Thursday, 20 February 2014
How to get a book published.
Now that my first published novel is out
and about (the most terrifying and awesome feeling ever), folks are getting
curious.
How
long did it take you to write it? (1 year to write,
1 year to edit)
Where
did you get the idea? (A dream)
Where
did you find the time? (Time isn’t change on the
ground that you find, you make time)
Does
it come in large print? (Not yet, Grandmother, but
you’ll be the first to know)
But the main question people want to know,
and one that I wanted to know before I had this opportunity, is how in the
world does a person go about getting a book published.
My
Story:
2006: I wrote a book. It was
terrible. I queried it and got rejected.
2008: I wrote a book. It was slightly less terrible. I queried it and got
rejected.
2010: I wrote a book. It was bearable. I queried it, got a little
interest, but no representation.
2011: I wrote TEMPUS. I queried it, got a little interest, but no
representation. Something in me KNEW this book was worth fighting for. So in …
2012: I spent a year re-dreaming TEMPUS. I sent out manuscripts to people
I trusted for feedback. I got a critique partner. I edited, cut down, edited,
cut down.
2013: I queried TEMPUS again. This time, Kitty Bullard reached out to me
and asked if I’d like her wonderful publishing house, GMTA, to publish TEMPUS.
I was in bed. I pressed my face into the pillow and screamed for joy.
2014:
TEMPUS was released .
Quick
Tips:
-Tailor
your queries so you’re sending agents/publishers ONLY what they ask for.
Agents almost always list what they’re
currently looking for in their profiles. Do you fit in their niche? Do they
already represent someone like you? Do your research and mention these things
specifically. I queried about 25
agents/publishers with TEMPUS, but I knew that each of them were looking for
something like it, and believed I added to or complimented their current list.
-Join
a good database like Writer’s Market to keep yourself up-to-date on trends and
current marketplace needs.
This is also where you can get connected to
agents, publishers, and other writers. I got nearly all my agent profiles off
this page.
-Read
good books to sharpen your usage and mind.
I learned a ton from reading books like
WARM BODIES (Isaac Marion), The DIVERGENT Series (Veronica Roth), and THE
MORTAL INSTRUMENTS Series (Cassandra Clare). These people have “made it” so to
speak, so watching what they do teaches you what gets published.
-And, most of all, keep writing, keep writing, keep writing.
If I had given up after my first book, that
would have been it. Rejection is hard. But I made myself a promise: I would
keep writing until someone published my book. I was just crazy enough to
believe it. And if you’re a writer, my guess is that you’re a little crazy,
too. J
If you’ve been published before, I’d love
to hear about your journey.
Available
Now
Chapel Ryan isn't crazy. At least,
that's what she's been trying to convince herself of for most of her life. But
after being hallucination-free for three years, Chapel finds herself facedown
on her English classroom’s gritty linoleum floor. When she looks up, everyone
around her is suspended in animation. Mouths hang open mid-yawn, feet hover
mid-cross, Ms. Freeman’s arm flexes mid-sentence diagram. It's another
hallucination. Or, is it?
Chapel prepares to tear herself back to reality when
something happens. Something that has never happened before in any of her
hallucinations--someone moves. And not just any someone—it’s the new guy with a
scar over his lip and a reputation as black as his perfectly styled hair. And
all of the sudden Chapel's white-knuckle grip on her life has slipped, and with
it, her assurance that what she's experiencing isn't real.
●
Genre:
New Adult Fantasy
● One
Sentence Description: After she learns the true nature of
her hallucinations, high school senior Chapel Ryan must decide who she can
trust in a world where the rules of genetics do not apply
●
Available
here: Amazon & Barnes & Nobles
Holly Lauren
Holly was born and raised in a small town in North Georgia.
The third of four children, Holly grew up telling stories to get herself out
of—and her siblings into—trouble. When she was eight years old, she penned her
first publication: a newspaper called Sunny Dayz News. While she didn’t sell
any actual copies, her sympathetic grandmother did peruse through the edition
at least once.
When Holly isn’t dreaming up new plotlines for her next book,
she enjoys breakfasting at Picnic Café in Dahlonega, Georgia with her
(handsome) husband and their two (adorable) daughters.
NEWSFLASH!!!!!
Want a copy of the book Tempus by Holly Lauren? Leave a comment with your email address or email me (brookbooks@hotmail.co.uk) your email address and I will pick 5 winners! Yes 5! Competition closes midnight 26th February!
Inspirational! Just shows what hard work and a lot of editing can do.
Just what I always knew... Never give up and believe... and be a little crazy... :)
p.s. in case if I am between lucky five... you know my e-mail don't you? ;)
It's good to know that not just a passionate writer could be a known author of interesting book. Keep it up!