Another newish writer just wrote me, saying they were finishing their first book and were looking for advice and direction specifically in regards to getting critique, writing query letters, and dealing with agents. As I assembled some thoughts, I realized that they were suitable for this blog. This isn't earth-shaking stuff. But it is practical information that I wish I had known in the beginning. If you or someone you know are a new writer, read on.
This was my response to the writer.
Congrats on writing a book! That is a big deal, and you should be very proud! You sound articulate and intelligent, and you will likely find success in this business if you are tenacious.
To find critique partners and beta readers, it is good to join a writing group. They are all over. We have one on the South Shore: Tahoe Writers Works. I recommend joining and going to their monthly meetings. Over the years, many of their members have gotten great benefits, and several have published books. Here is their website:
First, a caveat. I've learned that writers generally don't want to hear advice on how to succeed in writing because success takes more than writing a single book. (But your first book is what makes it all possible!)
I don't want to sound tedious but it is worth repeating. Success comes from constant writing and many books. Making up stories for a living is the best job in the world. When you finish your book, start another and then another and then another. It may be that the single most important component of finding success is that, like all successful writers, you have to write many books. (Check out your favorite successful authors and notice how many books they have. Use them as role models. Plan to write as many as they have.)
As for publishing, the world of agents and traditional publishing has been shrinking fast. Many agents have gone out of business with the rise of self publishing. If you want to pursue agents, there are many books and blogs on the process. Just spend a few days Googling your questions.
But the bottom line is that pursuing agents takes an enormous amount of time and rarely yields results. If you can eventually get a publishing contract (the average advance on a novel is just a few thousand dollars), you give up all control to the publisher, yet as author, you still have to sell the book to readers. The publisher takes 90% of the book's earnings and the agent takes 15% of what's left. This is why the vast majority of New York-published authors still have to have a day job their whole lives.
In contrast, with self publishing you retain control and you get most of the money. The pundits who study this stuff say that half of all Amazon bestsellers are now self-published, and many those authors make much more money than the other half that are giving their profits to publishers.
Love it or hate it, Amazon now controls the book business. You can self publish on Amazon for free. (Although a professional cover is a huge help and is worth the few hundred dollars it usually costs.) To learn about Amazon self publishing, check out: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/
Self publishing is a lot of work. As with all professions, success comes to those who are the most focused and work the hardest. (Sorry to sound harsh, but I assume you want the truth.) But if you write lots of books (the one thing that all successful authors have in common is they write lots of books), you can do very well.
I launched my writing career with two books. In the eyes of readers, two books immediately made me seem more serious than one-book authors. If I did it all over again, I would launch with three books. (Bestseller Hugh Howey wrote 20 before he launched - talk about learning your craft!) Write a few books before you do anything else except for participating in a writing group. Make your books in a series with the same characters. Have the titles and covers coordinate. (Study your favorite authors for examples. And notice that you probably have no favorite authors with just one book!)
If you choose to self publish, please don't go with one of the thousands of so-called self publishing companies. They are scams preying on authors with stars in their eyes. Self publishing is doing it yourself, where you have complete control and give no rights to anyone. You can self publish at nearly no cost. It takes some research of course, but it's nothing compared to the work of writing a novel. Except for paying for professional covers and professional editing, don't pay anyone else! If someone wants money to do what you can do yourself for free, run the other direction.
When you get specific questions, feel free to write and ask.
Good luck!
Todd
P.S. On my blog, click on the "on writing" link on the right side. There are over a hundred articles on publishing and writing. Most of what I know about the business is there. Scroll down and you will find many ideas on how to find success in writing.
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