A Final Lap on the Path to Publication

The Power of Community

If you been following the past few posts here (or if you haven’t) let’s sum up what I found that I needed to complete my journey to well-published author.

·      There’s persistence – the sticking with it through the many, many rejections (that, trust me, also come after you’ve been agented or published)

·      There’s passion – your passion for your ideas and for just the writing work itself

·      There’s craft knowledge – understanding writing craft, from how to develop rich characters to how to create a compelling plot to…all the rest

·      There’s publishing know-how – how the industry actually works, how to market, what to expect

·      And not quite last, there’s luck – and your willingness to walk through the door when it opens in that moment when you least expect it

That Next (Maybe Last?) Step

So, here I was, invited by Alyssa to submit my entire novel to her once she sat down at her desk in her new office in New York as a brand new agent. I met her in October, and she’d read 10 (count ‘em) pages. She would be in said office on December 1.

On that October day, I did not have a fully revised entire novel. Not even the half of it. I had a…modest rough draft.

I was also the mom of a very needy tween, was teaching English in a ninth grade classroom, and, well, life.

By mid November I was beginning to panic. So I did what you should do if you ever need help in a situation like this one: I called three writing gurus.

The three were all published authors (one who would soon become a Newbery Honor winner) and they were friends, so, no, it wasn’t a cold call to a stranger. I asked each of them this question: “If I don’t have my novel finished by early December, should I wait to finish it before I send?”

They all had great advice but the first piece of wisdom stood out. This author said, “Don’t wait.” It’s what she had done, years earlier, polishing and polishing and finally when she was ready and hit send…by that time, the requesting agent was fully booked and was no longer interested.

The second of my author advisors seconded that and added, “Send in December whatever you have finished, and promise you’ll have the rest to her by mid-January.”

The third said, “Send those pages to her 3 days after she steps into her office – time for her to settle in and start getting hungry, but not so much time that she will lose interest or find her quota filled.”

So that’s exactly what I did.

I had about half of the novel done, and I sent those pages, and one week later – while in my car in the parking lot of Costco on a freezing winter day – Alyssa called me to offer me representation.

After years of struggle, I had an agent.

And What Are the Take-Aways?

Now, there are several lessons here. First, perfect is the enemy of good. That is not to say you should send off half-baked work – no, never. But if you have trust in the work, you’ve had feedback from trusted readers, you’ve been working for long enough to understand what stands out and makes a good book, then try. Yes, you may (sorry, you will) get rejections. But those will also help you understand what to fix and push you to learn and develop and grow.

Second, you need a community. This follows directly from the above. Trusted readers, competent advisors, team members – these are people who don’t come to you. You must develop and nurture these relationships. Find your people.

Here are a few suggestions for you.

·      Most of my early – and still important – writer friends came from my attending SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) meetings, workshops, conferences, and getting involved with that organization.

·      My ongoing writing friendships have come from attending other writing conferences around the country.

·      Getting my MFA expanded my community to an even greater degree.

·      Participating in social media – just keeping in touch with members of the writing community – has also expanded my network.

·      Buying, reading, reviewing the work of other writers is another way to network and gain trust.

There are writing organizations all over the world that would welcome you. Grow your community in order to grow your writing career.

I’m developing a mentorship with a strong community component - interactive with me and everyone there. If you want to know more about that, please click the button above or right here.

My friend Julie Artz has a critique partner program: Writing can be a lonely process, but that doesn't mean you have to go it alone. Register for CP Meet Cute by June 30 and book coach Julie Artz will match you with a small group of like-minded writers so that you can trade work and see if you're a match.

There is a small coda to this story, but I’ll leave that for next week!