Get Published Issue 1
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Meredith Costain: Working With Editors
Choosing Your Genre How To Sell Your Book
YOU’VE
WRITTEN A BOOK, NOW
WHAT?
E
Short- Story
Writing Competition
Send in your story - see it get published - develop your writing skills as you go!
Writing Competition in every Issue 1-page limit (about 250 words)
Any topic - especially your pet topic
Deadline is 1 week before our Publication Date All submissions to be in .PDF format (no exceptions) Judging will be done by our Expert Writer’s Panel
Their decisions will be final
1st Prize WRITE NOW Creative Writing Kit from Hinkler Books hinkler.com.au/write-now-creative-writing-kit
Contents 06............................ 09............................. 12............................ 15............................ 19............................. 24........................... 27............................ 30............................ 33............................ Get Published Magazine
Advertising Enquiries: editor@getpublishedmagazine.com Published By: READ PUBLISHING Distributed By: READ PUBLISHING Designed By: READ PUBLISHING
Meredith Costain: Working With Editors How To Sell Your Book How First-Time Authors Can Get Ahead Short Story Contributor So You Have Book Idea? Mindset For Writers 6 Tips For Choosing A Genre For Your First Work Is A Writers’ Festival All It’s Cracked To Be? The Top 10 Authors To Motivate You To Publish
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reference to any specific commercial product, process, or services by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement or recommendation by READ PUBLISHING. Links outside of this publication are provided for user convenience and do not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favouring by READ PUBLISHING. The publisher or any of the editors, writers or contributors will not accept responsibility or liability for the correctness of information or opinions expressed in the publication. All material submitted is at the owners risk and while every care will be taken the publisher does not accept liability for loss or damage. No person, organisation or party can copy or re-produce the content on this site and or magazine or any part of this publication without a written consent from the editors’ panel and the author of the content, as applicable. The publisher, authors and contributors reserve their rights with regards to copyright of their work.
editor Editor-In-Chiefs
Jos van der Sman Welcome to Get Published Magazine - we are excited to share this issue with you. We created this magazine to educate and inspire you along your journey with lots of other wannabe authors, so that you can see your work in print, and finally get yourself published! We are very excited to have Meredith Costain in this issue. Take some time to read her article, as is packed with useful information on how to work with editors effectively, as well as tips and tricks for success. It’s well worth your time. In this issue, my interview ‘How First-Time Authors Can Get Ahead’, I share some key tips with writers who are new to the industry in the hopes to help them reach their goals sooner, rather than later. Also in this issue is Editor In Chief Tanya de Haan. In her interview ‘Mindset For Writers’, Tanya provides some insight into ways would-be authors can set themselves up for success.
Tanya de Haan Other great info included in this issue is... *Choosing A Genre *So You Have A Book Idea? *Is A Writers’ Festival All It’s Cracked Up To Be? *So You Have A Book To Sell *Ten People To Follow To Help Motivate You On Your Writing Journey As you can see, our magazine is filled with information to open your eyes to help you get Published, with the hope that you make it a high priority to read it when it comes out every 3 months. Our goal with Get Published Magazine is to support you on your journey of getting Published sooner, rather than later. Thanks for taking the time to read it!
