If You Write It, They Will Come

You're a new writer. You've penned a couple of poems, pounded out a few short stories and have embarked on the path of writing "The Great American Novel". Your family and friends rave about your talent, giving you praise that could all on its own win you a Pulitzer. You create a Website showcasing your labours of love, ready to wow the masses you are sure your literary prowess will generate. Any minute now you are sure your phone will begin to ring non stop with calls from numerous agents and publishers begging to put your book on store shelves... offering you the promise of dreams come true!

Then in what seems like a flash, six months pass and you are still a virtual unknown. Checks to your Website reveal that not even your mother has signed your guest book and hit statistics are less than encouraging. You label yourself a failure and vow never to pick up a pen again... but wait. Don't despair. It happens to the best of us. It's very unlikely that even the greatest of writers signed a mega deal their first time out the gate, and for you it will be no different. But how do you survive the disheartening bumpy path to publishing success and gain exposure that will take you from talented hobbyist to in demand author? Well let's ask some published authors the secret of their success and find out.

Dominique Grosvenor, author of "Fever", "Bloom" and "The Plural Thing" offers this advice: "I am not sure there is a secret to publishing success. When a book is good, and there is a buzz about it, it usually ends up on the best seller's list. Write a good book would be my first tip. Reaching your target market would be the second since that's who creates the buzz."

"Submit! Submit! Submit!" advises columnist, author and speaker Sylvia McClain. "Writers just starting out should enter every contest, use every opportunity to do readings, submit pieces to magazines and newspapers, go to workshops and attend conferences. Also, join as many groups that work out for you to network in. Making these kinds of connections allows you to have an inside circle of people to help promote your work."

Rosalind Stormer of Heavenly Bound Publishing states, "First believe in your work. Secondly, develop determination, persistence and grow a thick skin. Creative marketing is key. Writing the book is the easy part, getting people to care about yet another book in an already glutted market is the real challenge."

While I am not yet a chart topping published powerhouse I would have to say that I agree with each tip listed here. The journey to publishing success will need to be fortified with belief in yourself, clever marketing of your work, resiliency and drive. The differences between seeing your name in print on a book jacket or magazine page and seeing it on a rejection letter are putting your best foot, and efforts forward. Never cease perfecting your craft, learn to take constructive evaluation... and a little prayer never hurts!

One last tip, and probably the most important one. While talent may be all that is needed to create an unforgettable storyline, research and preparation are going to carry that storyline the rest of the way towards The New York Time's Best Seller's List. Bone up on industry standards by checking out various publications geared towards publishing and writing. Read all the books you can about procedures and expectations. Interview or query as many professionals as you can such as agents, publishers and published authors to get their views on the process. As it is with all things, information is key and the more you have, the greater your chances are of seeing your dreams fulfilled in black and white.

I wish you much success!