To Get Published, you Must Write!

Don't count on picking up a publisher until you have a finished product.

Aug 9, 2006 Kimberly Dawn Wells

Are you thinking about becoming a writer? Are you interesting in having something published? First things first - you need to have something written!

When people ask me how they can get published, one of my first questions is, "What have you written?"

Disappointingly, the answer is frequently:

"Well, nothing yet, but..."

"I have this idea for a book..."

"A few bits and pieces..."

While many resources state that you can find a publisher and get a contract before even writing your book, the general rule with first-time authors is to have something solid to present. To editors, first-time authors aren't a sure thing, especially if they don't have anything that displays their writing style. Would you hire an artist without seeing a sample of his or her previous work? Samples of your work show much more than just style; they also prove to an editor that you can put thoughts into a coherent pattern and have basic knowledge of sentence and paragraph structure.

If you want to get published, but haven't written anything yet, consider creating a plan for completing your book before pitching it to an editor. Create an outline of the book, and assign yourself deadlines for completing each section. Once you have completed and edited the book, do your research on publishing companies that fit your genre and needs, and start by sending out queries as per each publisher's requirements.

If you dream of being an author but have a hard time writing anything at all, it may be a sign that published writing isn't for you. There are still plenty of ways to enjoy writing, such as in journals and blogs, and even scrapbooking. An experienced writing coach can help you decide if the writing lifestyle is really for you, or if you would be more fulfilled in another career.

Many people get so excited about the notion of getting published that they skip ahead to the publishing part before they have the writing part finished. If you have never been published, start by first completing your work. Once you have a finished and polished product to pitch, the marketing of your manuscript will go a whole lot smoother.

The copyright of the article To Get Published, you Must Write! in Resources for Writers is owned by Kimberly Dawn Wells. Permission to republish To Get Published, you Must Write! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.