Jos & Tanya
Contributors
Meredith Costain
Meredith Costain is a versatile writer for children whose work ranges from picture books through to novels and chapter books, poetry and non-fiction. Her books include CBCA Honour Book D oodledum Dancing,Musical Harriet, which was adapted for television by the ABC, and junior fiction series Olivia’s Secret Scribbles. Her latest series is the best-selling, quirky Ella Diaries, which has been shortlisted for both environmental and children’s choice awards. Meredith regularly presents writing workshops for adults and children in libraries, colleges and schools around Australia. Find out more at meredithcostain.com
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WORKING WITH
EDITORS: Children’s Author Meredith Costain Provides Tips for Success
When you’re doing everything you can to write an excellent story and then, to try and land that elusive publishing contract, it’s natural to focus on the initial stages of book creation. However, remember that once you do get a deal with a publisher, you have to work with an editor to ensure the book reaches its full potential, too. Get Published spoke with prolific Australian children’s author Meredith Costain about how to work with editors effectively, and tips and tricks to try out when you get to this stage of the process. getpublishedmagazine.com
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When authors submit manuscripts to editors, what are some of the most common mistakes made? 1. Not following publisher guidelines. Most publishers have websites with detailed information for authors about their submission requirements. These cover things such as formatting, number of manuscripts to be sent at a time, whether hard copies or electronic copies should be sent, whether they are actually open for unsolicited material at that point in time, or how long before you can expect a response from them (to avoid follow-up queries from people submitting). Ignore them at your peril! 2. Submitting a manuscript that has been poorly laid out or that is riddled with typos or grammatical errors. First impressions definitely count! 3. Trying to make your submission ‘stand out’ from the crowd by sending it in a fancy folder, printing it in colour using a fancy font, or including ‘novelty items’ that tie in with your storyline such as beach sand, pressed flowers or a squeaky toy. 4. Assuring the editor that members of your family, or the class you read your story to at the school where you teach, adore your story – guaranteeing that everyone else will too! Or trying to include too much information in their cover letter. Editors are always short of time, and don’t have time to wade through pages of waffle. Stick to the basics. 07
For first-time authors, what are some tips for working with an editor? Not only do editors have years of experience to share with you, they genuinely want to help you make your story the best it can be. They can help you to pinpoint plot holes, strengthen characters and structure, tighten up wandering sentences, and identify places where what you intended to say is still in your head rather than on the page. Writers need to develop very thick skins – not only to cope with rejection, but also to deal with what they may perceive to be ‘criticism’ of their work. Try to remember that editing suggestions will always be ‘constructive’ criticism – editors aren’t out to bring you down for sport! If there is a suggestion that you strongly disagree with, however, it’s fine to argue the point. But remember to remain professional at all times – provide reasons explaining why you think what you’ve written should stay,
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and do your best to meet your deadlines! Your editor will also be working to a strict timetable to fit your book – and those of others – into a publishing schedule. If your work is consistently late, it will throw everything else out of whack. You write the popular Ella Diaries series, amongst others. Is there any difference when working with editors on series versus standalone books?
or evidence if you believe a grammatical error has been made. I’ve heard of deals dissolving due to writers refusing to have any changes at all made to their precious ‘masterpieces’. Any advice to help authors develop good relationships with their editors, so they can work with them on future books? Editors are usually working on many different books at one time. Be aware of this – perhaps put the title of your book in the subject line when emailing and don’t expect an immediate answer to your question. They might be finalising someone else’s book to go to the printer. If you are making changes to a manuscript, wait until you’ve completed these and send everything at once, rather than barraging your editor with a series of emails over several days. Be flexible and open to suggestions –
Working with an editor on a series of books over a longer period of time definitely allows you to build a stronger relationship. They understand your characters and can be very helpful when it comes to brainstorming new scenarios for them! What’s next for you, Meredith? Two new books have been released recently. The Super Secret Club is the fifteenth title in the Ella Diaries, a best-selling junior fiction series that helps readers negotiate their way through friendship and playground dramas. The Big Chicken Mystery is the fifth book from my new series Olivia’s Secret Scribbles, featuring Ella’s feisty little sister, Olivia. This one has more of a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) focus. Both feature quirky illustrations from Danielle McDonald. Here more from Meredith Costain at: meredithcostain.com meredith@meredithcostain.com
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HOW TO
SELL
YOUR BOOK You’ve written a book – now what?
You’ve come up with an amazing idea for a book, and, perhaps, you’ve even written it. But, before you go spending like you’re JK Rowling, the next big step is ahead – selling it. Writing a book is a huge achievement. Unfortunately, you’re not alone – over 30,000 new titles are published in Australia each year and readers have literally millions of books to choose from. The good news is, you can get your book out there for a very little cost. Before you try to reach your audience, make sure your book is in its best possible state. That means investing a little money upfront on structural editing (making sure the story flows and has no major plot holes), 09
copyediting and proofreading (checking language, grammar, typos). Next, line up a graphic designer to create a book cover that will work on a variety of devices, and finally prepare the file for upload. The biggest and most common platforms to launch your book are Kindle Direct Publishing (Amazon), Draft2Digital and IngramSpark. These platforms are free to set up, meaning no upfront costs to you, but the publisher will take a cut of your retail price for every book sold. For Kindle, there is a sliding scale depending on book price, with the sweet spot being $2.99 retail (low enough for readers to take a gamble on an unknown author, and with Amazon passing $2.09 per book over to you).
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Online publishers provide formatting tools for you to convert your file from Word into the appropriate ebook format (usually EPUB or MOBI). The best part is that you haven’t entered into an exclusive agreement or lost any rights to your work - you own the file and can take it down, amend the book or change the price at any time. So, if a big publishing house does come along with a sweet deal, you have lost nothing.
Once your book is converted and published online, you just sit back and wait for the cash to flood in, right? Well, you can, but you might wait a long time. There are over 50,000 books currently on Kindle, and titles are generally ordered by ‘bestselling’. Your average shopper on Kindle is probably not going to see your title come up when browsing, so you need them to know where to go searching for it. That doesn’t mean spam everyone you know and every social media channel known to man with an Amazon link. People
hate being sold to, but they do love a freebie. So, start sharing snippets of your book, maybe as a blog post or just the first chapter as a download. Perhaps even write a prequel as a short story. If you’re generous at the start you may end up with 50 or 100 snippets of your book out in circulation. People who read it for free spread the word for you, and the next level of people are willing to pay. Perhaps you start the price at $0.99, then as you get some traction make it $1.99, and so on. With Kindle you have full control and can experiment with the price as much as you like.
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Meanwhile, keep improving the book. Start writing the next one and start to build anticipation for that. For example check out TE Kinsey, now on his 5th Kindle book in a series of detective mysteries. But what about good old fashioned print? Print books absolutely still have their place and print on demand publishers have considerably reduced the cost of a small print run. But here are a few rules of thumb for print books:
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Go for print if your book is for children or contains a lot of images, whether photographs or illustrated. Online is a much lower risk for novels or standard nonfiction. Find a distributor for your print book – either small, independent bookstores or local stores appropriate to your topic, such as gift shops, children’s stores, homeware stores and health food stores. Have a channel to give away free books, for example, if your book is relevant to your business, give copies to your clients. Have a launch party and sign copies, creating a buzz around your book as a product.
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HOW FIRST-TIME AUTHORS CAN GET AHEAD Interview with Editor In Chief Jos van der Sman
As the Editor In Chief of Get Published magazine, Jos van der Sman knows that getting your words in print is no small feat. Many writers spend year upon year attempting to get published in some way, shape or form, and have to face a myriad of rejections along the way. If you’re looking to get your first book published, it’s important to give yourself every possible opportunity for success. Learn as much as you can, be open to listening to experts, and know that it’s not a quick process.
Jos shares some key tips with writers who are new to the business in the hopes to help them reach their goals sooner, rather than later.
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When should writers send their manuscript in to a publisher? Manuscripts should only be sent in after people have received feedback. In particular, after a manuscript has been submitted to an Editor, and after the author has re-drafted the original. It may need several drafts, depending on the results of the feedback. Is there a certain number of drafts that should be completed first? There’s no set number, but it needs to be more than one. NEVER send a 1st draft to a publisher - it is a recipe for disaster! You need to be confident of a positive response, so anything you can do to enhance its appeal is worth trying. Another method to improve your technique is to enter a writing competition - if you actually manage to get a prize, this will be terrific for your self-esteem (and can also be good for your pocket!). What are some ways that writers can ensure their work is ready to be seen by an editor? If a manuscript has had positive feedback from several people, especially from a sample of the 13
target audience, it should be ready. Find out why people like your work, and if they suggest improvements (e.g. changing the tense or changing to a 1st or 3rd person point of view) just try them out - you can be pleasantly surprised. A small change can matter! Are there ways to get advice from knowledgeable people? Yes; a good start is to join a writer’s group. Also, doing an online writing course is very useful. It’s even better to have done a TAFE or university course in Creative Writing. Hiring an editor is another way to get really helpful advice. How much does this cost, on average? This varies significantly, but you’re often looking at about $700 - $800 for an editor to thoroughly comment on your whole book.
