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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Career » Page 24

Career

Are You Writing Out of Order?

By Dan Balowon August 18, 2015
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Generally speaking, if you want to write a book, sitting down at a computer, opening a Word document and starting to write it is not the first thing you should do.

Certainly, every writer should write and keep writing. In the same vein, every runner should run, every person interested in being a chef should prepare food and so on.

But writing a book is not the first thing you should do if you desire to eventually be published. In fact, in many cases, writing the book is much further down the list than you might think.

I don’t want to recommend it is the “last thing you should do” because that phrase has been hijacked by discouragers in every walk of life and has a more negative meaning than I need to make my point.

But for sure writing a book isn’t the first thing you should do.

Any author blindsided by the publishing industry focus on “platform” might have experienced the disappointment when they discover the seemingly never-ending list of  “one more thing” needed to be done before an agent or publisher agrees to look at their work. You wrote the book and now you discover you skipped a step or two.

Or three…or eight.

There is one primary reason why writing a book is not the first thing you should do.

Competition.

Your competition is not skipping steps.

It’s the same reason that being good-looking is not a fast-track to being a great film actor or why a fast runner is not guaranteed to be a great professional athlete. The other person competing for the acting job has been studying acting for 10 years. Your competition for the baseball team has been training to hit a curve ball since he was ten years old.

Competition is the iron that sharpens iron but sometimes that sharp iron cuts deep.

Every literary agent is different, but I personally receive over 1,000 proposals each year from authors inquiring about representation. I look at each one in varying detail, but the most common theme when I decline to offer agency representation boils down to a fundamental issue that the book is out of order. The author should have done some or all of the following, and they didn’t:

  • Consider whether they want to have a book published or be a professional writer (those are different paths)
  • Study writing
  • Study the book publishing industry
  • Be a recognized, credible authority on the subject of your book
  • Present your book theme in public (non-fiction)
  • Get a website
  • Work in social media
  • Be aware what the market is saying about the type of book you are writing

I could probably come up with several more given enough time.

Your strongest competitors have most often put the book in ninth place after the eight things listed above. In fact, they might have added a half-dozen more steps along the way.

The disappointment that comes with failure to be published is often a result of skipping steps. The book was first when it should have been third, ninth or twelfth.

But working through the steps still makes no guarantee you’ll make the cut, primarily because of competition. But skipping steps will almost guarantee you will be declined.

I have a writer-friend who spent three decades writing in the marketing/advertising world before writing a book.  There was no “luck” involved in his eventual success as an author. There were decades of iron sharpening iron, clients who pushed and pushed, decades of honing and crystallizing…and living.

Skipping steps on the way to getting a book published is never effective.

One of the “steps” along the way to a book deal might be to write something in a different medium. Some content from books should instead be articles. Some a series of blog posts. Some should be website content updated every day.

Then, once your message has been sharpened, maybe a book is next.  Maybe.

Books are the slowest, most deliberate and long-term communication medium. Urgent messages are communicated differently. If there is a tornado coming to your town, you don’t write a book about it. You sound the alarm and tell everyone to take cover. The book about the great tornado of 2015 comes two years later with stories of the aftermath.

If you have an urgent message of great importance for our society, a book releasing in two years is not the best vehicle for that message.

Books are a unique communication medium. Understanding where they rank on your to-do list is an important element of success. Your competition understands it. So should you.

So, what was my purpose with this post today?

To deepen your commitment and resolve.

Getting a book published and eventually moving into a career of professional writing is not for the faint of heart or the casual writer. Just like so many other endeavors, if it were easy, everyone could do it. But everyone cannot do it, because it is hard.

Are you serious about being an author or do you want to get a book published? Your answer to that question will reveal your next steps. I strongly recommend not skipping any of them.

