For a writer to get published a demanding series of challenges lie in wait. Finding the right deal and not just hoping any would be sufficient means the process entails a great deal of time investment. Traversing the waters to reach the publishing island – a well-kept secret - can be a tricky task to manage. In fact, it can feel like an overwhelming and daunting task, towering over us, unavoidable and better to just get to work on as soon as possible. It can also feel incredibly isolating (like we need more of that this year), the catalyst for epic proportions of procrastinating, self-analysis and even depression. Indeed, this year has been the ultimate test and keeping our heads above water as we strive to reach the island and get our works published is an absolute must.
Firstly, managing one’s expectations
is key. As with a child, it is not possible to run before you can walk, and
adults could learn greatly from applying the same lessons. We must therefore,
set small targets, breaking it all down into manageable and bitesize pieces and
working on those in the present, laying one brick at a time which in turn
builds an edifice of note.
Secondly, patience is indeed a
virtue. It is not fictional, it is very much what we all need, daily, in our
search to conquer the literary world or anything else we may need to tackle. Agencies
and publishers are busy, and doubtless have endless emails unopened in their
inboxes itching to be read, to be handled and to have some good news returned
to the sender thereof. Good things are worth the wait, whether it be in our
work or personal lives and it is valuable to remember that only can we genuinely
appreciate things if they have not been attained easily. You may well have the
greatest book in the world, but if it has to join the back of a queue it will
take the necessary time for someone to get to it and lavish the attention upon
it that it so deserves.
Thirdly, it is imperative to follow
each individual agency or publishing house’s submission instructions to the
letter. Cutting corners will just not work anymore. With so many submissions
received every day, it is an important part of any book proposal to prove you
can follow clear instructions and provide what surely makes the process at the
other end easier. There is no copy and paste here. Therefore, organisation is
another key factor. While it may feel overwhelming and time-consuming to tailor
each submitted proposal, including personalised cover letter, to the agency/editor
you are sending it to – and yes, you need to have done your research and be
aware of the appropriate person to send your proposal to as well – let’s face
it, for the pot of gold (a successful pitch that gets your book published) at
the rainbow’s end, surely that time investment would be seen as worthwhile come
the final reckoning. So, do your research well and accept that each single
proposal submitted will take a substantial amount of time. The research is for
your benefit as much as the recipients, so that nobody is wasting their time,
neither the hopeful writer nor the inundated agency or publisher.
Fourthly, again it is incredibly
important to learn from one’s mistakes, to take on board any feedback delivered
from those who repeatedly go through the motions of the same process. Any reply
can be seen as a positive one, and most (if not all) will have to handle
rejection, tuck it safely under their belt for the lesson it delivers (consider
how many now world-famous writers did not overcome the early hurdles either),
and move on with hope to the next attempt. The setbacks are character-defining,
and whether the year is a tough one or not, will enable us to take those
lessons and get better at the process of applying to have our book accepted by someone
else. Perhaps everything happens for a reason, and while that publisher did not
add your work to its list of future books to publish, it has still left you
open to find the industry affirmation you are destined to find.
Finally, maintaining a positive
mindset is crucial. It is a sea of choppy waters and while most of the negative
responses are not personal, not designed to take a writer down, they have to be
understood as part and parcel of the process and not get in the way of
persisting where until that point the oh so craved success has yet to appear. I
have had the taste of both failure and success. The two do indeed go hand in
hand and more can be learnt from the negative experience than the positive one.
While nobody wants to get used to the downside of the process, it certainly
shows us the way. If we just keep going, fighting for our works, and believing
in our abilities to bring something new, something from the heart and the head
to a wider audience, there is every possibility of a positive outcome.
If 2020 did not drown your hopes,
what lies ahead might just be what you have been looking for. Do not give up,
your journey may just be getting started.