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If publishers like a manuscript, is the author’s writing job done? No, usually more work is required. It depends on how much preparation has been done before the manuscript was submitted. If the work is ready to be published, authors may still be asked to submit another draft, possibly for a very good reason (e.g. legal issues or defamation). Another issue may be that the work is too long (or too short) for its genre. What should authors do if they receive feedback they don’t like, and/or didn’t expect? If you are an author who wants to improve, any feedback you get will be useful. What you do with that is up to you, but looking for consistency in the feedback is crucial to your success. If many people say similar things to you, that will be a good pointer that there could be a problem. Feedback by its very nature consists of both negative and positive comments. Its effectiveness will be enhanced by how it is given. For example, in Toastmasters, the organisation that teaches public speaking, feedback comprises the following components: A positive affirmation of how good you think the work is.
One or two suggestions for improvement. A summary, framed in positive terms, of your overall impression of the talk. When it comes to writing, this “sandwich” method is also often used. It is always important for those critiquing work to explain and emphasise WHY they found something to be well done. How can writers make their work more interesting to publishers? There are a few elements to this. Writers need to be doing lots of preparation, and verifying that their genre is suitable to their work, and that they are reaching their target audience. In non-fiction, the use of humour, personal stories, anecdotes, and especially the layout of your work is critical, too. In fiction, as a minimum you must have: 1. An opening 2. Character development 3. Plot 4. Conflict 5. Logical sequence of events 6. Resolution of issues 7. Final scene If you are interested in getting ahead and would like more from Jos, email editor@getpublishedmagazine.com
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SHORT STORY CONTRIBUTOR
LEAFING by Kate Rose 15
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I once was alone in a forest on a damp and dreary occasion. I was alone in every sense of the meaning, not just in that instance, but in life completely. Consumed with my burdens I trudged, head down, along the muddy and slippery pathway that lead me to a wooden viewing platform; the end of the line. I was not sure what I was about to do. I leant on the railings, not watching the waterfall in front of me, not hearing the cacophony of life around me, not feeling the cool kisses of rain on my skin and not smelling the ancient cycles of rot and growth that my lungs absorbed.
The pain was deep and endless and throbbing. I mourned everything, every little pin prick to every vast and deadly wound that had ever come into my life. I wept about things that had happened and wept some more about things that hadn’t happened too. It erupted from my soul and my body and my mouth and my eyes as I relived every persecution I had endured in life, cradled by nature on the edge of the cliff. Have you ever reached a point where you cannot fathom taking another knock in life? Where you just cannot see yourself standing back up again if even one more tiny thing trips you over on this journey?
And I wept.
I was so broken, so broken, so broken. ‘Take more pills,’ the Doctor dictated. ‘You’re flawed,’ my husband declared. ‘You’re burnt out,’ my workplace decided. ‘You’re trapped and there’s no way out,’ I concluded to myself.
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How could I have made all these decisions that brought me to this junction? I created my own pain by making these choices, but only in hindsight can I say that they were not wise choices, but poor ones.
Choices to entwine my life with a man who did not love me and needed to destroy me to succeed in his own quest. And I couldn’t conceive how on earth I should make the choices to distance myself from his life again. How on earth do I begin to prune him out? As I convulsed and choked on my miserable self-pity, unconsciously I opened my swollen and bleary eyes, and for the first cognizant moment one small part of my surroundings caught my attention and drew my focus in.
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In a national park filled with non-deciduous mountain grey gums, in the middle of winter, a burning orange leaf fell from the sky on the other side of the valley. I watched it - hypnotised, my wretchedness suspended temporarily. The leaf gently and trustingly swayed in its path backwards and forwards, fluttering and dancing, held by invisible forces and currents, glittering and singing in the light that caught it through a biblical break in the drizzle, making its way towards the forest floor.
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They say there is inspiration in everything around you; a story in every feeling, every glimpse and every footstep. I felt calm and present and that a deliberate message had been given to me; I had to trust.
If I could let go like the leaf and just trust that I would make it to the ground safely and without being damaged, I would be held and guided and I would be able to grow again.
