in check (cheek)! 8. Establish specific relational boundaries with the opposite sex in the very beginning. Think through how you will respond to different situations before they arise. Have a small accountability group with whom you’re brutally honest, to keep you on the straight and narrow. The best defense? If you’re married, talk about how amazing your spouse and kids are at every breath. That’s one thing I love about several of my male friends in the publishing industry—they are absolutely in love with their wives, which creates a terrific boundary and makes me feel safe. 9. Humility trumps self-promotion and self-importance. I wished I hadn’t been “all that” in the beginning. 10. The words you write on a blog, even if taken down, stay in folks’ minds. Be cautious about what you publish on the Web. 11. Learn to apologize and mean it. 12. There is always something to learn editorially, and often I find that the more I write, the harder the edits become. 13. Awards are nice, but they don’t sell books. 14. Bread and butter income = writing for magazines. 15. Novels are unwieldy creatures that are notoriously un- tameable, but I’m so grateful to have the chance to write them. 16. Learn to steer clear of folks who always have something awful to say about others in the industry. 17. There really is no room for slack, shoddy work.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 213 You know you’re ready for publishing when . . .

. . .at least one person outside your circle of influence has communicated that you are a gifted writer (preferably someone in the publishing industry). . . .you are willing to hear hard things about your writing, even if you disagree. . . .you have the discipline to do daily BOC time (butt on chair). . . .you meet deadlines, even if they’re self-imposed. . . .you read widely. . . .your query letter rejections are getting more personal (i.e. An editor writes something other than a standard rejection letter.) . . .you have a good head about you, and have already worked through issues of fame, money, prestige. . . .you give back to other writers. . . .you don’t despise rewriting.

Why some writers don’t meet deadlines

I’m weird. Pre-published, I created deadlines for myself and then always met them early. I kept that habit as I started getting published. It makes my editors and agent like me. And neurotic person that I am, I like to be liked. Folks I meet who don’t meet deadlines have different reasons for being late. Here are ten:

1. They are perfectionists and can’t stand to hand anything in that isn’t perfect. This is something you absolutely have to get over if you want to write for publication. Yes, of course, hand in excellent work, but also understand that a deadline must be met, and you must cut the apron strings to your piece. 2. They live in chaos in everyday life, so that chaos takes over everything. 3. They are in a difficult situation in their personal life so work takes a backseat. 4. Some are lazy. 5. Some procrastinate until it’s too late. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 214 6. Some have passive aggressive tendencies and would rather just hand something in late than confront their own tardiness—and hope for the best. 7. They haven’t developed a good organizational system, so things fall through the cracks. 8. Some are so afraid to be evaluated that they simply don’t turn in things, frightened of feedback. 9. Some have a lackadaisical attitude toward their profession, treating it more like a hobby than a career. They don’t realize how small this industry is. One late piece without explanation can damage your future chances. Editors and agents do talk. 10. Their dog ate it.

So, which one are you? Or can you add to the list?

10 things I learned as a newly published author

I found this article I wrote two years ago and thought it would be fun to share with you. I learned a lot as a newly published author, and many of those lessons are still valuable today. What about you? Can you think of ten things (or four or seven) that you’ve learned since you’ve been published?

I’ve learned a lot of surprising things as I’ve realized the dream of being published. For those of you in the midst of the pursuit, I offer a few snippets of advice that may help you along the journey.

