Have you dreamed about becoming a writer and imagined flying around the globe for book signings in New York, London and Prague? Then you plug your book on Oprah where you two hit it off and become best friends. You then use your multi-million dollar advance to buy your dream house, quit your job and hire Fritz Brenner to handle the mundane parts of your life (or
Mr. Mooney if you’re old enough to remember him). Well, I hate to be the the one to bust your bubble, but POP.
Most aspiring writers stand a better chance of being hit by a meteor than getting a multi-million dollaradvance and Fritz Brenners don’t come cheap.
But what about J.K. Rowlings, Stephen King, and E.L. James? Didn’t the Obama’s just get a 60 million dollar advance? Famous, successful writers with a track record of generating sales can generate large advances because publishers know they will earn the money. Politicians, actors and people who are famous or have life stories that are exciting or scintillating will always get big book deals. Remember, sex sells. However, for a new writer, the likelihood of a large advance is pretty slim. Even writers who have published several books still have full time jobs. Like everyone else, writers become accustomed to having roofs over their heads, food and must feed their addictions with coffee, Dr. Pepper, or Pepto-Bismol for the ulcers caused by waiting for rejections, positive reviews or royalty checks.
The life of a writer is full of ups and downs. You get a great idea for the Great American Novel. You can ride the adrenaline for months as the words flow onto the page. If you’re lucky, you will finish the book before the adrenaline is spent. Your novel is complete and like Mary Poppins, it’s practically perfect in every way. Surely anyone with half-of-a-brain will love it and see that it will sell millions of copies. That’s when you start to send out query letters. After weeks and or months of waiting, you finally get a response. Publishers will not read your manuscript unless its submitted by an agent. Okay, no problem. You send queries out to agents. And, you wait. And wait. And wait. Again, if you’re lucky you get a response (many agents don’t respond). “They aren’t taking on new clients,” This doesn’t fit into their list.” “They’re going to pass.” Or, my personal favorite, “Not for me, Thanks.” From the valley of despair, you get one glimmer of hope. An agent read your query and would like to read more. If you’re lucky, they’ll immediately ask for the full manuscript. Otherwise, it could be a synopsis, first three chapters, first fifty pages, author bio with previous publishing credits, or some combination of those. You hastily send what the agent requested and ride the roller coaster back up to the top. Then you wait and wait and wait. Eventually, that agent may respond (hopefully). Usually, they will either request the full manuscript or reject. If they request the full, you send it off and repeat the waiting part in hopes of a response. How long will you wait? If the agent really likes your work, maybe you hear back quickly (my friend got a request for a full within an hour of sending a query). That same friend has waited for over two years for a response to a full. Yep, writers should own stock in Pepto-Bismol.
Got a book contract and think the roller coaster is over? Silly Wabbit. Just because your publisher likes your first book doesn’t mean they will like your next book. Your Fairy Tale/Science Fiction/Time Travel/Book just might be a bit too far out. Do readers really want to read about a cross-dressing-magician-with-a talking cat who solves mysteries in ancient Rome? Sure, your friends, family and your therapy group say they’ll buy a copy of your book, but will they really? Even writers with successful series find their publisher doesn’t renew all contracts for more books. Perhaps sells weren’t as high as the publisher wanted. Or, the publisher is going in a different direction and reducing their line of cross-dressing magician books. Or, perhaps your small boutique publisher has filed bankruptcy and closed their doors. Things happen.
What do you do when you’ve hit the low point in the journey? You keep writing and sending queries. Each book, each query letter you write and send helps to build up steam to help you get that roller coaster car rocking and eventually puttering along. There are no guarantees on this journey, except one. If you don’t write, don’t send out queries, and don’t try, then you will never achieve your dream.