 

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Category: Book Proposals, Career, Get Published, Platform, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Get Published, Platform

I’ve Been There and Now I’m Going There – For You

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 13, 2015
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In this era of, “What can an agent do for you?” I thought a blog about the intangible benefits of visibility and relationships would be worth your time. As a literary agent, I am blessed to speak with a great number of talented authors. Many of them are where I once was — mothers with young children at home. They are lucky to have any time to write. Travel to a writers …

Read moreI’ve Been There and Now I’m Going There – For You
Category: Agents, Book Business, Career, Communication, Get PublishedTag: Agents, Get Published, Relationships

Bad Reviews

By Dan Balowon August 11, 2015
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This post isn’t about what you think. I am not going to address how to handle the emotional sting of a bad review. Instead, I am going to talk about those closest to you, showing how your friends and family can hinder your writing career. If you cannot stand the thought those you love may be undermining your career, stop reading now and go make yourself a smoothie and relax. For those of you who …

Read moreBad Reviews
Category: Book Proposals, Book Review, Career, Get PublishedTag: Family and Friends, Get Published, reviews

Your Agent’s Brand (And Why You Should Care)

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 6, 2015
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I’ve been privileged to have a career as a literary agent for many years now, and early on, I developed a brand and stuck with it. No, I didn’t hire a consultant to sit down and figure out what my “brand” is. And it’s not a tag line I put on business cards, or even anything I say aloud or post on social media. But most people who study agents have an idea about me …

Read moreYour Agent’s Brand (And Why You Should Care)
Category: Agents, Branding, Career, Get PublishedTag: Agents, Branding, Get Published

What Have You Outgrown?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 23, 2015
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You can hardly swing a computer keyboard around (well, okay, I don’t recommend swinging a computer keyboard around, but anyway…) without seeing a chance to take a workshop on how to utilize social media. Taking a workshop on social media is a great idea. I’m a huge advocate of using social media for fun, to connect, and, while you’re at it, to let people know you’re a …

Read moreWhat Have You Outgrown?
Category: Branding, Career, Marketing, Social MediaTag: Career, Changes, Social Media

One Thing

By Dan Balowon July 21, 2015
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Most successful authors are known for one thing, not a variety of things. Even if they publish many books, their name is identified with one thing. The one thing isn’t necessarily one book, but it might be. Catherine Marshall, author of the classic novel Christy, actually published over two-dozen books. But she is remembered by most for one thing. Stephen King, author of many bestsellers has an …

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Category: Art, Book Business, Branding, Career, MarketingTag: Branding, Career

Fiction: Contemporary or Historical?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 16, 2015
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Recently I noted an article in a prestigious publishing journal that says readers are looking for more fiction. I hope the article is right! To narrow this down, we can look to historical versus contemporary, since many authors write both. To clarify, for the purposes of this blog, I am limiting my discussion to traditional CBA trade book fare of strong stories heavy on romance. I am not …

Read moreFiction: Contemporary or Historical?
Category: Career, Craft, Creativity, Genre, Get Published, Romance, TrendsTag: Contemporary Fiction, Genre, Historical Fiction

Please…Preach to the Choir

By Karen Ballon July 15, 2015
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  How often have you heard a writer say, “My book isn’t for church people. I mean, I don’t want to preach to the choir, I want to reach those searching for Christ.” Not for nothing, but friends, who do you think is in the choir? Sure, some of the people sitting in the pews of any given church are life-long believers who know all they need to know about God and living a life of faith. I mean, …

Read morePlease…Preach to the Choir
Category: Book Business, Book Business, Book Proposals, Career, Christian, Creativity, Faith, TrendsTag: Christian, Craft, Faith

The How-To of Legacy

By Karen Ballon July 8, 2015
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Wonderful thoughts last week.  Thanks so much for sharing your experiences, honesty, and wisdom. Just one of the many reasons I so admire you folks. So here are my thoughts on this topic. As Connie Almony wrote, it’s not about the big things we do, it’s the small, everyday things. In fact, it’s about one specific thing: Choices. Legacy stems from the multitude of choices we make every day. It’s …

Read moreThe How-To of Legacy
Category: Branding, Career, Marketing, Personal, TheologyTag: Career, Legacy

How to Know When to Stop Writing

By Dan Balowon July 7, 2015
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At one time or another every person in the world must make a similar decision. We all need to decide when it is time to quit doing something. It is a metaphor-rich moment. Put your foot down. Put a fork in it. Walk away and don’t look back. The end of the road. Pack it in. Stop playing the game. Not going to take it any more. Close the book.         Uncle. How do you know when it is time to stop …

Read moreHow to Know When to Stop Writing
Category: Career, PlatformTag: Career
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