1. Make friends. When you go to a writer’s conference, be more consumed with making relationships with other writers who are in your stage of publication. These dear folk will become some of your closest friends. As you get published, you’ll be able to seek advice, ask for prayer, and kindly request endorsements. 2. Get used to rejection. It happens on every level of the publishing process. You’ll be rejected by publishing houses, agents, magazine editors, people who don’t want you to speak. And as you get published, there’s more rejection heaped on. Now that I’m a midlist author, I experience yet The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 215 another level of rejection, getting messages like, “Well, we’ll talk to you in a few months, when we see whether your numbers are up.” Ouch. Repeat to yourself: rejection is normal; rejection is normal; rejection is normal. Rejection is the air you breathe in this crazy business. 3. Realize that publishing is a business. Though you may view your writing primarily as a hobby, the folks paying you advances see it in bottom-line terms. Be prepared to be a part of that. Realize that a lot of the onus for marketing will rest on your shoulders. 4. Kindness will preserve you. Don’t burn bridges. Don’t be petty. Shun gossip. Yep, this is a weird business populated by all sorts of people. Realize it’s a small community and word gets out. 5. Do your best not to be difficult. Meet deadlines. Answer e- mails promptly. Listen, really listen, to your editor. Unless it’s deeply important to you, acquiesce to their changes. That will allow you to go to bat for the things you think really shouldn’t change. But always, always communicate with kindness and respect. 6. Make friends with folks in the industry whether they help your career or not. I’ve made some amazing friends with whom I will probably never publish. The fun thing, though, is that this is a fickle industry. Editors and agents and publishers move hither and yon all the time. Connect with all sorts of folks, not for the sake of your gain, but because people are fascinating. Perhaps that editor will become a lifelong friend. 7. Don’t become so hoity-toity for your own britches that you are beyond editing. Make it a goal to write a better book (or article or column) each time. Be teachable. Become a lifelong learner of the craft. Go to conferences. 8. Give back whenever you can. Teaching enables you to learn more. Consider that helping other people become better writers is a gift you give to the future. You never know the impact Jesus will make through another writer. 9. Get rid of jealousy. Life’s way too short to brood on someone else’s talent or success. Rejoice with those who succeed. No sticking pins (or pens) into the hands or brains of successful writer voodoo dolls. (Say that ten times fast!) The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 216 10. Continue to read widely. Read different genres, classics, poetry, pithy articles, writing books, comics, etc.

7 Myths about publishing

1. All authors make a bucket load of money. Actuality: We make about 78 cents a book. Most of us make less than a teacher’s aid earns. 2. Rejection ceases to exist once you’ve signed your first book contract. Actuality: It gets worse, and the rejections hurt more. 3. Publishing is like those models who get discovered in diners. It just happens without much effort. Actuality: 10,000 hours of writing finally makes you a master at it. That’s about ten years. When I signed with an agent and sold two books in that year, folks thought I arrived quickly. Wrong. I arrived after 10,000 hours of my butt on the chair. 4. Publishers revel in marketing your books. Actuality: They do the best they can, but in today’s climate, it’s truly up to the author to get the word out. 5. Authors don’t go to the grocery store. Actuality: Um, yeah, they do. Off to Kroger soon. 6. You can usually skip the busywork of writing for smaller publications and go for book writing out of the gate. Actuality: It’s better and more normal to have a wide body of periodical work published before you find an agent. Otherwise, how will an agent know if you can write, meet deadlines, and take editorial direction? 7. Book signings are the cat’s meow for authors. Actuality: We don’t really like them, often because folks don’t show up and you feel like a 7th grader again, standing near the wall, waiting to be asked to dance. So not fun. Although I will say it’s an author’s rite of passage to attend a book signing and sell zero books. Yes, this has happened to me.

The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 217

Bonus Section 3

My path to publication

In second grade, my teacher wrote a comment to my mom about my creativity in writing. It was one of the first positive comments I’d received from a teacher. I remembered her words, clung to them. Then, later as a sixth grader, my Aunt Julie bought me a diary. There, I spilled all my sordid secrets like which boy I liked, what jeans I needed to get to be popular, and details of petty arguments with friends. My best friend and I each had diaries, and when we’d see each other, we’d write wild guest entries to each other. I wrote in diaries—later called journals when I was sophisticated—all my life, through tumultuous teen years, to college and beyond. The blank page became a beckoning place for me—a built-in counselor who would readily listen to me ramble at any hour of the day or night. I learned to be utterly vulnerable on the pages of my journals. I cried out my worries. Ranted. Listed all the things I needed to do in a day. Budgeted, even. In high school, I, by some minor miracle, made it into honors English. I did fine on the test portion of the entrance exam, but the essay I wrote was rubbish. I remember it asked for three literary references. I had grown up watching TV to fill the quietness of my home—one of my biggest regrets being that I didn’t shake hands with books at an early age. So the only book I could remember to round out my three references was a book called The Missing Persons League—a science fiction piece that hardly counted as high literature. When I later chatted with my teacher about my “literary” reference, we had a good laugh about it. I think she took pity on me and let me take her class, despite my lack of literary savvy. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 218

