If Only It Were As Easy As That!

I received an email from a new writer asking for advice. The question: "Should I seek an agent or self-publish?"

Wow. I remember when I was there. I had written my first book and I felt like I'd finally achieved my dream. All I needed to do was send out my manuscript and I'd be published! I dreamed of seeing my book on the shelves of local bookstores, sitting at a table piled high with my books while I signed autographed copies for the long lines waiting to talk to me. If only the publishing world were as easy to break into as that!

Reality is nothing like the dream. But, the last thing a new writer needs to hear is something to destroy the dream. Many new writers get discouraged and quit before they've even begun. Publishing is a tough business.  It's not something a person does with hopes of becoming rich. The truth is very few authors ever reach a status of being able to support themselves by publishing their books. Most of us write because we love writing. We love receiving feedback on our books that even one person has been touched in some way by the words we so painstakingly penned, one difficult word after another.

My advice to this new writer, and to anyone else who is curious, is to join a writing group. To succeed, writers need support from others who are doing the same thing and struggling with the same obstacles. Take online classes, attend workshops, learn the craft of writing, and most of all...keep writing new material. Learn how to market yourself...not your book. People will buy from names they recognize more so than from an unknown person who has an interesting book cover or book title. Make your presence known. It takes time and it takes perseverance.

Without my local writing group, the hundreds of online classes I've taken, and my growing support group, I would have stopped writing after that first book. I would have continued dreaming about my goal, but I wouldn't have worked at achieving it. Writing is a business, just like any other business. And, just like any other job, if you don't love what you do, you'll move on.

And, with that, I'll step down off my soapbox. I wish all writers, whether published or aspiring, a group of wonderful supporters and the joy of reaching your goals.

Yes, YES, YES!!!!!!!!

Quote for the Day: Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thus, my subject title was filled with enthusiasm!!

What I'm reading: The Inheritance by Pamela Thibodeaux

News for the Day:  Next week, my website will have a brand new look!

Today's Picture: Feeding the Ferals

Today is the monthly meeting for Central Ohio Fiction Writers (COFW). We meet in local libraries each month. Our group has grown to nearly 100 writers! When I first began writing in 2001, I thought I was the only person in the area who sought such an elusive career. I believe most writers start in a vacuum. It's a lonely venture, because writers need time away from the world to become creative and weave words into vast worlds of adventure.

When I learned about Romance Writers of America and then the sub chapters, one being COFW, I was so excited! Imagine! I could hook up with other people crazy enough to be writing. Becoming a member of a writing group is essential to a budding author. The bonding with other like souls is priceless. And, with the diverse group, there is endless information to be gained...and support. Support is the best thing we can find for ourselves in every walk of life, but an integral need for a writer.

Friends and family don't get it. They know you write and what they ask, if you aren't yet published, is "Is your book published yet?" And if you are already published, the question is "When is your next book coming out?" How do you explain the publishing business to someone who doesn't have a clue? Trust me, it's hard. So, you need the support of other writers who suffer the same thing. Commisseration is priceless. When I leave our writing meetings, I'm so pumped up that I can't wait to get home and sit at the computer.

So, I'm off to do what I love to do...with enthusiasm, just as Ralph Waldo Emerson said.

Thanks for stopping by!