Top 10 Tips for Aspiring Authors

I don’t proclaim to be a best-selling author or a writing expert. I don’t have a hundred books or ten years of being published under my belt. I have only been published for eighteen months (though in that time I have had three short stories, five novellas and two full length novels released – so I do know about rapid publication!) and therefore I still count myself as early on in my writing career.

However, what I do know about is being an aspiring author, and getting back up again (and again and again) after a project has been rejected. My writing journey has taught me a lot, and I am always happy to share the tips I’ve come up with as a consequence. So, here they are…

1. No excuses, no justifications; WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. Give up TV or housework or dressing the cat up in outfits or whatever you need to so that you can make time for it, but get that bum on chair and fingers on keyboard. It’s no good if it’s all just in your head.

2. Learn your craft. Read a lot (including the genre you’re aiming for and non-fiction books on writing), join a writers circle, take a class, get constructive feedback (from an outsider, not a family member because they love you and will tell you it’s marvellous even if it isn’t) and use it all wisely. Hone those writing skills and think carefully about pace, characterisation, plot, dialogue, action and internal versus external conflicts (to name a few!)

3. Write what you love and are passionate about. I don’t agree with ‘write what you know’ because what you don’t know you can learn about through research, talking to people and new experiences. If I only wrote ‘what I knew’ then my books might only be about being a wife, mother or HR professional. I’ve never dated a billionaire but I wrote about it in Crazy, Undercover, Love which was then short listed for the RNA Joan Hessayon Award (for new writers).

4. Writing is rewriting. Don’t expect your first draft to be the finished article. Just get the whole story down on paper and be prepared to work on it and polish it until it shines. I call my first attempt a ‘dirty draft’ and it’s usually littered with errors and typos – all that matters is getting the story out of my head and onto the laptop as quickly as possible.

Once that’s done, THEN I can really get to grips with making it a publishable story. For example; Does it make sense? Is it pacy? Are the characters sympathetic and likeable? Does it have enough emotional impact? Is the structure right? Is there sufficient description so that the reader can imagine the setting? Will it give readers the satisfying ending they’re looking for? Etc etc etc…

5. Be a perfectionist about your book. Make sure there are no spelling, grammatical or formatting errors in it. Nothing says ‘amateur’ like basic mistakes.

6. Don’t submit the book if you haven’t finished writing it. Otherwise, if an editor or agent loves it and ask for the rest, you’re either trying to finish it under pressure (meaning sloppy mistakes might get made) or you’re making them wait for it, and they may lose interest in the meantime. Note; the same does not go for a non-fiction book. In that case you usually submit an outline and write the book once an offer has been made.

7. Don’t be impatient and submit a manuscript prematurely – put it away then get it out a few weeks later for another revision (or three, or five) before you send it out to the world. I have put manuscripts aside for months at a time before so I can come back to them with fresh eyes, and have redrafted some books up to seven times before sending them out.

8. Be professional with your submissions. Research the agent/editor/publisher you’re submitting to through their website or a writer’s directory, make sure they publish/are interested in your genre and send them EXACTLY what they ask for. That might include a first chapter and a covering letter/email. Take your time to get the covering letter/email right.

It needs to be relevant, clear, exciting and sell you/your book. Look for examples of successful letters/emails on writer’s websites, and ask someone else to look at it for you before you send it off. Be prepared to tailor the letter/email for each submission, according to what the agent/editor/publisher is looking for. (Top tips; do not tell them your mum/best friend/dog loves it – they won’t care and it’ll make you look unprofessional – and don’t be arrogant e.g. I am better than J K Rowling/Stephen King/Harper Lee)

9. Be patient. Do not badger people incessantly. Wait a respectful amount of time e.g. 4 – 6 weeks, or whatever timescale they set as an expectation in their holding email/letter or website, before approaching them. Send them a polite reminder/prompt that you understand they are very busy but wondered when they might be in a position to respond to your submission query.

Then thank them for their time and wait again! (Don’t be surprised if you get a response 6 months later or not at all; that’s the nature of the writing industry). Be prepared to move on and submit elsewhere if they take longer than 3 months to respond (it’s a personal decision how long you wait) unless you have sent out multiple submissions, in which case you don’t lose much by hanging on for longer.

10. Never give up; persistence pays. This is the most valuable lesson I have learnt. No matter what, if it’s your dream to be a published author, don’t stop writing or sending submissions to agents or publishers. You will get there one day.
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A Dorset girl and social media addict, Nikki Moore has a HR day job, two kids and a lovely boyfriend to keep her busy alongside the writing. She was in the Romantic Novelists Association New Writers Scheme for four years and is now a full RNA member. Nikki was a finalist in several writing competitions from 2010 including the Elizabeth Goudge trophy and Novelicious Undiscovered, before being offered a publishing contract.

Nikki loves chatting with readers, bloggers, writers and aspiring authors about books, writing, wine, love and life in general. Find her on Twitter @NikkiMoore_Auth or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NikkiMooreWrites

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Tags: featured, women writers, writing tips for aspiring authors

Category: How To and Tips