Big Books of 2026
Updrift (The Mer Chronicles, #1)

Questions About Updrift (The Mer Chronicles, #1)

by Errin Stevens (Goodreads Author)

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Answered Questions (1)

Hi Errin, What advice do you have for "lay authors" who have written a great novel don't have the time or money to take it "public" as they are busy juggling job and family? Kathleen McKenna Browne
Errin Stevens Hi Kathleen - Your question's a good one although one without a good - or at all gratifying - answer, I'm afraid. The situation you describe is kind o…moreHi Kathleen - Your question's a good one although one without a good - or at all gratifying - answer, I'm afraid. The situation you describe is kind of the engine behind our traditional publishing model, where a writer develops his or her manuscript, hones a super-incisive query for it, and then seeks engagement from an agent or publisher to help bring the work to market. As anyone who's gone through these steps knows, the effort is thankless and can feel impossible.

But I believe this is the right route to take if you hope to share your story with a broader audience, because a story has so many more road blocks than one person/lone author can tackle in today's crowded information environment. Even with help, there's so much noise out there, so many people vying for attention... I think you want as much support as you can get.

So I guess my real advice to writers, while unexciting, is to focus on the writing since that's all you can really direct, and since you truly can't control what others will make of it. What you can do is make your characters and their stories clean and bright enough to reach inside readers, to draw them into your world and out of theirs. Again, I'm quite sure this answer is unsatisfying - it certainly didn't satisfy me before I got that first contract - but I'm confident it's the right response. Keep writing, keep querying... and I'm sorry I don't know of a better way!(less)
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