So, I made it through honors English. Like the good little overachiever I was, I graduated with straight As and headed off to college—to become a math major. I attended a small liberal arts college where I decided I’d study math. I’d always performed well in math, one of those geeky types who actually relished Calculus. In fact, it was one of the biggest bothers of my life to be voted by my high school class as “Most Intelligent.” Now, why couldn’t I be the other half of “cutest couple,” or “most likely to succeed”? To me it felt like being voted Biggest Nerd of all Time. But I digress. So, miss smarty-pants studied math. A lot. Every stinking day. After a while, I got so bored of solving problems that I re- evaluated. Did I really want to solve problems the rest of my life? Around this time, I started pursuing vocational ministry as an option. I volunteered as a Young Life leader at a local high school. I wondered how I could be a youth minister with a math major. I threw around social work, then eventually landed on teaching with this line of logic: Well, I want to work with kids. And kids go to junior high and high school, don’t they? Well, what better thing to do than teach? So, I switched my major to English (goodbye math!) and decided to obtain a secondary teaching certificate. I’d always enjoyed writing, so I felt like this was a fit. But I didn’t really know that writing would become my passion until a particular writing assignment. Dr. Jenseth became my professor. Four times. The first time I studied with him, I hated hated hated him. He took my staggering works of genius and severed them with red pen. How dare he thwart my genius? How dare he make me rethink my word choices? By the third time he was my professor, we had forged a genuine truce. I started listening to the red-penned advice, and my writing became tighter. I also took journalism at this time and found a hankering for the 5Ws and an H. He gave an assignment: “Write an essay about what you’d like to see yourself doing ten years from now.” It was such a dull topic, and if you know me, you’ll know I hate writing things like this. I am not a researcher. I hate term papers. I don’t like delving into speculation. So, instead I wrote this paper as a suspenseful short story. Then, I imagined myself behind The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 219 the iron curtain (yep, I’m old, folks) smuggling subversive literature. I remember showing it to my friends, proud of my storytelling. Dr. Jenseth liked it too, giving me an A. The feeling I had when I penned that story—it flew out of me—was something I never forgot. A rush of creative adrenaline surged through me. Though I couldn’t articulate it at the time, as I look back, that was the moment I knew I’d been called to write. But I had to walk through years of healing first. In college, I was pretty messed up emotionally. Still scarred from things in my childhood, I was a walking train-wreck. I’d cry often—full force. Sobs defined me. I had friends who told me that grieving the past was unnecessary. For me to grieve so much meant I lacked faith. And yet, I met a new group of friends who believed differently. They believed I could be healed from the emotional scars. So they prayed for me. A lot. They prayed me through college, so that I came out on the other end much more joyful, much more assured of myself, much more healed. What does this have to do with writing? Quite a bit, actually. For years I was an over-proclaimer, one of those uncomfortable, wounded people no one wanted to be around because I’d share anything and everything, exploring my heartache with anyone who’d listen. But after college and my encounter with praying friends, I stopped sharing about the past. I stopped “going there.” The last thing I ever thought I’d do would be to write about that journey of healing. So, for many years, I kept silent. And believed the healing was complete. Until I had children. Old wounds opened up then, causing me to re-evaluate. I had to come to grips with the fact that healing comes over a lifetime, seldom a one-time event. More dear friends prayed for me. I went to counseling. And more healing blossomed. But it would be a long time before I could write about those things. I need to back up a bit. I mentioned I had children. Well, first, of course, I got married. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 220 I met Patrick after I’d been in Malaysia for six weeks and then came home. He was on his way to Calcutta, India, to work at Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying and Destitute. He also came home. We dated and were married a year later. I started teaching English to hormonal seventh grade boys. Why only boys? Well, it seems that when hired, all the other savvy English teachers got smart and sent me all the difficult students (which were mainly boys). I taught two years in the public school system, spoiling forever names like Tim or Terry or Sean. I was proposed to. Ignored. Made to cry. And all the while I wondered if this was my calling: to zookeep the rest of my life. Soon after, I got pregnant. We’d moved, so I could only secure long term subbing contracts. I subbed high school honors English. Pregnancy meant I had to throw up a lot, so thankfully, the cool honor kids let me run out of the classroom to do my business. Out popped Sophie nine months later. I was glad to finally be free of nausea. Something stirred in me, though, while I set up house with Sophie. An obsession. A craziness. A heart bent toward thrift at any cost . . . even belly button lint. Oddly, my formal writing career started with belly button lint. At the time I read copious amounts of a newsletter entitled The Tightwad Gazette. We lived on one income, bought our first home, and pinched pennies left and right. I menu planned, gardened, made jam. All good things. But then something weird happened to my brain. It became obsessive with saving money. I’d time my husband when he shaved to see how long he was wasting hot water. And then I pestered. I washed tin foil. Exasperated, he told me, “Mary, are you going to knit my belly button lint into a sweater?” I knew then that I had ventured over the edge. Way over. So, I re-evaluated. Saving money was good. Being a good financial manager was important. But not so that I became weird and obsessive about it. There had to be a better way. After a bit of thought, I realized that saving money needed to have a goal: so that we could give more. I wanted to save for an end, so I could give more money to others. As I noodled further on this, I decided to write a counter-tightwad newsletter. I called it The Giving Home Journal. The idea for this emerged in 1992. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 221 I didn’t have a computer then. I asked my grandfather for a small business loan, something he graciously granted me. When I turned on my new Gateway computer, I had no idea what to do with it. True to Mary form, I had already imposed my first deadline for The Giving Home Journal. I had to finish the eight-page, six- times-a-year production very soon, which meant I needed to learn Microsoft Publisher quickly. Somehow I figured it out and sent out my newsletter to everyone I knew. Subscriptions started trickling in. Nine bucks a year. Eventually, after three years of producing the newsletter (which had articles about lifestyle, finances, stay-at-home mom stuff, and a slew of recipes), I paid my grandfather back. By now we’d moved to a new home. My son Aidan arrived. The Giving Home Journal ended. My church approached me and asked whether I’d produce their newsletter, a small paying job. I took it. Somehow I got connected with a published writer. I boldly asked her if she’d have time to meet with me. She said yes. When I waited for her in the restaurant, I fidgeted. I wondered what a real writer would say to me. Before I continue, I need to fill in a few things. So hold on to your fedoras, the end of the story is coming. With belly button lint firmly behind me, I started writing short stories and longer nonfiction pieces about the time we moved from latte-loving Seattle to Palestine, Texas. I wrote a few pieces and submitted them as they were (no queries) and received the standard rejection, the kind that’s been copied so many times you can barely read it, that begins with “Dear Writer,” and has verbiage like, “we regret to inform you” in it. I wish I could say I saved all those and now have a bathroom wallpapered in them, but I didn’t. One, however, I did save, which I’m so thankful for. It’s a rejection from Marriage Partnership, a very standard rejection. I have another one from the same magazine ten years later that addresses me by name and congratulates me on an article they’re happy to publish. I love to show that to aspiring writers, to prove that you can journey to publication. It is possible. So, I met with the established writer. We sat at a cafe, me with notebook in hand, jotting notes, longing for direction and