I didn’t know how, or when, or where, but I knew that I was free to follow the leaf, and leave.
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SO YOU HAVE A BOOK IDEA? From idea to book launch Are you forever coming up with great book ideas? They say we all have a book in us, but how many actually make that step from idea, to actually writing the whole book? Before you get started, ask yourself a few questions:
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Is there a market for your book? Are books on similar topics for sale, and are the doing well? Do you have anything new to say on the same topic? Will the topic be out of date by the time your bookreaches the market? If you can find a strong market for your book, the time you spend writing it may be well-invested. And, while you may miss the beginning of a new craze (for example; the sudden interest in decluttering homes, following the success of Marie Kondo’s Netflix show), you may still get to ride in the wake of its success, as readers get hooked on a topic as opposed to the author.
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How will you publish the book? Fiction and non-fiction are quite different markets and may dictate your publishing strategy.If you’re writing fiction, it’s more likely you’ll self-publish an ebook, which means you write the book first, and publish later. For non-fiction (and children’s illustrated fiction), you will need a publisher and therefore, need a publishing deal before you even write the book.
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Are you willing to spend hundreds of hours writing, rewriting and editing your book? Having an idea for a book is relatively easy, but actually writing it takes a lot of time and dedication. If you’re writing around work and personal commitments it may take a year or two to complete your book. Are you committed to that investment? If you’re committed to going ahead, it’s time to get started. First, write your book proposal and outline. Even if you are writing fiction and don’t have a publisher to convince, it will help your writing process if you can
write a summary of what your book is about. What will make your reader excited enough to buy your book? What will they learn or enjoy? Your outline should list your chapters and a brief summary of what is in each. In non-fiction, this is likely to be a list of topics with key learnings from each. For fiction, it will represent the main action and character journeys, even if you haven’t quite figured them out yet. Of course, the story can change as you develop your characters, but it’s good to start with a plan in mind, making sure the plot builds towards the climax.
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For non-fiction, normal practice is to send the proposal and first three chapters to publishers, who will then tell you whether they are interested in taking on your book. They may offer an advance, but beware this will also be attached to a deadline, which means you have to write the rest of the book under time pressure. Make sure you research publishers who have already published successful books on your topic, or similar, so that there is a known market for your book. Of course, yours will still need to stand out from the crowd, so make sure you can articulate your point of difference.
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If you’re writing fiction, it’s time to get on and write the book! Then invest some cash in an editor and proofreader to make sure you have a top quality product to launch on Kindle. The beauty of self publishing is you can make changes to your book, and you own exclusive rights to it, meaning if a big publisher comes along to offer a deal, you can take it! But until then, your biggest outlay is your time.
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MINDSET FOR WRITERS Interview with Editor In Chief Tanya de Haan Continually coming up with new ideas, following them through and getting your writing published takes more than just the ability to put words together in a creative way.
Writers must think about whether or not they have the necessary mindset to help them overcome the challenges they will face on the way to being published. Get Published Editor In Chief Tanya de Haan provides some insight into ways would-be authors can set themselves up for success.
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What is one of the biggest mindset challenges you see writers confronting on a regular basis? The ability to learn to receive the gifts presented to us. When opportunity shows up, we can be very quick to sabotage it because we put limitations on ourselves and convince ourselves these limitations are true. For example, if we say, “I am going to have this in my life and I am going to write this book and have it published”, are we willing to receive when it actually starts to show up? How are you going to feel when you receive an amazing compliment about your book or other work that has been published? Are you unwilling to receive the compliment? If we understand the greatness we have and what we came here to be, we are able to truly create and write. What do you think are some common causes of this mindset issue? Most of the negative beliefs and thoughts we have are ones we somehow bought into at an earlier stage of our life, usually at a young age.
