For Beginners: Ten Ways To Prepare To Get Published

(Skip directly to ten for the fastest shortcut!)

Like any field, excellent writing requires study, practice and mentorship. Very few successful authors ever published their first draft of their first work. Nearly all had to expend considerable effort to improve their craft. Here are some ways to prepare for that moment of publication. These tips also help keep you on your toes after publication for better and better writing results as your career develops.

1) Read, read, read in your field. You can never read too much when you're trying to excel as a writer. Reading in your field helps you develop a discerning eye. You need this discerning eye for when you step back and look at your own work.

2) Cultivate role models. Know who the top-selling authors are in your field. Find out more about them. How did they get to where they are? Do searches in the Internet (available in most libraries-ask your librarian how to use a search engine) for information about particular authors whose careers you admire. Let your role models inspire rather than daunt you. There is no competition, only inspiration, potential teachers and opportunities for cooperation. That author you envy this year may be writing a blurb for your first novel next year.

3) Research your markets. If you want to publish in periodicals, whether literary fiction, journalistic writing, or anything else, realize publication standards serve a purpose other than to frustrate new authors.

4) Take classes. Many cities offer writing classes through community colleges or local writing groups. Online writing classes are popping up everywhere. If possible, choose a writing teacher who has published in a field you'd like to enter. Even better, find someone you already consider a mentor. Not every published author has what it takes to offer beginning writers what they need, but many do.

5) Join or start a writer's group in your area. We teach best what we most need to learn. There is no better way to improve your own writing than to help others with theirs.

6) Find a writing buddy with whom to check in on a regular basis. The two of you can be each others' inspiration, accountability market, guidepost and reality check. Having structure and someone to check in with may help you look forward to your otherwise lonely writing sessions.

7) Play with changing voices. Copy other writers you admire. How does that feel? Pretend you suddenly got an injection of creativity serum or I.Q. booster, then write like mad for ten minutes. What happens to the quality of your words? Is this a possible new direction for you? As creative and intelligent beings, we have so much more within us than we could ever dream.

8) Accept the reality of rewriting. Unlike other professions who get to rest on their milestones, for writers, a completed manuscript often represents a beginning. The best writing comes after lots of rewriting, even for seasoned authors. You needn't throw any of it away, but not every sentence belongs in every work. Save the scraps, but don't get attached to where they go, or the integrity of your project will suffer.

9) Get clear on what you want out of getting published. Many writers move forward without knowing where they want to wind up. As a teacher once told me, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." The answer to what you want out of getting published will help you determine the best route to take. And in publishing, those routes are many and varied. You can use our Twenty Questions as a self-help guide.

10) If what you want is to get published in the least amount of time, considering hiring a ghostwriter. An extremely common but rarely discussed practice, many successful authors talk to ghostwriters, who put their skills to work on an author's behalf. Although some such ghostwriters get a cover credit, many do not, hence the "ghost" terminology. If you have more money than time or inclination to toil, ghostwriting may be the option for you. Learn more

You are welcome to reprint this article any time, anywhere with no further permission, and no payment, provided the following is included at the end or beginning:

Author Jill Nagle is founder and principal of GetPublished, http://www.GetPublished.com, which provides coaching, consulting, ghostwriting, classes and do-it-yourself products to emerging and published authors. Her most recent book is How to Find An Agent Who Can Sell Your Book for Top Dollar http://www.FindTheRightAgent.com.

---

Does Your Theme Contain Character, Conflict, Resolution?

Creative Writing Tips ?For a theme to work and the... Read More

What Nationally Published Columnist, Cindy Laferle Has To Say About Writing & Journalism

Today Norm Goldman, Editor of sketchandtravel and bookpleasures is honored... Read More

Write Strategy: Think, Believe, Attack

Think of writing like karate...it's about DISCIPLINE.Writing, like other forms... Read More

Taming The Book Proposal

Taming the Book Proposal: The BasicsOh, that most maddening of... Read More

Writing Press Releases That Get Noticed

Among the various foolproof methods used to boost traffic to... Read More

Important Points of Fiction

Fiction manuscripts receive feedback that addresses and scores:· The theme... Read More

Seven Compelling Reasons to Get Your Name on a Book Cover

Have you ever considered writing a book? If so, maybe... Read More

Journaling

How many of you take the time to really write... Read More

Five Minute Miracles

FIVE MINUTES ... Is All You Need ........to phone a... Read More

Create Confidence With Your Writing

Whether you are writing a magazine article, composing a press... Read More

How To Write More Powerful Reports

There is one key difference between reports and most other... Read More

Why Every Freelancer Should Have A Web Site

"Do I send samples, a media kit, or just the... Read More

Dialogue Tags - A Study in Common Errors

Verb and SubjectIncorrect:"I bet you two had a fine time,"... Read More

Critique Groups - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

What do people expect when they join a writing group?The... Read More

COULD YOU (not) REPEAT THAT PLEASE?

I recently read a book where everything was akimbo. Arms... Read More

That Cute Lil Ol Apostrophe

Have you ever had a student write to tell you... Read More

Book Publishing Contracts For Writers: What Should I Look Out For?

Dave, I just got a contract for a book... Read More

Understanding Editorial Guidelines

Editorial guidelines, also known as writer's guidelines, are the rules... Read More

10 Tips To Help You Pack More Power Into Your Business Writing

1. Before you write anything down define not what you... Read More

You Dont Need Inspiration!

Or do you?Writers write. You shouldn't wait around for inspiration... Read More

Making The Time To Write That Novel

Finding the time to write a novel is one of... Read More

8 Tell-Tale Signs That Forecast Writing Success!

'Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented... Read More

How To Become a Freelance Grant Writer

What is a freelance grant writer? These individuals have a... Read More

Publish Your Novel on the First Try

Rejection. This scary word plagues virtually every writer this side... Read More

How Are You Plotting?

Creative Writing Tips ?Writing is a creative process and how... Read More

New Authors Publishing Options

All your publishing options are as follows:--Conventional publishing--Vanity or subsidy... Read More

Tell the World About You

You have a new website, or a new business, or... Read More

How to Get Free Publicity in In-flight Magazines

If you're targeting an educated, more affluent audience with your... Read More

You Can Be An Author

"You should write a book." For years, I had been... Read More

Groundbreaking Work

Every writer knows that the urge to write is not... Read More

English Grammar ? Seven Outdated Rules You Can Ignore

No matter what your fifth-grade English teacher says, some grammar... Read More

Mama Dont Allow No Fighting in Your Writing

When you sit down to write a steamy romance, a... Read More

5 Ways to Break the Story Spell

You sink back into your favourite chair with a new... Read More