{"id":12702,"date":"2023-08-01T19:09:24","date_gmt":"2023-08-02T02:09:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/?p=12702"},"modified":"2023-08-01T19:20:22","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T02:20:22","slug":"recipe-for-publishing-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/recipe-for-publishing-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Recipe for Publishing Success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Sue Fagalde Lick<\/a> writes about the ups and downs of being published. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have three books coming out next year: A memoir, a full-length poetry book, and a poetry chapbook. Different genres, different subjects, different publishers. I didn\u2019t plan it this way, but it\u2019s happening. I have also had a run of acceptances for short pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I should be overjoyed. Isn\u2019t this what I wanted?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I feel guilty boasting about my three books when other writers are not able to get even one acceptance. It\u2019s the \u201cpeople are starving overseas while I\u2019m complaining about ice cream making me fat\u201d conundrum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After years of mostly no\u2019s, I\u2019m reading proofs, approving cover designs, and preparing for \u201cpub dates\u201d like a real writer. How will I promote three books at once? What if something goes wrong between the signing of the contract and holding the books in my hands?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll deal with it. Just to have these editors say yes is a triumph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have to remind myself that I earned this and that it\u2019s okay to succeed. I submitted the memoir, which is about Alzheimer\u2019s disease, for years. I entered contests. I pitched to agents and editors. Those who responded said it was swell and they had a loved one with dementia, but they didn\u2019t think they could sell it. Until one, sub #59, said she could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both poetry books were finalists in contests sponsored by publishers that feature Northwest poets. They didn\u2019t win, but they caught the attention of editors who wanted to publish them. I have met both editors through my work as president of the Oregon Poetry Association. My name was not on my manuscripts, but I knew they published books like mine featuring poets from the Pacific Northwest, so my chances were good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did the work, and now I\u2019m reaping the results. Lords, that sounds like boasting, but it\u2019s true. Like Thanksgiving dinner, I shopped, prepped, set the table, and got up at 5 a.m. to put the turkey in the oven. Now all the food is ready, and it\u2019s time to share the meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you make it in the writing world if you don\u2019t grow up in a literary family, if you live in a tiny town in Oregon that doesn\u2019t have a decent book store, if you don\u2019t attend a prestigious university where your roommate\u2019s dad just happens to work for Simon and Schuster, and you don\u2019t win all the fellowships and prizes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can\u2014if you follow the recipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Write. Set yourself a writing time and keep to it religiously, even when it seems like every word is garbage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Rewrite. The first draft is the raw clay you will shape into a finished piece. Sometimes you\u2019ll need to take it apart and start over from scratch. Sometimes you\u2019ll need to hire a professional editor to help you see what could be better. My memoir looks nothing like the massive manuscript I started with. The editor of the full-length poetry book took out 15 poems that \u201cdidn\u2019t sing\u201d and changed the title. Now the whole book sings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Submit your work. Send it to multiple places at once. Keep track on a spread sheet, and when something is rejected, send it out again. And again. I received 98 rejections last year, but I also got some acceptances. Follow the submission guidelines regarding length, format, theme, etc. Send them exactly what they\u2019re asking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Read what they publish before you submit. If your work would not fit, move on. If you wouldn\u2019t buy their books, they probably wouldn\u2019t buy yours, and you wouldn\u2019t want them to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Enter contests. The entry fees are high, but one win or acceptance because someone saw and liked your work will cover everything you have spent.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Study your craft. After many years writing for newspapers and magazines, I earned my master of fine arts degree in creative writing at age 51. I continue to take workshops, read craft books, and trade critiques with other writers. There\u2019s always more to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Become a presence in the writing world. Post on social media. Ask questions and get discussions going. Comment on other writers\u2019 posts, read and review their books. Attend their readings and book launches. Answer their questions and share connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Join and be active in writing organizations. Through my work with California Writers Club, Willamette Writers, the Nye Beach Writers Series, and Oregon Poetry Association, my name is out there, and I have met people who can help me not only get published but provide blurbs and reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Volunteer. The editor of a journal I admire needed someone to sit at their table at the AWP book fair for a few hours. I said yes. When she wrote to thank me, she also asked me to write for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Keep at it. I started submitting my work to magazines and newspapers when I was in high school. Overnight success can take a lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t feel guilty if you succeed. Just enjoy it. And take an extra helping of stuffing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally posted on July 28, 2023 in Brevity\u2019s Nonfiction Blog<\/a> as, \u201cThree Books at Once? Say What???\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sue Fagalde Lick<\/a><\/strong>, a former journalist, is a writer\/musician\/dog mom living in the woods on the Oregon Coast. Her books include\u00a0Stories Grandma Never Told,\u00a0Childless by Marriage,\u00a0Love or Children: When You Can\u2019t Have Both, the novels\u00a0Up Beaver Creek\u00a0and\u00a0Seal Rock Sound, and two poetry chapbooks,\u00a0Gravel Road Ahead\u00a0and\u00a0The Widow at the Piano. Coming in 2024 to a bookstore near you:\u00a0Blue Chip Stamp Guitar, Dining Al Fresco with My Dog, and\u00a0No Way Out of This: Loving a Partner with Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t call her in the morning; that\u2019s when she\u2019s writing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sue Fagalde Lick writes about the ups and downs of being published. I have three books coming out next year: A memoir, a full-length poetry book, and a poetry chapbook. Different genres, different subjects, different publishers. I didn\u2019t plan it this way, but it\u2019s happening. I have also had a run of acceptances for short […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[104],"tags":[755,1915,1914],"class_list":["post-12702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-bloggers","tag-brevity","tag-seal-rock-sound","tag-sue-fagalde-lick"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p43Dj8-3iS","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12702"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12707,"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12702\/revisions\/12707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}