PREMATURE PUBLICATION
PREMATURE PUBLICATION
The good news is, writers are no longer at traditional publishing’s beck and call. We have options. Back in the day, we had none. Our only hope? Getting a nod from one of the publishing houses.
The first winds of change started blowing in the late 1980’s when ‘self’ turned into a dirty word once ‘publishing’ followed it. The houses tagged this publishing road ‘vanity publication‘ and for a long time, that label stuck. Then Amazon started making noises about moving into the e-publishing business and marketer/writers like Seth Godin began penning blogs about writers’ options.
Huh? Writers have options?
Until rather recently, few writers including this one, entertained the idea of publishing without a big house ‘brand’ stamped on our books. Today, writers are considering all our options, from traditional to independent presses and yes, we are even reconsidering self -publishing, thanks to platforms provided by Amazon, Kindle and Smashwords, et al.
The good news? We have options.
The bad news? We have options
For some writers, ‘choice’ may present some problems. While I can’t back up my claim with hard core research, writers tend to share a common personality trait that shows up like this in our writing: Sometimes, we think it’s better than it is. Other times, everybody we know writes better than we do. Sound familiar?
I’ve been suffering with this personality tic since I landed my first columnist gig that almost didn’t happen.Twenty-five years ago, I pitched four columns to a weekly community newspaper, the kind that ends up in your driveway uninvited. Still, the editor liked my columns enough to offer me a weekly gig at no pay and with one stipulation – My 850+ word columns had to be edited down to 650 words-max.
Huh?
I protested. My columns were already tight I told her and repeated the recommendation my writing teacher offered about my work. “Then I guess we can’t use you because we don’t have time to edit….” I didn’t let her finish that sentence and promised to deliver my first edited column by 9 am the next morning. Guess what? She was right. It read so much better.
Today, we don’t have gatekeepers called editors curing our words until they’re ready for reader consumption. And that’s the problem. So much of what I read today suffers from premature publication -stories with potential to be good buried underneath piles of words. I suspect, impatience is one reason why. Another very probable cause is lack of knowledge. Writers don’t appreciate what a good editor can do until they experience this art form in their work.
Just because we can publish doesn’t mean we should. Today more than ever, writers need editors. In the age of the internet, every piece of prose you publish will follow you. For some writers, that’s okay because all they really want is to get published. To them I say, “Cool.” But if you are a writer who hopes to travel for a long time down the road to continuing publication, don’t prematurely publish. You’re apt to regret it when the book comes out and readers – who you don’t know – post critiques you won’t like.
So what’s a writer to do? Find a good editor. I know several fine editors and soon, I will invite them to post blogs & links on MarlaMiller.com.
Meanwhile, in the tradition of show don’t tell, I’ve decided to ‘walk the talk’ about premature submission/publication and, using my own work as example, show visitors what good editing looks like.
Like you, I now have more options to publish. I’ve penned two novels, Sweetspot: Now & Then & Deadly Little Secrets that I believe have audiences waiting. I intend to reach them but first, I need the help of a good editor. We all need help. I’m now working with a fine editor and with her permission, I will be posting portions of our editing process so writers can see how good editing makes your story better.
Will it be painful at times? Probably, but my writer’s ego can handle it now. Why? Because I believe in my stories and no longer believe every word I write is too precious to cut.
The advantage traditional publishing still offers is its stable of editors who make most books read better. Editors with eagle eyes do that for writers and soon I will show you what that looks like in my own work. I plan to post a few pages of Sweetspot: Now & Then in its pre-edited and post-edited form. My editor and I will chat about the process via blog posts and/or video.
You really don’t want your prematurely published prose to haunt you one day, do you?
Marla, so many good points in your post. One that motivates me highly is the condescension of the trad industry toward those who “self” publish. I am “self” published, but I wasn’t alone. My team, a combination of volunteers and paid professionals, included a weekly critique group, mentors, instructors, editors, artists, a printer, and a publishing company (CreateSpace).
Everything is changing now. There is good and bad in all of it. I think the best thing we writers can do is remember why we love to write, ultimately. It’s not for fame or fortune, although those would be nice. For me, it’s the joy of sharing a thought, having that thought resonate with others, and basking in their appreciation of my having brought a light to the human condition in whatever small way I managed to do so.
