What I Wish I Had Known Before I Got Published

The bigger you are, the more people will hate you

If you think you will be happy when . . ., you will never be happy

Most writers do not publish their first book.

Most writers are rejected again and again, even after they have been published

The next big thing is never the next big thing

Ellipses and exclamations do not make your writing better

You will likely have no promotion budget for your first book or any others.

An agent is like a spouse—forever

Most people will not care if you are published.

Be ready to write the next book as soon as you can after the first one.

Have a back-up plan. Have three.

Networking is really just a fancy word for making friends

Pay it forward

Write for yourself first

Don't chase the market

Stop whining

A query letter is just to weed out the crazy people and to make sure you are writing the right genre. Be professional and short.