People often ask me how they can get a book published. I wish I had a magic formula, but the truth is, the journey to publication is different for everyone, and only rarely is there an express lane.
However, there are a few basic items I like to share with aspiring authors to help reduce their learning curve. One is to start attending writers’ conferences. You’ll have the opportunity to meet other writers, listen to editors and agents talk about the writing and publication process, and maybe even be able to sign up for an individual manuscript critique or a pitch session with an editor or agent. It’s what I did when I first decided I wanted to write for children, and something I continue to do.
By attending writers’ conferences, you’ll not only get firsthand information on what editors or agents are looking for, you’ll usually be able to submit to the attending editors and agents after the conference. This is extremely valuable, especially in this day and age, when so many publishers have closed the doors to unsolicited submissions. (Meaning that unless an author has an agent or has made a previous connection with an editor, his or her manuscript will go into the slush pile, or increasingly, just discarded.)
You’ll also get to meet other authors who share your passion. Some may be less experienced, some may be more, but you just never know when you’ll meet someone who has heard of an editor looking for books just like the one you just wrote, or when you’ll find out about a local critique group you didn’t even know existed. (Note: Having a good critique group is essential for writers who are serious about getting published. More about that in a future post.)
You don’t have to spend a fortune to go to a writers’ conference, although you certainly can if you like to travel out of state. You also don’t have to go to a lot of writers’ conferences, either. (You don’t want to spend more time talking about writing than you do actually writing.) I try to attend one conference a year (where there are several speakers and multiple breakout sessions), as well as one or two workshops (usually led by someone who focuses on a single aspect of writing for children, whether it’s manuscript revision or successful school visits.)
Do your research (thank goodness for Google!), and find one or two conferences or workshops a year that fit your budget as well as your writing goals. If you are interested in writing for children, SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) is an international organization whose regional chapters often host annual conferences, retreats, and workshops. You can visit their website to see if there is an event happening in your area: www.scbwi.org.
For children’s writers (and illustrators) who live in or near Missouri, the Missouri SCBWI chapter holds its conference every November near St. Louis. I’ve either attended or presented at their conference for years, and always come away with some new contacts, writing tips, and ideas. To see this year’s conference brochure, visit www.scbwi.org and look for the regional events page. I’ll be one of the people critiquing manuscripts this year, and look forward to reading some great stories —maybe yours!
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