How I Found the Write Path Blogfest

Hey, guys! Are you ready? It's time to unleash your stories and wisdom. The "How I Found the Write Path" blogfest/e-book compilation has begun! :)

Along with my lovely co-host, PK Hrezo, I'll be rounding up everyone's entries this week. If you're listed in the link-up, I'll check your blog/website this weekend unless we've made other plans, i.e. you sent me an e-mail (soyoureawriter[at]gmail[dot]com) or used my contact form. Sound good? For a reminder of the prompt, required information, and FAQs, please read this post.

    **A LETTER TO MYSELF    
    AT THE BEGINNING OF MY PUBLICATION JOURNEY**    

Dear 2010 Carrie,

Look at you—all bright-eyed and hopeful. You disgust me.

Just kidding! I love you. :) You’ve been writing casual serializations for years now, but the journey you’re about to embark on is completely different. Don’t give me that face. I’m serious.

You know how you’re mad at the crappy market and looking to keep yourself afloat by pursuing your “true” interests amidst the job search? Yeah, that’s not going to happen. You will get a chance to use your marketing background, though. In fact, you’ll probably use it more than you actually write... but that’s another story. Let me give you a heads-up on a few things:

1. That manuscript you’re toying with—the supernaturally-charged love story—is taboo in the publishing world. Not only is paranormal dead at the moment, but you’re writing about (gasp) college-aged characters. Most agents and editors won’t take you seriously, and those who do will try to make you fit the mold. They’ll tell you books like yours aren’t saleable. They’ll tell you there’s no shelf space for another fiction category.

(They’re wrong.)

Anyway, you’ll start querying small presses and get two full requests within twenty-four hours. One of them ends up making an offer, and you’ll have your first book deal! Sure, Strength (Mark of Nexus #1) will be another year in the making, but your debut release is well received. Books sell, you’re interviewed by USA Today, and you start to build your audience...

Then your publisher closes to submissions, and you take your rights back. Womp, womp.

That’s okay, though. Indie royalties are better, and you’re good at being self-sufficient. Heck, by this time, you already have a graphic design business up and running. Eventually, you only need to outsource critiques, edits, and beta-reads. Way to keep those initial costs down!

2. Remember how we talked about the stigma related to college-aged (New Adult) fiction? After years of frustration, you finally decide to make fetch happen by joining with seven other NA writers to create a website called NA Alley. There, you write informative posts, host giveaways, create resources, do interviews, etc. Many an hour is put into this project. You forget what sleep is like.

Fortunately, by the time the category takes off—thanks to the digital revolution, a few well-timed bestsellers, and an underserved market—NA Alley is in full gear. It acts as the hub for all things New Adult and continues to grow alongside the trend. You’ll also hang out at the first #NALitChat on Twitter... and every one after that. You’re excited about the way things are going!

3. Ready for the other shoe to drop? That excitement wanes in 2014. Just like any other industry, publishing is shaped by consumers’ purchasing decisions. NA becomes synonymous with semi-erotic contemporary romance (despite the best efforts of many), and readers develop tropey sexpectations that many titles struggle to fulfill. You lose your niche.

That’s okay, though. You accept it as you wrap up the fourth book in your series. It goes without saying that you’ll always fight for diversity in the category, but it’s time to branch out. You start working on projects across multiple categories and genres. It’s cathartic.

So, while you do have a few stumbling blocks ahead of you, they ultimately prove useful. You end up learning to do so many things you never thought possible, like formatting ebooks and firing off emails without overanalyzing. Plus, you finally figure out the publishing path you want to take for the next leg of your journey: The Hybrid Pass.

I know, I know. Things seem pretty black and white in 2010. You think you’re standing at a fork in the road, forced to choose between traditional and independent publishing. Well, guess what? It’s 2014 now, and you can do whatever suits a particular project—even cue SNAP and play “I Got the Power”!

Go ahead. Dance in your chair. Once you get that out of your system, go buy SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder; THE WRITER’S GUIDE TO PSYCHOLOGY by Carolyn Kaufman, Psy.D.; THE EMOTION THESAURUS by your future friends, Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi; and SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS by Browne and King. You’ll end up keeping copies of them on your desk anyway. They’re good resources to have on hand.

But I digress. My most important advice to you is keep writing and celebrate every milestone—no matter how small it may seem. Things have a way of working themselves out. Just stick close to the amazing friends you’ll make in the blogging community, and you’ll be fine. Onward and upward! :)

Love,
2014 Carrie

P.S. If this letter really does reach you in the past, I have a few investment suggestions to add...


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Credit:

Carrie Butler, author of the Mark of Nexus series
www.carrieabutler.com

"I give permission for my entry to be included in the e-book compilation without royalties and/or separate compensation."

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What's Next

►  Please feel free to hop around and get a sneak peek at everyone's letters! We're all sure to learn a thing or two from each other, no matter how seasoned we are. 

►  I'll be working on the e-book during my annual June hiatus. Hopefully, when I return, I'll have freebie links for us to spread around!

►  Thank you so much for participating. It means a lot to me, and I know this project will help a ton of writers at the start of their publication journey. You guys rock! :)

An InLinkz Link-up