5 New Writer Pitfalls

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Darcie_Carsner_Torres]Darcie Carsner Torres
The Huffington Post recently published an article entitled, "5 Most Dangerous Career Pitfalls for New Writers." While the article is good, it also falls a bit short of the target. Their list:
1. Being misled by emotions
2. Previously published dilemma
3. "Everyone wins" writing contests
4. Misunderstanding publishing deals/signing a bad contract
5. Lame literary agents
From a writer/editor perspective, this doesn't even come close to the reality of being a new writer. New writers (and even some with experience) view publishing with rose-colored glasses. Publishing your novel becomes the end-all in the game and few think beyond it.
Here are the REAL top five career pitfalls for new (or any) writers, whether self-published or traditional.
Impatience
If you've decided to reach for the gold ring of publishing - a traditional publishing house - then you had better be prepared to hurry up and wait. First, many agents and publishing houses do not accept simultaneous submissions. What does that mean? In essence, you get to submit to only one agent/editor at a time and wait for them to reject your manuscript. Most will tell you that they will get back to you within four weeks to four months. That's a lot of waiting just to be told "no." Then, if you go the agent route and are actually accepted for representation, you will have to wait for the agent to successfully shop your manuscript. Then there is the back and forth edits and revisions, which, of course, the publishing house wants back in very short order - it's the only thing about traditional publishing that happens fast. Finally, you will experience the ever-so-popular waiting period that occurs between acceptance and actual publishing. The standard time here is nine months to a year.
All of this hurry up and wait has lead many authors to the self-publishing industry. In other words, many authors are driven to self-publishing by impatience. Impatience creates haste, and haste will kill your writing career faster than anything else. You will still need to take the time to have your manuscript reviewed by peers (not loving relatives), obtain an editor, get a professional cover designed and perform pre- and post-publication marketing. There's a lot of work involved either way you choose to go, so be prepared to do some hard work and wait regardless of your publishing venue.
Playing the game
Publishing is a game: It's called "Pin the Tail on the Donkey." The reason I say this is that every single author out there who is serious about sales has to know what their readers are going to demand at least a year into the future. Many times, this is an educated guess. If historical romance is on the decline and you choose to write a historical romance novel, be prepared for two things:
� Fewer interested publishers
� Less than stellar sales figures
I'm not saying don't write it; I'm just saying that you have to be realistic about the outcome of writing that type of novel.
Publishing houses spend a lot of money trying to target readers' interests for the upcoming year. This is how they build their publishing and acquisitions calendar. For instance, if vampire novels are hot, a publishing house is going to spend more acquiring vampire manuscripts than say memoirs - unless, of course, the memoir is written by an actual vampire. So, if you've written a novel in a low-selling genre, expect to be disappointed, as there are going to fewer slots and more competition for those slots.
Self-publishing works the same way. You have to hone and target your writing to fit the needs and desires of your audience. If you are like me, you probably have a list of novels-in-waiting. Most authors make the mistake of choosing to write in the order that is nearest and dearest to their heart, completely ignoring what is currently hot in the market or what might be up and coming.
Not knowing the standards
This pitfall closely aligns with the Huffington Post article with respect to signing a bad contract and getting a bad agent. First, let's be clear: Reputable agents do not charge reading or editing fees. They get their commission off your portion of the sales and that is it. If an agent wants a reading fee or offers to sell you editing services, walk away. No, actually you should run. Fast.
Another pitfall here is not knowing what to expect with respect to advances and royalties from a traditional publisher. First, your advance is not going to be anywhere close to what you expect. While advances depend a lot on the size of the publishing house or imprint, you can expect somewhere in the ballpark of $5,000-$10,000 for your first novel. Obviously there are exceptions, but don't get your hopes up that you will be one of them.
Royalties are another issue. Your publishing contract is going to be filled with a lot of little numbers followed by a percent sign. This means how much you earn depends on your total sales. This will, of course, be offset by your advance. You won't see another dime from your publisher until your portion of the sales have exceeded the advance. What's more, depending on the rights you sell, you are going to have a different percentage take depending on the medium. For print books, expect somewhere in the range of 7-15% of the retail price or 10-50% of net. Most contracts will offer the author 50% of net on most subrights. Foreign rights can get you as much as 75% and movie rights should be closer to 90%. Be aware, however, that the lower the publisher's percent of the take on subrights, the less inclined they will be to actually shop those rights.
One of the areas of change is occurring in electronic sales markets. With electronic sales going through the roof and print sales going through the floor, this has become a significant area of contention between publisher and author. Several major authors in the last year have jumped ship or insisted on retaining a higher percentage of digital publishing rights because of the huge boom in the industry. Keep this in mind when negotiating for electronic sales royalties.
Believing what you hear
I've been writing since I was old enough to hold a pen. My parents, friends, family and teachers all believed I was a real writing prodigy. Boy, did they ever mislead me. I still had a whole lot to learn.
Do not listen to your friends and family. Or at least don't believe everything they say. They love you. They do not want to hurt your feelings. Most of all, they are not publishers or editors. Professionals have a very different way of looking at things: they do not overlook the flaws in your writing. Ever. Too many flaws will mean no one will buy your manuscript. If they do accept it, they'll tell you to fix it and how they want to see it fixed. In fact, you might end up with a significantly different story than the one you submitted.
Buying into the opinion that you're the next Ernest Hemingway will completely sabotage your career. Every writer, every manuscript needs improvement. I don't care who you are or how fantastically you write. Your goal is to get your manuscript to the highest level it can achieve before you ever submit it to an agent or publisher. That means you need two things:
� Serious peer review
� An editor
You need to test your manuscript (in pieces, preferably) to writers' groups, writing friends and people in the know. Get it in good shape and then send it to an editor. You need someone who doesn't know you to be objective and offer constructive criticism. Anyone who knows you will be reluctant to be completely honest. Trying to sell a manuscript that is best used as fertilizer will kill your career. Editors and agents will not want to hear from you again. They won't bother to read your queries.
Failure to market
This is the most misunderstood pitfall of all time, even for experienced authors. Marketing is a necessary step no matter how you decide to publish. The most common misconception is that by going the traditional route, your publisher will do it all for you. Not.
One of the most successful authors of the modern time is James Patterson. He's taken writing and publishing to a whole new level. He gets marketing. Every time you see his face on television, he's marketing his books and those marketing efforts are paying off big time. Before Patterson, I cannot recall any writer in history actually doing a commercial for their book. But perhaps he is the only writer who can actually afford a television spot.
The point is, you have to market your skills, your book and yourself if you want to see sales. Learn marketing techniques and learn to love them. What use is having a book in print if no one buys it?
Darcie Carsner Torres is a professional writer and editor with over 20 years of experience. She provides editing and critiquing services through CanAm Author Services, [http://www.canamauthorservices.com]http://www.canamauthorservices.com, and editing and ghostwriting services through Pen & Pestle, [http://www.penandpestle.com]http://www.penandpestle.com. Her mission is to help budding authors improve their writing and get published.
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