A couple of years ago, I read an interesting article over at Books and Such titled, “Meaning of Persistence.”
I’ve written about this topic before. The writer who perseveres is the one who becomes traditionally published.
With the ever-increasing ease of self-publishing, A LOT of authors are foregoing the traditional path for one that’s easier and much quicker, albeit the more expense path.
Another reason authors, especially new ones, take the self-publishing road is because of the difficulty in getting a traditional contract. This difficulty is amplified if the author is trying for the Big 5 (the five major publishers).
Okay, back to the article at Books and Such. The gist of the article is that if new authors weren’t getting book deals then why would agents still accept queries?
The same goes for book publishers.
This is not to say the road won’t be littered with rejections, time, and effort. But, it’s possible.
Even before the pandemic, the number of aspiring authors was increasing. While I don’t have statistics for the current pandemic time, they’ve got to be skyrocketing.
Why do I feel this way?
Books sales are increasing.
More and more people have time on their hands and their dreams of becoming a published author have jumped into the foreground.
I know this to be true because as a children’s ghostwriter, I’ve gotten many more queries in April and May than I have in those months from prior years.
Now, if the number of people seeking ghostwriters has increased, it only follows suit that people who want traditional publishing contracts is increasing.
The problem that arose pre-pandemic, is there were just so many publishing contracts available for new authors. The number of authors submitting queries for those contracts was growing.
Bring that up to today, you’re looking at smaller staffs due to illness and social distancing and an even larger number of new authors seeking those contracts.
So yes, getting a traditional publishing contract is getting more difficult. Keep in mind also that new authors are a bigger financial risk for agents and publishers, so they are cautious.
But, as I love to say, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
If you’re persistent and keep researching agents and publishers who are accepting manuscripts in the genre you’re writing, and keep submitting, you just never know.
Chicken Soup for the Soul had a rough road. The authors, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, had 144 rejections before they got a contract with a small publisher in Florida.
This is where perseverance comes in. What if they gave up at 100 rejections or 130?
Even is you get 200 rejections, keep going. It’s a struggle, but keep on keeping on.
What to do while you’re researching, submitting, and waiting?
If you keep getting rejections, you might reevaluate your manuscript. Do research on the type of books that are getting contracts in your genre.
You might join a critique group. Having those extra set of eyes is an amazing help.
You might also let a professional editor in the genre you write review your book.
If your book is good to go, just keep submitting and while you’re waiting, start another book.
Sources:
https://www.chickensoup.com/about/history
Let me take a look at your notes, outline, or draft. I’m a working children’s ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach. I can turn your story into a book that you’ll be proud to be author of.
Send me an email at: kcioffiventrice@gmail.com (please put Children’s Ghostwriter in the Subject line). Or, you can give me a call at 834—347—6700
Let’s get your story in publishable shape today!
Or, if you’d rather give it a shot and do-it-yourself, check out my book, HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN’S FICTION BOOK.
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