The Upside of Waiting

If you're a writer trying to get published, waiting is an inevitable part of life. You wait for a contest result, a reply from an agent, a yes or no from an editor, for the annual conference to come around again. You wait for revisions, edits, cover art, and your release date. Then there are other waits--your first reviews, sales reports, royalty statements. And the cycle starts again when you submit your next book.

I've been blessed to spend years waiting. Most days I don't think of it as a blessing. In fact, very few days do I thank the Lord for my wait. Usually it just sits inside my heart like a jagged piece of crystal, weighing, poking, hurting. But even in my baby-ish emotions (I want it now, waaah!), I comprehend the upside to waiting.

1. I'm a better writer. 

My writing has become more complex with all the practice I've gotten over the years. I instinctively understand things that I had to piece together when I started submitting. By no means would I consider myself a master, but it's good for the soul to truly know you've improved.

2. The publishing industry is not a big mystery as it once was.

I've been following publishing news for several years. Blogs, magazines, conferences, agents, editors, and other writers--all have informed me. Knowledge throws reality on expectations. It's good to know what you're getting into. Sure, getting published is a dream come true, but it doesn't make all your dreams come true.

3. Humble confidence

I can't speak for all newer writers, but it's easy to buy into your own hype. An editor requested your first novel? It must mean you're a genius! This is your destiny!

Long waits pave the way for rejections. Rejections fill you with humility. Humility brings you back to the drawing board and forces you to admit your weaknesses. Then you address those weaknesses by studying, trying to overcome them in your next book, finding critique partners to help point out ways you can improve. And when you repeat this, you gain confidence in your writing. But it isn't puffed up, prideful confidence. It's humble. And it's real.

4. You understand how much you want it.

Ask any writer how badly they want to see their work in print, and you'll be reduced to tears at the sincerity oozing from them. We ALL want it. But time has a way of weeding out those willing to sit in a state of failure for years on end because they believe in their dream. They want it on a level many writers claim but few put in practice.

Let me ask you this. If someone told you it would take exactly two years, three months, and five days from the day you first submitted to an editor until the day you were offered a contract, would the time seem reasonable? What if the prediction was five years, eleven months, and twenty days? How about eight years, three months, and one day?

What if you wrote steadily throughout those years? What if you wrote fifteen novels? Twenty? And what if you still didn't have a contract?

Would you give up? Decide you don't have what it takes? Assume every published writer has talent but you don't?

No one knows how long it will take to get published. Might be your first book. Might be your twenty-second.

But I can tell you one thing. The longer your wait, the more you realize how much you want it. You take nothing for granted. Nothing. Every tiny crumb that comes your way becomes a three-layer cake. Small beginnings? Brilliant. Jesus himself fed five thousand people with a few fish and a couple loaves of bread.

Whether you've just begun your wait or have slogged through years of it, remember there is an upside. And on the days you can't find an upside, know you aren't alone. Most writers are waiting.

Do you see an upside in waiting? 

Have a terrific day!

Tweet

Share

Staying Committed to a Big Dream

Most people have a big dream tucked away somewhere. It scares you, excites you, and sits there in your heart whether you're pursuing it or not.

You might be actively working toward your big dream right now. Or you could be covering it up, telling yourself it's not the right time, you're not the right person, that it's not the right dream for you.

I know about big dreams. I also know they require more than we imagine.

Eight years passed between the time I realized I wanted to write and when I actually wrote my first book. The book stunk, and I was overwhelmed by my duties as a stay-at-home mom. I prayed and felt God asking me to set the dream aside for a while. I complied. More years passed and, during them, I joined a writer's group, wrote assignments, and read tons of novels.

Fourteen years after I initially claimed my dream, I began seriously pursuing it. My prayers led me to the green light, but I still had so much to learn.

I naively believed that having a big dream meant it had to come true, and soon! Sacrifice is always rewarded, right? But I underestimated just how competitive this field is, how much additional learning I would need, and how much I needed to grow spiritually.

There have been times I've wanted to quit. It would be easier for me to get "a real job." But after twenty years, this dream won't go away, and I'm convinced it's not just mine, it's God's dream for me. How do I know this? Because I pray. Every day. I ask God to lead me to where I'm supposed to be, what I'm supposed to do. And this is it.

I'd like to share a paragraph of All In:You're One Decision Away from a Totally Different Life by Mark Batterson.

"Going all out for God is not just about getting where God wants you to go. It's about who you become in the process. And it's not about how quickly you get there. It's about how far you go."

