PUBLISHING YOUR WAY
I often say to myself, and others, "I am the ruler of my world." That means, I make the best decisions for myself--but that doesn't mean I ignore the advice of others, or don't spend time researching the best solution to a problem, or how to do something. This is true in life, as well as in my writing world.
The following passage is excerpted from my book, Discover Your Write Path to Publishing Success. I hope it nudges you one way, or another, in your publishing journey.
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We’re in a new day. Writers are no longer defined by traditional industry standards—and honestly, it’s still the Wild West of Publishing out there. Things are still developing, shifting, and morphing, so stay tuned and keep up. Okay?
Publishing is a wide-open field. That’s good news for all of us—no matter what you write, how you publish. Multiple platforms exist today for writers to utilize and get their pretty and powerful words out into the world.
The keys to staying abreast of this ever-changing industry are to:
- keep learning,
- network, and
- don’t stand still.
Back in the old days, (say, pre 2000ish) writers had one way to publish, via traditional publishing options—the same options that had been around for hundreds of years:
- You wrote the book (article, essay, poem…) and then,
- you pitched said work to a literary agent who in turn, pitched the work to publishers on your behalf, or
- you submitted the work directly to a publisher who accepted unsolicited proposals from unagented writers, and
- you waited.
And waited.
Seriously, you could wait years to get a response on a book proposal or manuscript. I once waited two years for a response from a requested complete manuscript of my first time-travel romance novel. The work passed through all the processes, from query letter, to requesting the full, and moving up the editorial food chain to the marketing meeting, and then the final decision—which was, “No.”
Ouch.
That stalled the process for that novel for two years. I never did that again.
Two years is a ridiculously long wait for a no. I mean, if you think there is a chance at a yes, then of course, you wait patiently. And I suppose there was a 50/50 chance for the yes—but I got the no.
The rule of thumb back then was the longer the wait, the better—which was true because books they weren’t interested in came back to your snail mailbox lickety-split.
Been there, done that, too.
Today, as I write this, the author has been freed, my friend. Freed!
Authors have options:
- traditional publishing,
- independent and/or self-publishing,
- hybrid publishing (a mix of the two), or
- vanity publishing (don’t go there).
We discuss them all in the book.
But the best part? Authors are in control.
Let’s repeat. Authors are in control.
If that’s not the case with your personal situation, then Houston, we may have a problem.
Let’s talk.
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For more discussion about this topic, visit this blog post: Writer Wednesday: You Are The Ruler Of Your World