The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 222 wisdom. Instead, she spoke in vagaries. I asked, “How do you get published in magazines?” She spoke about her relationships, but didn’t mention anything about query letters, the business, or the basic 611 of getting published. She guarded her words like trade secrets, and if she leaked them, it would somehow hurt her own chances at further publication. I left that meeting extremely bewildered. I had no further information about publishing, other than a feeling that it was impossible unless you knew famous people. Though I asked to meet again, she turned me down. I understand how busy she must’ve been, and how annoying it probably was to have a new writer approach her, but it still bothers me. And it’s one reason why I try to help new writers. Because I understand. I’m not sure what it was about catty women in the biz, but this encounter wasn’t my first. (Before I go on, let me say that some of the finest people in the world work in this industry and are my closest friends. This is by no way indicative of the majority. There’s a small minority out there who have been mean or evasive.) Another incident: I attended my very first conference, a regional, very small conference with about 40 in attendance. After finally deciding the timing was right to start and finish a novel about my great-grandmother’s life during the Great Depression, I typed the last words four months later and brought my “baby” for critique. I signed up for a nonfiction writer to critique the first few pages. She ripped it to shreds, but the things she said didn’t make much sense. I tried to nod my way through her scathing critique, battling this voice inside myself that pretty much knew she wasn’t correct, yet wanting to be humble and teachable. I didn’t know it wasn’t a wise idea to show a nonfiction writer my fiction (though I’m sure there are some nonfiction writers who would’ve been able to help me. Just not her.) This was something we all develop over time: a writer’s backbone. At first we hear all critique (as we should), and take everything to heart. Eventually, though, we learn to take critique as a filter, having confidence in our prose, knowing when to change and not to change. I hadn’t arrived there yet, so I took her words as gospel and nearly gave up writing. Truly. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 223 Which goes to show: when you’re helping a new writer, be constructive, not destructive. I would’ve welcomed constructive comments. I needed them. My book was not perfect by any stretch. But making over-sweeping statements that are only meant to demean, ridicule, or discourage, in my opinion, has no place in this industry. Which is why I’m so thankful that one woman’s unkindness led to another woman’s amazing generosity. By now the year was 2000. Our youngest, Julia, hollered her way into the world two years previous. Y2K didn’t happen, in terms of chaos and widespread looting and mayhem. What did happen was that we picked up and moved from East Texas to Dallas so my husband could start graduate school. We looked for a church home. On one such jaunt, we opted for a church very near our home. That Sunday, they happened to be having a barbecue and invited us to join them, which we did because we liked free food. I sat next to a lovely lady with blond hair. We got to chatting. She asked me, “And what do you do?” A loaded question—though the lady didn’t know it. I’d been struggling with my desire to write and be a mommy. Even so, something inside me said, “Hey, tell her. You probably won’t see her again.” So, I blurted out, “I want to be a writer.” “Really?” “Yeah.” I felt my face redden. To declare it out loud like that was a risk for me. I couldn’t take back those loaded words, couldn’t retrieve them now. She smiled. I smiled. She looked at me again. “It just so happens that one of my passions in life is to mentor new writers.” I later found out Sandra Glahn wrote several medical thrillers and many nonfiction books about infertility. She also edited Dallas Seminary’s magazine and taught writing there. To my delight, she told me she’d be happy to look at what I’d written. With fear, I sent my babies (short stories and articles) via campus mail to Sandra’s box. And then I waited. And waited. I knew she was busy. I knew enough not to bug her. So I waited. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 224 And waited. I received my stuff back intact, no comments. My new friend Sandra told me something like this:

