All blogs are property of authors and copying is not permitted.

Click image to one-click your copy of Soldiers of Fortune

CLICK BELOW & SUBSCRIBE TO THE RB4U NEWSLETTER

Friday, March 1, 2013

Congratulations, you’re published! Now what?

Getting published is one of the most wonderful moments an author can experience in their career. After days, weeks, months, and for some of us, even years, someone has finally said they like your work and would like to publish it. This is a moment of a elation in every authors life, especially if it’s their first offer of a contract. All of the hours spent typing away while you hit delete, re-wrote and then went over everything with a fine tooth comb suddenly seem all worth it, because now there is someone out there that sees in your manuscript exactly what you saw. Getting a contract offer for a book you’ve put your sleepless night and blood shot eyes into is a huge accomplishment and one that every author should celebrate. 

Once the excitement dissipates and you start to come back down from that cloud you were riding on, it’s time to hit mother earth, and for some of us the crash can be an unwelcome and unwanted one. That is when the work begins. It’s hard to imagine that all of the hours you have put into your work wouldn’t be enough, but sadly while you may be a genius in telling your tale, you far from perfect. No author is, so don’t take it personally. Even the most accomplished, most well known authors of the world have work to do once the contract is signed. This is when reality will set in for you. Writing the book itself will seem easy once you begin the task of actually working with your publisher to get your masterpiece ready to see the light of day.



Step one will be your cover questionnaire. You may think this sounds easy, but for some authors it is hard to put a vision you have in your mind on paper, especially if you’re the kind of person who is known as a pantser and not a plotter. Pantser is an author who writes by the seat of their pants, holding on for dear life as the story takes them on a journey. Rarely do pantsers take the time out from writing to make notes that will come in handy once filling out that handy little questionnaire. Plotters are always much more prepared for the questions that pertain to eye color and any other number of questions that make you flip back through your manuscript in frustration as you wonder how in the heck you forgot so much about a story that you were the creator of. The lesson learned is to take notes when you’re writing your story. Even if it is a few chicken scratches on a notepad, at least you’ll be able to get your questionnaire filled out in a timely manner with little frustration.

Once you’ve  done this and send off your information, you can now sit back and relax. Right? Wrong! Now it’s time for edits. Bwahahahaha… edits can be a nightmare and even a headache for some. But, the most important thing to remember is that all of the edits you are doing are essential. They wouldn’t have been flagged by and editor if they weren’t. Their job is to make sure your book hits the shelves as shiny and sparkly as possible.

The important thing to remember is that no matter how much work goes into getting a book out there, the end result is well worth it. So, relax, take a few breaths and pace yourself because getting published is one hell of a roller coaster ride. And it’s one ride that many of us will gladly buckle ourselves in for time and time again.

Temptestuous
Michelle Englehurst finally has her dream job working in a tropical paradise doing what she loves. A routine day at work proves to be more than what it seemed. Her new client Brad Conrad is charming, handsome, and causes a reaction in her like no other man has.
Brad is on a forced vacation by his father, who claims he’s overworked. Begrudgingly, he takes his sabbatical with no intention of enjoying himself. A chance encounter with a woman he can’t get out of his mind changes Brad’s workaholic ways. He finds himself extending his trip and doing everything in his power to spend more time with her.
For days and then weeks the two of them walk a fine line of casual friendship to lascivious intentions. With time working against the two, they are faced with two choices, take a chance or throw caution to the wind and be…tempestuous.
Find out more about Nicole ~

Nicole Morgan is a multi-published author of erotic romantic novels, which more often than not have a suspenseful back story. Erotic romance mixed with a good old-fashioned whodunit. While she's written everything from contemporary to paranormal her leading men will more than likely be wearing a uniform of some kind. From military to police officers, she has a love for writing about those who protect and serve. From her very first novel (which turned into a four book series) about Navy SEALs to her more recent releases you will be sure to find a few twists and turns you were not expecting.

In additional to her books, Nicole also has a recurring column called, "Sex and the Single Woman" in BT Showcase's online eMagazine. Also, she has recently partnered up with three of her author friends and became Four Seduced Muses, a blog dedicated to the steamier side of romance.

Nicole’s website: http://nicolemorgan1.webs.com
Four Seduced Muses: http://fourseducedmuses.com


16 comments:

Tina Donahue said...

Excellent post - and so true - getting the contract is just the first of many, many, many steps in becoming a successful author. Love your cover! :)

Connie K said...

Great post Nic! I greatly admire you for being able to juggle motherhood, promoting past work, while creating new work, and all the daily must do things associated with both! Then, of course engagement to a PHU, and planning a wedding on top of it! Glad you are finally feeling a bit better!

Melissa Keir said...

You are so right! The contract is just the beginning. Even once edits are done, you have to promote and for many of us, that's a challenge. We aren't used to being our own advocates and so it's awkward.

The cover of your book just rocks! I wish you much success!

Anonymous said...

I so agree with you, Nicole. Typing or writing out those words is a baby step toward actually seeing it in print or ebook. But that first step is so worth the arduous journey to get it published! Thank you for an excellent post, and happy writing.

Liz said...

yep. pretty much. it's a wild ride---lucky for me I have a lot beer around....shared the post with my networks for you.

jean hart stewart said...

I'm giving a talk shortly on the long road to being published, so this hit the spot with me. Few readers know about what a hassle it can be after signing the contract.

Nicole Morgan said...

Thank you, Tina. :)

Nicole Morgan said...

Not quite better, but I'm working on it. :)

Nicole Morgan said...

You're so right Melissa. Promoting can be a whole other journey. LOL

Nicole Morgan said...

Thanks, Polly. :)

Nicole Morgan said...

What?! You have beer?! I'm shocked..LOL

Nicole Morgan said...

Let us know how the talk goes. Sounds interesting and informative. :)

Harlie Williams said...

It was definitely a ride for me. Pitched it; sent it in; two days later got my contract.

I'll never forget that feeling.

Great post and I love edits...seriously, it only made me better. I don't fear them like most writers do.

Marika/Harlie

Anonymous said...

Awesome advice. Thanks for sharing. :)
Edits are meant to improve a story, not sabotage it. Once writers get past the mentality of "it's already perfect" They should be able to see that the suggested edits will strengthen the story.
bidelia78@yahoo.com

Nicole Morgan said...

I couldn't agree with you more. Edits can teach us a lot! :)

Nicole Morgan said...

My apologies to everyone reading these comments. On my phone it showed I was replying to the actual commentor, however when I signed onto my laptop it shows just a bunch of random comments. I know I've been sick, but this just makes me look silly. Sorry everyone. I *swear* it looks normal on my phone. :)

Share buttons