Are you a published author?

Question

I'm just looking for some encouragement. How long did it take you to get published? What genre do you write for? Do you have any suggestions?

Answer 1

Hi there. I am a published fantasy author. My first hard cover book just came out a month ago. The title is THE BLACKGLOOM BOUNTY. You can find it at all major bookstores and online e-tailers like Amazon. It's a medieval fantasy epic with lots of mysticism, magic and mayhem. The main characters are mostly teenagers, too.

This book took about 3 years to write and another 2 years to get published. It has been reviewed very highly in the mainstream media and is being considered for a movie production.

As for your own writing, my advice is to read samples of as many of the top titles as you can get your hands on. The library is good for this--no cost. Now, you don't have to read every page of every book. Just scan them for characters and descriptive material, then put YOURSELF into a storyline. For example, what would YOU do if you were trapped in a cave with a giant 'whatever' blocking the entrance?

In most of my books, the characters do all the writing--I just sit back and type the words onto the computer screen. In other words, let your mind wander over ideas of how YOU would handle a situation and then allow your characters to react.

As long as you stay away from the central storyline of the other major published books, you should do fine, but try to think out of the box. For example, what would happen if you had a dragon that kept falling asleep as it flew over the countryside? Messy, huh?

And last but not least, write every day, whether you want to or not. That's how you become a true writer. Study your grammar and spelling! Most computer spell-checkers will NOT catch mistakes like using "affect" instead of "effect" or "you're" instead of "your".

Publishers these days DEMAND perfect manuscripts. If your work is full of errors, you can forget it. It's tough enough to make a buck with books and that's why publishers are so picky. The good news is, the fantasy genre is RED HOT for new stories, so get to work.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your writing.

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*****

Answer 2

yes--in my country, that is.

it took less than a month for the publisher to agree in publishing my first book. a few months later, it was published. (roughly, it took approx. 3.5 months after i sent the manuscript before it got published) but it took many, many years for me before i felt confident enough in sending my works to a publisher. many years of reading, practicing, writing and writing.

i have written four books, soon to be five. i write teenlit and chicklit. i plan to write children's book soon.

keep on writing. practice, practice, practice! read a lot. if a publisher rejects your work, try again at another. never give up!
good luck, carpe diem!

Answer 3

Unfortunately... nope, thought I wished to (I still haven't finished the backstory for my book so... long time to go)

As for me, I write Fantsy/Mystery with a twist of romance nad action... I know, eclectic... but I love it.


If you want to get published there is just one advice I CAN give you...

When you go to an agency, have your text extremely well proofreaded... they hate obvious grammar and structural mistakes. Take a person or two to check your story before you hand it in.


Hope it helped...and good luck!

Answer 4

Not yet.