So you are ready to become a writer and looking for practical ways how to start a career in writing, but you are still not exactly sure where to start. That is a pretty common problem, but before we launch into the how-to, let’s get a few things straight:
First of all, keep in mind that you are not, by far, the only person on the planet who is geared up to become a writer. Every year, more and more people take up the writing profession in the hopes of having the next bestselling novel. Publishing companies receive thousands of manuscripts every year from hopeful writers wishing to see their names in print. As such, in aspiring to become a writer, you must face the reality that you will receive rejection letters. Do not let this thought discourage you though – many of the best writers received rejection letters before their books sold out in bookstore shelves. You may very well be the next of those authors.
To start, however, you must have a solid foundation in writing. The best way to learn appropriate writing skills is by practicing what you intend to preach – READ. The more books you read, the more familiarized you will become with the writing style publishing companies like to publish. It is also a good idea to practice by writing something every day. Even if you can only manage 500 words or a diary entry, write anyway. Getting into the practice of writing on a daily basis will help prepare you for when your writing career necessitates you write on a daily basis.
While some people can self-teach themselves to write through this tactic, others may need proper training in the field of writing. Fortunately, many classes are offered on the topic due to the popularity of the subject. You can take classes as informal as continued education adult classes at the local community college or YMCA or as serious as a four-year Bachelor of Arts degree at a university. Aspiring college students should, however, be very careful in making their selection, many colleges substitute formal Creative Writing degrees with an English major that concentrates in Creative Writing, but these typically focus less on writing and more on reading classic works of literature. For a better, more writing focused degree, prospective students should focus on colleges that offer not a concentration, but a major in Creative Writing. Many colleges supplement these majors with writing seminars, author lectures, and writer’s workshops that will add to one’s writing experience.
Regardless of how you gain writing skill – through self-teaching, informal classes, or a college education – you will now have to produce a manuscript to kickstart your career. Spend a lot of time on this. Remember that when publishing companies and agents look at this work, it will be their first and lasting impression of you and your ability – it therefore must be excellent. Remember to have a strong opening, as chances are the reader will lose interest if your opening is boring. The work must be consistently good throughout, however, as it is standard practice for agents and editors to open up midway through a book to see if the book is as structurally sound and enthralling in the middle as it is at the beginning and end.
In order to ensure your book is both structurally sound and enthralling before it is sent out, it is good practice to have your manuscript edited by at least five different people. For college students and class takers, this may be as simple as asking classmates and professors. Thanks to the internet, however, everyone can find an editor with ease. Sites such as LiveJournal, Fanfiction.net, and Fiverr allow easy access to editors, often referred to as “betas” online. Before you choose a beta, however, take a few simple steps to ensure correct editing. First, copyright your work to make sure it is not stolen. Secondly, make sure to receive editing or writing samples from the editors you solicit in order to ensure their capabilities. Lastly, confirm an editing technique with your editors for ease of revision – perhaps all changed words or sentences will be in red and comments added in notation.
Once your manuscript is sufficiently edited and you are confident in its ability to be published, there are a few options for you now. The first and most obvious is to solicit the attention of a publishing company. This can be attempted via internet research; by looking up publishing companies and their various websites, you may find their policies on sent manuscripts and their addresses, should manuscripts be allowed. If you plan to mail your manuscript via snail mail, make sure your presentation is neat and tidy and include return postage in the event that they are not interested in the piece. Do not fear rejection! There are always other publishing companies and publishing options. Do not be afraid to solicit the attention of smaller publishing companies – even if your first work is not an international best seller, it may attract the attention of a bigger company. The more experience you have, the more likely you are to produce work a company will be interested in publishing.
Should you try ever publishing company you can find and still have no success, there are still options. The first is to hire an agent. Though expensive, an agent will be able to produce a marketing strategy for your book and use connections in order to get it published. Another idea is to self-publish a book. This is less pricey than an agent, but still costs a pretty penny. However, many publishing companies that specialize in local novels and custom print jobs will offer their services for self-printing. You can select the number of copies of a book you want and the company will print them for you, complete with registration with and a copy sent to the Library of Congress. These publishing companies will usually edit your book as well and help you to sell it, circulating it in their catalog around the local community. You may use this as a stepping stone into larger publication, as high sales of a self-published book will doubtlessly impress bigger publishing companies.
A third option is to self-publish your work via an online source. E-readers such as Amazon’s Kindle now offer services which allow you to self-publish your work on their international site. Kindle owners may then buy your book, giving you a portion of the sales. To do this, editing is crucial, as Amazon does not edit the manuscript for you. It would also be prudent to solicit someone to make cover art for your book. If you do not know anyone with artistic talent suitable for your book, once again the internet may come to your rescue via the websites DeviantArt or Fiverr. Once your book is published on the Kindle’s website, you merely need to sit back and wait for people to start purchasing. Several authors have already made fortunes via this tactic of self-publishing via Kindle.
If all else fails and nothing seems to be working, do not lose hope just yet. There are several steps you can take in order to further yourself in the writing sphere. The first is to try a different genre – maybe publishing companies are not interested in your adult fiction, but they may just be interested in your teen fiction. If you are not sold on this idea, however, another option would be to put your writing career on hold. Many authors have only gotten their start after serving as editors or agents for a period of time, widening their circle of contacts in the industry before sending their manuscripts in. This attempt may well work for you.
However you end up getting published, rest assured that it is certainly possible to see your name in print. It may not be an easy process, as English is one of the most popular collegiate majors in the country and writing is allegedly a “dying art” but it is not an impossibility to become the next best seller. Good luck to all those who attempt it! Hopefully, we shall see your works flying off the bookstore shelves soon!
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