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| Photo courtesy of Elle Wild |
Elle
Wild grew up in a dark, rambling farmhouse in the wilds of Canada where there
was nothing to do but read Edgar Allan Poe and watch PBS mysteries. She is an
award-winning short filmmaker and the former writer/host of the radio program Wide Awake on CBC Radio One. Her short
fiction has been published in Ellery
Queen Magazine and her articles have appeared in The Toronto Star, Georgia
Straight, and Westender. Wild’s
debut novel, Strange Things Done, won
the Arthur Ellis Award 2015 for Best Unpublished First Crime Novel, and was
shortlisted in multiple contests internationally. Recently returned from the
U.K., Wild currently resides on an island in the Salish Sea named after the
bones of dead whales.
As the title of Elle's debut novel is titled Strange Things Done she's written a wonderful post about some strange things she's noticed on her publishing journey.
Strange Things Learned
on the Road to Publishing
People
say the damnedest things when you tell them that you’re writing a book. Maybe
you’ve heard some of these comments too? “I’ve always wanted to write a book.”
“You must talk to my great aunt/cousin/friend of friend who wrote about/is
writing about her real life miserable childhood/tragic personal experience.”
(Sometimes followed by, “You should read it.”) Then there’s the classic, “If I
had the time, I’d write a book too.” (This one is really stellar if you want to
wind up an author.) And finally, the pertinacious, “It’s really hard to get
published these days/in this market.”
Whether or not there is any glimmer of truth
to the latter comment, I cannot say, but I can
say this: people throughout the ages have always wanted to hear great stories,
and someone has to create them. I believe that people will always want the
escapism and adventure of a good story. (*The key word being “good”.) It has
probably always been difficult to get published, but people keep doing it. I’ve
done it! So, it’s possible for you to do it, too, if you’re dedicated enough to
make time every day to work at it. Yes,
that’s right, the “w” word. Contrary to the implication in response #3, writers
are generally not people who have a lot of time on their hands, who lounge
about in velvet dressing gowns all day eating boozy choco bonbons. (I wish.) Published writers are people who have
worked relentlessly, draft after draft, polishing their stories like stones
until they shone brightly enough to garner someone’s attention.
If
I haven’t put you off yet with the “w” word, and you’re still interested in
learning about the road to publishing, I can tell you about my own strange trip
into unchartered terrain and what I learned along the way. (Thus far, at
least.) After all, if I can do it, you can too.
Strange Things Learned:
#1
It takes a village to raise a child.
Finished
your first draft? Congrats! This is your starting point on a long journey. Now
what you need is a community of fellow writers – not just any writers, but
writers who share your taste – to read your draft and tell you where you’ve
gone horribly, horribly wrong. I found my community among cherished reader/writer
friends, family, and the writing community at the University of British
Columbia’s MFA Creative Writing program.
#2
Your reader is always right.
Never
argue with a reader when they tell you that something isn’t working. If it
didn’t work for them, fix it. I learned this the hard way. You likely will too.
#3
Mentors are key.
You
will stand a much better chance of reaching your goal if you find “writing
angels” to guide you on your journey. If you’re very fortunate, as I was, you
will have more than one. I had the great privilege of working with writer-mentor
Gail Anderson-Dargatz (author of international bestseller Cure for Death by Lightning) while I was an MFA student in Creative
Writing with the University of British Columbia. I also participated in the
Crime Writers of Canada’s Mentorship Program for new writers, where I was
mentored by veteran writer Donna Carrick (author of First Excellence – Fa-ling’s Map, listed
in the Top 5 “Canadian Literature for Kindle”).
#4 Skip the slush pile
I
quickly learned that you do not want to be in the slush pile. “What is the
slush pile?” you might ask. The “slush pile” is what agents call the huge,
moldering stack of unpublished manuscripts sitting on their desks, which might
be used to make paper airplanes or feed woodstoves. How do you skip the slush
pile? See points #5 and #6.
