TOPIC: Being a Published Author - In the Beginning...

It's been one heck of a roller coaster ride over the last couple of years since getting THE CALL from my editor and signing with Berkley.

The journey has been a mixed bag of learning experiences - some fun, some unexpected, some downright painful but as I've said to many, I wouldn't trade what's happened for anything on earth. I've been keeping track of the good, the bad and the ugly experiences and over the next few posts will be sharing the things I've learned.

While every author's journey is different, there are probably some common issues we've all had to deal with, or wished we'd known about sooner. And it's my hope that by writing about them those still on the journey to being published or are newly published might find the information useful.

In this first post, I'd like to talk about goal setting and preparing for the day you get THE CALL.

During the early years after I discovered the Romance Writers of Australia, I coasted along enjoying the sense of community of being among other writers and being a writer. Nothing wrong with that but something I didn't do was set achievable goals. I just assumed things would "magically happen" or "fall into place" and "one day" I'd be a published author.

Didn't happen.

It wasn't until I began identifying goals and steps I needed to complete to achieve the goal that I progressed. I've blogged about this before so I won't go into detail other than to say as a writer you need to set yourself some short (a year) and long term (5 years) goals. Work out the things you need to do to make them happen.

A short term goal might be to enter a writing contest to get feedback. The steps involved would be to:

• research a number of contests - USA? (perhaps using Stephanie Smith's Contest Page for Authors) or Australia? New Zealand? UK?
• pick one
• budget for the contest fee (you may have to forego those bars of chocolate - sacrifice is part of this process, sorry (-: )
• polish the entry
• download the entry form/scoring sheets
• set dates to have these things done by (a vital step)
• enter the contest
• analyse feedback

A long term goal might be to attend the RWAmerica conference in 2015. Again identify the steps involved.

• work out your budget
• research the workshops on offer (when the schedule is released - what is the most beneficial for you at this stage in your journey? Will they be craft, career, industry based? A mix?)
• plan ahead to find a roomie (if you want to share costs)
• register
• again, set dates to have these things done by to make sure you achieve these steps
• attend

Besides continuing to write and hone your crafting skills, in preparation for the day you do get THE CALL, you should be thinking about your public face. By that I mean things like developing your website (a must and a basic need for any published author in this day and age), author branding (that I'll deal with in a separate post) and social networking.

Websites
"But I'm not published. Surely I don't need one until that happens?" I've heard this a few times over the years and to be blunt, this line of thought is a little short sighted.

You're going to need a website and developing one BEFORE you're published is a darn good idea. Why? Let me list the reasons...

1. First and foremost, once you publish you'll be on the biggest learning curve since you learned to read as a child. You'll have the whole publishing/editing/marketing and promotion process to grapple with (along with your every day life commitments) and teaching yourself web design or arrange hiring someone to do it for you will take time. It's stressful enough being a newbie author without having to deal with this.
2. If you design your website yourself expect to spend MASSIVE amounts of time learning how to do it and "getting it just right". I created my own website three years before I received THE CALL, using iWeb and a template because I couldn't justify the cost of hiring someone at the time. I changed the template twice and I've tweaked the content, pages, formatting and font numerous times. Updating the home page every month takes time but I can do it now in about an hour. Over three years I've streamlined the process.
3. If you hire a web designer then you need to research a good one by checking out sites you think look good and finding out who did them. Once you've hired someone you're going to have to consult on details and provide content and information for the pages. If you get them to update you have to also provide that content on a regular basis. Time, time, time.
4. When you're querying agents & editors you can include your website as a reference point in your letters. And agents and editors will look it up if they're interested.
5. So will other authors and writers. It boils down to web presence and exposure. If you aren't visible then no one will even know you're there.
6. No content? Then keep your website simple. Home Page. Author Bio Page. Contest Success Page. That's all I had for a couple of years. 

Social Networking
Ho-boy! Another huge subject to tackle BEFORE you publish. The monster that is social networking can be a nightmare, overwhelming and time consuming - no doubt about it. So again, thinking about how you're going to make it work for you. It will also impact and play a part in author branding.

"My editor wants me to do everything." Of course they do. Connecting with your readers is important.

BUT the one thing you need to remember - your primary role is to write books. If you don't produce them, then no amount of social networking is worth squat.

