Advice for writers, or everything Jeaniene knows about getting published

I’m still buried under deadline, but I thought I’d do a consolidated post on everything I know about getting published. Why? Well, about one in every four emails I receive is from writers asking for advice on how to get published. Believe me, I understand their frustration over the process. It’s a HARD process, make no mistake. If getting published were easy, everyone who wrote a book would have one on the shelves. When I was first querying back in 2004, I scoured the internet looking for advice, and while there were scam places galore just waiting to pounce on unwary writers, the pickings for practical advice were slim.

I’m not saying I know all there is to know about publishing. Far from it. Writers should not treat this post as one-stop-shopping for publishing information, so by all means, scour the internet and book stores to find as much additional information as you can. That way, you won’t make some of the same mistakes I did starting out. But hopefully, some of my trial and error will turn out to be useful for you, which is my goal behind this post. 

With that in mind…

On writing advice: My writing advice is simple – write. The more you write, the better you’ll get at it. Read a lot. Be prepared to revise your novel, because revising is part of the process. Then, once you’ve polished a novel, gotten a second (or third) constructive critical opinion on it, revised, and polished again, start agent hunting. But until you’ve finished a novel and really gone over it several times, don’t look for an agent. Write first. Make sure you love it. Then jump into the publishing world

On how I got published: http://frost-light.livejournal.com/16905.html

Timeline of exactly how long it took: http://frost-light.livejournal.com/107613.html

My process when I write a book: http://frost-light.livejournal.com/109987.html

A writer’s Q&A on scams to avoid, literary agents, and querying: http://jeanienefrost.com/2010/01/qa-for-writers/

More on scams and why writers should always, always remember Yog’s law: Money flows TOWARD the writer: http://frost-light.livejournal.com/93699.html

More on why I think getting an agent is important: http://frost-light.livejournal.com/113254.html

What do authors get paid?: http://jeanienefrost.com/2010/01/publishing-money-myths/

Examples of successful query letters that landed the authors of Fangs, Fur, and Fey their former/current agents here (scroll all the way down to see them all): http://community.livejournal.com/fangs_fur_fey/tag/queries

Examples of queries critiqued by agent Janet Reid: http://queryshark.blogspot.com/

Absolute Write, a great place where writers share information / warn against scam agencies & publishers: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/index.php

On me reading your manuscript / query letter: I’m sorry, but due to time, legal, and ethical constraints, I cannot read your query letter or partial/full manuscript. Before you get mad at me for saying no, please read this: http://jeanienefrost.com/2010/04/the-tao-of-no/

All right, if you’ve read through all the above and you’ve still not found anything helpful, try Author Cassandra Clare’s comprehensive Q&A for aspiring authors on her website. There are several more helpful links inside the post, too: http://cassandraclare.com/cms/writing

And finally, a book for writers I’d recommend is ON WRITING, by Stephen King.

Best of luck to you, writers!

Jeaniene