Fear Factor 5
DAY 30
Word Count: 20,189
Sentence of the Day: "A person's character is most clearly seen not by what they show, but what they hide."
FEAR #5: IF I SLOG THROUGH WRITING AN ENTIRE NOVEL, HOW WILL I EVER GET A PUBLISHER TO PAY ANY ATTENTION TO MY MANUSCRIPT?
- Go to a writer's conference where you can meet face-to-face with an editor. I suggest the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference. It's worth every penny you have to scrounge to get there, so start fingering the couch cushions now for next September.
- Get an agent...which can be every bit as tough as getting a publisher. Start by asking writer buddies that like your work for a referral to their agent.
- Build a platform. Don't have a blog yet? Start one. Aren't on any social networking sites? Skedaddle over to your choice of chatter (Facebook / Twitter / Blogspot/ yada-yada). It's never too early to begin collecting a tribe of followers.
Yeah, I can hear you. What in the world does this have to do with getting a book published? Nowadays...a lot. Having established connections buoys your manuscript to the top of the slush pile because it gives you a marketing edge over an author who has none. Savvy?
- Spit shine your work to a fine sheen. Killer writing will slay an editor because story is still king.
Rabbit Trail Alert
Hey, did you notice the day count on today's post? I'm at 30. One month. And I've topped 20k words in those days. YEE-HAW! At this rate, I'll have an entire novel written in 5'ish months. Granted, those 30 days were actually spread over 2 months, making that a total of 9'ish months to get the thing done, but still...think I'll haul my backside out for a java and a slab of dark chocolate to celebrate today.