I did a lot of research in 2009, both before and after getting my contract for Bound By Love (Jan 29) and Crushing Desire (Feb 12) from Breathless Press. (breathlesspress.com)
I thought I would share what I have learned in a handy what I learned in 2009 post so other authors could benefit from all my hours of research.
In 2009, while doing research I learned-
-Editing is one of the most important parts of writing.
-Repetitive words must be reduced
-You should always show. Don't tell.
-You should send your manuscript to more than one agent/publisher. One may not like it,but another may love it, and if you make the big push and send to four or five agents at once, the first rejection won't scare you off forever.
-Always check preditors and editors before submitting work to an agent or editor, especially if they request your work.
-Ask an agent for a week or two to think about any offer they give you. Formulate questions to ask them during that time, and make sure you give other agents you queried notice so they have a chance to offer well.
-Always be gracious, no matter what. You never know who knows who.
-Build a website that suits your novels, not your personal taste. If you write sweet romance, don't use black and red with the image of the hot chick bending over the car. It sends wrong signals to your potential readers.
-Write helpful and interesting articles, tweets, and posts for the websites you have joined. People are more likely to add you if you are interesting.
-Join writing groups, clubs, etc. Go to conferences, events, etc. Get yourself out there.
-Set goals and stick to them.
In 2009, I learned personally-
-Don't use the same email you submit queries with to create your newsletter. Eventually someone will mark it
spam and then all your queries will go to spam. Instead use a separate email for these things.
-Editors are a great help to any author, and if you get the right one, it can be magic.
-Social networking is a fun and interesting way to get information out to the readers.
-There are a number of websites for authors, including authors den, and goodreads, where you can post a profile of yourself.
-Almost as much work goes into marketing your book as into writing it. (There will be an article on this specifically coming soon.)
-Other authors can help you find opportunities that you might normally miss, so be sure to keep your ears open around author friends and blog posts.
-Writing is a real job, and if you want to make it, you have to think of it as such.
-Contests can be a fun way to spread information and gain new readers and friends.
In 2010, I hope to learn what it is like to
-Have a great review (or many of them.)
-Get a great agent.
-Sell to a top publisher.
-See my novels in Barnes and Nobel.
-See someone reading my novels on the street.
-Hit 1000+ followers on Twitter.
-Have another reader send me an email telling my how much they enjoyed one of my novels.
If I achieve even one or two of these in 2010, I will be a happy camper. If I achieve them all *crosses fingers* I will probably faint. lol
