Advice for Aspiring Authors
“What’s your best advice for an aspiring writer?”
All authors get asked this question. Most try to be helpful, but what can we say in a few minutes when entire books, conferences, and grad programs are dedicated to this topic? Writers spend lifetimes studying the endless secrets of the craft, and we often use jargon that outsiders find mystifying.
So, when someone touches my elbow and asks for advice, I struggle to come up with an adequate response. A lot depends on the person’s level of expertise. An intermediate or advanced writer has already invested serious time and effort into researching all aspects of the writing life, from muse to market. But novices sometimes expect a magic key to the kingdom. It just doesn’t work that way.
Recently, a relative wanted advice about publishing a children’s book. I asked how much of it was written, and his response was a wink and a tap on the temple. “It’s all up here,” he said.
I took a deep breath, remembering that we all start at this point, and tried to cover the basics. Still, the more I explained, the more I had to backtrack and explain unfamiliar terms.
I think it’s time to lay out some basic ideas on paper. So, this article is dedicated to those who are just getting started. If you want to write but aren’t sure how to get started, here are some tips:
1. It’s important to educate yourself about the writing process. Join a writers group. Go to workshops and conferences. You don’t have to bring a manuscript to mingle with writers, just as you don’t have to be a yoga master to sign up for a yoga class. Be curious and enjoy learning the basics.
2. Read books, magazines, and blogs about the craft and business of writing. Ask a librarian for guidance. Check your local bookstore and buy reference books that spark your interest. Subscribe to Writer’s Digest magazine. You’ll also find a short bibliography at the end of this article.
3. Fully research the genre of the book you wish to write. Go to book-signings and read, read, read! Let accomplished authors inspire you. (Note: when you’re having trouble with some aspect of your writing, you’ll often find a solution in another author’s book.)
4. During the writing process, you must learn the proper formatting of a manuscript. If you’re a serious writer, you’ll write several drafts before you’re satisfied. Revision is an important part of the process.
5. Learn what a query letter is and how to write one. (Even if you ultimately decide to self-publish, you need to understand the pros and cons of traditional publishing.)
6. Envision your finished book and find where it belongs in the bookstore. The authors who have come before you have forged a path, and it’s much easier to follow that path than to declare yourself a writer without precedent. Study the authors you admire. (These may be your competition, but they’re also peers and potential friends.) Read the authors’ acknowledgements and note publishers, editors, and agents.
7. When your book is finished, check the agents’ websites for the types of books they represent and their submission guidelines. Disregard this step at your peril. The agent’s job is to deliver your how-to book to an editor who specializes in how-to books, or your sci-fi novel to an editor who loves sci-fi. On your own, you risk doing the reverse.
8. If your book is nonfiction, it might be possible to sell it based on a comprehensive book proposal. Start with a table of contents, the first 3-5 chapters, and a synopsis. If you have an area of expertise and an impressive biography, your work is much more marketable. Again, check the agents’ websites for submission guidelines.
9. Note: Fiction and memoir are almost never sold except as complete, polished manuscripts. Celebrities are the exception, not the rule.
10. With any book—whether a children’s book or an economic treatise—you’ll need to present a well-crafted manuscript. Rejection is inevitable, so be open to constructive criticism and keep learning.
11. Good luck! With professionalism and persistence, you’ll be on your way to publishing your work.
All authors get asked this question. Most try to be helpful, but what can we say in a few minutes when entire books, conferences, and grad programs are dedicated to this topic? Writers spend lifetimes studying the endless secrets of the craft, and we often use jargon that outsiders find mystifying.
So, when someone touches my elbow and asks for advice, I struggle to come up with an adequate response. A lot depends on the person’s level of expertise. An intermediate or advanced writer has already invested serious time and effort into researching all aspects of the writing life, from muse to market. But novices sometimes expect a magic key to the kingdom. It just doesn’t work that way.
Recently, a relative wanted advice about publishing a children’s book. I asked how much of it was written, and his response was a wink and a tap on the temple. “It’s all up here,” he said.
I took a deep breath, remembering that we all start at this point, and tried to cover the basics. Still, the more I explained, the more I had to backtrack and explain unfamiliar terms.
I think it’s time to lay out some basic ideas on paper. So, this article is dedicated to those who are just getting started. If you want to write but aren’t sure how to get started, here are some tips:
1. It’s important to educate yourself about the writing process. Join a writers group. Go to workshops and conferences. You don’t have to bring a manuscript to mingle with writers, just as you don’t have to be a yoga master to sign up for a yoga class. Be curious and enjoy learning the basics.
2. Read books, magazines, and blogs about the craft and business of writing. Ask a librarian for guidance. Check your local bookstore and buy reference books that spark your interest. Subscribe to Writer’s Digest magazine. You’ll also find a short bibliography at the end of this article.
3. Fully research the genre of the book you wish to write. Go to book-signings and read, read, read! Let accomplished authors inspire you. (Note: when you’re having trouble with some aspect of your writing, you’ll often find a solution in another author’s book.)
4. During the writing process, you must learn the proper formatting of a manuscript. If you’re a serious writer, you’ll write several drafts before you’re satisfied. Revision is an important part of the process.
5. Learn what a query letter is and how to write one. (Even if you ultimately decide to self-publish, you need to understand the pros and cons of traditional publishing.)
6. Envision your finished book and find where it belongs in the bookstore. The authors who have come before you have forged a path, and it’s much easier to follow that path than to declare yourself a writer without precedent. Study the authors you admire. (These may be your competition, but they’re also peers and potential friends.) Read the authors’ acknowledgements and note publishers, editors, and agents.
7. When your book is finished, check the agents’ websites for the types of books they represent and their submission guidelines. Disregard this step at your peril. The agent’s job is to deliver your how-to book to an editor who specializes in how-to books, or your sci-fi novel to an editor who loves sci-fi. On your own, you risk doing the reverse.
8. If your book is nonfiction, it might be possible to sell it based on a comprehensive book proposal. Start with a table of contents, the first 3-5 chapters, and a synopsis. If you have an area of expertise and an impressive biography, your work is much more marketable. Again, check the agents’ websites for submission guidelines.
9. Note: Fiction and memoir are almost never sold except as complete, polished manuscripts. Celebrities are the exception, not the rule.
10. With any book—whether a children’s book or an economic treatise—you’ll need to present a well-crafted manuscript. Rejection is inevitable, so be open to constructive criticism and keep learning.
11. Good luck! With professionalism and persistence, you’ll be on your way to publishing your work.
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Bell, James Scott. Plot & Structure. Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books, 2004.
Ephron, Hallie. Writing & Selling Your Mystery Novel. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer’s Digest Books, 2016.
Highsmith, Patricia. Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1983.
James, Steven. Story Trumps Structure. Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books, 2014.
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York, NY, Pocket Books, 2001.
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York, NY: Anchor, 1995.
Maass, Donald. Writing the Breakout Novel. Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books, 2002.
McKee, Robert. Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the principles of Screenwriting. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1997.
Mosley, Walter. This Year You Write Your Novel. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Co, 2007.
Prose, Francine. Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2006.
Roerden, Chris. Don’t Sabotage Your Submission. Rock Hill, SC: Bella Rosa Books, 2008.
Snyder, Blake. Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2005.
Stein, Sol. Stein on Writing. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1995.