Some dream big, for example, snagging a publishing
deal from a specific publishing house or the ‘red carpet moment’ at the movie premier of
your book adaptation. Others dream of just getting to the end of that first
messy draft.
Dreams vary.
It depends on which point of the journey you’re at. As the journey progresses, the dream shifts/changes…
It depends on which point of the journey you’re at. As the journey progresses, the dream shifts/changes…
Four well-known writers in our community are here to
share about the author dream, and how it has evolved/changed over time...
These are the questions.
How has your author dream evolved/changed over time?
When you started out as a writer, what was your
initial dream?
Up until this point, how has the dream played out?
Has it unfolded according to your expectations?
When you wonder what kind of author you will be like
tomorrow, what do you envisage?
Mary Pax
The Galaxy is Going
to Know My Name
Book tours, autographs, travel,
books piled high on bookstore shelves, everyone wanting to know me, Oprah,
awards, greatest American novel: these were the dreams shoving me onto the road
of authordom.
I went to writers conferences and
pitched my first novel to four agents. All four wanted to see it... so I know
there’s something to the idea, however, it wasn’t yet ready for primetime.
The smartest thing I did was shove
the manuscript in a drawer (after at least 25 revisions) and start writing
short fiction. I’d buy a craft book and practice what it preached. I submitted
to magazines and racked up a good number of rejections. Some of the rejection
was personal feedback, which was encouraging.
In the meantime, I met Lindsay
Buroker online and she swayed me into trying this electronic publishing thing.
I began it as a means to grow my audience in order to get the agent and the
publishing deal. Now I don’t mind if I don’t get them. I have fantastic fans,
and I know I’ve made a difference in some people’s lives. That’s worth more
than all the things I listed.
I lost my biggest fan recently (my
baby brother) and one of the last things he said to me was he wanted to walk
into Barnes & Noble and buy the entire stock of my books. If it happens,
great. If not, I’ll still be publishing.
All the options we have as writers
is wonderful, and I intend to use them to make a living at this gig some year.
I still dream of hitting it big and seeing one of my stories as a TV series.
Yeah, that would be cool.
My Husband Unit recently spoke to
John Sanford, who said it took him 25-30 books to hit. Tenacity is definitely
required in this business. Good thing I have it in spades (nicely offsets my
lack of patience).
Tara Tyler Robinson
When life slowed
down, I came across my story and thought it would be great if I could publish
it. I went through years of learning, editing, entering contests, and
overcoming failure, but I finally got my second manuscript published.
My author's
dream has changed with each achievement. First, it was to get published, and
then see my book on a shelf. Now, my dream is to reach more readers. It's an
awesome feeling to see someone light up because they liked your book - it's
that connection with people on a deeper level.
Being an author
takes a lot of hard work and perseverance - and acceptance that not everyone
will like your book. I do all I can to accomplish my goals and I hope for
positive results,I don't expect them. Work pays off, with a little luck and
timing.
As for tomorrow,
we authors face new challenges. I try to keep up with the ever-changing techie
ways of the industry for publishing and especially promoting. And I appreciate
the ability to interact with other authors. I'd never be where I am without
them!
Joy Campbell
We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come
into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication,
self-discipline, and effort.
Jesse Owens
When I set out to be an author, the publishing world
was a different place. I had several books published with two small presses
before I heard the term 'self-publishing'. At that time, nothing else would do
for me, but the traditional route. After having three books published and not
seeing much of a stir by my publishers in terms of P.R. or marketing, I wanted
to explore an exciting, new world where I'd be in charge of my writing and
everything else that went into producing a book.
I'm a believer in learning something new every day,
which means expanding my knowledge on the various aspects of self-publishing
has been enlightening, frustrating and sort of like being in school all the
time. The demands bringing a book to market has ensured that I know a lot more
now than when I was first published. I haven’t hit the big times yet, but since
I can't know which book will be the
one, I dedicate myself to each story I write. If you ask me which story is my
best so far, I'll tell you each qualifies.
Like a good tale, my journey has taken unexpected
twists. I wanted to be a household name
in Jamaica, but quickly realized it would
be easier to land a publishing contract outside of the island and that's the
route I took. Despite the advances in technology, many Jamaicans still read
paper and ink books and I have chosen to sell my work electronically to reach a
wider audience. I'm enjoying the virtual world publishing has opened for me,
plus the limitless possibilities.
I see myself continuing to tell stories that
enlighten, entertain and resonate with readers. Learning is important to me, so
I'll always be improving my skills. I'm slowly letting go of being a
perfectionist, which is challenging. As Suki Michelle Clark, a talented writer,
said so eloquently, 'Readers don't pay for our labor. They pay for being
entertained, and if a novel whipped out in a month is entertaining, it will
sell far better than a boring one that was laboriously gone over for three
years. Sad, ironic, true.'
Medeia Sharif
It all started when I was seventeen. I was writing a
book about a young, vegetarian serial killer. Since I had taken AP English, I
was adding all sorts of themes and areas of symbolism. I dreamed of agents
getting me book and movie deals. I thought I would write full-time, eventually
living in a nice mansion by the sea. Wasn’t that how authors lived, after all?
When I was eighteen I completed the book, or so I thought, and was ready to
submit. I was floating high on my fantasies, so the rejections that were coming
in alarmed me.
I thought writing was something that would come
naturally to me since I loved to read and wrote poems and short stories in
middle school. No, much more is needed. I had to write numerous “drawer
manuscripts,” none of which became published works or movies, before my writing
became publishable. My writing continues to evolve through experience and
feedback. I was impatient as a young writer, but I now know that the writing
and submitting processes are lengthy.
Another thing I didn’t expect was how many people
I’d end up working with. Many of my favorite authors from my youth were
basically with the same agents and publishing houses for years, yet I’m always
working with someone new. I’ve had various agents and my books have been
published by different presses. Nothing is set in stone, which is okay.
So my expectations today are very different than the
ones I used to have. I’m more realistic. I dreamed big in my teens and early
twenties. I was in a writing slump in my mid-twenties, which I never thought
would happen. By my late twenties, I had more bites from agents and editors. By
my early thirties, I was finally going to conferences and joining critique
groups, with yet more bites. In my mid thirties was when I got the ball
rolling. I don’t expect to be a millionaire, but I’m happy writing, exploring
new formats and genres, and getting my work published. And the more I write,
who knows…maybe I will get that mansion and movie deal one day.
--
Medeia Sharif
YA and MG Author
YA and MG Author
Thank you to these four authors for sharing with us today.
What does your author dream look like at the moment? How far have you come on the journey? Any surprises along the way?
