12. Be Prepared To Write Lots And Delete Lots
tumblrEveryone has the fantasy of being able to sit down at a vintage typewriter and pound out 1000 words per day which are absolute gold. The truth of it is that it is much easier to use a laptop because you will spend a great deal of your time deleting work and starting various sections again. The process of editing is long and tedious so you had better enjoy your story a great deal because you will go through several versions of it. This is all part of what it takes to producing the best possible work that you can. There is nothing worse than rushing your work and then wishing you spent more time editing.
11. So Many People Are In The Same Boat Trying To Get Published
chronicle.comEven if your novel is extremely special and beautifully written there are thousands upon thousands of other people who are writing at a similar standard who are trying to get their work published. Just the sheer numbers put you in a tough position to get started. Believe in what you are doing and make sure that you are putting in the absolute highest standard that you can. The process of submission to publishers is not your average job application. You have one chance to explain why your idea is better than everyone elses its not easy.
10. The Process Takes Forever, Even When Successful
tumblrEven once you have finished your novel and you are ready to start submitting the work to potential publishers, the first thing you need to remember is to cool your jets and slow down. The process takes a great deal of time just to get off of the ground so you will have to be more patient than youve ever been. One of the hardest things that first time writers come across is the worry that their book will be out of date or that the ideas will have expired or been used up elsewhere by the time the publishers get around to reading it. Most likely, this will not be the case. Even though most independent publishers will eventually get round to reading your work if you send it to them, it can take over 6 months before you hear anything. Patience is most definitely a virtue and bugging your prospective publishers to ask if they have read your work yet will only make it take longer. Let your work speak for itself when they finally read it.