Who Believes in Your Writing?

Many of the words in this image are tied to belief.

Last week I signed a contract for another book project. As an acquisitions editor, I help others with their contract but my own writing has dropped in recent years as I focus on helping others. I'm excited about this new project but the experience made me think about the concept of belief.

Throughout my publishing career, I've been blessed to sign numerous contracts. Because I've worked inside publishing companies, I know a contract is not issued without a number of people deliberating and making the decision. These publishing professionals believe that I was the best person to write this book so they issued a contract. I'm looking forward to working on this book in the days ahead.

It has been my honor to believe in a number of authors over the years as an acquisitions editor. When you are writing your book or proposal, inwardly you wonder whether anyone will want to publish this book. Yes every writer has these doubts and faces this uncertainty. Yet they continue forward to write and complete the book.

I opened a package last week with a new book which releases in November, I Wanted to Be A Pilot by Franklin J. Macon with Elizabeth G. Harper. I met Liz at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference. This middle school teacher had written an autobiography for Frank, one of the few living Tuskegee Airmen. This much decorated group of World War Two pilots is aging and Frank at 94 is one of about 100 living Tuskegee Airmen. It was a thrill to see this beautiful book and hold it in my hand. As an acquisitions editor, I was one of the first to believe in this book and the importance of it.

I spoke with another author who has one of the Morgan James contracts but hasn't signed it yet. I told this author how much I believed in her book and the importance of it. She thanked me for this affirmation and belief.  I'm eager to see this book get published and get into the bookstores and help people.

Who believes in your writing and your book? It could be a spouse or a friend or someone in the publishing world. If you don't have this person, I encourage you to look for them. Maybe they are in your critique group and believe in your work. 

And while you are looking for this person to believe in your writing, my encouragement is for you to believe in yourself. Continue learning and growing in your knowledge of this business and the craft of writing. Continue growing your audience and platform. Also continue to write and look for new opportunities. There is a world waiting for your book. If I can help you in this process, don't hesitate to reach out to me (my work contact information is on the bottom of the second page of this link).

Let me know in the comments below, who believes in your writing and ideas about how to connect with someone who believes.

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Writing Takes Courage

It's not easy to be a writer and push your ideas out into the world.  The process of publishing involves risk and takes courage. I wish there were some guarantees. The only guarantee for the writer is to continually work hard to expand their platform and reach their audience.

Through twitter, often writers will reach out to me through email and ask how I can help them. My answer depends on their situation and what they need. Recently a self-published novelist approached me for help. She had sold 35 copies of her book and wanted to know what to do next. I sent her a number of links and ideas. Her situation is fairly typical. What authors don't often consider if they self-publish is they are taking 100% of the responsibility for selling the book and completely on their own (no one helping them). Another aspect they don't know (because they often aren't a part of publishing) is they are jumping into relationship with a company publishing at least 50,000 titles a year (follow this link if you don't believe the number and I know these numbers are four years old and only increasing).

In my exchange with this novelist, I offered to review her book and possibly pitch it to my publication board at Morgan James Publishing. I say “possibly” because I do not do this for every author or every type of book.  As an acquisitions editor, my responsibility is to look for the right book and the right author. We have standards and criteria—unlike self-publishing. We only publish about 150 books a year and receive over 5,000 submissions for those few spots. My job involves this sorting process looking for quality and the right authors. If (and that could be a big if) the submission is appropriate and well-done, then I process the submission into the publisher system and later schedule a time to speak with the author.

She did some research online and learned there might be a financial investment so she balked sending me her “lifetime work.” The key is there “might” be an investment—if she even sends it and if she gets an offer to publish. There are many unknowns in this process but the writer has to have courage and move ahead. As an acquisitions editor, I invest hours with authors talking to them about the unique way books are published at Morgan James.

It does not mean the process is easy or simple but it is possible. I'm sincere on my twitter profile where I offer to help authors and give my personal email address. I help in many different ways:

1. Answering my email and returning phone calls. This type of prompt communication is different in a publishing world which doesn't respond. Often writers feel like their submissions and emails and manuscripts go into a black hole.

2. Sending them to my free information like this article in The Writing Life or on Right-Writing or one of my numerous free teleseminars.

3. Sometimes I offer for the author to send their manuscript to my work email then process the submission and see if I can get them a book contract. Each step in the process for them to move forward takes courage and action. In this process, you need to work with people you can trust—but also people who give you a realistic picture of the process. I tell every author that I speak with about Morgan James that it is 80% their responsibility. Also I make sure I tell them about how bookstores buy books and the authors key role in that process. It's key to manage their expectations and help them understand the important role of every author in the process of getting their book into the market.

When we think of courage, often a lion illustrates courage because of their behavior. As writers we need to have courage and take action with our writing.

Books change lives. I know first hand how a book changed my life. It does not happen sitting on your computer or in your desk drawer. It takes courage to take action and get it out into the world. Do something courageous with your writing today.

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