#2

Monday, we talked about the necessity of writers writing. Today, we're moving on to something that I find equally as important.

Resolution #2: 

Get Published

(Shameless picture of my own book? Check!)

Maybe these days that doesn't sound quite so exciting, but to me it was the one thing I'd always wanted to do, and the one thing I never saw coming through for myself. So you know what I did? I published myself. I signed with Xlibris, paid them their money, and I published my first book.

Sometimes, I wish I hadn't done that. True, I'll be the first to tell you that it was the smartest thing I've ever done in my life, that I learned a lot through the process, but in other ways, things would've been a little easier on me if I'd skipped that step.


But there's something in this that every writer needs to experience: we all need to get published. At some point, something we've written needs to be read by the world. And yeah, maybe that will take a lot of time, maybe it'll be a little painful and a little rough going, but it'll be worth it when it finally happens. Trust me. I've been published now. A few times.


Like Monday, I have a couple practical pieces of advice for you, on how to set goals for getting published. But this time, basically, I just have two options for you. 

1. Submit Everywhere

This is what you do if you have a lot that you can submit. I don't recommend sending the same two pieces to dozens and dozens of magazines and publishers. Send one piece to a few places, another piece to another few places, and so on and so forth.

The trouble with this option is that a lot of publishers (and magazines, etc.) don't want to publish unknowns. They want to publish works by people who have been published before, and they have a strong tendency to scan over the underdogs and throw their work in the trash. I know, because I've worked with people who worked in larger publishing companies.

But this is still a good way to get yourself some experience, and to get yourself accustomed to rejection letters. That's something we all need. We need to get used to rejection letters, if only because it'll make us stronger in the future.

2. Submit Locally

This is my favorite option. I personally prefer working with smaller, local companies. I like working with people in smaller units, because they understand people better, and they're more likely to want to work with underdogs.

So submit to smaller magazines, to small publishing houses, to get your name out there and into the hands of people who will actually read them, to people who might actually decide to publish us.

Why? Because that's our dream. That's all our dream. To be published, to have our work in the hands of someone else, maybe even someone who has the same dream.


And if we don't submit our work somewhere, then how are we ever supposed to get published?


So do it, writer. Submit your favorite pieces, your least favorite pieces, anything—just submit, just get that experience, get your work out in the world, into someone's hands. Eventually, it'll come across an editor who will choose you.

I believe that.

[love]

{Rani Divine}