Yes. This has been my experience. Every day I work toward my dream, and I've become much more than a writer. I've become someone God can use because my dream became less about me and more about Him.

I've been on top of the world, honored, thrilled, validated, and I've been defeated, rejected, humbled, brought low. The one thing I remain? Committed.

Don't be afraid to go after your big dream! Pray on it. God will give you the strength you need. The road will have turns, but He'll point you in the right direction. Someone else's path might be half a mile. Yours might be six thousand miles. It doesn't matter. Stay committed.

Have you taken steps toward your big dream? Have set-backs made you reconsider? How did you move forward? 

Have a lovely Monday!

Tweet

Share

So You Didn't Final In the Contest?

Ah, spring and early summer. The time of year when fiction writers hold their breath and watch their phones in anticipation of hearing the good news--your contest entry made it to the final round!

There are so many great contests, and many aspiring inspirational fiction writers enter ACFW's Genesis contest or My Book Therapy's Frasier contest. Romance writers get giddy over RWA's Golden Heart contest. All of these offer bragging rights and the chance for your entry to be judged by top editors and agents.

But with prestige come few finalists and hundreds of non-finalists. I want to hug everyone who doesn't get the phone call. Wrap my arms around them and tell them a few secrets.

Yes, I know things. I've been on this aspiring writer merry-go-round for a while now.

While I haven't entered very many contests, I've come away with enough golden nuggets that have improved my books to make each contest worth it.

For everyone who took a leap and entered a prestigious contest this year and didn't go on to the final round, I'm sharing some hard-earned wisdom with you.

1. Something about the experience will improve your writing.

You might find it on a scoresheet. You might not. A long time ago I received feedback that made me wonder if the judge had read someone else's entry--it had nothing to do with my book! But it improved my writing because it helped me trust myself. Some advice resonates with us. We should only take advice we understand and agree with.

2. Not everyone is on a fast-track to publishing, and it does NOT reflect your talent.

I wish I could tell you why some people seem to board the lightning-fast plane to contest wins, agent contracts, and overall buzz from their peers. I applaud them. But I want YOU to know it doesn't matter.

For every overnight success story, there are roughly five hundred slow-and-tortuous stories. Yes, I made that statistic up, but honestly, you need to know most writers lose contests, face many rejections, and take five steps back for every step forward. Ask around. You'll see.

There is no expiration date on your dream. Yes, it stinks to get our hopes up only to have them smashed. This is an extremely competitive business. Take the hard knocks now, ask yourself how much you want this, and continue to improve your skills.

3. When you go through enough trials on your way to publication, something wild happens.

You get humble, you get confident, you get good at writing, and you realize you'll put up with a lot of misery to grasp that golden ring.

Don't believe me? It's easy to continue on a journey when all the lights are green, and everyone is waving you in to the finish line. It's hard when light after light is red, and no one realizes you're even on the road. I wonder how many writers who entered the Genesis contest five years ago are still writing?

When you've faced a devastating rejection on your wedding anniversary, a cruddy contest result on your son's birthday, or a rough pitch session at an expensive conference--you get humble.

When you write and revise and study the writing craft, listen to your critique partners, and pay attention to the industry--you get confident.

When you do all this day after day, refusing to give up, you get good. Really good.

When you do all this year after year, you understand publishing itself won't make your life perfect. It won't be a picnic. You might have a strained relationship with your first editor. The sales of your debut might stink. Hey, you'll get some bad reviews, your family could mock your book, you might not get that second contract. And guess what? You'll still put your butt in the chair and keep going.

Why? Because you've done it for years. You'll remember all the rusty nails you stepped on to get to that point. What's a few more? This is your job. Your career. One you sacrificed for, cried over, poured sweat, blood, tears on and maybe even lost some of your sanity.

But here's the thing. After all the trials you went through on your way to that first contract, maybe, just maybe, you'll land the editor of your dreams. You'll get the second, third, and fourth contract. Your sales will rock. You'll still get some bad reviews. But you won't care, because you're living your dream.

So, you didn't final in the contest...

You're going to do fine. Just wait and see.

If you entered a contest recently and did not final, please feel free to e-mail me (jill(at)jillkemerer(dot)com) if you're struggling. I'd love to help you through this. 

Have a wonderful day!

Tweet

Share

Publishing Trends

I love talking to writers. I mean, I L-O-V-E sitting back and having a conversation with anyone who writes. Unless they're residing in a nuclear bomb shelter, most writers are aware of the current trends in publishing, but, much like the rest of the general public, we have no clue what the future holds.



