Too many writers focus on becoming a successful author, in comparison to the hard work that actually goes into completing a well structured and compelling manuscript. It is vital to understand that the process is a very long and gradual one. Ask any famous novelist about their rise to success, and chances are it has taken many years to hone their creative skills, and gain the recognition and following they have today. Of course, there are overnight success stories as in any business, but for the most part, you must look at your writing career as a marathon and not a sprint.
So what can you do to break into the writing world and get your work seen by readers? There are countless ways, but I will discuss what has worked for myself and fellow writers I know.
There is one common thread between myself and others I have spoken to, and that is motivation and an endless supply of stamina to succeed. When others are socialising, they are writing. They will write late into the night and before the sun comes up; they are absolutely committed to their craft. They also attend networking events and market themselves until their connection list is quite substantial. They kept working on their craft and networking with their contacts until they discovered exactly what the publisher was looking for. They then wrote a novel based on the trending subject.
Others broke into the industry by sending a query letter to their chosen publishers and sent follow up queries, until they had convinced them that their novel was a unique take on a great subject. Concentrate on the creative process and do the hard work first, even though it is not a glamorous book signing or making that million pound book deal.The process isn't as dramatic or sexy as the event, but it works. However, the foundations must be strong before anything else happens.
So, is success guaranteed if you commit yourself to your craft? Of course not, but the chances are, if you keep following the steps and persevere with sending out query letters, making connections and improving your writing style, then I would be surprised if you have not had a book or three published.
There are two sides to the process. Writing is one side, which should include lots of writing, lots of people-watching to get those ideas flowing, and lots of reading other novels. Gain a clear understanding of how to structure a story and build characters and so on. The other side, which is just as important, is the marketing of your work. There are countless ways to market your novel. I would say that the most effective option is networking and building your industry contact list. Find out what everyone in the business is talking about. What books are the publishers looking for, what is trending right now? Once you have built up a good relationship with someone in the publishing industry, is there anyone you could forward your manuscript to? I have never been the best at networking, so I have built a relationship with query emails. Once they have responded to my query, even if it is a rejection, I try to find out what they are looking for, and build a rapport with them that way. I have found that's a very successful way to get to the first step on the ladder.
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