3 RULES OF GETTING PUBLISHED
Modern rules for authors looking to get published
Getting a book published has never been easier than in the current market environment. You can quickly find illustrators, graphic designers, and programmers who can all help turn your project from just a dream into a real, tangible product. Depending on your own skill and time, much of the process of building and designing a book can be down on your own. But, focusing on the writing and building a team around you to help with everything else is just as feasible (and possibly even a better idea). Certainly, working with a big publishing house makes the process much easier, but walking that path toward a deal can be daunting and unsuccessful. Because of how democratized the publishing process is now, this traditional approach might not even be the best for some. An audience can be developed with the proper social media outlet (plus a little determination on your end). So how do you go about getting a book into the hands of a potential audience? For me, the process involved three components: honing my creativity, creating an audience, and developing a great book.
Finding Your Voice Of all the advice I can offer, the best I can give is for you to find your voice, and never give up in doing so. Before trying to build a social media following, or trying to put together your first book, make sure you’re writing in a style and tone that feels natural. Reading other writers that you admire and enjoy is a good way to learn what works, as well as learn new ways to improve yourself. However, this kind of emulation can be a slippery slope; despite how much you think you’re improving, you may be losing your unique style by trying too hard to sound like someone else.
Of all the advice I can offer, the best I can give is for you to find your voice, and never give up in doing so.
Writing using a blueprint isn’t sustainable. Being consistency is good, but make sure that your consistency doesn’t become stale. Expanding your style and content is great, but make sure you take smart risks with your voice. Refinement of your writing will take time, so don’t rush your development. Even though I’ve been writing professionally for many years, that doesn’t mean I was good as soon as I started (or that I’m even any good now!). Looking back at my previous work to review my strong and weak points has been a good practice for me, and something I suggest to any writer who hopes to grow. Building a Community Growing your audience is the next step if you’re looking to publish work in the future. This is good for two main reasons: the obvious one is that your community will be the ones who support your work by buying, but this community is also where you’ll get your feedback. Not everyone will necessarily give you direct and actionable advice, but the action (or inaction) of this group can be telling. If you’re regularly posting on social media (which you should be), then you’ll understand that engagement can vary between posts. Herein lies the key: while there are other factors at play that determine your engagement by post, for the most part, the community will respond positively to your best work. If a give work is particularly wellwritten, moving, or otherwise exceptional, your community will express this with their engagement. If, however, a given post isn’t well-received, then you know that there’s a possibility there for you to improve.
Ultimately, this honesty must start with yourself: you must either accept that perhaps writing isn’t for you or commit to a lifelong journey of continuous improvement.
Eliciting this response from your audience is simple enough, at least in theory. The execution is often the part that kills people’s progress. Without consistency, without passion, and without patience, building a strong and healthy community is almost impossible. Out of the last two and a half years that I’ve posted on Instagram, I’ve missed maybe 3 or 4 days in that time frame. What keeps me going every day is my passion for writing and expressing myself. Crafting the poem, taking and editing the image, then posting it online doesn’t feel like a chore to me. Neither did taking the time to research which social media platforms were good for this kind of content. Depending on where you choose to post, you’ll have different concerns, but for the most part, finding a good set of hashtags to drive traffic to your posts is a solid idea. Also, make sure to establish relationships with your early supporters. Being social on social media should go without saying, yet here we are. Lastly, remember that building an audience takes time. Organic growth will happen, so long as you’re posting regularly and what you’re posting is exceptional. There are other methods for improving your engagement (e.g. writer/content creator groups, influencer marketing), but none of these can replace simply being a good writer. Ultimately, this honesty must start with yourself: you must either accept that perhaps writing isn’t for you or commit to a lifelong journey of continuous improvement.
Finalizing Your Project Make sure to have fun with getting your book to market. Yes, you need to have clear vision for what you want your project to look like and you need to establish a plan to execute. However, whether you
Of all the advice I can offer, the best I can give is for you to find your voice, and never give up in doing so.
intend to self-publish or if you plan to develop a publisher proposal, remember that at the heart of any successful book is attention-todetail and a reflection of the artist. You could take time to learn how to use certain programs, or you could establish important relationships with professionals that will help optimize your project. Editors, illustrators, graphic designers, all these folks are easier to reach than ever thanks to freelance websites. However, you get what you pay for, so if there’s any element to your book that you want to retain control of, you may be better off learning how to handle that aspect yourself. For example, I learned how to use Adobe InDesign because I had a design in mind for my book, rather than pass it off to someone else who might not understand what I wanted. Having a book ready for sale isn’t just about generating revenue. If you’re able to put together a project and properly establish it on a given marketplace (I like Amazon), this will strengthen your potential pitch to publishers. Depending on the organization, they might want to make their own edits, but having a book done and ready to present is a strong sign that you’re a capable writer and business professional.
Conclusion With my book done now and on the market, my focus is on continuing to put out the best work I can. Occasionally, I make call-toactions to encourage people to buy my book, but I never let my platform become too much like an outlet for marketing pitches. Constantly throwing this in your community’s face is a surefire way to lose support, so always temper your efforts.
Occasionally, I make call-to-actions to encourage people to buy my book, but I never let my platform become too much like an outlet for marketing pitches.
Finding your voice (and sharpening your skills), building an audience, and creating an excellent book is the best way to start attracting interest from potential publishers. These are businesses, and businesses don’t want to work with lazy artists who aren’t willing to grind for their dreams. Show publishers that this is what you’re truly passionate about, and soon enough, you’ll be on your way to becoming a published author. Rodolfo’s love for writing started when he was just a kid, and now as an adult, he’s pursuing this calling through a career as a writer and editor. He studied philosophy in college, so the nature of existence and human emotion are topics that have interested him for many years. He also has his master’s in business administration degree, which is a testament to his interest in being an entrepreneur alongside being a writer. Although he started with spoken word poetry, over the years he began writing more traditional poems and prose. His future goals as a writer, alongside continuing to create more poems, include finishing his first novel, writing a collection of short stories, and exploring other nonfiction projects on topics that interest him like investing, entrepreneurship, and technology.