Testing Times

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.