So, again, while you have the time as an unpubbed author, think about all the options available to you and make some decisions on what you might like to try and what you will commit to.

I liked the idea of blogging but I didn't want to create a glorified diary or journal about what I had for lunch or spruke about how many words I'd written that day. Every man and his dog can do that. I wanted a specific purpose for my blog. And there lies the key to blogging - purpose.

Why blog? Why are you blogging?

This was part of my goal setting process. I chose to blog initially for the following reasons:

1. I like writing.
2. I wanted to write posts to help other writers like myself (a way to give back what others had done for me at one time)
3. It was a way to overcome geographic isolation (here in Australia and internationally) and connect with an audience - readers and writers.

Some of those reasons changed after the first year.

• Expand my blog readership.
• Through the promotion of local authors (Australia & New Zealand)
• And to develop a broader network of contacts by interviewing authors from USA.
• Develop it as an avenue to promote my work.

I collected statistics and analysed them. I've developed connections and networks with other authors. I'm achieving my goals, bit by bit.

There are a host of social networking options available to authors - blogging (individual and in groups), Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google +, Goodreads, Shelfari, Author Newsletters, writing articles for magazines, etc.etc. It's all a matter of finding something you want to try and enjoy doing.

It's no good taking the scatter gun approach and doing everything, you won't see effective results that way - ask me how I know, yep, been there, tried that, drove myself mad and had to re-address my approach and purpose for doing it. Better to pick one (or two) and do it/them well.

I've narrowed my focus down to my website, blog, and author newsletters. Doesn't mean I ignore the others entirely, I do frequent Facebook and Goodreads which I enjoy, occasionally I pop in on Twitter but I've decided it's not something I particularly prefer. And, I've learned, if I don't get to the social networking sites of my choice then so be it, it's nothing to stress over.

So, it's important to prepare for the big day, the day many of us have dreamed of for so long. One I thing I'm very glad I did was get things up and running BEFORE I received the Call. I had the time and could poke along at my leisure to develop these things. There was no pressure.

And this freed me up to enjoy what came AFTER THE CALL. I was able to focus on the steps involved in being a published author. Sure there was stress, but a whole lot less than what I would have put myself under if I hadn't.

So, what are your thoughts on these subjects? Does anyone have any tips, hints, lessons learned to share? Anyone with a question they'd like to ask?

TOPIC: Life on the flip-side...

This article was published in the WRITERS' LIFE column of the August 2011 edition of  the RWAustralia Hearts Talk magazine.

With conference fast approaching, part of the fun of attending one is meeting the authors and listening to their stories of ‘life after getting the CALL’. I took it all in with keen anticipation, dreaming of the day I walked in their shoes, but it wasn’t until I stepped over the threshold that I really understood what they were talking about.

Simple fact is getting the call really does change your life in many, many ways. Some good, some unexpected.

What initially caught me by surprise after getting that email was the speed with which everything happened. I had a week to accept the offer.

Having done the research yonks ago I was already in the process of submitting queries, so contacting my top list of I’d-kill-to-be-represented-by-these-agents was a matter of whipping off a few emails alerting them to the book deal on offer.

I can’t stress enough if you’re submitting work to editors, and intend being represented by an agent then make the time to find out about whom you’d like to represent you. Leaving it to the last minute is stress you don’t need.

Why? Well, that seven days will be manic (particularly if you’re working across time zones). Let me repeat that.

The.Week.Will.Be.MANIC.

Organise representation, scheduling phone calls, e-mails to’ing and fro’ing from your agent and editor, and then sealing the deal with the publisher. Be prepared for a week of little sleep.

And if this isn’t excitement enough for you, the prospect of embarking on two new professional relationships – with your agent and editor - is a feeling you won’t ever forget.

Another thing, if you end up with a multiple book deal offer, like I did (ie. a series), have a short outline of your books ready to send your agent/editor. Think back cover blurbs. With only a week to negotiate the deal, and most of that taken up arranging representation by an agent, I ended up writing two extra blurbs in less than twenty-four hours. Not recommended.

Once the initial chaos of representation and the deal is over, the decision of deadlines needs to be made. These dates go in your contract. I knew what I could produce word count-wise and thought I’d factored in things like family, work, the publishing process, health-issues, unexpected interruptions etc.

