Guest Post by Deborah Sharp
First, I must
recognize Mystery Writing is Murder as the fantastic resource it is for me, and
for countless others. Much thanks to Elizabeth for her fantastic blog, and for
inviting me to guest post today.
This month marks the
publication of the
fifth book in my Mace Bauer Mystery Series. It seems a good time to pause
to look back at what I didn't know when I started out. Here are 5 Things About Book Publishing I Wish I Knew Then:
1. Writing your first book isn't the hard part.
The other stuff --
getting it published, promoting it, learning the ins and outs of marketing when
your entire experience in sales was peddling Girl Scout cookies in the fifth
grade --- that's the hard part. And if you're doing a series, like me, you'll also
be writing another book during the learning curve. Start learning about the
business side of being a writer before you get published.
2. Your readers are not only drawn TO your setting,
they're drawn FROM your setting.
Give this some
thought. Had I done so at the beginning, I might not have set my first book,
and hence my series, in a region of Florida that has more cattle than people.
Cows, in case you didn't know, do not buy books.
3. Publishers
want what they want when they want it.
When I began working
on my switch from journalism to fiction-writing in 2004, ebooks weren't even a
gleam in Amazon's eye. I went the traditional publishing route. If you do the
same, you'll probably wait months to hear from a publisher you've pitched. You
may not ever hear back at all. But if you do, and turn in the finished version
of your manuscript, months may pass without a word. Then, suddenly, they'll get
back to you with a cover design, or a request for changes, and it'll be, SNAP
TO IT! As a former news reporter, I viewed that distant deadline as a
long, luxurious stretch of time. Now I know how time accelerates quickly toward
the end of the process. Understand that publishers do not like to be kept
waiting.
4. When you
decide to don something "fun" or "quirky" because it's
something your character might wear, readers will expect to see you in it. ALL
THE TIME.
''Where's Mama's
veil?''
I still hear that
question, three years after I dressed in hideously tacky wedding attire to
promote Book No. 3, ''Mama Gets Hitched.'' Not only did I get a permanent
neck crick from plopping five pounds of pearls, ribbons, and tulle on my head,
the wedding hat became a hard act to follow. Sure, a feather boa and diva
sunglasses worked for the movie theme of No. 4, ''Mama Sees Stars.'' But what
am I supposed to do for No. 5, ''Mama
Gets Trashed?'' That book opens in the city dump. Must I dress in a Hefty
bag, and dip up punch from a trash can? Be careful with costumes!
5. The quality
of your first book is key to the success of your series. Fortunately, I
had lots of time -- and a fantastic critique group -- to polish and improve my
first title. I only realized later most series readers start at No. 1, no
matter which book the author may be promoting. That one establishes the characters
and the foundation for everything that follows. If No. 1 is a sloppy rush job,
readers won't pick up No. 2. All aspiring writers hear this advice.
Listen, because it's absolutely true: Write the best book you can, right out of
the gate.
One lesson I'm
struggling with now is how real life can intrude on our writing lives.
I write a funny
mystery series. When sad things happen, it's hard to be funny. Within the span
of a year, my mother's failing health and dementia forced me to place her in
assisted living. I had to sell the house where Mom -- my muse! -- lived for 65
years; the house where I was raised. Meanwhile, my husband's mother was dying
of cancer. We were at her bedside when she passed away. Nothing funny about any
of that.
I decided to take a
break from writing the series. My editor at Midnight Ink has been kind enough
to leave the door open should Mace, Mama, and the gang from Himmarshee, Fla., want to
come back. I've had some time lately to slow down, so I've been thinking of
things I wish I knew back when.
How about you? What
lessons have you learned along the way that you wish you'd known at the start?
Florida native Deborah Sharp
is the author of the funny, southern-flavored Mace Bauer Mysteries, featuring Mace's wacky mama. She
lives with husband Kerry Sanders in Fort Lauderdale, where she spends her time chasing
the iguanas out of her hibiscus.
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