Getting Published

The first thing I learned on my way to being published is telling a story and crafting a novel are not the same thing. There are rules and guidelines for writing a book.

I started doing all the research I could online. The internet taught me things like the average page count for science fiction, how to develop the characters, and show don’t tell. But after applying everything I discovered and sending my book to over fifty publishing houses, only one place showed any interest—and they wanted a rewrite.

Fortunately, they submitted my work to their readers. Boy did they tear it apart! My best piece of advice to writers is—be open to criticism. If you are too afraid to hear something bad about your work or too prideful to listen, you will hurt your chances of getting published.

After embracing all the flaws, I decided I needed help from a writing coach.

When I finished another round of edits with her guidance, I sent it out again. This time three places showed interest, but they all wanted…you guessed it—rewrites.

I listened to the comments and kept improving. I even had a request from Knopf for additional pages. Anytime a publishing house showed interest, I worked on my book until I received an offer. (Incidentally it took two years for Knopf to tell me they were going to pass. Happily, I already found my book’s home.)

You can get your book published. Send it out to professionals in the industry, be open to criticism, and keep making improvements. The finished work will be something you’re proud of.