Advice for writers, or everything Jeaniene knows about getting published

Posted by on May 16, 2010 in Blog, Writing Resources | 18 comments

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 literary agents, querying, self-publishing, and scams to avoid: http://jeanienefrost.com/2010/01/qa-for-writers/

 

When to get a critique, and when not to: http://jeanienefrost.com/2012/02/critiques-part-1/

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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

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On rejection: http://jeanienefrost.com/2010/12/the-publishing-rollercoaster/

 

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

18 Comments

  1. Amanda Bonilla / May 16, 2010

    I haven’t read it, but my crit partner said that Stephen King’s book ON WRITING was the best book she’d ever read on perfecting your craft! I also agree that getting a first, second, and third opinion is vital when polishing a MS. Great post!

    Reply
  2. Catherine / May 16, 2010

    Jeaniene:

    Can I link to you, Jeaniene? This is an awesome post, and the teacher in me wants to direct people here.

    Thanks,

    Catherine

    Reply
    • Jeaniene / May 16, 2010

      Catherine, go ahead and link away :) .

      Reply
  3. Shannon / May 22, 2010

    Jeanine,
    I think the 1st book of the Vampire Huntress series has got to be the best I’ve ever read. The next 3 are just as good. Then the 5th book Drop of Crimson & looks like the next books there’s barely any of Cat & Bones in them. The are the best books because of Cat & Bones relationship & adventures.
    I have read from many websites that people want to read about Cat & Bones. Just because she quit her job doesn’t mean her story ends! I can see writing about her friends & the other characters but can’t we get more Cat & Bones?
    Big Fan, Shannon

    Reply
    • Jeaniene / May 22, 2010

      Shannon, if you look on the home page of my website, you’ll see that I *am* writing more Cat and Bones books :) . Their next book comes out February 22nd, 2011, with another C&B book (#6)out later in 2011, and at least one more after that. So never fear, I am not done telling Cat and Bones’s story. Thanks!

      Reply
  4. Raye Ulland / May 22, 2010

    Hi,just found your Blog when i google something and wonder what webhosting do you use for your blog,the speed is more faster than my web site, i really need it.will back to check it out,many thanks!

    Reply
    • Jeaniene / June 19, 2010

      This is a WordPress site, and it’s hosted by GoDaddy.

      Reply
  5. shop boyz party like a rockstar / May 23, 2010

    Thx I found just the info I already searched across the whole internet and just couldn’t find. What a perfect website.

    Reply
  6. Lucienne Kottke / May 28, 2010

    Cool website you have, the posts here are very well written.

    Reply
  7. Andrew A. Sailer / May 30, 2010

    awesome information. This is a great site.

    Reply
  8. Vanessa Roundtree / June 18, 2010

    An interesting read no doubt – thanks for taking the time to write this!

    Reply
  9. Ben / August 12, 2010

    Please let me know any tips you have for getting published in local publications. I live in Columbus,Ohio and have been under the impression that you hasd to have an agent to get published.

    Please let me know…

    Thank you for your time.

    Reply
    • Jeaniene / August 13, 2010

      Ben, when you say you’re trying to get published is “local publications” do you mean newspapers or magazines? Because if so, I don’t believe you do need an agent for that (agents are mostly for trying to get a full-length novel published). However, I’m afraid that I don’t have any advice on getting newspaper or magazine articles published. I was never published in those venues prior to my first full length novel coming out.

      I’d still suggest Writers Market. I believe there’s a section on short stories / magazine publications.

      Reply
  10. ashly santiago / March 16, 2011

    why do you stop writing about Spade and Denise? You write alot of books for Cat but you dont go on with Spade and denise. even if you just make one more book about them. I would love to see more.

    Reply
  11. Kelly-May / July 18, 2011

    Your advice is amazing it has actually help me avoid to scams that I nearly fell prey to. So I owe you one for that. But I was wondering if you had any suggestions, my problem is I have written a story and i know I need it to be read for critique analysis, only the people I get to read give me feedback like ‘its really good’ or ‘you have improved’ its nothing really strutural and my friends and family I guess say nice things regardless. How can I get some solid feedback that will help me? Any ideas? Thanks a lot.

    Reply
    • Jeaniene / August 6, 2011

      Kelly, I would recommend that you join the Absolute Write forums. It’s a great site for writers with tons of information. In addition to that, they have a subsection called “Beta readers, mentors, and writing buddies” that can hook up writers looking for critique partners, critique groups, or beta readers. Good luck!

      Reply
  12. Christina O'Connor / October 29, 2011

    I am not a novelist, poetry is my passion and I have always been awed by written art, such as your books, but I’m finding it difficult to follow my aspirations of being a writer.

    Reply
  13. Beth Cillian / May 2, 2012

    Great Side. Hope I can use some of the advices even as a writer from Germany.

    I followed your first advice: WRITE and got my first novel published only a month ago …

    Reply

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