The "Spotlight On" series is basically just highlighting some web resources I've found useful.
I've held onto the post below because sometimes as writers the hard part isn't the doing... it's the waiting. The uncertainty. The sheer patience and perserverance required to get to the top of this molehill we call publication.
See, part of the problem is a few years ago a housewife from Arizona wrote a book inside three months. She sent it off to a bunch of agents and Writer's House came calling. Within another two or three months she had a MASSIVE publishing contract in her hot little hands.
Fastforward a few years and you've got one of the hottest book series ever published on the shelves and an author who's a household name.... and her story is Out There. Everyone thinks they can take her story and make it their own. And that's just not the case.
Check out Tana Adam's story. There's a case study in perserverance and dedication! I for one applaud her and can't wait to see her name in print.
Check out Lauren DeStefano's story. Her book Wither came out last month as one of the most anticipated releases this year. Yet it isn't the first book she wrote - not even the book that made her agent offer representation!
The truth is, everyone's journeys are different. While the goal may ultimately be the same, it's unrealistic to pick a popular author out of the pile and set your expectations based on their work.
So what do we do?
Steve Laube is an agent who's been around for a long time and is often referred to by other successful agents I know. He's written an article on just how long it takes to get a book from contract to publication that I think we should all read it every few months and take a good, solid hit of reality.
Whether you're looking for an agent or a contract, it's probably going to take longer than you think. And even after that contract is in place... well, I'll let Steve tell you.
Your Turn: What expectations did you / do you have about how long the next step in your writing career is going to take? What made you think that? How do you deal with it if your expectations aren't met?
I've held onto the post below because sometimes as writers the hard part isn't the doing... it's the waiting. The uncertainty. The sheer patience and perserverance required to get to the top of this molehill we call publication.
See, part of the problem is a few years ago a housewife from Arizona wrote a book inside three months. She sent it off to a bunch of agents and Writer's House came calling. Within another two or three months she had a MASSIVE publishing contract in her hot little hands.
Fastforward a few years and you've got one of the hottest book series ever published on the shelves and an author who's a household name.... and her story is Out There. Everyone thinks they can take her story and make it their own. And that's just not the case.
Check out Tana Adam's story. There's a case study in perserverance and dedication! I for one applaud her and can't wait to see her name in print.
Check out Lauren DeStefano's story. Her book Wither came out last month as one of the most anticipated releases this year. Yet it isn't the first book she wrote - not even the book that made her agent offer representation!
The truth is, everyone's journeys are different. While the goal may ultimately be the same, it's unrealistic to pick a popular author out of the pile and set your expectations based on their work.
So what do we do?
Steve Laube is an agent who's been around for a long time and is often referred to by other successful agents I know. He's written an article on just how long it takes to get a book from contract to publication that I think we should all read it every few months and take a good, solid hit of reality.
Whether you're looking for an agent or a contract, it's probably going to take longer than you think. And even after that contract is in place... well, I'll let Steve tell you.
Your Turn: What expectations did you / do you have about how long the next step in your writing career is going to take? What made you think that? How do you deal with it if your expectations aren't met?