Since it takes a long time to write a book, it occasionally happens that the market for the book has either cooled or is beginning to cool by the time an editor sees a query for it. What's an author to do?

Well, I think most authors are pretty savvy. They see what books and genres are successful and try to emulate them. Unfortunately, the books in stores reflect last year's trends. It's difficult to know if a genre's popularity has peaked.

If I walked into Target or Walmart today, I'd conclude that the historical romance market is hot--if the only historical period is Regency England. I'd also conclude that vampire romance is hot, that James Patterson releases a new book every other week, and that books about vitamins are in ever-present demand.

Five years ago, I could have walked into the same Target or Walmart and seen romances set in the American West. I might have seen a few historical romances with Vikings. There would have been a slew of contemporary romances, many tongue-in-cheek like Bridget Jones' Diary.

This is where following agents can help an author. Agents who blog often post about what kind of books they would love to see right now. This is your cue to write the information down. Does it mean you have to write a gritty suspense set in Alaska? No. But it might make you tweak the idea for your next novel to fit into a genre agents are looking for.

If you cannot fathom writing anything other than your heart dictates, by all means, write the story. But if the book falls into a lukewarm genre, be prepared to polish it extra shiny, and even then you may end up sitting on it until the trend turns back around.

I don't think writers should chase trends in a desperate attempt to get published. We should nurture our strengths and write books we're best suited to write. However, we shouldn't be afraid of trying something different and expanding our creative wings either. Why make life harder on ourselves by writing books that sold well five years ago but aren't selling at all now, when we could be writing a different genre, a genre that sells, until the climate shifts. Don't give up on your favorite genre, though. Today's ice-cold category is tomorrow's hot trend.

Join me on Friday when we'll discuss author websites.

Tweet

Share

Researching Publishers

Publishers.

One word. Three syllables. Simple, right?

Sigh.

The word "publishers" encompasses an entire book's worth of material. Have you physically picked up a Writer's Market lately? The book's got to weigh five pounds! Don't worry, I'm not asking you to read it, although it's a fabulous resource.



Do you know the publisher best suited for you?

Before you can answer, you need to know the genre book you write. Take a field trip to a major book store and browse the aisles. Take notes on the publishers who release books similar to yours. Still aren't sure which genre you write? Start studying. There are blogs, articles in magazines such as The Writer, and books devoted to help you determine this.

Now that you know what genre your book fits into, you can start researching publishers. Consider the following questions.

-Is your dream to be published through a large, established publisher?

-Are you willing to break in with a smaller, newer publisher?

-Do you want a traditional relationship where the publisher pays you an advance followed by royalties?

-Do you want to see your book in print, or are you comfortable with it in e-form?

-Do you want to self-publish?


To understand the differences between self-publishers and traditional publishers, read the linked article from Writer's Digest, "What Can Your Publisher Do For You?"

When I say I want to get published, I mean I want my books to be published in print form by a traditional publisher, and I want to get paid an advance and royalties for them. There are many reputable companies, large and small, who publish books in print or e-form. These publishers take on responsibilities such as editing, cover art, copyrights, printing the book, distributing the book, and marketing the book. They pay the author an advance and royalties. The author does not pay the publisher.
Then there are reputable companies who provide self-publishing services. In this instance, the author may be responsible for cover art, copyrights, distributing and marketing the book, depending on the publisher. The author pays these fees or pays for X amount of books up front and only gets paid when someone purchases the book.

Traditional publishers make money from book sales, and they have a vested interest in getting your books in bookstores. It can be difficult to get your book in bookstores if you use a self-publishing service, and the author will need to employ intense marketing strategies.

Please, be leery of legal publishers who prey on those wanting to get published by seeming to be a traditional publisher but who actually offer a form of self-publishing. I have no problem with self-publishing companies who are up front about their practices. If an author chooses to go that route, that's her decision. However, some of these companies mislead the author into believing the book will be treated the same as a traditional publisher would treat it, when in reality, the author must pay to have the book published.

When you have narrowed down what you want out of a publisher, compile a list of possible companies. Go to each publisher's website and print out their writer's guidelines. Before you submit to them, verify their submission policy.

Why are you doing all of this? Because a publisher who specializes in non-fiction will not publish your contemporary romance novel. Also, some publisher's do not accept unsolicited material. You must have an agent to submit to them.

It never hurts to check out Preditors and Editors. It's a site devoted to helping writers discern between legitimate publishers and scammers.

We have a responsibility to research the publishers we query. When we have the information in front of us, we can make informed decisions.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Tweet

Share