I have been asked about writing for many years. How do I start writing? What should I write about? Should I write in the morning? What method or style of writing will increase my chances of success? Should I get an agent? How do you choose a publisher?

In a four-decade career in higher education, consulting, and now missions, I’ve asked my own questions. Every time I met an author, I tried to figure out what made them successful. I asked them about the tricks of the trade of him.

The observations that follow are drawn from those many conversations with published authors, book editors, and publishers, along with some data from my own experience. I have paraphrased the original comments to make them more accessible, and have borrowed a lot from friends “in the know”. I salute your experience and expertise that you gave yourself so freely and lovingly to the craft of writing.

Some thoughts on writing

All writers experience “writer’s block.” Stop. Take a short break, like a walk. Maybe read a relevant book. Pray. Think about what you are trying to say.

All writers experience “writer’s doubt.” That’s one of the reasons why “writers’ colonies” have developed in places like Paris, New York, or Boston. Writers need each other to stimulate, encourage, affirm, etc. So when you experience “writer’s doubt,” remember that you are normal.

For most of us, writing is work. It may be a nice job, but it’s still work. That’s the source of the old joke about the author being asked, “Do you like to write?” The author replied: “I like to have written.”

For some of us, writing is like going on a diet. We don’t do it until we really want to. Desire produces discipline. Many more people aspire to write than actually do.

Dreamers dream, writers write.

There are many reasons why people write, personal expression, professional obligation, the feeling that something “must be said”, for income, ministry or service, etc. Whatever your reasons, try to choose topics that you are passionate about or at least interested in. The writing process will be much more enjoyable and you are much more likely to finish the project.

Write sometime, somehow, every day. Make writing a habit.

to know why want to write Identify what drives you. Set realistic, achievable, but broad goals, with target completion dates. Goals can be a project, pages/words per day/week, etc.

The better the schema, the faster the write will be. Do your homework.

Once you have the outline and have done the research, write. Just write and keep writing the best draft you can, but don’t worry too much about its flow, connection, or logic. This comes together on the second or third pass. Great writers like Philip Yancey take two to three years to write a book, and they usually rewrite sections repeatedly.

Choose a space where you can leave your writing materials outside, open and ready. It is easier to “pick up where you left off” than to try to start over.

Pick a time to write that suits your own pace, early morning, late night, blocks of time, whatever works. John Maxwell frequently gets up in the middle of the night to write. he works for him. It wouldn’t work for me. Find what works for you.

For some writers writing is not a sacrifice. For most there are trade-offs. Acknowledge this and make a decision. For example, you may have to give up late-night TV, etc.

Every writer needs readers, not only when the project is finished, but also while the writing is being produced. Reader feedback is just as valuable as your ability to receive criticism. Many academic writers never develop this ability. They seem to think that every word they write is “sacred.” Not so. You must put your ego aside and seek helpful criticism with a sense of humility. It’s still your writing, so you don’t have to adopt reader feedback, but you’ll always benefit from pre-publication review by others. You must develop the same attitude when working with publishers. This includes the word limits of the project. It is possible to say “more” with fewer words.

Getting readers can be one of your biggest challenges. People often say they’ll read your material, then won’t read it, or won’t read it in the time period you need feedback (quickly), or won’t read it with a truly objective eye, i.e. smooth-pedaling your answer to avoid “hurting their feelings” or saying what they really think.

Try to identify a couple of informed and objective readers who will faithfully return your material with honest feedback in the amount of time you need. Try to identify one or two other readers, who may know very little about your topic, but are well-read people capable of giving you honest feedback on style, grammar, sentence construction, flow, content, “readability” “, etc.

Don’t try to write for multiple audiences. It rarely works. Choose an audience, eg college students, colleagues, the general public, professionals, housewives, rocket scientists, etc., and write for that audience. But know your audience.

Study the writing of successful authors who write for the audience you want to reach. Learn from these authors. Don’t copy them. emulate them.

Some thoughts on the post

Get an editor and stay put. Enter the publisher’s stable, and you and your projects will naturally rise higher on the business success list.

