My Writing Journey: Fledgling Writer to Author

For a while now, I’ve had some thoughts on the back burner of doing up a blog on my publishing journey, and to offer some advice to anyone who may need or want it.

Last year, around October I submitted the completed manuscript for At the Heart of the Stone to a few prominent small press publishers, letting each of them know I was submitting simultaneously. I received an offer from one I wasn’t sure about; the publisher wasn’t well known, and the covers were sub par. There was little to no marketing on it. The acceptance time was also scarily fast. While that may seem like a dream come true to new authors who are itching to get their work published, it’s important to exercise caution. Publishers need time to get back to authors, because they have to have several people read the manuscript, and have a meeting to discuss its marketing potential before deciding whether or not to accept the work.

I received two more acceptances, then Loose Id got back to me with an R&R. Originally, the manuscript did have some watered-down love scenes, but it was not erotic in its original form. However, because of their reputation and known outstanding editing, I decided to revise the manuscript, and I spent the next several months working with my amazing editor (whom I’ve now had the pleasure of working on my other 4 books with Loose Id on).

If you’re not sure about a publisher, go on Absolute Write, where there are frank and open discussions from authors who both work for the publisher and have submitted to the publisher. By reading through the threads, you can gauge the overall feel of the publisher, and it will help you know if it’s the right one for you. Don’t take the first offer you get unless you’re 100% sure about it; do research. You worked hard on your book – give it a proper home.

The one thing I learned on my writing journey was perseverance. If you believe in yourself and your creation, don’t let anything stop you. Like everyone, I struggle with self-doubt, constantly. It can be a big hindrance when you work creatively, so the best thing to do is to focus on what you want and what you have to do to achieve it, and most importantly, believe in yourself. You know your worth and what you’re capable of. Don’t let anything stand in the way of your potential.

One thing I’ll say about editing a manuscript before you submit it; you do not need to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars to get your manuscript looked at by a professional editor. You can, and there are in fact some amazing editors out there for those who need it. But before you do, try the following:

1. Self-edit it to the best of your ability (i.e., remove gerunds and downsize your adverbs, remove filter words, etc.).
2. Find a critique group that you trust, or a small circle of beta readers who are writers/editors themselves. Nine times out of ten, you will get the same exact feedback from two to three beta readers as you would with a professional editor on things that can be improved on in your manuscript, and you don’t have to pay a dime.

That’s not to say editors aren’t wonderful and can’t help you whip a manuscript into shape. I love my editor with all my heart. She’s amazing at what she does, and I trust her judgement more than my own at times when we’re working together. Many editors out there are available to help you; just beware of those who are charging a ridiculous amount of money for their services. The good ones realize how much work authors put into their manuscripts and should be fair in their charges.

A strong piece of advice I dearly wish I’d had before I published my first novel is on marketing.

If you are self-publishing or publishing with a small to medium-sized publisher, you have got to invest in marketing. I’ll be the first to raise my hand and admit I naively thought if I wrote an outstanding romance novel, everyone would want to read it. That simply isn’t the case. It’s gotten great reviews, but as a fledgling author, the truth is no one knows who you are, and if you don’t get your name out there (or your pen name) and advertise your work, chances are it won’t sell very much.

So what does investing in marketing mean? It means booking a blog tour, excerpt or blurb tour, and investing in promotional services. There are some really amazing ones like Bewitching Book Tours and Fire and Ice Book Promotions, who will go to bat for you for a very reasonable price, so this can all be done between $50-150 if you’re trying to stay within a budget. It does pay off, and you can usually get at least four reviews out of a blog tour, which help tremendously.

I hope this was useful to someone out there. If you have any questions or any tips to add, please leave them in the comments.

All the best,

Roxanne