Honest Writing Feedback

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

From my experience in publishing, it’s hard to find honest feedback about your writing. If we ask our family about our writing, they love our words and will be reluctant to give their honest feedback. In general, it’s the same with our friends who don't want to hurt our feelings. In this article, I want to give some ideas and resources so you can get honest feedback to make improvement in your writing before you send it out to an editor or a literary agent.

At a writers’ conference, they will often provide a way to get critiques from professionals. Sometimes these sessions are a part of the event and other times you can pay extra for detailed feedback. Because I’ve often been on the giving side of the critique process, I know to give honest feedback is somewhat tricky. The editor or professional wants to be honest yet also encouraging to the conferee who has paid to be at the event.

Occasionally at a conference, you will find an editor to give you the straight story about your book. Years ago I interviewed a couple who started a successful marriage ministry. I’m always fascinated with storytelling. The husband told me about the duality in his public appearance as a leader and pastor yet behind the scenes having a combative relationship with his wife. One day the tension in this couple grew extreme. Their television antenna on their roof needed adjustment. In the rain, this man climbed on his roof and when lightening struck he was shocked into changing his relationship and behavior. I called the article Shocked Into Service and crafted a magazine article and a query letter.

As I pitched this story, I could not find anyone to publish it. I found the story and the marriage ministry worth telling but I could not understand the rejection. At a conference in a one on one meeting with a top magazine journalist, he looked at me and said, “It’s the conflict and duality in this story. Even if true, no one wants to know their pastor is bickering with their wife on the way to church then showing a completely different side of their personality in public. The shocked story is the reason for your rejection.”

I was open to the honest feedback and suddenly I understood my rejection. I took my article and stopped sending it out and trying to find a place to publish it. 

Another place to get honest insight about your writing is through a writer’s critique group. I've been in groups which function well and I’ve been in some others which do not provide this honest feedback. As with a publisher, the writer has to search for the right group. It is a solid option and use the links to find out more details.

Other writers will hire a developmental editor or a writing coach to give this feedback. Another option is to have another writer as an accountability partner where you exchange writing and commit to giving each other honest insight for improvement of your writing. There are many different choices and options. I’ve only scratched the surface of possibilities.

When You Get Honest Feedback

While it is a challenge to find this feedback, the writer has another choice in this process. They can discount the feedback and not make any changes. Or they can lean into the insight and improve their work. Bestselling novelist James Scott Bell recently wrote an excedllent article about Taking Criticism (follow the link to get his teachng and insights). Notice how he reacted to criticism, putting it away for several days before he mustered the courage to read the information and apply it to his writing. It’s a process that I’ve often done when someone criticized my work.

The process of producing excellent storytelling is not easy but a journey that each of us as writers are on. We need the honest feedback and insights to improve our storytelling. What steps do you take to get honest feedback and improvement in your work? Let me know in the comments below.

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New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week another podcast recording launched:

Greg Danielson (@simplisatisfied) and I spoke about Unveiling the Myths of Publishing on the Simply Satisfied Podcast. Listen at: https://bit.ly/3IvErX6    

Publishing is a complex business and much of the process is outside of anything an author can control—no matter how they publish. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors realistic expectations  and practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

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The Reality of the Marketplace

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As writers, the marketplace for our writing is in constant motion. Editors come and go. New publications start and end. Different systems come and go.

The last few years have been challenging for publishers and retailers. Some publishers have closed their doors. Others are struggling. For example, one of my author friends publishes a specialized type of books. Her publisher has two of her books finished in production but haven’t been distributed into the bookstores. Why? Behind the scenes, one of the largest financial expenses for a publisher is printing those books for distribution to the bookstores. It’s a gamble because bookstores can hold the books for a period of time (even years) and if they don’t sell, these retailers can return the books for a complete refund. Often the returned books arrive in such bad shape the only option is destruction. The publisher has to be willing to absorb and handle that unseen cost. Other times the books can be returned to a different bookstore. It’s part of the cost of working in publishing.

