I’m not a first-time author but having worked in the publishing industry, I get a lot of questions from writers who would like to get published. The process is fairly simple: You have to get in the door. This is usually by knowing someone in the company, meeting an editor at a conference, having a great agent or writing a compelling query letter.
Simple in theory. Hard in practice.
I read in the Vancouver Sun today that Robert Scott, a 60-year-old Langford resident, is being published by Avalon Books. Bob decided to write a mystery novel in a month. He took it to a writers’ conference, got a 10-minute pitch interview with a New York publisher’s editorial director and, nine months later, signed a three-book contract.
A dream-come true story, and one that is fairly atypical.
The Sun article tells an interesting story about Bob’s experience, but it also includes some helpful tips on what Bob did to position himself.
1. He joined the Crime Writers of Canada: “It was the best 100 bucks I ever spent.” Besides all the resources on their website, the organization provided priceless publicity and contacts.
2. He signed up for the magazine Writer’s Digest, joined its book club and immersed himself in other writing-related sites, listservs and research books. By the time he got to the pitch, he’d already read advice on how to do it.
3. He belongs to a writer’s group that meets weekly from September to June. Shirley read his manuscript, too, and, Scott says, “does a good job of pointing out basic errors” as well as helping with syntax and spelling.
4. He’s dedicated and has good work habits. Scott’s preferred writing time is midnight till 4 a.m. For example, on Wednesday he might write from midnight until 6 a.m. the next day, go to his Rotary meeting, come back, sleep a little, and then write in the evening. He feels comfortable if he’s written 2,000 words a day.
5. He goes to the annual Surrey International Writers’ Conference. Scott says it’s a standout among these types of events, and it’s where he pitched his manuscript.
6. He offered what an in-house editor wanted. He says of Cartwright-Niumata: “I’ve heard comments from her like, ‘Your stories are well written.’”
When she was asked about Scott, she sent back this message through her assistant Faith Black - and there’s hope in it for all aspiring writers:
“Erin met Bob at the Surrey writers’ conference in Vancouver, and they had a great meeting. Bob delivered a great pitch on his book, and Erin knew she wanted to work with him before even reading anything. It was a good, short pitch that reeled her in and got her interested in the project.
“If you write well and you submit properly (following the correct guidelines for submission), anyone can write for Avalon. We are always looking for new and first-time authors.”
All good advice.
(I’d love to link to the Vancouver Sun article but because Canada.com is such a shitty site, I can’t find the article online, and in the unlikely event that the search worked, I’m sure the article would be password protected and viewable only to subscribers. There’s an online strategy for you.)