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The thing is, most of the beliefs we have bought into are not even ours! They are the thoughts, considerations, judgements of someone else’s limitations. We just chose (subconsciously) at some point to validate them as truth for ourselves. What are some key tips people can use to find a way around this kind of mindset hurdle? You really need to be aware of some of the beliefs you have about things. For example, what is the meaning you assign to events such as writing a book? Perhaps you think “it’s too hard” or “it’s too much work”, etc. Change the negative beliefs you have about writing into ones that will support you, and this will help you to move towards your goal of writing, rather than away from it. It’s helpful to have someone assist with this, such as a life coach, since often, we are not very aware of some of the thoughts we are creating. Remember: the only person who is getting in the way of your writing is you. Also, a book I recommend for creatives who are struggling with mindset is Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day by Todd Henry.
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What are some good habits writers can put in place to develop the kind of mindset needed to be a successful author? There are many habits you can establish to support yourself. Choose good nutrition. The stomach and mind are connected. Do daily reflection. Keep a journal with you to help you avoid reactive behaviour and live more in the present. Commit to taking little writing steps each day, whether it’s a paragraph or a chapter. Pencil in time for this each day on your to-do list.
What are the benefits of changing your mindset, if you want to be a published writer? When you can be truly you, because you choose your own thoughts and beliefs, you can be the creator of your own life story and write, telling your stories more clearly through your own eyes. This is when you will really start to create. Your thoughts are creating your future and will reflect the part of you that really wants to shine. When we get to this point we have true freedom, creative and otherwise.
Create a list of what you want to achieve every day. This gets things out of your head, and helps you to avoid overwhelm. Diffuse essential oils like lemon and rosemary for clarity, focus and creativity. A good book that revolves around organising your work day and putting good habits in place is David Allen’s Getting Things Done.
For more help with your Mindset please visit:
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seeforshorewellness.com
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Get Published Magazine’s Favourite books to help organize and get things done getpublishedmagazine.com amzn.to/2FBeUsr
Get Published Magazine’s Favouritegetpublishedmagazine.com books to help your Mindset amzn.to/2Ojj5fc
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6 TIPS FOR CHOOSING A GENRE FOR YOUR FIRST WORK Some writers assume choosing a book’s genre is the last step - once your story is finished, you slap on a genre and start selling. However, if you plan on selling your book to anyone but your family, it’s important to consider more than just your original idea when sitting down to draft your story.
can help you focus and even come up with ideas we haven’t seen before.
Choosing a genre will not only help you market yourself as an author, but narrowing your pool of options has other benefits as well:
You become the expert: The more you write in one genre, the more you’ll be seen as the authority in the genre. Think about it: what do you think of when you think James Patterson, Steven King, JK Rowling, Nora Roberts? You think mystery, horror, fantasy and romance, right? These authors have become the authority in their genre. Even if they write outside of their normal scope, they are still considered the experts in their respective genres.
Consistency breeds creativity: SSometimes putting restraints on yourself can actually make you more creative. When you can literally write about anything, it can seem overwhelming, and you may find it’s difficult to start. On the other hand, choosing a genre puts you in a box that 27
You look more professional: Publishers want to know that you know the importance of and how to market yourself. The more confidence you have, the better.
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But how do you start to decide which genre is best for your story? Here are six things to consider when writing. 1 | Marketing is Important It sounds appealing to stay open to writing within any genre, because you’d be free to pursue any type of story you wanted. But selling a novel comes down to marketability. It sounds shallow, but is true. It will be difficult for a publisher to sign a writer, especially a new writer, if they can’t get a good picture of the brand. They want to know they can build a platform around you and your work. Publishers want to see potential for more books, similar to the first. On the flipside, don’t choose a specific genre simply because it will sell. Spending years working on comedic pieces because they’re popular isn’t a good investment of time if you just aren’t funny. A lack of skills and passion for the genre will show, and it won’t sell. Instead focus on your skill and interests. Maybe you like the idea of writing mysteries, but you find yours fall flat and are too obvious but the relationships within them flourish. Try writing love stories with strands of mystery woven in. 2 | Get to Know the Genre Options A quick peruse around a bookstore or the Amazon Books page will show you the main classifications for fiction. Look at a few of the best sellers in each genre. Read the descriptions. What does each genre emphasize? Which does your story idea most closely
resemble? Is your story predominately about a relationship and attraction? It’s probably a romance. Is your main character’s mission is to solve a murder? It’s probably a mystery. Are there elements of magic? Is it set in the past? Look for elements of your story that could help narrow down the focus. 3 | Do Your Research Even if you’re a fan of the genre, make sure you do your research and familiarize yourself with the beats the genre requires. Readers of each genre have expectations and will feel cheated if your work doesn’t hit certain points they’re used to. While you can take liberties as a writer, you want to give readers what they’re looking for if you want to sell your work.