Back to my writer friend who has a long-track record of success in this business. Her two titles are stuck with this publisher and her long-time relationship. When I spoke with this author, we explored some alternatives like other manuscripts that she could generate and could go into production. 

Also in the last few years, the cost of paper has increased. This means the small margins of profit for publishers have grown even smaller. Publishers can increase the retail price which could affect future sales but this step involves changing the barcodes on the printed books or the retailer will have to use stickers. If the books do not sell and are returned, the removal of these stickers takes time and can destroy the books. I hope you see that behind the scenes there are difficult decisions for the publisher which is not often discussed. These decisions spur publishers to make cautious decisions about which books are contracted and produced. In a practical sense, it means there is a lot of silence for authors who are submitting and a lot of frustration for literary agents, who do not make money unless the book is contracted. The bottom-line is a huge stall in many areas.

Also the retail price and the price of paper has affected the length of books. At Morgan James Publishing, we had a internal 100,000 word guideline for our novels but now that guideline has been adjusted to 80,000 words. People are buying and reading shorter books.

If you are an author who has a large novel which isn’t getting traction, maybe your rejection is not based on your storytelling or topic but simply on the word count. Often as an editor, I will suggest an author divide their lengthy novel into two or three books. While it is rare someone listens to my request and takes action, sometimes the author will do this work. Recently at Morgan James, a novelist pitched a 160,000 word manuscript. I suggested he divide it into two books. This author did the work and now has two novels into production and headed to the bookstores for readers. I admire the flexibility of this author to divide his manuscript. I’ve had a series of other authors who have pitched a 200,000 word novel or 150,000 word novel and have not been willing to break it into two novels or three novels. The lack of flexibility will ultimately force these authors into self-publishing and a different set of issues and concerns.

How to Keep Up

What steps do you take to be aware of these realities in today’s book market? I encourage you to read online publications and newsletters that tie to your particular type of book or genre. Also I encourage you to attend writer’s conferences and network with other writers, editors and literary agents. Maybe a different connection is what you need for your book and to find success.

Finally every writer needs to continue expanding the elements that are under their control. I’m not talking about a “rented” platform like LinkedIN or Facebook. You and I do not control these places and could be kicked off these sites because of something innocent which we post on them. Instead I’m pointing to your website, your newsletter, and your blog. What actions can you take to expand your newsletter subscribers? As I pointed out in these articles, behind the scenes, I’ve changed some elements of my newsletter. Check out this link and if you add your name, you will receive an 87-page Ebook loaded with insights for every writer. To receive this FREE ebook, you are added to my weekly newsletter which will give continued value to you but you can also choose to unsubscribe if it is not right for you. 

As authors, we have many choices and need to take consistent actions to meet the realities of the marketplace. Maybe you need to explore a different social network to attract new readers to your work and newsletter. 

Recently at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, I taught four sessions titled: Making Books Is Easy but Selling Books Is Hard. Unlock the Mystery: How Do Authors Sell Books? As a part of my teaching, I prepared a 39-page handout. This document included multiple links to other resources and ideas for authors to succeed with their book. On the final page, I pointed to Samantha Evans who has been finding success with her topic of grief on YouTube. Sam is giving away a free multiple-page PDF which explains what steps she is taking and how she is increasing her reach. How do you get this information for your work? Follow this link, join her newsletter and learn from what she is doing for her own writing journey.

Throughout my decades in publishing, I’ve learned one consistent lesson: there is a great deal in publishing outside of my control except for one person: me. It takes consistent and persistent action to find your path and the right connection.

What have you learned from reading this article? What am I missing that you want to add? I look forward to your comments. If I can help you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. My email address is in my X/Twitter profile. 

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Throughout my many years in publishing, I’ve co-authored over a dozen books and reviewed thousands of submissions (no exaggeration). As a part of the process of working with these authors, I speak with them about their dreams and plans. Many of these authors have  unrealistic expectations about what will happen with their published book. Many aspects of the details of publishing are outside of anything an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

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Elements of Effective Pitching

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Many writers love to crank out words into their computer. They dream of a literary agent or editor reaching out to them with a writing project. From my decades in this business that sort of event rarely happens. That editor phone call or email you’ve imagined coming is a fantasy. If you want to publish a book, you need to effectively pitch a literary agent or an editor. 

 

From my experience in publishing, one of the foundational skills to develop is an effective pitch. Whether you want to write a magazine article or a book or teach at a conference or appear on a radio program or podcast or almost any other activity, it all comes down to your skilled pitch. In this article, I want to give you some of the critical elements in this process so you can be much more effective in this critical process.

 

To write for magazines, you need to learn to write a query letter. I’ve written for more than 50 publications and have written a detailed article about this process (follow the link but also study the contents then apply them to your own writing life). Like with a book proposal, there are different variations on how you do the tool but the key is to send something that the editor or agent wants. How do you learn what they want? You study their guidelines about what they publish or their specialty. It is different for each publication, agent or publisher but they will tell you what they are looking for—and they expect you to do this research before you clog their email box with your pitch. 

 

If you are writing a book, then you need a book proposal or business plan. I undrstand that writing a proposal is a great deal of work but even if you self-publish you need to know the various parts of a proposal. Every author whatever they are writing (nonfiction, fiction, children’s books, etc) will gain value through writing a book proposal.

 

The process of creating a book proposal will teach you about the current marketplace for your book. For example, the majority of publishers are looking for fiction which is 100,000 words or less. Last week I was looking at the submissions for a service to writers. One of the novelists was pitching a 250,000 word novel. Immediately I rejected this author and didn’t approach the author to submit to Morgan James Publishing.

Why? Recently I have had negative reactions when I tell an author they need to divide their story into several parts so they can get to a lower word limit. If the novelist is in tune with the marketplace, they have learned this information before completing their novel and pitching it to possible publishers.

 

Another element in effective pitching is developing your relationship with the literary agent or editor. At the end of the day, you are looking for the right fit. This search will take skill (to learn how to craft a proposal and/or query) combined with persistence and consistency.

 

What are the elements to effective pitching? If I am missing something, please let me know in the comments below.

 

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A Writer's Reality Check

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

In my recent writing life, I’ve been calling and emailing editors and others with little or no response. This sort of response is common and happens in seasons. Sometimes the responses are often and other times, you hear crickets—nothing.

Today I want to write about several realities of the freelance life. First, there is a basic principle: always be pitching. Without pitching or proposing or telling others about your idea, nothing happens. If you want to get more speaking opportunities, then you need to be pitching your speaking topics to different leaders and organizations. If you want to write more magazine articles, then you need to be pitching these article ideas. Or maybe you want to be on more podcasts as a guest, then you carefully target these podcasts. As you target your pitches, the podcast hosts know you understand their audience and why you have valuable information for their audience. 

If your calendar is not full of activity such as writing projects and speaking opportunities, then you need to take action and pitch more speaking or other types of activities.

I like what one of my bestselling writer friends, Bodie Thoene, told me about writing novels—and it applies to every other aspect of publishing:  “No little elves come out of my closet to write 650 manuscript pages. Some mornings I don’t feel like writing, but I do it out of obedience to God.”  In some cases, you can hire a publicist with connections to pitch you on radio shows or television or podcasts. Or you can do it yourself, but you must take action.

I’ve been in publishing for decades. If my phone isn’t ringing off the hook with opportunities, I expect yours is not either. Always be expanding your network of connections. Who you know is often as important as what you know. Be reaching out to these people, checking in, learning what new projects they are working on and is there something they need that you can help them with? This innocent question can turn up opportunities for you, but you have to raise or ask the question in the first place.

Also you have to follow-up. Recently I was at an event in Colorado Springs. I had dozens of conversations with people and we exchanged business cards. I need to follow-up on those conversations and connections. It is because of follow-up that ideas turn into reality and projects. Sadly, many people never follow-up and they miss out on these opportunities.

Another reality: a lot of the work is repetitive and, in some ways, boring. I’m writing these words in an airplane on the way to another conference. I’m grateful live events have returned. But to prepare for this live event, I scheduled the majority of my social media posts for the entire week. Yes, it took some planning and effort, but my audience is expecting my posts and they will be happening even if I’m away from my computer.

At Morgan James Publishing, we are publishing new books every week. This process doesn’t happen randomly but involves a chain of events. As an Acquisitions Editor, I’m working on the front end of this process. An author reaches out to me with an idea about their book or maybe it is a query letter or maybe they send a proposal or a full manuscript or part of a manuscript. The key action is they have something they would like to publish. I respond and get their material into our internal system for processing and things start to move forward. The author has to make the initial pitch in this process. Sometimes an editor will have an idea of something they want written—but that is extremely rare from my decades in this business. The more typical path is for the writer to create and pitch their idea.

Over the years I’ve read thousands of submissions (no exaggeration) and out of my frustration as an editor, I wrote Book Proposals That Sell in 2004  to help writer understand the publishing process and also (selfishly) so I could receive better submissions. My original book helped many writers and has over 130 Five Star reviews. But publishing has changed over the years.

Last year the revised edition of Book Proposal That Sell released. One of my original 21 secrets was to always include an SASE (self-addressed-stamped envelope) because in the pre-internet days there were no electronic submissions. To receive a response from a publisher—even a printed rejection letter—you needed to send them the return postage. 

Today submissions are electronic, but editors and agents are leery of clicking on attachments from people they don’t know. You need to approach the editor or agent via email then get their permission to send your material as an attachment. It’s a completely different process and one every writer needs to understand to get into the submission process. It is simply another reality of our lives as a writer.

As an author another reality is consistent promotion of your book. You bear the greatest passion and responsibility for telling others about your book. There are many different ways to be effective in this process but if you stop promoting, then your book sales will tank (in general). My advice is not to stop but weave appropriate promotion into your life every day. If you follow my social media feeds on Twitter or LinkedIn, you will notice that I promote several of my books every day with different images and different messages yet continually pointing toward my book. Someone has to hear about your book at least a dozen times before they will purchase your book. You can be actively involved in getting these various messages out into the market. It’s another reality of our life as writers.

I see the world as full of opportunity. For me the glass is half full rather than half empty but you have to move for something to transpire. 

When you face discouragement and rejection (as we all do—including me), understand it is not personal, but you are looking for the “right” opportunity and the “right” fit. That search will take some time and effort on your part. Nothing happens without effort—another reality check for the writing life. What resonates with your writing life? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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Put Your Spin On Your Writing

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Within the writing world, there are countless stories to be told in many different formats such as blog posts, magazine articles and books. As a writer, I enjoy helping other people shape and write these stories. It gives me a chance to put my own spin on these stories and get them out into the world. Each of us have an endless supply of such stories and personal experiences. One of the keys is to get your fingers on the keyboard and create them in the first place, then do the work to get them out into the world so other people can read them. Without pitching and making that right connection to an editor or agent, it remains something in your mind but not into the world.

 

Like the picture of the the spinning top in this article, the toy does not spin without someone taking action. Action is what we do as writers—day in and day out—especially if we want our words to get into the world. In this article I want to give you a couple of examples of how I put my own spin on my writing.

 

Social Media Posts

 

Through the years I've posted thousands of times on social media. In these articles, I've told about using tools like Hootsuite and ClickToTweet in this process. These tools help me be consistent and ClickToTweet gives others an easy way to pass on the article. In my social media plans, I will highlight articles and other writings from others. Each time I post, I make sure to include an image (since this image often draws people to read the words with the post). If the article I am highlighting has an image, I will use that image or if not, I will quickly find one to use with it.

 

For my social media posts, behind the scenes I've created my own “standard” and it's something I encouorage you to do as well. In addition to a photo with each post, I attempt to include the name of who wrote the article along with their Twitter handle (not everyone has a Twitter name but I search for it and try to add it each time). If the person has a tool to pass on the article, I use that as a starting point, then I add the name, shorten the link and if not there (add a couple of relevant hashtags). It does not take a lot of time to meet this standard but it brings consistency to my various social media posts—and yes I put some effort into these posts—something I encourage you to do as well.

 

Most of the time, I hear little from my social media posts (12–15 times a day) but then someone will comment or share or indicate some way they have read the post. Sometimes these posts are new and other times they have been out there for a long time. The interaction shows me that people read this material—whether they say anything or not. Don't be surprised if you don't get a lot of response. The key is go keep on going and be consistent.

 

Book Reviews

 

I've been writing book reviews for a long time with over 1,100 on Amazon and over 700 on Goodreads (follow this link if you want to see some of them). My reviews are my own spin or perspective on a particular book. Often I will quote part of the book (especially on print and not so much on audiobooks) which shows the reader that I've actually read the book and found a relevant quote to include in my review.  Throughout any week, I receive many more books that I can possibly read—much less write about—but I continue doing some of them on a regular basis (even though no one pays me for these reviews). If you read a book or listen to it, I encourage you to take a few minutes and write a review. It will be a way to support the author and also good for your writing life.

 

How are you putting your spin on your writing? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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What To Do When "Nothing" Is Happening

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Some days particularly in certain seasons like summer seem like “nothing” is happening. As an editor, I'm calling authors who have received contracts but they aren't responding via email or returning my phone calls. Or maybe you are pitching agents and no one is responding to your proposals. Or maybe your agent is pitching your latest project and it is not getting a response. Or maybe you are querying magazine editors about writing articles and not getting responses. Or pitching podcasts or radio stations and not getting responses. You get my idea. You are actively working but getting nothing in response. I have this experience as well and in this article want to give you some encouragement and action-oriented ideas.

 

I've written about the importance of how every author has to continually pitch to get magazine assignments, book deals, podcast interviews, endorsements or anything else in this publishing business. It is a continual part of the process and at times the response is underwhelming or even silence.

 

From my experience in publishing, your consistent actions are important and will pay off for you—maybe not immediately but in the long run. No one reads every blog post when you want them to read it. No one reads your social media posts when you want them to be read. No one listens to your podcasts or radio interviews when you wanted. Or reads your magazine article when you wanted them to read it or reads your latest book release. It is important to keep building relationships and continue to pitch.

 

Several months ago, a fairly high profile podcast sent me an email asking me to pitch and possibly be a guest. It took me about a week to respond and give them what they requested. I didn't get a response. I sent it a second time. Finally I heard they were backed up at the moment from the responses. It was essentially saying thanks but no thanks. OK, on to the next opportunity. This exchange was four months ago. Then last week I got another email from the same podcast saying they were scheduling again with a calendar link to select a time. I chose a time and had a wonderful interview which will be published soon. I tell this story to remind you that we only see the situation from our viewpoint and not the person who is receiving it.

 

I sent birthday greetings to an editor this week via text since I had his cell phone number. We exchanged several texts and it gave me an opportunity to say how I'd love to work with him in the right project. Our exchanges gave me an opportunity to get in his mind for possible future work.

 

Here's some ideas for you when “nothing” is happening:

 

1. Pitch some new magazine articles.

2. Begin a new book proposal or book manuscript.

3. Create a new website to sell a product.

4. Create a new ebook to promote your mailing list.

5. Take an online training course to get new ideas.

6. Read a book about the craft of writing then apply it to your writing life.

7. Pitch some podcasts or radio stations to be a guest.

8. Write a guest blog posts or a pitch to a blog for a guest blog post.

9. Organize your office and pair down the clutter (something I've been doing lately).

 

Yes the list of possibilities for action can be endless. Here's a simple truth that I've learned: if you are stuck and do nothing, then nothing will happen. What actions do you take when “nothing” is happening? Let me know in the comments below.