#5 Enter writing
contests, then “fail better”.
The
second best thing you can do for yourself is to get shortlisted in a very
visible writing contest. I found that once I was shortlisted in a couple of
contests, The Telegraph/Harvill Secker Crime Competition and the A.M. Heath Criminal Lines Contest in the U.K., among others, agents began
to find me on LinkedIn, Twitter or via my author web site. I didn’t win, but I
persevered and wrote another draft. Next
time I “failed better”, earning a Silver in the SouthWest Writers Annual Novel Writing Competition (U.S.). I
learned that rewriting is key on the road to publishing.
#6 Win a writing
contest.
The
best thing you can do to win attention from agents and publishers is win a
writing contest. This will help you skip the slush pile and get your manuscript
read. If you’re really lucky, the contest will be sponsored by a publisher who
will consider your story if you win. I won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Unpublished First Crime Novel, which
was sponsored by Dundurn Press, who then offered a publishing contract.
#7 Publishers are a
writer’s marketing partner.
Great!
You’ve got a publisher! Now what? Remember
that your publisher is your marketing partner. If they recommend that you do
something, that means “do it”. I’ve learned that much of what happens next is
up to you. Have you got a brilliant idea for marketing your project? Pitch it
to the publisher. Once you’ve signed with a publisher, you will be given a
publicist, and that person will ride shotgun with you on the final leg of your
trip, listen to your ideas, and give you veteran advice.
#8 Money Matters
The
most unfortunate thing I’ve learned in the process is that in order to really
get attention for your novel, you need advertising dollars, which are difficult
to come by these days. For example, the biggest market for people to find your
book right now is on Amazon or Goodreads. Did you know that a Goodreads
advertising campaign (where a book cover might appear when a user is looking
for a new read) costs $5,000.00 in Canada? That’s a lot of money for a lot of
publishers, or a self-published author. I’ve learned, then, that it’s extremely
difficult for debut authors to be found in this environment. I’ve learned not
to expect my book to found on Top 10 lists of hotly anticipated fall releases,
because chances are these lists are compiled by people/organizations who have
never read my book, and the lists are largely populated by writers who have already
had a big success in the past. (Which isn’t, of course, to say that they aren’t
fantastic books, and I will certainly be reading many of them.)
#9 Be creative with
marketing.
Writers
are creative people, right? So, we should be good with coming up with creative
ways to get around #8 and generate a bit of pre-launch buzz. Sadly, that isn’t
always so. I am still learning about this particular challenge, though (with
the help of good friends at White Crow Communications) we have recreated the
fictional newspaper (from my book), The
Dawson Daily, online and on Twitter to release news of Strange Things Done in Dawson City and provide a bridge for arts &
entertainment journalists to discover the novel. (You can follow @TheDawsonDaily
if you’re interested!)
#10 Partners in Crime
By
this point in your journey, you should have a great community of writers to
back your project. Guest blog for fellow authors and ask them to come along on
the ride. Who doesn’t love a good road trip? If you’re reading this article,
it’s because I’ve learned to ask friends and colleagues for help, and because
some kind soul on social media has offered to lend a hand.
Will
any of this make a difference? Will the book find its readers? I’m still at pre-launch
stage, so it’s impossible to say, but if there’s one thing I’m trying to learn, it’s that – while there
are no guarantees about where the road might take you – it is a good idea to sit
back, relax, and enjoy the ride. It goes by quickly.
I
hope this will help you on your own road to publishing. Good luck on your
journey!
Since writing this post Elle's book has been released on it's journey as it was published yesterday and it's available on Amazon or from the publisher Dundurn.
If you'd like to find out more about Elle you can follow her on Twitter, visit her website or take a look at the other various tour events that she's doing.
I'd like to say a big thank you to Elle for taking the time out of her very busy schedule to stop by today and also to wish her every success with Strange Things Done.
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