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5 | Your Story May Dictate Your Choice Do you pick your genre or your story first? Opinions may differ, but it’s probably a good idea to have a general concept in place before choosing your genre. Each genre will take your story in a radically different direction. While it’s okay to combine a couple of genres into one story, you want to have a main focus. Identify the goal of your protagonist and see which genre that goal would fit into. Then mix in other genres that fit organically. For example, if your main character’s goal is to solve the string of murders in her city, make that her priority. If you want to her to have a romantic interest, trickle that in without making it the most important element of your character. 6 | You Can Always Change Your Mind
4 | Identify Your Super-fan Who do you want to buy your book and why? The question isn’t who might enjoy your book. Of course the wanderer may pick up your book on a whim and love it, but the goal is to market to your super-fans. Can you identify them? Keep genre conventions in mind. If you’re writing a romance novel, and the girl doesn’t get the guy in the end, you may disappoint readers. Disappointed readers could mean poor sales and bad reviews. You want your fans to be happy with the entire story, not just parts.
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Many successful authors write in multiple genres. However they didn’t start out that way. They mastered their genre, built a fan base, and then moved on to trying something new. If you’re feeling adventurous, feel free to enture into other avenues. Even if you don’t have a long list of writing credentials, don’t feel like a failure for changing your mind. Maybe you wrote a novel you were proud of in the romance category, but it just didn’t do well. Don’t feel bad for wanting to go in a different direction. You’ll find your niche eventually, and all of the initial work and learned lessons will have been worth it.
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IS A
WRITERS’
FESTIVAL ALL IT’S CRACKED UP TO BE?
When you’re a writer focusing on how to become an author, you may spend hours researching about book publishing, the creative life, publishers and agents you could submit your work to, narrative structures and much more. In the process of doing this research, you’ll probably hear about upcoming writers’ festivals. These events usually sound interesting and glamorous, and
one or more of your favourite authors may be speaking, however, the next question is: will this be worth my time and money? As a children’s author and freelance writer with limited time and resources to devote such outings, I’ve been in this position, so let’s address some of the key pros and cons about writers festivals.
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Pros For me, there are certainly more pros than cons. I’ve found writers’ festivals to be worth going to and here’s why: Inspiration I decided to finally start writing my own books after attending a large festival in the United Kingdom. Hearing authors talk about their work and the writing process with such passion reminded me why I had wanted to write my own stories since I was a child. You’ll no doubt come away from a festival feeling revved up and ready to get cracking on your work, too. Information Listening to authors speak about their successes and also their struggles, is invaluable and one of the quickest ways to educate yourself about what is required to be a published author. Usually, you’ll have the chance to ask questions at the end of presentations, too. Ideas for books to read You will learn about a variety of great new books you can add to your reading list. Most festivals have bookshops on site where you can purchase copies of speakers’ books. Plus, many authors will be available for signings.Net 31
Networking Being an author can be a lonely business and one full of rejection. One of the best ways to set yourself up for success, though, is to get to know other creatives. Once you have a group of author friends, you can chat with each other about the hard times and celebrate the wins. This will help you to persevere (a key component of getting published) as time goes on. In addition, you may also have the chance to meet editors and agents at these events, and get on their radar. Opportunities Many writers’ festivals give writers the chance to submit work. This may be for a competition, pitch to editors or to agents, or possibly a critique from an author. You’ll need to pay extra for these opportunities, but the chance to get quality feedback on your work and perhaps even get noticed by the right people, is one worth taking. It depends on who is involved and the cost versus your budget, but it is an investment which helps advance many writer careers.
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This varies significantly though, so compare options closely. Not all authors are good presenters If you book in for numerous panels, talks, workshops and masterclasses, you’re sure to find that the quality varies even throughout the one event. This is because not all authors are confident or practised speakers. Where possible, book in for events put on by authors who have a good reputation for wowing audiences.
