Guest blogger Lesley Ann Sharrock says you need to “be yourself, find your own voice, and write for yourself.”
What does it take to be published? Damned if I know, even though I have achieved that honor.
It seems to me that it’s a bit of a lottery.
When I finished my first novel, The Seventh Magpie, I tried going down the traditional route of finding an agent. No luck there, lots of “it’s not for us but another agent may feel differently.” They didn’t. We all know that the large publishers will only look at work that is submitted to them via an agent, so that door was firmly slammed in my face. I finally went directly to a smaller publishing house and they accepted it. Phew!
I have just finished my second novel, Truth Lies Buried, and am back on the old agent hunt because I feel that this one is far more commercial than the first as I have now shifted genres to crime thrillers. I may well be wrong, but only time will tell.
The advice I would give all writers is to be yourself, find your own voice, and write for yourself.
Not everyone will like your work, not even your nearest and dearest. Don’t be deterred. There will be lots of people out there who are just like you and who will tune in to your story, given half a chance. Have your final manuscript edited by a professional, experienced editor before submitting it. This is essential, no matter what route you decide to take, be it the traditional one of finding an agent for your work, submitting directly to small publishers or self-publishing. Make it as perfect as it can be.
You can view the book trailer for The Seventh Magpie here. Check out this author's website at http://lesleyannsharrock.com.
Good advice. Of course, a small publisher is still choosy. They won't accept rubbish, but at least they'll consider your work if its good enough.
ReplyDelete