When Life Gives you Lemons

What’s that sound; oh yea, that’s the sound of your hopes and dreams being crushed into a million little pieces. Well, maybe not a million little pieces, but you get the idea. Trying to get a book published is a tough road and sometimes it feels like every step you take forward you get pushed back twice as far. Sending your manuscript into dozens of publishing companies only to get turned down time after time takes its toll, and trying to scrape together the funds to self-publish, not to mention dealing with design and marketing, can be a nightmare all on its own. The black, soulless void of publishing has vanquished more than its fair share of heroic authors just trying to make their mark on the world. It may seem like this obstacle is insurmountable, but even the least experienced of authors can overcome it with the right amounts of strategy and good old-fashioned gumption.

If you’re going the traditional publishing route and you keep receiving rejection after rejection, then there are a few things you may want to look for. First things first, make sure you have researched the publishing company you are sending your manuscript into. What types of works do they usually accept? Do they have specific editors that you should be contacting? Do they accept unsolicited manuscripts? Make sure you go over their submission rules with a fine-toothed comb and double or even triple check your query letter/submission to ensure that all their rules are followed.

Every publishing company has its own set of rules for submitting manuscripts, so you may need to type out a few different types of submission so that you can cater each one to the specific publisher. It can also be beneficial to have someone else read your submission; ideally, someone who doesn’t mind giving it to you straight. Maybe your query letter is too informal, or maybe the synopsis is confusing. Fixing little issues like these can dramatically increase your chances of luring in a publisher. Remember, they are a company first; it doesn’t matter how good your novel is if they don’t think they can make money off it. It can even help if you add current market trends in your query letter and how well you anticipate your novel selling.

If you are going the self-publishing route and your woes are more than you can bear, there is still some hope. Some of the most common problems that self-publishers run into are trouble finding an editor, complications designing the book, difficulties with marketing, and not having enough funds to self-publish in the first place. Some of these problems I have covered in previous posts (*ahem* maybe you should go and check them out *ahem*) but others can have much more complex solutions. As far as marketing goes, there are many things you should be doing, but first and foremost is creating some sort of website or social media platform to reach out to individuals. It’s difficult for people to purchase your book if they don’t even know you exist. Just getting your name out there is the majority of the battle. Once you have created your own platform to reach out to your fans and draw more potential customers, then selling your novel becomes vastly easier. Think of it this way, you aren’t selling your book, you’re selling yourself as an author. There are dozens, if not hundreds of books out there just like yours, so to make yourself stand out from the sea of authors you need to make yourself available and relatable to customers. And as far as lacking funds goes, stop eating out every day you lazy buffoon. Find a bunch of coupons in a newspaper or magazine, go to your local grocery store, and buy ingredients to make your own food. It’s cheaper and a lot healthier; and if all else fails you can just buy a thousand packs of top ramen. It’s not like you need your health anyway, you are an author after all. If you have any comments let me know, and as always happy writing out there.