Persistence: Profits, Perils and Plans

Janet here. I met my friend, Ruth Kaufman, our guest blogger in Seekerville today at the Romance Writers of America conference in Chicago. I believe the year was 1999. We've kept in touch ever since, chatting on the phone, sharing our struggles and achievements. Ruth is no stranger to hard work and persistence. She has completed 10 manuscripts from medievals to YA. Six have finaled in numerous contests, including runner up in Dorchester/RT Book Reviews’ national American Title II contest. An attorney with a Master’s in Radio/TV, Ruth left her sales, marketing and training job to pursue writing and acting full time. She presents a variety of writing and acting workshops including "Sales Skills for the Author" and serves on Romance Writers of America's board of directors.

Ruth is giving away a 20 minute "discuss your writing with confidence" session at a mutually agreed upon time during the RWA conference in Orlando or via phone (not as effective, but...). This includes pitching tips and suggestions for authors at all stages of their careers on how to best present projects to readers/friends/contacts. Leave a comment with your e-mail address to get your name in the drawing.
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I’m giving away a bag of chocolate covered turtles. What could be more fitting than that slow moving, hard-shelled icon of persistence? When we reach the finish line, we'll find it sweet indeed, just like this yummy candy. For a chance to win, leave a comment with your e-mail address.

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Persistence: Profits, Perils and Plans
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You’ve probably heard stories of authors who got rejected many times and finally, finally got “the call.” But we don’t hear about those who give up....winners never quit, as the saying goes. If you’ve written several manuscripts, win contests, submit and submit but still haven’t sold, how do you keep going? You weigh the profits and perils of persistence. You embark upon a persistence plan.
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The profits of persistence include more complete manuscripts, more contacts and friends for socializing, networking and support. Writing seems like a solitary pursuit, but via in person and online writers groups like RWA, we build a community that may include critique partners or just someone to lend a sympathetic ear. The more you write, the more you should learn about the craft of writing. You may earn more contest credentials.
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Perils include the time, effort and money spent pursuing publication. Most of us enjoy the process of writing, but most of us also want to be published. Even after you sell, you may have future proposals rejected, your publisher may not give you a second contract or your line may be dropped. Can you handle the roller coaster ride?
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Before you take the next steps on your journey, consider pondering this 10-step persistence plan:
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1. Time: With all the commitments in your life, do you have the quality time to devote to writing? To rewriting? Not just one ms, but several? Time to submit, promote, etc? Are years of not selling getting you down?
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2. Money: Can you afford the expenses of being a writer? A computer, printer and Internet access are givens these days. Add in paper, toner, postage for any snail mail submissions, contest entry fees, dues for RWA and/or other organizations, conferences (including registration, transportation, lodging, even food), research books, your Web site, industry publications like RT Book Reviews... and over the years you could invest quite a sum in your career without earning any in return, except maybe a contest win prize.
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3. Product: How many manuscripts do you have, and how many do you need? One ms or even one genre may not be enough in today’s competitive market. Very often I’m asked what’s next, what other projects I’m working on and even how long it takes me to write a book. It’s great if your persistence to date has been spending many years completing one manuscript, but more might be required of you.
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4. Submissions: How many is enough/are you willing to send? How many is too many? Years ago, Kresley Cole gave a workshop about having 25 things out at a time. That’s right, 25. She counted requests, queries, contest entries and upcoming appointments. Are you going to pursue agents only, or both? The time and effort it takes to research industry professionals and prepare submissions (some agencies now have online forms, and each requires different info) can put a significant dent in your writing time.
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5. Rejections: As it happens, last night at 11 pm I got a particularly harsh rejection email from an agent on a full ms. Ouch. Do your rejections feel like stabs to the heart that set you back, or can you take them in stride? Can you set them aside easily and keep writing/submitting? Is there something you can learn from personal rejections? Does the rejection have a silver lining: an opportunity to revise and resubmit, or to submit other projects?
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6. Contests: for published and unpublished. Why are you entering? If unpublished, to get feedback? To hope you’ll final and get your pages in front of the agent/editor of your dreams? To earn credentials? If published, do you believe contest finals or wins yield additional readers? Contests can be beneficial, but tweaking your entries and going through the rigmarole of entering can take a lot of time.
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7. Industry & craft knowledge: Writing great books is the most important thing, but we can’t write in a vacuum. We need to learn about our craft and our industry...so we know that, for example, very few editors if any want a 120,000 word manuscript. Are you willing to expend effort on this?
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8. Networking: Connections and building relationships can prove useful at any stage of an author’s career. Whether you’re sharing industry info or seeking a critique group/partner, you’ll want to use your time wisely...or you could end up spending the entire day on Twitter or Facebook.
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9. Patience: Long response times, slow payment, waiting for contracts, contest results...need I say more? Does waiting make you fret, or can you let it go? How do you feel when someone asks, “Have you sold yet?” or starts offering unsolicited advice about what her friend Sally did? Can you reduce the angst of waiting by focusing on your next project?
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10. Determination: What is your goal? Wanting to sell, working hard for years and not achieving the results you want unleashes powerful emotions that can run the gamut from feeling like a failure to desperation to frustration. Some may think “I’ll never sell,” while others are motivated to just work harder. On occasion I even find myself in the slippery well of self-pity.
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Sometimes I feel like a gambler: Just one more bet (submission/contest entry), and my horse will come in (the call). Sometimes I wonder why friends have sold/gone on to win awards while I haven’t. What made the elusive mix of talent and timing--both in finding the person that loves your work and what the market wants--come together for them?
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If you’re new to writing and wonder these things, analyze what you’ve written...is your ms really ready? Maybe you could improve your craft. Or maybe your stuff pushes the envelope too much. Sometimes even a great book/the book of your heart just won’t sell in the current market.
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Once you’re “almost there,” there is no pat answer. Though it’s easier said than done, we need to stop wasting our brainpower on negative, self-defeating thoughts and focus on things we can influence and control... writing new pages, revising to our best ability, and getting our work on the desks of those who can buy/represent us.
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You can decide that you’re not really being persistent, you’re actually beating your head against a brick wall...so it’s time to quit. Or you can decide to persist, and believe that every rejection means you’re one ‘no’ closer to ‘yes.’
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Learn more at http://www.ruthjkaufman.com/ and http://www.ruthtalks.com/.

© Ruth Kaufman 2010

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Janet again. Be sure to check out Ruth's Web sites. I had a blast hearing all sides of Ruth's talent on www.ruthtalks.com

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For breakfast this morning, I brought sugary, cinnamony baked apples to go with a huge stack of pancakes. I've made these apples oodles of time and they're good. Just not as good as my mother-in-law made, but hey, I keep trying. One day my persistence will pay off.