----

I've recently published some articles on other blogs and Richelle Wiseman Buzz on Book Biz released a podcast. I hope you will check out: Writers, Use This Simple Way to Stand Out and Learn Before You Leap into Ads (just follow the links).  These articles may give you some additional ideas about action steps for your own writing life.

 

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Your Persistence Matters

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

 

What is the topic or subjects where you have the greatest passion? How are you translating this passion into your writing? What persistent and consistent steps are you taking with this passion to be telling people about it?

 

I hope these questions stir some ideas and thoughts for you. From my years in publishing, persistence is a key quality for every writer.  I encourage you to take a few minutes every day and spend time on this topic of your passion. Maybe you write an article for a magazine. Or you work on a plan for a membership course. Or you pitch someone on doing a workshop on this topic. Or you write a chapter in your book on the topic. Take some steps (even if small ones) every day to move forward and be persistent.

 

Several months ago, a magazine editor approached me to write an article about essentials for a book proposal. When I got the request, I wanted to do it but with my current writing projects, I could not see how I could get it written. I had written for this publication in my past and wanted to meet the editor's deadline. Yet it came and disappeared. To my fault, I never communicated with the editor about needing more time and extending the deadline.  I was not a good communicator with my editor  (something every writer should attempt to be in this business). If you need more time, ask for it—but I didn't.

 

Several months later I interacted with this editor about another matter. In our email exchange, she said something about the book proposal article. To my surprise, she still wanted me to write it for her publication—even though my deadline had come and disappeared. This editor was persistent in her pursuit of the article. We negotiated a new deadline for the piece. Thankfully with this new deadline, I found a little time to brainstorm how I would write this article.  Besides my bestselling book, Book Proposals That Sell, I've written a number of articles about different aspects of a proposal.

Can you take something you wrote for another publication (and hopefully saved on your computer in a place easy for you to locate), then use this writing as a springboard for the new assignment? Hopefully when you write for magazines, you are selling “first rights” which means when the article is published, those rights return to you for you to use again. As I thought about other articles I had written, I recalled a series of articles I had published on proposals. In a few minutes, I pulled those articles into the longer requested article for this publication. Last week I reworked the article so it flowed correctly and sent it off to the editor. I met her deadline and her persistence paid off with getting what she wanted for her audience.

 

Several lessons for you from my experience:

 

1. Maintain your relationship with the editor, agent or other publishing professional.

 

2. If you need more time, ask for it and renegotiate a new deadline. Don't fall silent like I did and let it pass.

 

3. Reuse material you have written in the past. Preserve it on your computer in files and folders you can easily locate. Then get more mileage from your previously published work with new publications and new readers.

 

4. You will reach more readers with your magazine work than most books. I've long been an advocate for writing for magazines as a way to spread your message.

 

How are you practicing persistence in your own writing life? Are you continuing to build new relationships with publications and editors? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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Three Reasons to Write Devotions

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Recently at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference I spent some time speaking with Susan King, who for many years has been an editor at The Upper Room. If you don't know about this devotional publication (a bi-monthly), it reaches six million readers. Each devotion has a particular format and are less than 300 words. I have been published in The Upper Room but it was years ago. In the early days of my writing for publication, I often wrote devotionals. Susan told me they continue to need more devotions from men and in particular from the Old Testament (except Psalms). These pieces of advice are important so I write something that meets their publication needs. As a writer, you can go in many different directions so this focus was very helpful.

After speaking with Susan, I decided I would write some devotions and submit them for consideration. During the conference, I went to the freebie table and collected a sample magazine and their guidelines. Whenever you want to write for a magazine, studying their publication and guidelines is always the first step to getting published.

With a publication and writing target in sight, I began to think about writing some devotions. It is a different type of writing than I have done in a while. I decided to write several devotions for the same publication to increase my possibilities for getting published.