If you want to increase exposure for your work, program, or organization, write books that reach the public and relate the interests of the organization to the interests of the public.

You may want to write for your peers. This is good, but few books will sell and you may need to identify a university press.

You may want to write books for the general public. In this you are not trying to “impress” but to “express”. Don’t try to show off your vocabulary. Remember, the first law of communication is to communicate.

“Books are not bought, they are sold.” You have to go out and sell the book. Do media interviews, book signings, book talks, etc. Cooperate with the publisher on this and create your own market.

Books are generally divided into publication categories such as academic, professional, inspirational, etc. A trade book is one written for the general public.

Publishers generally prefer to receive a book proposal before a book is written so that staff can work with the author to put together the book.

Book proposals are always required and should be presented in the most refined form possible according to the publisher’s guidelines. The proposal allows the editor to assess the author’s ability to write a well-crafted book and can be the difference between an accepted or rejected project.

It’s kosher to submit your pitch to more than one publisher at a time, as long as you tell them what you’re doing. But editors don’t really like this and it can be a matter of shooting yourself in the foot by robbing the editor of some incentive to spend time and money revising your manuscript. It’s probably best to send your pitch to “your editor” (if you’ve published before) or to the editor you think fits your topic, and then wait for a response (4-6 weeks). If the book is rejected, then of course you can shop around.

If your book proposal is turned down, stay encouraged. Publishing lore is full of stories of authors who racked up rejections only to eventually publish and sell many books (for example, JK Rowling and Harry Potter).

Sometimes a book contract will include a “wholesale” provision, that is, bulk orders from an agency such as a radio show, which will in turn market the book on air. The contract may stipulate that the author receives a lower royalty rate in this type of wholesale sales. In other words, the author does not receive as much from this deal. Many books may be sold, but the royalty is less, and this arrangement can also dry up the market for further sales.

One author said, “Get the best advance possible.” But advances are based on calculated and collected first-year royalties, so it’s very much a “pay me now or pay me later” situation. An advance is good for the author, because it’s guaranteed and in the bank, especially if the book flops. Many publishers now pay advances on a regular basis because it is becoming the norm and is expected. When this happens, an author can receive half of the expected first-year royalties when the book contract is signed and the other half when the book is finished and shipped to the publisher.

For new authors, publishing the book is usually what matters, not really the money involved. So whether you get an advance or just wait for the royalties doesn’t matter much.

For new authors, royalty percentages range from 14% to 16%. Well-known authors sometimes earn royalties of up to 22% to 24% or comparable higher advances, but this is rare.

For newer authors in particular, literary agents are generally not needed, and unless they really “add value” to the process, they become “middlemen” who can “get in the way” and do little more than take a percentage. of the author’s royalties. . On the other hand, some literary agents, depending also on the quality and content of your work, are worth their weight in gold because they can get editors to review your manuscript and they would not see your unannounced submission.

Edited books usually don’t sell well, and publishers aren’t very interested in them. This is especially true for books published with many authors, unless the book has very good focus. Edited books that include a “point-counterpoint” approach around a specific and well-timed topic sometimes work well. It is the responsibility of the book publisher (not the publisher) to obtain permission from other publishers to use already published material in an edited book.

Publishing is changing rapidly and dramatically, influenced by the Internet and digital capabilities that are also affecting audio and video productions. When you write, consider posting in a “mediated” format, that is, a digital presentation. This could be high-definition digital video on DVD, sound design productions on CD, a book or article published on a website, etc. In these formats, it will potentially reach many more people than any print publication ever could, and it will reach younger people who now learn more from the media than from any other source.

“Desktop publishing” is easier and less expensive than ever and is gradually reaching new levels of acceptance. Self-publishing is perhaps best accomplished through electronic means. Publishing your own work and promoting it until it achieves enough recognition to attract the attention of the larger publishing houses is a bit like a new or maverick filmmaker producing an “indie” film, distributing it to the best of its ability, and then evaluating it. The results. You can pass. To think, The hut.

Writing is a job. It usually takes time and effort to develop your best work. Whether you write for yourself or the world, learn from others and improve the power of your pen.