The Craft: September 2007
So, you wrote and sold your first book. Congratulations! How did you do it? If you were like me, this is what you did:
1) In mid-March, you
visited your long-suffering agent of eight years who tells you to stop
writing stuff no one will read and to get on the stick and write a
“thriller or something.”
2) Mortified, started said thriller on the airplane home.
3) Realized, “Hey, it’s what I most enjoy reading, anyway! Why didn’t I do this years ago?”
Secret One: Write the damn book!
Of course, the all important first step is to finish a manuscript. Maybe not even one, it might take several. Most people don't realize it, but the average published author writes over half a million words before they sell.
Let me repeat that. Half a million words.
We may hear of those "overnight" successes, but they are rare.
Just be prepared that you might not hit a home run the first time out—but that's all right, because you'll be building contacts and learning valuable tips that will help your writing career.
Yet, despite knowing this, agents and editors report that 80% of the manuscripts they request never show up on their doorstep—or if they do, it's months to years later. Why? Because the writer pitched the manuscript before it was finished.
Think elephants have long memories? It's nothing compared to an agent's or editor's memory of the time you wasted!
So, you wrote and sold your first book. Congratulations! How did you do it? If you were like me, this is what you did:
1) In mid-March, you
visited your long-suffering agent of eight years who tells you to stop
writing stuff no one will read and to get on the stick and write a
“thriller or something.”
2) Mortified, started said thriller on the airplane home.
3) Realized, “Hey, it’s what I most enjoy reading, anyway! Why didn’t I do this years ago?”
Secret One: Write the damn book!
Of course, the all important first step is to finish a manuscript. Maybe not even one, it might take several. Most people don't realize it, but the average published author writes over half a million words before they sell.
Let me repeat that. Half a million words.
We may hear of those "overnight" successes, but they are rare.
Just be prepared that you might not hit a home run the first time out—but that's all right, because you'll be building contacts and learning valuable tips that will help your writing career.
Yet, despite knowing this, agents and editors report that 80% of the manuscripts they request never show up on their doorstep—or if they do, it's months to years later. Why? Because the writer pitched the manuscript before it was finished.
Think elephants have long memories? It's nothing compared to an agent's or editor's memory of the time you wasted!
