Catherine Ryan Howard has written an excellent post in which she discusses how our chances of getting a publishing deal are not equal:
Right now, the self-publishing evangelists would have you believe that it’s easier to get struck by lightning in the jaws of a shark while holding a winning lottery ticket than it is to get published, and statistically, they’re probably right. But as I’ve said before, the statistics take into account all of the books and all of the writers. If you’re a good or great writer, and you write a good or great book, and you write that book at the right time and the book ends up in the right place, then your chances are significantly improved. Then, instead of a pie in the sky dream of publication, your chances of seeing your book on the shelves becomes not only possible, but likely.
In her post, Catherine celebrates the publication of our mutual Twitter-friend, Maria Duffy, whose debut novel, Any Dream Will Do
I’ve been watching Maria’s progress over the last year or two and one thing has struck me about her: she works her socks off. She worked hard at her writing, she worked hard at submitting, and she’s worked hard with her editor to make her book the best that it can be: I have no doubt about her ability to behave professionally, and I’ll bet she’s going to grow as a writer for years to come. It’s wonderful to see this happen for her: she might have been lucky, but she’s created most of that luck for herself through hard work and determination, and she’s an example to us all.
The next time you hear anyone say that agents, editors and publishers won’t consider debut novelists I want you to show them this photograph of a stack of copies of Maria’s book on display in a major bookshop, right next to a similar stack of books by some bloke called Murakami. Any dream will do, I’m sure, but that’s a great one to have come true; and there’s a lot that we, as writers, can do to make it happen for us.
Well said! I’m a bit fed up with all of the negativity being fed to new writers. Of course it’s tough, anything worth having generally is, but I refuse to believe my dreams are impossible!
Thanks Jane! I’m just so fed up with all the “evil gatekeepers/us Vs them/publishing is an exclusive club/etc.etc.” rubbish that I thought I should draw attention to some good news for a change!
I should also point out that not ONCE in the last year and a half or so since I first “met” Maria on Twitter and then later in person did I ever hear her as much as mutter anything negative about publishing. She had a positive attitude, not a bitter one. So maybe all these people who are sprouting all the gatekeeper nonsense would do well to be quiet for a while and see if their situation changes for the better. Just a thought!
(And I say this, for anyone who is not familiar, as a writer not (yet?) traditionally published, who has self-published and who has received more agent and editor rejections that she’d care to recall. BUT I always remember it’s nothing personal, it’s a business decision and it may happen for me yet.)
Lovely Post! Thank you for sharing it.
Laura
Lovely, positive post. And best of luck to Maria Duffy proving that the ‘luckiest’ people work the hardest.
Catherine, I loved your blog post. It was such a refreshing, positive read. Thank you for writing it. And yes, Maria’s a delight, isn’t she? I’m so very pleased for her.
What good news. Thank you for sharing this with us
Jane. Funny how great minds think alike. I blogged only the other day about the very self-same thing. Work hard, be persistent and write well and you stand a very good chance indeed. Congratulations Maria.
So you did, Sally! (I know I owe you an email, by the way: I’m trying to get some sense out of my husband before I respond. Diaries are involved.)
This is a reminder to us that the hardcore, determined writers can (and will) succeed in time.
Getting a publishing deal is hard. It’s meant to be!
It can be done though, as shown by the recent crop of great debut novels. A Cupboard Full of Coats by Yvvette Edwards is probably my favourite.
Maria has all the ingredients: fresh concept, obv a great writer, incredibly hard worker, determination, willingness to edit and keep improving … and a lovely person to boot. I wish her a zillion sales.
Perfect! I agree with everything you’ve said! Good luck to Maria – richly deserved.
What a lovely post, Jane. Thank you for that. And thank you all for your good wishes.
Catherine and Jane, I loved this post. You’re very right in saying that hard work is the key. Yes you need a sprinkle of luck, but the one and only way to make your luck work for you is to be truly dedicated. Well done Maria!:-) I’m looking forward to buying my copy in Dublin next month!