You Have To Be Published To Get Published…(And Other Things I Hear That Make My Head Explode)
I wanted to write this post because in my travels around Teh Interwebz I have seen a lot of disenchantment with the publishing industry. It’s all very rage against the machine. Fight that man. I see a lot of ‘it’s not fair…I don’t live in New York and I don’t have an Uncle in publishing’ *snivel* or ‘you have to be published to get an agent and you have to have an agent to get published and you have to be published to get published’ *snivel snivel*
Okay, a little sniveling is both normal and acceptable. This is a tough, extremely competitive business. It’s about more than talent, there’s the right book at the right time factor, the right editor, the right agent if you have one, divine intervention. There’s just a lot of factors.
But it’s not impossible. And every time I see one of those posts I long to respond with my personal story, but that’s not the time or place. But this is. 😀
I submitted through slush with zip, zero and no inside contacts. I had no agent. (This, admittedly, worked because I was submitting to a publisher who takes unagented submissions…but I knew that. It was perfect for me.) I do not live in New York. I do not smoke cigars in a Manhattan men’s club and share saucy anecdotes over brandy and moustaches whilst my manuscript gets reviewed by my fellow fat cats.
Why am I repeating this? Because I think it’s important to know. It is possible to go from slush to sold. It is possible to be an unknown from a rural part of the US that your editor is…well…unfamiliar with.
I find a lot of people who complain on those boards so loudly and…snivelously…are the kind who tout how amazing they are. So clearly, it’s not them, it’s the industry. *Maisey’s head explodes*
I’m willing to concede that it’s possible that really amazing, marketable books that would have been bestsellers get passed over. Maybe. It’s possible. But the vast majority of the time, that’s just not true. And it’s not even to say what these people are writing isn’t good, but when a rejection comes you have to be willing to learn from it, not just get mad at it. Writing is a learning process. I’ve made sales now, but I’m in no way “there”. I’m still learning and I’m still getting better. (This is something I have to remember…just in case I experience rapid ego growth…LOL)
The thing is though, a lot of these people who are so angry because they can’t make it, don’t realize that what they have just isn’t there yet. It might even be close, but they get so upset and so offended that people don’t see what they do, that the genius has been missed, they can’t concede that they need to improve.
So here’s the deal: It’s possible, but you have to submit. You have to be willing to revise. Sometimes you have to accept that an MS isn’t ready for primetime and move onto the next project. Don’t write editors and agents nasty letters. Don’t post rude things on blogs. Keep writing, keep getting better. Submit. Write and submit some more. Because you can do it. It’s not a closed club. It’s not only for the good ol’ boys and their buddies.
Really, I wanted to write this post to encourage you. Because you can’t change the fact that you don’t have a great aunt at accounts payable at Random House, or whatever connection you’re supposed to need, but you can work on your craft. You can keep going. You can have the dream.
The moral of the story? You don’t have to be published to get published.
Keep on keepin’ on, my friends. 😉
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Great post as ever, Maisey! And I think its worth adding that sometimes its the place you’ve sent your ms. My first crime novel was read in full by 2 agents at Curtis Brown, and the feedback was ‘its beautifully written, but we don’t know where we can place it.’ Each publishing house is looking for a very specific type of book, and if you don’t sell to them, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your book isn’t good enough, it just isn’t what they’re looking for. So make sure to really review the market. Look at books ‘like yours’ and note down the publisher. Read the acknowledgements inside, and find out who their agent is. And try subbing to them.
That’s very true, Sally. Marketing, the real business part, is a very serious reality. I always say, if a publisher can make money off of you, they’ll publish your book. (And I mean that in the nicest way *g*)
Fab post, Maisey and completely right to remind everyone that the only way to get pubbed is to sub. It’s ok entering contests and all the other things writers do and talk about doing … but the only way to actually ‘make it’ is to sub.
Contests are great. Anything to get an edge. If you can skip slush and get a request, all the better because the wait times are long. I wasn’t able to, and it still worked out.
But what it really comes down to his doing what you have control over, which, as you said, is the subbing!! 😀
… And I’ll chime in with one more thing the writer can do: she can write! Subbing and writing are the only things we control.
Absolutely, Kristina! And, I’ll add, *g* that we can behave in a professional manner. By that I mean write, sub, and do so following the protocol of the publisher/agent your submitting to. I look at it as the world’s longest job interview, and I think if you adopt that mindset, it lets you know what behavior is cool and what is out of bounds.
I reckon so many people just forget that it’s all about money. It’s not about your ‘art’. If you want to be published, you have to realise that editors want books they can sell. And to sell them, they have to go into bookshops. And if bookshops don’t know where to put them, they won’t buy them. Okay, there will always be books for which this isn’t true but those are few and far between. It helps to target your work and to understand that marketing and money is the bottom line. It’s not selling out. It’s being realistic. Why make it harder than it already is?
Anyway, great post as always m’dear!
Was going to say, but it’s already been said, ah, will say it anywho:
To be pubbed, you need to sub. Ain’t much use otherwise.
It’s true, Jackie. It’s business. If it won’t sell, they won’t buy.
Janette, preach on, sister!
Great post Maisey! 🙂
I have to admit it makes me sad to read a success story and find that someone has left nasty comments. The concept of having self esteem that is too high is fascinating to me and surprisingly common in this industry. It’s as though they lose all empathy and perspective with their self focus. I love success stories, they’re a great reason to lock the door, eat chocolate (any excuse will do!) and sigh over dreams lol they definitely don’t make me angry…
Thanks, Lacey. 😉 And chocolate is good for all occasions. Dreams are one of the most wonderful things in life, I think. They really keep you going.
I think people want to find an excuse that allows them to stop trying. Or to take the easy way. Then they don’t have to revise or rework or rewrite – or write another, better book. They can blame it on someone or something else. Because, when you look around, you see a whole lot of people who’ve been successful at this business. I love “call stories” because it shows what’s possible with hard work and persistence.
Anne, that’s so very true. It’s an extremely stretching experience to really tear a book apart and reach deeper inside yourself, to really write better than you’re capable of. It’s easier to say something is perfect than to do that!
The Sheikh was that for me. My other rewrites were a challenge, but rewriting that book (twice) was very emotional for me. It actually took me a few days to recover emotionally when I was done, because by the end I was just so involved in it, and trying so hard to feel the characters (like method acting? LOL) but in the end I’m so pleased with it, and, better still, my editor is!! It’s always worth it. And I can take what I learned and apply it to the next MS.
LOL @ ‘world’s longest interview’ comment!
But what’s all this about subbing and hard work and anyone can do it? You are so wrong. My writing is just *amazing* and no one ever wants it. Sob. Whimper. Gnash teeth. Chuck small china ornamental dog at the computer screen.
Well, I guess I’d better sub my next ms to HMB soon, and knuckle down to the wait and sweat game.
But I’m telling you now, if I don’t hear back by 2032, there’s gonna be TROUBLE!
Well, not just anyone can do it. 🙂 But I’m sure you can.
And feel free to throw a china dog every now and then. Tantrums in the privacy of your own home are expected and encouraged. 😀