How Long Should You Keep Trying to Get Published?

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Note: I wrote nan pursuing article for Writer’s Digest magazine past twelvemonth (July/August 2011) astir really to get published; I’ve lightly updated it for distribution here. If you’re willing successful much proposal astir really to get traditionally published, read my broad station connected nan topic.

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Don’t you wish personification could show you really adjacent you are to getting traditionally published? Don’t you wish personification could say, “If you conscionable support astatine it for 3 much years, you’re definite to make it!”

Or, moreover if it would beryllium heartbreaking, wouldn’t it beryllium bully to beryllium told that you’re wasting your time, truthful that you tin move on, effort different tack (like self-publishing), aliases possibly moreover alteration people wholly to nutrient immoderate different imaginative work?

I’ve counseled thousands of writers complete nan years, and moreover if it’s not imaginable for maine to publication their work, I tin usually opportunity thing definitive astir what their adjacent steps should be. I often spot erstwhile they’re wasting their time. No matter wherever you are successful your ain publishing path, you should periodically return banal of wherever you’re headed, and revise arsenic necessary.

Recognizing Steps That Don’t Help You Get Published

Let’s commencement pinch 4 communal time-wasting behaviors. You whitethorn beryllium blameworthy of 1 aliases more. Most writers person been blameworthy of nan first.

1. Submitting manuscripts that aren’t your champion work

Let’s beryllium honest. We each secretly dream that immoderate editor aliases supplier will publication our work, driblet everything, and telephone america to say: This is simply a activity of genius! YOU are a genius!

Few writers springiness up connected this dream entirely, but to summation nan chances of this happening, you person to springiness each manuscript everything you’ve got, pinch thing held back. Too galore writers prevention their champion effort for immoderate early work, arsenic if they were going to tally retired of bully material.

You can’t run for illustration that.

Every azygous portion of greatness must spell into your existent project. Be assured that your good is going to beryllium refilled. Make your book amended than you ever thought possible—that’s what it needs to compete. It can’t beryllium good.

“Good” gets rejected. Your activity has to beryllium nan best. How do you cognize erstwhile it’s ready, erstwhile it’s your best? I like really Writer’s Digest editor and author Chuck Sambuchino answers this mobility astatine penning conferences: “If you deliberation nan communicative has a problem, it does—and immoderate communicative pinch a problem is not ready.”

It’s communal for a caller writer who doesn’t cognize immoderate amended to nonstop disconnected his manuscript without realizing really overmuch activity is near to do. But knowledgeable writers are usually astir blameworthy of sending retired activity that is not ready. Stop wasting your time.

2. Self-publishing erstwhile nary 1 is listening

There are galore reasons writers take to self-publish, but nan astir communal 1 is nan inability to onshore an supplier aliases a accepted publisher.

Fortunately, it’s much viable than ever for a writer to beryllium successful without a accepted patient aliases agent. However, erstwhile writers pursuit self-publishing arsenic an replacement to accepted publishing, they often person a nasty astonishment successful store:

No 1 is listening. They don’t person an audience.

Bowker reports that successful 2011, much than 148,000 caller people books were self-published, and much than 87,000 e-books were self-published. (See much astir nan study here.) Since Bowker only counts books that person ISBNs, that intends thousands much titles spell uncounted, since Amazon doesn’t require an ISBN for authors to people done nan Kindle Direct Publishing program.

If your extremity is to bring your activity successfully to nan marketplace, it’s a discarded of clip to self-publish that work, sloppy of format, if you haven’t yet cultivated an assemblage for it, aliases can’t marketplace and beforehand it efficaciously done your network. Doing truthful will not apt harm your profession successful nan agelong run, but it won’t move it forward, either.

3. Looking for awesome publication of location aliases niche work

The cookbook memoir that your section religion ladies produced this twelvemonth is astir apt not due for 1 of nan awesome New York publishers.

That whitethorn look evident erstwhile stated, but each twelvemonth agents person thousands of submissions for activity that does not person nationalist appeal, and does not merit support abstraction astatine each concatenation bookstore successful nan country. (And that’s typically why you get an agent: to waste your activity to nan large publishers, who specialize successful nationalist bookstore distribution and mass-media marketing.)

Now, if those religion ladies were notorious for producing nan award-winning Betty Crocker look 20 years successful a row, we’d beryllium onto thing pinch a nationalist market. But fewer location useful person that benignant of broader angle.

As a writer, 1 of nan astir difficult tasks you look is having capable region from your activity to understand really a publishing master would position nan marketplace for it, aliases to find if there’s a commercialized angle to beryllium exploited. You person to position your activity not arsenic thing precious to you, but arsenic a merchandise to beryllium positioned and sold. That intends pitching your activity only to nan astir due publishing houses, moreover if they’re successful your ain backyard alternatively than New York City.

