2.
Always act professionally in your dealings with fellow writers, publishers, and
others in your industry. Acting professionally is essential when it comes to
signing contracts. Do not sign a contract just to get signed. You can always
negotiate clauses (publishers expect you to!), and if you don’t know anything
about writing contracts, employ a professional to do so (such as the Arts Law
Society, ASA , or a solicitor who
specialises in arts’ contracts.)
3.
Create your own resources. This includes creating a manuscript dispatches’ file
or tracker, index cards (or computer-generated file) for each manuscript
submission, a list of relevant addresses, contact details for publishers, and a
library of relevant books and magazines.
4.
Attend writing workshops, conferences, and book fairs (see #1. to find out
where and when).
5.
Your own writing space is essential. Organise it so you know where everything
is and make others respect it. Put a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door (and in
your head!)
6.
Call yourself a writer. Believe it! Make it happen by writing regularly and
submitting frequently. Create a signature on your emails which declares you are
a writer, for example:
Yours
sincerely,
Sally
Smith
Writer
My
signature is
Dianne (Di) Bates
dibates@pacific.net.au
www.enterprisingwords.com
PO Box 2116
Woonona East
NSW 2517
Ph (02) 42843020
Latest Books: Nobody's Boy (Celepane Press)
The Girl in the Basement (Morris Publishing Australia)
Erky Perky Silly Stuff (Five Senses Education)
dibates@pacific.net.au
www.enterprisingwords.com
PO Box 2116
Woonona East
NSW 2517
Ph (02) 42843020
Latest Books: Nobody's Boy (Celepane Press)
The Girl in the Basement (Morris Publishing Australia)
Erky Perky Silly Stuff (Five Senses Education)
You’ll
note that when I wish to promote a book, its details are included on the
signature (see above).
7.
Set yourself writing goals and deadlines. Write them down. Keep to them. Goals
can be both short-term (I will complete my short story by 20 November) or
long-term (By 30 December 2013, I will have finished the first draft of my
novel.)
8.
Never, ever hassle publishers. After you submit and record date and place of
submission, move on to your next writing project. If your publisher has not
responded after 8 – 12 weeks, then send a brief, polite email or letter of
enquiry. If the publisher ignores your correspondence, then send your manuscript
elsewhere, and cross them off your list of would-be publishers.
9.
Make and write down decisions about what you expect and will tolerate as a
writer. This will help you formulate how professional you will be in your
dealings with publishers and the public in general.
10.
If you are writing for a particular market (especially for young people), read
as many of the recently published, best selling and old favourites books as
there are in that genre. Note who the publishers are: their addresses, if the book
is recent, are always available to you on the book’s information (also called
imprint) page.
11.
Get a business card with your name and contact details on it. You can buy
sheets of make-it-yourself business cards from a stationers’ and create the card
yourself with your computer (go to Labels, located under Tools on the Menu
bar).
12. Network! The more people you know in the
industry, the more resources you have available. At conferences, fairs, etc
don’t be nervous about approaching people – even the speakers – and giving out
your business card. If anyone gives you their business card it’s a good idea to
follow-up with an email. If they respond, keep in touch. You never know what it
can lead to!
13.
Share! So many writers keep markets to themselves for fear others will get
published. If your work is good enough, your work will be accepted. Competition
is inevitable. If you are generous, then other generous people will
reciprocate; you will also be creating goodwill among contemporaries, and potential
readers!
14.
It is wise not to consider editors, art directors, publicists, market directors
and literary agents as personal friends. Be friendly, by all means, but
crossing the fine line can create problems further down the line.
15.
(This should probably be #1!) Learn and practice how to self-edit! So many new
writers learn about writing, but neglect the skill that makes the difference
between a good manuscript and a GREAT manuscript. Editing is not just spelling,
grammar and punctuation: looking at every single word and sentence, and the
overall structure of your work is what editing is about. Not many teach it, but
you can find books to help you self edit.
16.
Never, ever submit a manuscript which is less than the very best you can do.
This means re-reading it many times for errors. Don’t rely on a computer
spell-check.
16.
Self-publishing is possible, but the most difficult aspect is distribution. If
you use a distributor to get your books into Australian bookshops, be aware
that they charge upwards of 60% discount, and not many will handle one-off
titles. If you intend to self-distribute, you need great promotional abilities
and lots of time and energy.
17.
