Outtakes 50 Release
Why It Failed
I listen to writers complain about not getting an agent or editor; no one appreciates their style; the big houses are not interested in new writers. The answer may be the writer didn’t do his homework. That’s right. The writer did not take the time to investigate the genre, the agent or editor, or have his work reviewed by another writer or a professional editor. He relied on his gut and his baby sister to provide feedback.
A young writer approached me regarding her children’s picture book. “Please read my story. I spent a lot of time doing the illustrations and writing the story, but my lazy agent couldn’t seem to sell it. I had to self-publish the book.”
“How are your sales?” I asked.
“Well, I’m still working here, aren’t I?”
I learned quite a bit from this exchange. Her expectations were not reasonable; the failure was someone else’s fault; and she was too good to be working a menial job. Oh, well, I could read the story and give her an honest opinion.
The book had a number of problems. The title had nothing to do with the story. The antagonist was addicted to drugs. She sold drugs to pay for her habit. She abuses her little dog. Not something I would want to read to a four or five year-old. The story did not flow from beginning to middle to end. The illustrations were not professional.
Were there any good points? Of course, there were. The elderly family member was perfectly portrayed and she loved the puppy. The journey home had good descriptions. Take out the drugs and animal abuse, tighten the structure, find a professional illustrator, and the story had potential. The writer refused to listen. This was her story and she was sticking with it.
Here’s my advice.
- Make sure your themes are appropriate for your genre. Search the web for criteria and the guidelines and stick with them. At some point you will be able to break the rules, but you have to know and understand the rules before you can break them.
- Find a good critique group and listen to the comments. You don’t have to accept everything, but valid criticism can help you avoid costly mistakes.
- Write. Rewrite. And rewrite again. Once through is not enough. I do at least a rough draft in longhand and a rewrite as I enter the story into the computer. Finally, I take the critiques and do a final edit. Then I proof read the entire work. Other writers have different methods, but I don’t know one successful author that stops with a single version of the story.
- If you don’t want honest, constructive opinions, don’t ask someone to read the work.
- Yes, it’s your story, but a little help from friends could make all the difference.
- Don’t blame others for your lack of success. Agents and editors don’t survive if they don’t sell or acquire. Make sure you, the author, have done everything in your power to provide the best product possible.
- Market your product. You may find you have to do the advertising and marketing for your book. You don’t have to spend a ton of money, but you do need a website, social media account, and maybe a blog. Post cards, book marks, and business cards are good too.
- Remember, you have the final say in the story. Make sure your voice is heard in a positive manner.
- Readers remember. If your work is sloppy, they probably won’t buy the next book.
Cait Collins
Wordsmith Six 