Congratulations on pursuing your
writing and publishing dreams. Let’s go!
1. READ READ READ! Read A LOT of books in the genre in which you want to be published, and make sure you read a lot of current books. When you find a book you love, spend extra time trying to identify two “tricks” the author used to get you (the reader) to root for the protagonist and the protagonist’s goals.
2.
Keep a running list of comp titles:
*Publishing is a business, and publishers will want something to compare potential
revenue to. Stay aware of your genre and note what books might be comparable
titles to your story so you can be ready when it’s time to pitch.
3.
Follow the hashtag #MSWS which stands
for Manuscript Wish List. That’s where agents list the type of manuscripts they’d
like to read. Watch social media for pitch events and also mentorship
opportunities.
4.
Learn about PAY. #PublishingPaidMe was created on Twitter by L.L. McKinney and
spearheaded by McKinney and Tochi Onyebuchi.
You can find and view the public, anonymous spreadsheet link on Melanin in YA’s blogsite or
here, brought to you by The Transparency
Project.
5.
Join or form a critique group
with writers who write and read in your same genre (e.g., if you write YA
fantasy, critique with fellow YA fantasy writers).
6.
Join SCBWI aka Society of Children’s
Book Writers and Illustrators. It’s an organization of authors and illustrators
who help other authors and illustrators. You will learn so much about craft and
professionalism by participating in SCBWI events.
7.
ENGAGE Attend a conference or
webinar. It will close the learning gap quickly. If you do, make sure you sign
up for a one-on-one critique.
8.
Hold yourself accountable:
Join 12x12 which was formed by Julie Hedlund. What is it: "
9.
If you want to write picture books, read Ann
Whiteford Paul's revised and expanded edition Writing
Picture Books. If you are writing a novel,
check out books on structure like Save the Cat Writes the Novel by
Jessica Brody.
10.
BIC: Get your “Butt In Chair” and
write every day. Have a goal of how many words a day you plan to write—and by
the way, word count is the lingo of the writing world. It's not about page
count, but instead word count.
11.
Keep a Collections Journal
of ideas, words, names, smells, phrases, etc.
13. READ BLOGS: My blog is PACKED with advice on things like making a revision checklists, how to write a query letter, how to use back matter, etc. Scroll on through to read my tips (aka Three Parts of a Query Letter).
14.
Get Social: I stay busy with Instagram.
However, many kid-lit authors now use Blue Sky (I haven’t checked it out yet).
15.
Be a good Literary Citizen: See
what’s happening in Writer's Digest. If you’re advanced in the writing
and query process, you might even subscribe to Publishers Marketplace. There,
you’ll be able to see which agent represents xyz book and which publisher
bought it and for around how much money. Check out The Horn Book
magazine. Read School Library Journal if you have time.
BONUS! Take one of my classes at UCLA Extensions or wherever I might be speaking!
The Ultimate Editing and Revising Checklist! (53 points!)
The Mistake to Avoid When Writing Your Story
11 Mistakes to Avoid When Querying a Literary Agent
7 Quick and Easy Tips for Writing Dialogue Tags
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment