Rachel Caine
The first and most important thing is, do what intrigues you. Writing a book is an incredibly long relationship, full of angst and drama, and you'd better be mostly in love with it to start or you'll divorce it in favor of a new idea halfway. You need to love it, because when you love it, when passion is in the page, it shows. (And you're much more likely to finish.)
Second, don't worry about "what's hot" or "what editors want" right now. Just write what speaks to you. If you don't have a voice for YA, don't force it; if you like something that isn't currently in favor, write it. Remember that what you see new on the shelves is like the light from distant stars: created years back before it ever gets to you. You could be the next wave.
Third, DO care about craft. As a writer, your tools are words and how you use them. They're sentences and paragraphs you're using to build an imaginary world. At the same time, and this is counterintuitive: don't let craft slow you down. Care more about what you're saying than how you're saying it, in the first pass.
Last: learn something about the business. There are some great non-fiction books, like all of Richard Curtis's stuff (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_...). Knowing what rights you create when you create your book is critical ... which is why agents are also important, because they're specialists not just in marketing your book to a publisher, but in getting you the best deal possible, with the advantage of the rights to you as much as can be done. You should also understand the role of publishers, distributors, marketing, PR, editors, every part of the business so you also understand why they're so valuable.
Last thing, I promise: WRITE. There's no substitute for doing the work and putting in the hours. A book is a house you build with your own sweat and time.
Keep writing! I'll see you on the shelves!
Second, don't worry about "what's hot" or "what editors want" right now. Just write what speaks to you. If you don't have a voice for YA, don't force it; if you like something that isn't currently in favor, write it. Remember that what you see new on the shelves is like the light from distant stars: created years back before it ever gets to you. You could be the next wave.
Third, DO care about craft. As a writer, your tools are words and how you use them. They're sentences and paragraphs you're using to build an imaginary world. At the same time, and this is counterintuitive: don't let craft slow you down. Care more about what you're saying than how you're saying it, in the first pass.
Last: learn something about the business. There are some great non-fiction books, like all of Richard Curtis's stuff (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_...). Knowing what rights you create when you create your book is critical ... which is why agents are also important, because they're specialists not just in marketing your book to a publisher, but in getting you the best deal possible, with the advantage of the rights to you as much as can be done. You should also understand the role of publishers, distributors, marketing, PR, editors, every part of the business so you also understand why they're so valuable.
Last thing, I promise: WRITE. There's no substitute for doing the work and putting in the hours. A book is a house you build with your own sweat and time.
Keep writing! I'll see you on the shelves!
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