Legacy post: Getting Published, a daunting task.

I'm new to blogspot, but not necessarily new to blogging (well, not brand new anyways).  My Goodreads blog has been going strong since last October with many posts covering topics such as self-publishing, agents, writing and pre-writing.  As such, I plan to share some of my legacy posts with you periodically, starting with my very first blog post, "Getting published, a daunting task".  

Don't want to wait for the next legacy post?  Just click the title below to jump to my Goodreads blog.  I'm sure it will keep you busy for some time.

October 31, 2012

Getting published, a daunting task.

Welcome to my blog.
I decided to start this blog to celebrate my favorite pastime, reading, and more recently, writing.

This year has been an uncommon one for me in that I've managed to totally immerse myself in the art, starting in January when I finally wrapped up my first writing project, The Golden Ship, and first considered the prospect of getting it published.

Getting published: a daunting task. What do publishers want? They want you to have an agent. Yikes, an agent? Yes, I researched it for months on Writers Digest and on various publishers' webpages. All signs pointed to an agent. Statements like, we no longer accept direct submissions, were common. So, I started researching ways to attract an agent.

What do agents want? To find out, I joined Writers Digest and started collecting notes on the new agents they advertise. New agents are an excellent opportunity for new writers, so they said. I also visited and devoted countless hours to reading the blogs of a few well established agents. My favorite was Getting past the gatekeeper. It revealed valuable insight into what agents like and things to avoid. Plus, I learned about query letters, bios, and submissions for the first time.

This was getting complicated.

Published on October 31, 2012 12:34 • Tags: agents, publishing,writing