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.
PURCHASE LINK: http://bookstrand.com/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
blog: http://nicolemorganauthor.blogspot.com
Four Seduced Muses: http://fourseducedmuses.com
Find all her books: http://bookstrand.com/nicole-morgan
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! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tina. :)
DeleteGreat 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!
ReplyDeleteNot quite better, but I'm working on it. :)
DeleteYou 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.
ReplyDeleteThe cover of your book just rocks! I wish you much success!
You're so right Melissa. Promoting can be a whole other journey. LOL
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Polly. :)
Deleteyep. pretty much. it's a wild ride---lucky for me I have a lot beer around....shared the post with my networks for you.
ReplyDeleteWhat?! You have beer?! I'm shocked..LOL
DeleteI'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.
ReplyDeleteLet us know how the talk goes. Sounds interesting and informative. :)
DeleteIt was definitely a ride for me. Pitched it; sent it in; two days later got my contract.
ReplyDeleteI'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
I couldn't agree with you more. Edits can teach us a lot! :)
DeleteAwesome advice. Thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteEdits 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
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. :)
ReplyDelete