How I Got Published and What I Learned Along the Way

by Maxwell Alexander Drake, James A. Hunter, Melissa McShane

Twenty published authors share tips, tricks, advice, and encouragement for other writers. They talk about working through the rough times, making their first sales, and finding success in the publishing industry.

Whether you’re traditional, indie, or hybrid; a journalist, novelist, or blogger, we hope their stories provide encouragement for you, wherever you are in your journey toward publication.

Genres: Nonfiction

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2019

About the author

Maxwell Alexander Drake is an award-winning Science Fiction/Fantasy author, Graphic Novelist, and Playwright. He was also the Lead Fiction Writer and game story consultant for Sony’s massive online game EverQuest Next as well as writing for the Shadowrun game. He is best known for his fantasy series, The Genesis of Oblivion Saga. Drake teaches creative writing at writers’ conferences and fan conventions all around the world and is the author of the Drake’s Brutal Writing Advice series.

He is currently developing an animated TVMA show called Fiend Folly. Find out more about this show at www.FiendFolly.com.

For more, please visit www.MaxwellAlexanderDrake.com, or his writing training website www.DrakeU.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @MaxwellADrake, Facebook /MaxwellAlexanderDrake, or Instagram /MaxwellAlexanderDrake.

Reviews

[Melissa McShane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't going to rate this because I have an essay in it, but having finally read the whole thing, I'm impressed enough to do it anyway. I recommend this to any writer who's just starting out. It showcases a wide array of paths to being published, traditional and indie, internationally bestselling to famous in your genre. However, it's not so much a guide as to how someone looking to publish might achieve that goal as it is a selection of stories, some of which will appeal to certain readers more than others. I was astonished to find one of my co-authors published his first book the same year and month my first book came out--though his path is very different from mine. All in all, it's an interesting collection, and I hope aspiring writers will find value in it.

(My essay has the story of how my third novel, Servant of the Crown, went viral and launched my career. I think it's interesting--maybe others will too.)

[John Olsen]

A lot of interesting stories (including mine) of how authors came at writing from different directions. There are common themes of hard work and perseverance, but it is refreshing to see so many paths into the field.

[Zachariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Got this in a cheap bundle of ebooks for NaNoWriMo. Most of the essays were stuff I heard before or really specific. The last one was the best.

What I'm learning is STOP READING BOOKS ON PUBLISHING AND GET WRITING ZACH, HOLY YIPSUM CROW.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Plenty of helpful tips for writing success and lots of motivation and encouragement, too.