Friday--The Writers' Porch

One of the things that I am asked often is, “How did you finally get a book published?”

My answer is that there were several steps involved over many years of writing. I will discuss each of these steps in more detail each week. But here are my personal Top 10 steps for the pathway to publication.

1. I felt God’s calling on my life to write.
2. I attended writing conferences to learn the craft and to network with editors.
3. I wrote. Writers write. I kept on writing.
4. I kept files with ideas, Scriptures, and even just great words.
5. I collected rejection letters—enough to wallpaper my office.
6. I had 2-3 people proof and edit my work before I sent it to the editor.
7. I started with magazine articles, devotionals, and then moved to books.
8. I kept records of who and where I sent my manuscripts to and what their response was—if any. (Smile).
9. I built a speaking platform, which is a must if you are writing non-fiction.
10. I discovered my own “writing voice.” This takes time and you must keep writing steadily in order to find your own voice.

For the next ten Fridays on The Writers Porch, we will delve deeper into each of these topics. However, if you are looking for a great proof reader and copy editor, I use Margaret Traudt. Her information is below. The going rate for proofer/editors is approximately $40.00 an hour. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth it!

Margaret Traudt
Jt15708@peoplepc.com
(402) 782- 8973.

Remember, writers write—keep writing.