For example, recently a reader told me she couldn’t get a passage out of her head, from my book, Dakota Blues: “…she wondered if grief built up as a person aged, like calcium deposits in a faucet, eventually clogging your pipes and weighing you down until you couldn’t function anymore. Maybe that’s what we die of, she thought. It’s not old age; it’s the accumulation of suffering.”
I will never forget the joy and gratitude that I felt when she told me. This is what really matters to true writers, not the vehicle we chose for relaying our message.
A provocative column! Good to hear from you. Best wishes, Sis.
Lynne,
Thanks so much for your comment. And now, as a published novelist, you know the job has only begun-getting this very timely topic into the hands of your readers. I have no doubt you’re meeting that challenge, too.
Nothing does stay the same, on that we can depend – publishing is no exception.
I hope my readers check out your novel, dakota Blue AND your blog, Any Shiny Thing-talk about timely..:)
Editing is probably the most important part of the publishing process, no matter the option. It’s essential for self published authors to have their books edited by a professional, one that is knowledgeable about their genre. But also these days we see big name authors coming out with books that haven’t been edited, not because they refuse to be edited, but because the Big Six publisher wants to get that book out as fast as possible.
Lisa
So true—the big difference for big name authors is that they can occasionally publish a book that isn’t up to par with their past endeavors—And of course, with the big house ‘branding’ comes credibility so readers are likely to purchase their books…just the way it is & why the rest of us have to work EVEN harder to make sure our proses is as polished as it can be. Thanks for commenting.
This is such an important topic. I’ve definitely had to resist the urge to publish before my manuscript was ready. Finally, after 3 years of querying, I signed with a publisher two weeks ago. I could have self-published and gotten my book out much sooner and believe me it was tempting! Other than the anxiety over learning all the ropes, I am not opposed to self publishing.
However, for me, I really wanted the backing of a publisher. I wanted the assurance that my book was worthy. It’s been a real boon to my self confidence having publisher that is willing to invest their money in my work because they feel that it’s good enough to make them money.
I know I could collect higher royalties by self publishing but for me it’s more about having a quality product than making money.
Editing is a rather grueling but necessary part of the package. I look forward to reading your edits, Marla. Thank you for your willingness to share.
Grace,
Thanks so much for your take-& Congrats on your signing! YIP!
Here’s the thing RE: I know I could collect higher royalties by self publishing but for me it’s more about having a quality product than making money. They are not mutually exclusive. Perhaps, there was a time – & not too long ago -when that was more true than not, but today authors are producing IMPECCABLY polished self published prose-We are just at the beginning of this road less traveled so far but not for long. That’s why editors all over are delivering the same clarion call as I did here in Premature Publication—-DO NOT BE IN A HURRY-approach this like a PRO or don’t do it. PROS don’t earn that name over night-it’s hard work over a long time.
Another road to traditional publishing is going to be successfully self-published authors knocking on their doors with cold hard numbers proving their book’s popularity. It’s NOT for everyone though-that’s for sure-‘hard work’ barely describes the labor-heavy process.
Enjoy your first published book–may it be the first of many!
Marla
Marla,
In my limited contact with you in the past, I admired – nay, welcomed – your forthright approach to evaluating, at least, queries from struggling writers. You possess the skill, not to mention the equally important honesty, to cut through the
cra… uh, fog… and show the writer other, more effective approaches in a query letter.So, it doesn’t surprise me at all that you are willing to show the world the editing process, using yourself, your writing, and your editor as the teaching aids. That requires a certain amount of philosophical courage to expose yourself in that way but, in itself, highlights the confidence that you have in the process. (It also shows the courage of your editor.)
I look forward to reading your installments.
So lovely to read this, thank you. If you’ve been following me & MarketingtheMuse, you know that I’m a huge advocate of ‘show don’t tell. It just seems reasonable to show the process of editing a manuscript to writers rather than attempt to tell you all what it’s about….
I don’t think this has been done much and I hope it’s going to be helpful. It’s definitely daunting for this writer to show her stuff to the world before publication but I’m game and my editor, Tiffany Martin Yates, is game too…so game on & stay tuned! 🙂
Marla