Monday, December 29, 2008

Are You A First Time Author? Don't Do This!

Are You A First Time Author? Don't Do This!
by Donna Sozio

Submitting but Not Expecting to Win

Hand over my heart, this is the most detrimental mistake a writer can make. You typically see this when writers say, “Yeah, I submitted but I don’t expect much. You know, they’re a big agency and...”

The truth in publishing is what you see is exactly what you get. If you can see yourself as a successful author with a literary agent and a book deal, you will have one. You only need to take the steps to get you there.

When it comes to getting published, your mindset determines your success just as much as your work itself. The good news about mindset is it’s totally within your control. A positive mindset is always working for you. It is always in your corner. And it does more work for you than you can imagine. No matter what your situation looks like a positive mindset will always pull you through.

If you play the publishing game without expecting to win, you won’t because expectation rules outcome. Simply by changing your expectations, you can change your results.

As writers, we all have our Achilles heel. When I feel myself slipping into self-doubt or not expecting to win, I put the brakes on those thoughts by thinking of the author who inspires me the most. I ask myself, “What would she do?” How would he handle this situation?

Imagine for a moment that it’s Super Bowl Sunday just minutes before the game. No team runs onto the field without properly psyching up first. Each player has to feel the win before they can perform to their highest ability.

This is your big game. The Literary Super Bowl. Ask yourself, “Will I allow myself to win?”

If the answer is a Yes! (I have a feeling it is) you’re ready for the next chapter where you’ll learn how to redefine the submission process and make it work for you.
An excerpt from Donna Sozio’s The Secret Rules of Publishing: What Every First Time Author Needs to Know To learn more visit: http://www.impublished.com/

1 comment:

Tahlia said...

I do agree and I have no doubt at all that my YA fantasy novel, 'Lethal Inheritance' will be published. My agent is in the process of helping me fine tune the ms before we submit it to publishers.

My blog tells the story of my journey to publication. If you're interested, have a preview peek at ch 1 on http://publishersearch.wordpress.com

I would like to put a link to here on my site. Would that be okay? Your readers might find it interesting to follow my journey too. I've certainly made some mistakes, but I'm doing okay to have scored a good agent.