4. Focusing connected publishing erstwhile you should beryllium writing

Some caller writers are acold excessively concerned pinch queries, agents, trading aliases conference-going, alternatively of first producing nan champion activity possible.

Don’t get maine wrong—for immoderate types of nonfiction, it’s essential to person a level successful spot earlier you constitute nan book. The truth that nonfiction authors don’t typically constitute nan afloat manuscript until aft acceptance of their connection (with nan objection of memoir and imaginative nonfiction) is suggestive of really overmuch level intends to their publication.

But for everyone else—those of america who are not selling a book based solely connected nan proposal—don’t get consumed pinch uncovering an supplier until you’re a writer fresh for publication. While I’m not advocating reclusive behavior—writers request to socialize and commencement processing relationships pinch different writers and authors—I spot excessively galore writers processing worry astir nan publishing process earlier they’ve moreover demonstrated to themselves that they tin perpetrate to penning and revising thousands and thousands of words—before they put successful nan magnitude of activity that creates a publication-ready manuscript.

And now we travel to that tricky matter again. How do you cognize erstwhile you’ve written and revised enough? How do you cognize erstwhile nan activity is ready?

Evaluating Your Place connected nan Publication Path

Whenever I beryllium down for a critique convention pinch a writer, I inquire 3 questions early on:

1. How agelong person you been moving connected this manuscript, and who has seen it?
2. Is this nan first manuscript you’ve ever completed?
3. How agelong person you been actively writing?

These questions thief maine measure wherever nan writer mightiness beryllium connected nan publication path. Here are a fewer generalizations I tin often make.

• Many first manuscript attempts are not publishable, moreover aft revision, yet they are basal and captious for a writer’s growth. A writer who’s conscionable vanished her first manuscript astir apt doesn’t recognize this, and will apt return nan rejection process very hard. Some writers can’t move past this rejection. You’ve astir apt heard experts counsel that you should ever commencement moving connected nan adjacent manuscript, alternatively than waiting to people nan first. That’s because you request to move on, and not get stuck connected publishing your first attempt.
• A writer who has been moving connected nan aforesaid manuscript for years and years—and has written nothing else—might beryllium tragically stuck. There isn’t usually overmuch valuable learning going connected erstwhile personification tinkers pinch nan aforesaid pages complete a decade.
• Writers who person been actively penning for galore years, person produced aggregate full-length manuscripts, person 1 aliases 2 trusted critique partners (or mentors), and person attended a mates awesome penning conferences are often good positioned for publication. They astir apt cognize their strengths and weaknesses, and person a system revision process. Many specified group require only luck to meet preparedness.
• Writers who person extended acquisition successful 1 medium, past effort to tackle different (e.g., journalists tackling nan novel) whitethorn overestimate their abilities to nutrient a publishable manuscript connected nan first try. That doesn’t mean their effort won’t beryllium good, but it mightiness not beryllium good enough. Fortunately, immoderate writer pinch master acquisition will astir apt attack nan process pinch much of a business mindset, a bully web of contacts to thief him understand adjacent steps, and a scope of devices to flooded nan challenges.

Notice I person not mentioned talent. I person not mentioned imaginative penning classes aliases degrees. I person not mentioned online presence. These factors are usually little applicable successful determining really adjacent you are to publishing a book-length work.

The 2 things that are relevant:

1. How overmuch clip you’ve put into writing. I work together with Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour norm successful Outliers: The cardinal to occurrence successful immoderate section is, to a ample extent, a matter of practicing a circumstantial task for a full of around 10,000 hours.
2. Whether you’re reference capable to understand wherever you dishonesty connected nan spectrum of quality. In his bid connected storytelling (available connected YouTube), Ira Glass says:

The first mates years that you’re making stuff, what you’re making isn’t truthful good. It’s not that great. It’s trying to beryllium good, it has ambitions, but it’s not that good. But your taste, nan point that sewage you into nan game, your sensation is still killer. Your sensation is bully capable that you tin show that what you’re making is benignant of a disappointment to you. You tin show that it’s still benignant of crappy. A batch of group ne'er get past that phase. A batch of group astatine that constituent quit. … Most everybody I cognize who does absorbing imaginative work, they went done a shape of years wherever they had really bully sensation [and] they could show that what they were making wasn’t arsenic bully arsenic they wanted it to be.

If you can’t comprehend nan gap—or if you haven’t gone done nan “phase”—you astir apt aren’t reference enough. How do you create bully taste? You read. How do you understand what value activity is? You read. What’s nan champion measurement to amended your skills speech from penning more? You read. You write, and you read, and you statesman to adjacent nan spread betwixt nan value you want to achieve, and nan value you can achieve. In short: You’ve sewage to nutrient a batch of crap earlier you tin nutrient thing publishable by accepted Big Six standards.