• I think you have potential. • You write with too many weak verbs. • Kill your adverbs. • Slay your adjectives. • Only one space after a period.

To be honest, I thought she was bonkers about the period thing. Wasn’t two spaces what they taught you in typing class? Period. Space. Space. Capital letter. Of course, I learned she’d been right, and she was right about everything else, though I didn’t know if I had potential or not. I wrote flowery prose—the type Jo from Little Women (in her sensational newspaper days) would applaud. I used to—I kid you not—go through books like Christy by Catherine Marshall, writing down all the words I thought were beautiful. Then, I’d take the pretty word to a piece I wrote and tried to cram the word in, square-peg-round-hole-ish. I particularly remember adding the word wraithlike, describing fog. My first-ever query letter was long, laborious, and rambling. Thankfully, Sandra got a hold of it before I flung it out there to Discipleship Journal, rescuing me from certain editorial doom. She helped me narrow it from two pages to one, told me not to use a silly font, and showed me what a query structure should be by giving me one of hers. The answer from DJ was a no, but a personalized one. I continued writing query letters left and right, garnering more rejections. Unlike Stephen King, I did not skewer them on a spike or count them. Suffice to say, though, there were aplenty! And then I got the letter! From a real-live magazine editor with words like, “We are pleased to inform you...” I leapt. I clapped. I smiled. When I got the check, I took Sandra out to lunch to celebrate. She’d had everything to do with that sale because she dared to take me under her editorial wing and nurture me as a writer. But I had so much more to learn. I packed my bags to a major writing conference in the spring of 2003. I shared a room with my friends Sandra and Leslie. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 225 On the plane, Leslie asked me what I hoped to accomplish at the conference. I said something about finding a publisher. “Don’t you want an agent?” “I guess.” I’d sent a manuscript ahead to an agent, though, to be honest, I didn’t really know what an agent did. “You guess?” Leslie shook her head. “Are they really that important?” I asked. She explained why it was that I needed an agent. She helped me understand how essential agents were. Leslie’s been my writing biz guru ever since. So we arrived in the wooded hills above San Jose, eager and ready to find publishers. I sent the first three chapters, a synopsis and a query letter from my novel to three publishing houses ahead of time. You can imagine my shaking hands when I retrieved my manuscripts. I walked up the hill to my little home, tore open the envelopes, and let out a breath. All three expressed interest. I hollered and yelled. So did Sandra. So did Leslie. I’d written unpublished words for so many years, so to hear from people in the industry that I had potential really blessed me. Maybe I wasn’t crazy after all. I added editors and agents to my dance card, though at times I got really freaked out by how some folks acted—shoving manuscripts under bathroom stalls to these beleaguered folk, following them, lurking at their table. I took the intermediate writing track taught by a well- known agent. He said up front, “I am not looking for clients. I’m happy with my stable of authors.” So, when I was to meet with him, I didn’t consider him as a possible agent prospect. I simply wanted to ask him some agent advice. He arrived very late for our meeting. I almost left. He came rushing in, apologizing. I told him I had some interest in my book and asked if he’d be willing to answer a few questions. He said sure. He asked for my proposal, and when I gave it to him, he said, “I’ve seen this before.” I wanted to die. Turns out, his was one of the places I sent my writing to before the conference. I figured, in my own naive way that if I sent things ahead to publishing houses at the conference, why not cover my bases and send my chapters to their actual addresses too? So I sent my proposal to the three publishers and his agency (even though I wasn’t even sure what an agent did). The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 226 In that, I violated the cardinal rule of don’t-send-your-stuff- to-a-Big-Time-Agency-if-you’re-a-nobody. Note to readers: this is probably not a good idea. The reason he said he’d seen it before is that I used an unusual stationery. No, it wasn’t scented or colored, but it had a curve on the right hand side—slightly unusual but still professional. (Please note: most everything was handled with paper back then. Now, we query and send via e-mail.) “Do you mind if I take this with me?” he asked. “Not at all.” We shook hands and parted ways. I continued to meet with agents and publishers. My words tangled at the tip of my tongue while my adrenaline levels shot through the roof. One meeting ulcerated my stomach, though. A woman said she’d look over my manuscript. She shook her head several times. She told me about all the flaws of the first chapter. It was very straightforward, yes, but also a bit condescending. I left our meeting completely deflated. Why do I want to be a writer? I am kidding myself. I don’t know anything. Once again, I allowed a crabby lady to dictate my resolve. I wanted to give up. On the flight home, ambiguity defined me. I was thrilled that publishers expressed interest, but I felt inept as a novelist. A week or so later, though, my world was about to change. I came home from the conference encouraged and discouraged, happy to know editors liked my writing, but discouraged to not have immediate interest, though two agents asked for more information. A few weeks later, I received an e-mail from one of the agents—the one who had enough authors in his stable, the late agent. My heart catapulted in my chest. Maybe it leapfrogged too. His e-mail opened with, “You are one of the best new writers I’ve met at the conference and I’d like to talk about representation. Would you be interested?” Would I? I screamed. Hyperventilated a bit. I hollered (a lovely Texas word, isn’t it?) some more. The children thought I was dying, so they raced upstairs, followed by my husband Patrick. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 227 “What’s wrong mommy?” the children asked in unison. “I . . . uh . . . I . . . ” I jumped up and down. Though they didn’t know what the occasion was, they jumped up and down with me. Eventually I spilled out the e-mail’s words. They cheered. Patrick cheered. I cheered. I later found out the proposal I’d sent out before the conference (oh woefully naive me!) had made it into the hands of the agent’s assistant. She read it while the agent worked at the conference. The agent, as you remember, asked for it as well. Turns out, he read it on the plane and liked it. When he came back to the office, his assistant said something about signing me as well. I don’t know her exact words, but in my warped, ego-soaked mind, I imagine it something like, “You need to sign this girl. Now!” So, I received the e-mail that supercharged my career. We decided to proceed on a trial basis as the agent tried to place my Depression-era novel. And then the waiting began. Though the story never really ends, I want to end this overly long story because I think it would be boring for me to write about, “Well, then I got this contract, and this editing experience was hard, and blah, blah, blah.” While the novel languished in different committees, and I garnered rejection upon rejection, my agent started bothering me about writing parenting books. By then I’d been a columnist in our local paper for over a year. I frequently wrote about my kids. But every time he bothered me, I would say, “You have to be kidding. I am no stellar parent. I can’t write parenting books.” But he kept at it. Wore me down. Exasperated, I shot him an e-mail: “The only parenting book I’ll write is for those of us who don’t want to duplicate our families of origin.” “Write that book,” he said. Which meant, for this fiction author, I’d have to learn how to write a big, hairy proposal. Thankfully, my friend Leslie let me borrow hers. I really had no clue what I was doing. Seeing a real live proposal helped me tremendously, and it’s why I created my proposal tutorial to others who felt lost. While I worked on what would become Building the Christian Family You Never Had, I sold Ordinary Mom, The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 228 Extraordinary God to Harvest House in conjunction with Hearts at Home ministries. They contacted my agent and asked if he knew any authors who might be able to write a mom devotional. He said yes, then gave me the task of writing a nonfiction proposal in a weekend. So I did. And it sold. This happened in the winter of 2003. The book released in the spring of 2005. Then, quickly on its heels, WaterBrook, a division of Random House, bought Building the Christian Family You Never Had. My first agent moved to Nashville to work at a large publishing house, so in the winter of 2004 he assigned me a new agent, a go-getter young woman. She’s the one who placed my fiction with NavPress (Watching the Tree Limbs and Wishing on Dandelions.) I wrote another parenting book, followed by three novels and a memoir under her apt guidance. In the summer of 2004, we moved our family to France to be church planters. I’d see four of my five books release while I was on the field. I worried incessantly that I’d mess up my career if I moved to France. I wept over it, actually. I can be very stubborn! I flew back to the states for conferences, ICRS, and other book related business. Being in France enabled me not to get so caught up in the celebrity issue. I was just a girl living in France, struggling to learn a language, worrying that I didn’t connect well enough, praying for my children, hoping we parented well in a difficult environment. I’ve been back in the states four years now. I’m utterly surprised when I get e-mails from readers. It makes my day. I’m particularly pleased when something I’ve written has touched someone deeply. That’s my desire—to write prose that changes lives. Two years ago, my agent moved on. I’m with agent number three, a terrific cheerleader who has great contacts in New York and Hollywood. With her, I’ve signed several contracts and am seeing more fruit in my career. I love writing. I feel like I was created to communicate this way. It’s such a surprise to be where I am today. I’ve been writing since 1992—almost two decades. Recently a friend of mine who was kind enough to listen to my publishing woes reminded me where I stood in 2002— unpublished but aspiring to be published. “Would you, in your The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 229 wildest dreams, have thought you’d have so many books published by now?” It’s certainly been an amazing adventure, full of pitfalls and triumphs, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The 11 Secrets of Getting Published 230

Thank you so much for reading this book! I hope it’s helped you on your journey toward publication.

You can “meet” me in several places.

• Hop on by my Web site at http://www.marydemuth.com. • Become my BFF on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/MaryDeMuth • Or “like” me on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaryDeMuth.

And last, one kind plea:

Would you be willing to do me a sweet favor? Once you’ve finished this book, would you be so kind as to write a 2-sentence blurb on Amazon for me? Simply click this link: http://amzn.to/pmDSLH Thank you so much!