Here's three reasons to write devotions:

1. Different can be good for your writing. Sometimes we get in a rut with our writing. Devotional writing is a connection to the spiritual and applying these lessons to your writing. For me, writing a devotional is different from writing a chapter in a book or a book proposal or other types of magazine writing. As a writer, you still get to practice your storytelling craft with devotionals.

2. Devotions are short. They are often 300 words or less. This type of writing can be a challenge to say something meaningful with only a few words. The Upper Room guidelines give insight into this area encouraging you to look at snapshots of life in the stories that you include.

3. Looking for devotions to write puts you in touch with the “God moments” in your life. It is easy for life to drift past if you aren't in touch with these spiritual moments in your life (at least it is for me). I began to consciously look for these moments and grew more aware of them in my life.

Bonus reason 4. Devotion writing is another way to serve others with your writing and also a way to gain your own exposure. If my devotion gets published in The Upper Room, I will reach millions of readers.

Do you write devotions? What are your reasons for writing them? Let me know in the comments below.

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Good Choices and Good Habits Are Important

We are faced with dozens of choices every day. At times these choices are complicated because of the many possibilities. For example, when you purchase toothpaste, there are endless variations even among the same brand. 

I'm keenly aware of the many choices we have as writers and editors. For example, do I answer emails from authors, do I set up phone calls with authors, do I make follow-up calls with authors who have contracts but haven't responded? Do I work on getting more conference speaking or do I write some query letters for more magazine writing? Do I create a new marketing campaign for one of my books? Do I reconnect with some agent friends to see if they have something I could contract with Morgan James? Do I send an email to my mailing list? These are only a few of a multitude of choices but you get the idea. There are many different possibilities. Which do I select and accomplish today?

Each of us are locked into time and space limitations. We only have a certain number of work hours for each day before we run out of energy. I've recently been listening to the audiobook for Atomic Habits by James Clear. If we are honest, we have bad habits that we want to lose and some good habits that we would like to acquire. James Clear is a habit expert and in this engaging audiobook helps us understand and develop habits—yet in an uncomplicated, "everybody can do it" sort of way.

Atomic Habits opens with the story of the British cycling team who instead of huge goals decided to change things by one percent.  When most of us want to change a habit like lose weight or make more money or ???, we set a major goal then most of us fail in this process. Clear advocates and teaches how to change in small increments which is much more possible. The British cycling team made incremental one percent changes in their pillow, their clothing, the massage oil, and many other elements. It transformed the team into winning Olympic gold medals.

Clear contends to make a new effective habit means developing a system. This audiobook is loaded with insights for every reader. I listened to this audiobook cover to cover and highly recommend Atomic Habits.

What do you want to achieve with your writing? If you are writing a book, are you establishing a system (habit) which will accomplish your goal? For example, you could decide to write 1,000 words (about four pages) every day until you finish a draft of your book. You create a system that will allow you to develop a writing habit which will accomplish your larger goal of completing a book manuscript.

If you want to get the attention of a literary agent to get a book deal with a publisher. What are you doing to craft an eye-catching book proposal? Are you regularly contacting agents or going to a conference where you will meet them and develop your relationship? Create a system (habit) which moves you toward your goal. The steps can be small but your consistent effort will pay off.

Do you want to develop a social media presence? What are you doing to consistently grow that presence? Are you posting on different sites on a consistent basis and growing your audience? As you post where are you leading this audience? Does it lead to exposure for your book? Or does it lead to getting sign ups for your email list? What is your system (habit)? Without consistent effort and a system (habit), it will be a good thought but not translate into reality (at least this is true from my experience). 

Our habits and choices are important. I encourage you to make good ones—not just once but every day. If I can help you in this process, don't hesitate to email or reach out to me.

What habits and choices are you making with your writing life? Let me know in the comments below. 

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How do your choices and habits grow your writing and life in publishing? Get ideas and help from this prolific editor and writer. (ClickToTweet)
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