Remember all those sessions at conference where you heard authors say ‘be disciplined, produce a daily word, write even though you don’t feel like it’? Engrave those words on your forehead or pin them up in your office at eye level. You no longer have the luxury of time or procrastination once you have a legally binding deadline.

Producing my first and second contracted books has been a huge learning experience but the one thing I now understand is that it takes more time than you think to juggle everything.

It’s life vs. the publishing process (sending in a synopsis & sample chapters, author bio/photo, acknowledgements page, revisions, copy edits, cover copies, galleys, marketing and promotion etc., beginning the next book and repeating that process).

It all takes time away from writing your next book. Next contract (yes, being optimistic here!), I’m adding another two months minimum to the deadline.

One of the true eye-openers of being under contract is the precious amount of time I have for reading for pleasure. Pre-call I read 3-4 books a week, now I’m lucky to read a book a month.

Another lesson I learned – it’s easy to get tied up writing your own stories and end up feeling ‘stale’. Reading for pleasure is a must, even when I’m writing. I need it. It’s like a respite or recharging of the batteries.

It’s been an amazing journey so far, a lot of exciting firsts – getting The Call, receiving the first cover, being hit by the realisation that my book is really going to be in print, finding out who’s going to write the cover-quotes of my book, and meeting fair dinkum deadlines.

I have a quote on the wall in my office that says, “When I’m writing I know I’m doing the thing I was born to do.” (Anne Sexton). It’s so true. I’m almost a year into my journey and while I’ve yet to experience the joy of seeing my first book on the shelves, I wouldn’t give up or swap what I’m doing for anything.

Yes, the learning curves have been steep, and I know I’m still wearing L-plates having just crossed over the unpubbed-pubbed line, but I love my ‘new career’ - the learning, the passion of creating, the pressure and stress, the satisfaction of meeting goals, they’re all part of the life I’ve chosen for myself.

It’s a delicate balance between portraying the joys and the reality of being published. I don’t want to discourage anybody or put anyone off achieving their dream, but I hope that by sharing some of my journey with you, yours will be that little bit more informed.

See you on the flip-side!

A Debut Author's take on self-publishing...

Bronwen Evans over at Regency Seductions, has posted a thought provoking piece on "A Debut Author's take on self-publishing...".

If you're a debut author, an author yet to break into the industry, or anyone following the whole self-publishing/traditional publishing debate, this is a must read!

The Passions You Pursue

Pursuing two careers is a constant juggling act. My day job is teaching and I fit writing in around that (often in the early hours of the morning or late nights in school holidays). But in my future I'd very much like those roles to switch.

Here in Australia it's term 4 - the last in the school year before our annual Christmas/Summer holidays. Ask any teacher and they'll tell you term 4 is notoriously busy. Children's report cards to write, annual school report to complete, program assessments, testing and assessment of the class, preparation for the end of year presentation night, swimming school with students, filling out record cards for student files, farewell dinners for departing students (primary & secondary), professional development courses to attend, normal classroom programming and preparation of lessons, Kindergarten orientation programs, Christmas craft...the list keeps getting added to every year.

For me, the avalanche of administrative paperwork and events really hotted up this week (much like the weather). There are only so many hours in the day and I find (regrettably and frustratingly) that my writing routine suffers this time of year as I juggle to complete everything before the end of term.

Not much I can do about it - that's a part of leading a dual life as a teacher and writer. I squeeze in what writing I can (sometimes it's only 30mins), counting down the days until break-up. I savour/relish/anticipate the chance to spend full days at the keyboard, totally focused on my other passion, completing the next WIP, editing and polishing, burying myself in another world with characters sometimes as real as those outside the four walls of my house.

This year it's going to be a really special countdown. I'm taking a whole year off from teaching in 2010. Yep. 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days off.

How is this possible? It's called the Deferred Teachers Salary Scheme - you sign up and for four years you put away some of your pay to live off in the 5th year of the scheme. You can use the year as a sabbatical or to travel, work in a job outside the public education system, anything you want.

For a whole year I'm concentrating on my other passion, my other life. Writing. Pursuing and developing my other career. Becoming a published author.

Roll on 2010.

Can you feel how excited I am?