If you donate materials relating to Australian children’s books, such as
letters from publishers, manuscripts, proof pages and so on, you might be
eligible for the Government's Cultural Gifts Program, a scheme by which your
collection is valued (no charge to you) by independent assessors, and a
certificate issued to you which will enable you to obtain tax relief. For more
information, or to donate a collection, contact the Field Officer of the
Archives division of your state library or the National Library of Australia.
Keep all of those letters, royalty statements and stuff you might otherwise
throw out!
18.
Remember that the Australian book industry is a small one and many people know
one another: be discrete when talking of others!
19.
It is quite in order for you to thank an editor or publisher or others on the
publishing team if they produce a book for you which you think is great, or if
a magazine has chosen a great illustrator to go with your story. A nice gesture
is a card, a bunch or flowers, bottle of wine, chocolates (but bribes are not a
good way to go!)
20.
If you are lucky enough to get a mentor whom you don’t have to pay, try to do
something for him or her. Perhaps you could offer to undertake some research on
the internet…
21.
Keep all of your receipts which you can claim as tax deductions against your
writing income – even if you don’t make very much. I can legitimately – and
honestly – claim deductions in the tens of thousands of dollars so get a good
accountant or seek the advice of someone who makes writing expenses’ claims.
22.
Spend more time writing than you do going to workshops and conferences!
23.
Keep a time-sheet is a terrific way of seeing just how much time you really
“work”. My husband and I are full-time freelancers, who each spend an average
40 hours a week at our writing desks.
24.
If you are asked to speak as a writer, do not do it gratis (unless it is your
child’s school); your time is valuable, so value it yourself. I charge per
child per hour, with a minimum charge per hour.
25.
If you intend to publicise your book/s, then undertake a speaking course. Toastmaster
International is a great organisation, which will teach you how to make
butterflies fly in formation, and to speak impromptu to an audience. (Deduct
the cost of joining and meetings against your writing income.)
26.
Set small achievable goals and try to write undisturbed regularly. Give
yourself an allotted time where writing is your only priority.
27.
Keep a despatches’ book or online register which shows when and where you send
out manuscripts.
28.
Keep a record of each manuscript’s history: record how long the piece is, when
you finished it, places to which it has been sent and if it has been accepted
or rejected.
29.
Do not sit beside the phone or hang out at the mail box when you submit a
manuscript: get to work on the next one!
30.
Do not take it personally when your work is rejected by a publisher. There are
many reasons why work is returned. Quality of writing is not the only factor:
it could be that the publisher has only the day before accepted a similar piece
to that which you’ve submitted.
My
highest number of consecutive manuscript rejections is 47! One of my published
books was rejected by 15 publishers over a six year period, but when it came
out, it was not only very popular, but was accepted for overseas’ translation. Another
of my books was taken by the 32nd publisher to whom I submitted it.
31.
Do not be fearful of submitting a manuscript: there are only one or two
(usually anonymous) people who will read it, and you will never know who they
are. The worst that can happen is that your work is returned. Also, don’t worry
about © copyright: it’s rare than anyone in a publishing house will “steal”
your idea.
32.
Recycle: when your manuscript is rejected, re-submit it the same day to another
publisher. If it is your 6th or 7th rejection, then the chances are it’s not
the best writing in the world (but it might be you haven't found the right publisher).
33.
Most authors worry about multiple submissions, or sending the same manuscript
to two or more publishers at the same time. My usual approach is to multiply
submit as book publishers are notorious for taking a long time to respond to
unsolicited submissions. However, it is a courtesy to let the publisher know
that they are not the only company looking at your work. Someone once said,
what to do if you get two or more publishers wishing to publish your work, is
to celebrate. The advantage of competing publishers for one work is that you
have leverage regarding contract negotiations.
34.
If you prefer to submit a manuscript to one publisher at a time, it is a sound
policy to set a deadline. Tell the publisher that they have exclusive rights to
read your work until… then name a date, say 6-8 weeks hence. If you have had no
response by the date, wait 2-3 days, then make a polite phone call or send an
email or card, asking if there is any interest. If there is no response,
immediately send your work on to the next publisher.
34.
Never expect a publisher to write a report on why they have rejected your work.
It is not their job.
35.
If a publishing house rejects your work and says why, then your work obviously
had some merit: most rejected manuscripts are not commented on. Feel
encouraged, but work even harder to improve your work!
36.
If your manuscript is rejected with notes from the publisher, it is quite in
order for you to re-write, using the publisher’s suggestions, and then to
re-submit. The second time around address it to the editor who sent you the
letter, and remind him/her that you have re-worked your manuscript based on
their earlier comments.
Even
if you did exactly what the publisher suggested, they are not legally bound to
accept your re-submission.
38.
The best way to get on side with a published author is to read his/her work,
and let them know if you enjoy it. You will find most writers – especially
children’s writers – friendly and approachable.
39.
If you meet someone in the publishing business – such as an author - do not ask
them to read your manuscript, even if you paid once upon a time for a course
they conducted. Pay for a manuscript assessment.
40.
If a manuscript assessor writers a
favourable report on your work, then it is okay (in fact a good idea) to submit
a copy of the report with your manuscript when you submit it to a publisher.
41.
It is not good policy to sign an option clause on a contract, even though it
sounds good. The option clause says that the publisher has first right of
refusal on your next work. If you sign it, you can be in for trouble in future.
If you want to, you can always approach your existing publisher with a new
manuscript.
42.
Study publishers’ catalogues: quite often you can get a good idea of what they
are likely to accept, and sometimes you can see a “gap” in their range. This is
particularly the case with educational publishers.
43.
If you want to write a non-fiction book, you are advised to create a proposal
before you write the book. The proposal will report on matters such as your
book concept, your expertise in the intended subject and/or your
qualifications, the book’s target market, competing books, reasons why your book
will sell well, an outline of the books’ contents and a sample chapter. An
interested publisher will likely talk to you about your ideas and even offer a
contract before you proceed.
44.
Never, ever, ever miss a deadline! Professionals will work around the clock
rather than miss one. I once worked with a new illustrator who missed important
deadlines, which held up the publisher's schedule. It was her first and last
job as an illustrator: news travels in the publishing world.
45.
Many writers want to know how long a story or a book should be. It depends on
who you are writing for, and what kind of book. If you don’t know, go to the
people who do know, or check out submission guidelines on the internet.
46.
If you don’t have a computer, you should forget about being a writer. Learn to
back up work-in-progress constantly. Most publishers these days require a hard
copy of your work as well as a soft copy.
47.
When I send bulky manuscripts to publishers, I tell them I do not require
return of manuscript. Instead, I include a ssae (stamped, self-addressed
envelope) with 50 cent postage stamp, and also invite the publisher to report
to me via email, if they prefer. This saves a lot of money in postage.
48.
A writing buddy is very motivating, if you can find one. The idea is that you
swap work-in-progress, and motivate and encourage one another. If you don’t
know any other writers, then advertise for a buddy. In most states there are
writers’ centres which have newsletters. I have used the Public Notices’ pages of
my local regional newspaper to find writers (and succeeded!) A writing group I
founded about 20 years ago is still running, though I long ago left it.
49.
If you can find like-minded writers, form a writers’ work shopping group which
meets regularly. Up to six members is fine; personally I prefer 3-4. The idea
is to meet in someone’s home, or perhaps a public place such as the meeting
room in the local library. Each person takes reads his or her work to the
group, and then members of the group offer constructive criticism. In setting
up a workshop group, it is advisable that members are of a similar writing
level and write in the same genre, such as short stories or novels. You would
also be advised as a group to decide on a list of criteria for assessment
before the work shopping begins. A certain level of trust needs to exist for a
workshop group to function effectively.
50.
Most new writers desperately want an agent. Agents are not always what they are
cracked up to be. I know of authors who regret having agents because they have
become bound by agreements which they cannot escape. Your best tool for success
is brilliant writing! There are loop-holes when it comes to publishers saying
they will only take work from agented writers. (obtain my article How to Get
Both Feet Past Publishers’ Locked Doors from dibates@pacific.net.au for free. I
have testimonials which state that lateral thinking and actions, as suggested
by the article, does work.)
51.
If you hear about a new market or opportunity, attend to it immediately. This
is one of the main reasons why I get so much work published! I am constantly
ferreting out markets. When I find a new one, I make contact that very moment.
Often my work is the first submitted to a new publisher. Move quickly. Don’t
leave deadlines to the last minute. It’s a trite but absolutely true saying,
“The early bird gets the best (juiciest and sometimes only) worm.”
ALL
THE VERY BEST OF LUCK WITH YOUR WRITING CAREER! (Remember, you can make your
own luck…)
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