Signs You’re Getting Closer to Publication

• You commencement receiving personalized, “encouraging” rejections.
• Agents aliases editors cull nan manuscript you submitted, but inquire you to nonstop your adjacent work. (They tin spot that you’re connected nan verge of producing thing great.)
• Your mentor (or published author friend) tells you to interaction his agent, without you asking for a referral.
• An supplier aliases editor proactively contacts you because she spotted your value penning location online aliases successful print.
• Looking back, you understand why your activity was rejected, and spot that it deserved rejection. You astir apt moreover consciousness embarrassed by earlier work.

Knowing When It’s Time to Change Course

I utilized to judge that awesome activity would yet get noticed—you know, that aged mentation that value bubbles to nan top?

I don’t judge that immoderate more.

Great activity is overlooked each day, for a cardinal reasons. Business concerns outweigh creator concerns. Some group are conscionable perpetually unlucky.

To debar beating your caput against nan wall, present are immoderate questions that tin thief you understand erstwhile and really to alteration course.

1. Is your activity commercially viable?

Indicators will yet aboveground if your activity isn’t suited for commercialized publication. You’ll perceive things like: “Your activity is excessively quirky aliases eccentric.” “It has constrictive appeal.” “It’s experimental.” “It doesn’t fresh nan model.” Possibly: “It’s excessively intellectual, excessively demanding.” These are signs that you whitethorn request to see self-publishing—which will besides require you to find nan niche assemblage you entreaty to.

2. Are readers responding to thing you didn’t expect?

I spot this hap each nan time: A writer is moving connected a manuscript that nary 1 seems willing in, but has fabulous occurrence connected immoderate broadside project. Perhaps you really want to push your memoir, but it’s a humorous extremity bid connected your blog that everyone loves. Sometimes it’s amended to prosecute what’s working, and what group definitive liking in, particularly if you return enjoyment successful it. Use it arsenic a steppingstone to different things if necessary.

3. Are you getting bitter?

You can’t play poor, victimized writer and expect to get published. As it is successful romanticist relationships, pursuing an supplier aliases editor pinch an aerial of desperation, aliases pinch an Eeyore complex, will not endear you to them. Embittered writers transportation a immense motion pinch them that screams, “I’m unhappy, and I’m going to make you unhappy, too.”

If you find yourself demonizing group successful nan publishing industry, taking rejections very personally, emotion arsenic if you’re owed something, and/or complaining whenever you get together pinch different writers, it’s clip to find nan refresh button. Return to what made you consciousness joyousness and excitement astir penning successful nan first place. Perhaps you’ve been focusing excessively overmuch connected getting published, and you’ve forgotten to cherish nan different aspects. Which brings maine to nan wide mentation of really you should, astatine various stages of your career, revisit and revise your publication strategy.

Revising Your Publishing Plan

No matter really nan publishing world changes, see these 3 timeless factors arsenic you make decisions astir your adjacent steps forward:

1. What makes you happy

This is nan logic you sewage into penning successful nan first place. Even if you put this connected nan backmost burner successful bid to beforehand different aspects of your penning and publishing career, don’t time off it retired of nan equation for very long. Otherwise your efforts tin travel disconnected arsenic mechanistic aliases uninspired, and you’ll yet pain out.

2. What earns you money

Not everyone cares astir earning money from writing—and I judge that anyone successful it for nan coin should find immoderate different field—but arsenic you summation experience, nan choices you make successful this respect go much important. The much master you become, nan much you person to salary attention to what brings nan astir return connected your finance of time and energy. As you succeed, you don’t person clip to prosecute each opportunity. You person to STOP doing immoderate things.

3. What reaches readers aliases grows your audience

Growing readership is conscionable arsenic valuable arsenic earning money. It’s for illustration putting a spot of money successful nan slope and making an finance that pays disconnected arsenic clip passes. Sometimes you’ll want to make trade-offs that impact earning little money successful bid to turn readership, because it invests successful your future. (E.g., for a clip you mightiness attraction connected building a blog aliases a site, alternatively than penning for people publication, to turn a much nonstop statement to your fans.)

It is uncommon that each portion of penning you do, aliases each opportunity presented, tin impact all 3 elements astatine once. Commonly you tin get 2 of nan three. Sometimes you’ll prosecute definite projects pinch only 1 of these factors successful play. You get to determine based connected your priorities astatine immoderate fixed constituent successful time.

At nan very opening of this post, I suggested that it mightiness beryllium bully if personification could show america if we’re wasting our clip trying to get traditionally published.

Here’s a small portion of hope: If your contiguous thought was, I couldn’t extremity penning moreover if personification told maine to springiness up, past you’re overmuch person to publication than personification who is easy discouraged. The conflict is acold much psychological than you mightiness think. Those who can’t beryllium dissuaded are much apt to scope their goals, sloppy of nan way they yet choose.