Cons While I’m a fan of writers’ festivals and have been to numerous ones over the years, there are some potential pitfalls and red flags to keep an eye out for. For exa Not all festivals are created equal Research the events you’re considering. Those which have been running for many years are usually more polished and can attract big-name authors. Newer festivals often offer cheaper ticket prices, but the quality of presentations may not be as high.
Low payments for speakers If you get to the point where you’re asked to be a speaker at a festival yourself, keep in mind that the payment you receive for your time and effort, if any, may be very low. Unfortunately, the reality is, that while festivals typically pay their caterers, venues, stationery suppliers and other contacts standard rates, authors tend to get a raw deal. Yes, you can potentially build your profile and perhaps sell a few books (depending on interest and ticket sales), but this usually doesn’t equate financially to a decent hourly rate. No matter which stage you’re at right now when it comes to getting published, attendance at a writers festival can be a good use of your time and money. Just make sure you choose events strategically and do your research to optimise your attendance.
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THE TOP 10
AUTHORS TO MOTIVATE YOU TO
PUBLISH Whether you’re just about to finish writing your book or, you’ve already finished, the next step to publish can be a nightmare. Before jumping into the deep end of finding editors, ghostwriters and publishers, here are ten best selling authors in 2019 sharing their advice about publishing your first work.
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Jane Friedman
Jane is the co-founder of Open Road Integrated Media, which helps publish and sell ebooks globally. Her blog is filled with plenty of advice, tips and tricks for aspiring writers to help them create gripping content and to become successful published authors.
Sophie Kinsella
Richard is an Australian novelist, who has directed and written movies including a number of novels. He was awarded the Man Booker Prize in 2014 for his hard work and success. His novels receive worldwide praise and awards and is considered by many to be ‘the finest Australian novelist of his generation’, according to the Economist.
Emma Healey
Trending Top Most Richard Flanagan
Trending Top Most is an ideal page to check out, as it is filled with the top ten best selling authors of 2019. The blog provides a wide range of authors that write many different genres and styles, that can help motivate and inspire writers to get their own works published.
Madeleine Sophie Wickham, also known under her pen name as Sophie Kinsella, is an English author who has written numerous Chick Lit novels. Sophie has become so popular, that her works have been translated into over 30 different languages. Sophie’s Facebook page is filled with writing tips and inspiration for aspiring writers.
Emma is a British novelist. Her award-winning novel Elizabeth Is Missing won the Costa Book Award and Best First Novel. Emma has always been interested in story writing and has graduated with a BA in Book Arts and Crafts from the London College of Communication. getpublishedmagazine.com
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Paula Hawkins
Val is well known for her crime suspense novel series. She is a Scottish author who worked briefly as a journalist before creating her crime series. Val is active on her Facebook page, where she updates her readers on her upcoming book releases. She mainly posts advice, tips and ideas for writing a suspense novel.
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David Baldacci Santa Montefiore
Philippa Gregory Val McDermid
Philippa is a best-selling English novelist whose genres range from historical fiction, fantasy and romance. Her novel The Other Boleyn Girl received the Romantic Novel of the Year in 2002 from the Association of Romantic Novelist and has been adapted into two separate films. Philippa is always posting on her Facebook page to share her lifestyle, advice and any upcoming events.
David is a popular American novelist and was one of the best selling authors of 2017. Some of his works have been adapted into movies. David is constantly updating his Facebook page with upcoming book releases, events and personal advice for his readers and fellow writers.
Santa is a British author who has successfully produced a novel every year since 2002. Santa shares her lifestyle, upcoming books and covers, advice and events for her followers. She has grown her page to 15K followers who are actively connected to Santa and her lifestyle, as she posts weekly on her page.
Paula is a Zimbabwean author and is the 2nd best selling author of 2017. Her novel The Girl on the Train is a thriller with themes of domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse, which was adapted into a film in 2016. Paula is constantly updating her Facebook page for her many readers, where she adds recent releases, upcoming events and lifestyle pictures. getpublishedmagazine.com
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