Be The Exception

This past weekend I was speaking in Spokane, Washington at the Inland Northwest Christian Writers Conference. It was my first time at this terrific event and the fourth year for this conference. 

Besides giving a couple of workshops, I met throughout the day with various writers to speak with them about their book projects and to guide them about what they can do next to achieve their dreams.

I love this opportunity to hear about different books and help them learn more publishing. I heard about some wonderful books for different target audiences. In each case, I gave the author my business card and encouraged them to send me their material so we can consider publishing it at Morgan James. While I know our program isn't right for every author, our company has many unique benefits which I stressed during the meetings.
 
I've been meeting with authors at these conferences for years and here's what I understand: few of these authors will carry through and actually send me their material. If they do, then they will be the exception. I'm actively looking for terrific authors that I can champion to my publication board and get them a book contract. For the last two years, I've been sending contracts to authors almost every week.
 
Yes we receive many submissions at Morgan James (over 5,000 each year) and less than 3% of those submissions are actually contracted and published. It's a long shot for every author—but here's the reality: you can't get published if you don't send in your proposal or part of your manuscript. You have to take action as an author to achieve your dreams.
 
During the conference, I saw a woman who looked familiar. Over a year earlier, we had met at the Seattle conference and talked about her book idea. She reminded me of the idea and I expressed my continued interest to champion this author and her idea.
 
“What happened to your book?,” I asked.
 
“Oh, life got in the way and I haven't sent it anywhere,” she admitted.
 
This sort of situation happens much more frequently than you would think. People are amazed at my number of published books (over 60) or the number of magazines that I've had articles published (over 50–-I stopped counting a long time ago).
 
This type of publishing success does not come from being the best writer in the room or the most skilled communicator. I am persistent and I do follow through on the open doors. If an editor says to me, “That's a good idea. Write that up and send it to me.” Then I take that editor's statement at face value for the opportunity. I go home, write up the material and send it to the editor.
 
Yes I get rejected and not every one of my submissions get published. Rejection is a part of the process of finding the right opportunity at the right time at the right place. Yes a number of rights need to line up for that opportunity to happen.
 
You can't get published simply cranking out the material on your computer and leaving it there. You have to take action and follow-through and send it to the editor. If you do this simple step, you will be the exception and give yourself the best possible chance for success.
 
You have to do the work and craft an excellent manuscript. Writing is hard work and takes a lot of effort from you as an author. But you have to take one more step—connect with an editor and follow-through on what they requested.
 
I'm hoping you will be one of those authors in the small percentage who actually send in their material and get their books into print. It is possible for you if you will be the exception.

Make A Difference With Your Writing

Do you have Google Alerts turned on for your name? I do and sometimes it turns up interesting things that I would not see otherwise. For example, a week ago I saw this blog post about my Book Proposals That Sell. In the opening paragraph, Bonita writes, "Book Proposals that Sell: 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success holds the distinction of being the most underlined, marked up book on my bookshelf. I devoured it from cover to cover the first time I opened it."

It has been gratifying to received numerous comments from readers of my book through email and face to face meetings. I was thinking about the genesis of Book Proposals That Sell and what motivated me to write it. At the time, I was an acquisitions editor at a publishing house and reading stacks of author submissions. Many of these submissions were dismissed with a glance because they were not pitched or presented properly. Each week I was actively looking in the "slush pile" for excellence and it was rare when I found it. Yet I needed excellent book proposals to present each month to the publication board.

From my own felt need as an editor, I wrote Book Proposals That Sell--yet I was focused on the felt needs of the reader or would-be author. This would-be author wanted to get published but had no idea what the editor or agent needed from them for their project to be seriously considered. Far too often writers create books from their own passion and felt need instead of focusing on th felt needs of the audience and scratching that itch. If you meet the needs of the reader, then you have the potential to make a difference with your writing.

Whether you are writing a magazine article or a pitch letter to an editor or an advertising sales letter, it is always important to know your target audience and think about that reader and their felt needs. This week, one of my authors sent a short promotional flyer that he had created for his book. I applauded his initiative in working on such a document--yet the opening sentences apologized to the reader for interrupting their day. It did not grab the reader or scratch a felt need. This type of promotion was going to be a terrible waste of energy and money. In my most diplomatic way, I suggested several alternative ways to position that promotional piece. Also this author failed to ask the reader for a response. In a short promotion, you always want to include a call to action where you ask the reader to do something and give them several alternatives. With a longer book proposal, you are asking for the editor or agent to consider your pitch then to let you know their response (a call to action).

How are you making a difference with your writing? Are you meeting felt needs for your target audience? Are you including a call to action to move your reader to a response?