Lisa Harris, the award-winning author of thirteen novels and novellas, lives with her family in Mozambique where they work as church planting missionaries. When she’s not home schooling her kids, writing, and doing all the normal mom things, Lisa loves cooking exotic foods, reading, and traveling. For information on her books, plus an inside peek into her life in Africa, visit her blog or her website.
A Word of Encouragement
Nineteen years ago, I spent a summer in Kenya and was able to catch a glimpse of Mt. Kilimanjaro in the distance. This stunning mountain is the highest on the African continent, towering just over 19,300 feet. Not just anyone, though, can climb to its summit. It takes training, both mental and physical, to make it to the top.
My husband and son have already begun making plans to climb the mountain in the next couple of years, but they both know that the climb will not be easy. It’s going to take proper physical training and preparation so they will be able to make it. On the way up, it’s cold, exhausting, and the oxygen levels are low.
So why even try? Well, for those who have made it to the summit, they know why. It’s the very accomplishment of pushing yourself to the limit, and in the end, making it to the top.
I’ve run across several authors who are in the midst of writing the next great American novel. They expect that finding a publisher will be easy and the money big, yet they have failed to prepare themselves for the reality of what it takes to get a book published.
If you haven’t already noticed, the reality is that the publishing world can be as daunting as climbing a mountain. And while everyone, it seems, wants to write a book, most aren’t willing to train.
Three of my author friends have recently landed their first big contracts with major publishing houses. Yet these very same friends have trained for years to learn the craft of writing--one friend, for over twenty years. They went to conferences, worked with critique groups, sent out proposals, and the most important part--they wrote and never gave up. It took time, energy, discipline and sacrifice, but their diligence paid off. And in the coming months, they will all be holding one of their own books in their hands.
Maybe your journey won’t be quite as rocky, or take quite as long. Or you might find yourself--a dozen or so years along this writing journey--with nothing more than a pile of rejection letters. Either way, keep this in mind. The road to publication is hard and will take time.
Here are a few mountain climbing tips:
1. Have your essential training equipment: Read other books in your genre, study books on how to write, attend online classes and writer’s conferences, and join a critique group. The best training for how to write a book, is writing. Write, write, and write some more.
2. Don’t panic: Expect the rejections, dry periods, loneliness, and even the times you will question what you are doing. Don’t ever give up. Ever.
3. Always travel in a group: Find other authors you can encourage and vice versa.
4. Check the weather: Stay current of market changes by joining a writing organization, subscribing to writer’s publications, and reading editor and publishers blogs.
5. Understand the climb won’t be easy, but remember as well that that a rough climb up can make the summit even sweeter.
And like my three friends, dreams, even in the publishing world, really can come true!
Check out Lisa’s two newest releases:
Baker’s Fatal Dozen, August 2008. Get ready to cook up a second helping of Pricilla Crumb and her hilarious schemes to serve up justice. When Reggie Pierce, who runs Pricilla Crumb’s favorite bakery, is found dead, Pricilla finds herself hot on the trail of another sticky scandal that begins with murder. Visit Heartsong Presents: Mysteries for more information.
Nineteen years ago, I spent a summer in Kenya and was able to catch a glimpse of Mt. Kilimanjaro in the distance. This stunning mountain is the highest on the African continent, towering just over 19,300 feet. Not just anyone, though, can climb to its summit. It takes training, both mental and physical, to make it to the top.
My husband and son have already begun making plans to climb the mountain in the next couple of years, but they both know that the climb will not be easy. It’s going to take proper physical training and preparation so they will be able to make it. On the way up, it’s cold, exhausting, and the oxygen levels are low.
So why even try? Well, for those who have made it to the summit, they know why. It’s the very accomplishment of pushing yourself to the limit, and in the end, making it to the top.
I’ve run across several authors who are in the midst of writing the next great American novel. They expect that finding a publisher will be easy and the money big, yet they have failed to prepare themselves for the reality of what it takes to get a book published.
If you haven’t already noticed, the reality is that the publishing world can be as daunting as climbing a mountain. And while everyone, it seems, wants to write a book, most aren’t willing to train.
Three of my author friends have recently landed their first big contracts with major publishing houses. Yet these very same friends have trained for years to learn the craft of writing--one friend, for over twenty years. They went to conferences, worked with critique groups, sent out proposals, and the most important part--they wrote and never gave up. It took time, energy, discipline and sacrifice, but their diligence paid off. And in the coming months, they will all be holding one of their own books in their hands.
Maybe your journey won’t be quite as rocky, or take quite as long. Or you might find yourself--a dozen or so years along this writing journey--with nothing more than a pile of rejection letters. Either way, keep this in mind. The road to publication is hard and will take time.
Here are a few mountain climbing tips:
1. Have your essential training equipment: Read other books in your genre, study books on how to write, attend online classes and writer’s conferences, and join a critique group. The best training for how to write a book, is writing. Write, write, and write some more.
2. Don’t panic: Expect the rejections, dry periods, loneliness, and even the times you will question what you are doing. Don’t ever give up. Ever.
3. Always travel in a group: Find other authors you can encourage and vice versa.
4. Check the weather: Stay current of market changes by joining a writing organization, subscribing to writer’s publications, and reading editor and publishers blogs.
5. Understand the climb won’t be easy, but remember as well that that a rough climb up can make the summit even sweeter.
And like my three friends, dreams, even in the publishing world, really can come true!
Check out Lisa’s two newest releases:
Baker’s Fatal Dozen, August 2008. Get ready to cook up a second helping of Pricilla Crumb and her hilarious schemes to serve up justice. When Reggie Pierce, who runs Pricilla Crumb’s favorite bakery, is found dead, Pricilla finds herself hot on the trail of another sticky scandal that begins with murder. Visit Heartsong Presents: Mysteries for more information.
Final Deposit, September 2008: A fast-paced romantic suspense that deals with the very real threat of internet scams. When Lindsey Taylor's elderly father loses his life savings through an e-mail scam, she turns to financial security expert Kyle Walker for help. Will Kyle's vendetta against the Internet scheme that cost him his brother's life hinder his commitment to Lindsey? And how much danger are they in as they get closer to the criminals? (From Love Inspired Suspense)
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