Five Ways to Survive the Publishing Jungle

by Patty Smith Hall, @pattywrites

The publishing world has changed drastically over the last ten years. When I first started attending writer’s conference, a self-published book was considered a career killer and e-books were something out of an old Jetson’s carton. Bookstores thrived with readers standing in lines for hours just to get their hands on a new release like Harry Potter or Twilight.

Then the Kindle came along, and Amazon gave readers the opportunity to buy their books instantly, and usually at a lower price. Publishers scrambled to catch up with the technology. Once prosperous bookstores closed. With Amazon publishing and Create a Space, self or indie publishing became the cool kid on the block. Writers who had languished waiting for that elusive contract found large audiences and success by marketing through social media. Editors are now as interested in your social media presences as much as your story idea.

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Backing Away From the Cliffs of Insanity

By Beth K. Vogt

Any Princess Bride aficionados reading this today? If so, when I drop the phrase, “The Cliffs of Insanity,” you’ll instantly envision the harrowing cliffs scaled by Vizzini, Inigo Montoya, and Princess Buttercup – with thanks to Fezzik – and then later climbed by The Dread Pirate Roberts.

If you’re not familiar with The Princess Bride – Gasp! – you may have read “The Cliffs of Insanity” and thought, “Oh yeah. I’m a writer. I’ve spent some time perched on the edge of those cliffs.”

I get it. Being a writer is crazy-making.

• You bet your life on maybes, dependent on the kindness of others. Agents, editors, publishers, reviewers. And, really, their decisions determining your success have nothing to do with kindness. Publishing is business, bay-bee.

• You balance your hopes on the seesaw of contradictions. Write your passion vs. write what the market wants. Traditional publishing vs. indie. Which do you choose?

• You hear – and listen to – voices. There’s no ignoring the imaginary characters in your head that tell you what they’re going to do. Meanwhile, there are ever-present voices real world voices. Your boss. Your spouse. Your kids. Your friends. All demand you focus on the here and now. 

• You face unending professional challenges. The changing world of publishing. Waiting and waiting for the longed-for yes. Accepting rejections. The mixture of joy and jealousy when a friend earns "the call." 

The craziest part? You chose this life. You're committed to this insanity, a.k.a. “the dream.” Here are a few suggestions for managing the madness:

• Pick your mentors wisely. Writers like Poe and Hemingway battled the writing craziness by indulging in mind-altering escapes. Look elsewhere for your role models. I admire my mentors for their faith and life choices, not just their writing skills. And if you’re farther along the writing road than other writers – and you always are! – mentor to someone else.

• Don't let all your dreams be based on maybes. I have limited control over my success as a writer. There is more to my life than writing. I'm pursuing other dreams with both short and long-term goals.

• Choose between your passion and writing for the market. Or not. Maybe you'll be the lucky author who hits the market when your passions collide with what "they" want. (Romantic-Amish-Vampire-Time-Travel-Steampunk-with-a-moral, anyone?)

• Jump off the seesaw. The whole "balancing the writing world with the real world" challenge? I may never master that. Sometimes my mind seems to be inhabited by shrieking eels, all screaming, "If only my husband, my kids, my friends would leave me alone, I could accomplish the more important goals!" That’s when I know it's time to shut down my computer, walk away from what I’m writing, and reconnect with family.

• Acknowledge how you’re feeling – the good and the bad. If a wide range of emotions is good for our fictional characters, why are they bad for us? Sometimes we're conflicted: over-the-moon-happy for our friend who landed a contract and also disappointed we're not the one signing on the dotted line. That's reality. I’ve found the best way to battle jealousy is to purposely celebrate someone else’s success. Write them a note or post a “So happy for you” message on Facebook.

How do you back away from the Cliffs of Insanity? (And do you know what cliffs were featured in The Princess Bride?)

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Beth K. Vogt is a non-fiction author and editor who said she’d never write fiction. She’s the wife of an Air Force family physician (now in solo practice) who said she’d never marry a doctor—or anyone in the military. She’s a mom of four who said she’d never have kids. Now Beth believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” As a contemporary romance novelist, Beth is a 2016 Christy Award winner and 2016 Carol Award winner for her novel Crazy Little Thing Called Love.  She was also a 2015 RITA® Finalist for her novel Somebody Like You, which was one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2014. In 2015, Beth introduced her destination wedding series with both an e-novella, Can’t Buy Me Love, and a novel, Crazy Little Thing Called Love. She continued the series in 2016 with the e-novella You Can’t Hurry Love (May) and the novel Almost Like Being in Love (June). Her novella A November Bride was part of the Year of Wedding Series by Zondervan. Beth enjoys writing contemporary romance because she believes there’s more to happily-ever-after than the fairy tales tell us. Find out more about her books at bethvogt.com. An established magazine writer and former editor of Connections, the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth is also part of the leadership team for My Book Therapy, the writing community founded by best-selling author Susan May Warren. She lives in Colorado with her husband Rob, who has adjusted to discussing the lives of imaginary people, and their youngest daughter, Christa, who loves to play volleyball and enjoys writing her own stories.

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When God Says Go by Marcia Lee Laycock

I had to prepare for a speaking engagement lately that made me a little nervous. I was asked to speak to a gathering of over a hundred Christian motorcyclists. I hesitated, until God made it clear that he wanted me to accept the invitation and let me know what it was I was to say. But I was still nervous. The only bike I’ve ever been on was a mini trail bike when I was about eight years old. That’s not much for “street cred.”

But then I thought about the message God had given me and realized how perfect it was. And I remembered what Jesus said to Moses in Exodus 4:12 – “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Was it arrogant to expect He would do the same for me? I remembered too what happened when Moses asked Him to send someone else. God was angry.

So I studied the scripture passage, and did what I was told.

It never ceases to amaze me when God shows up. That’s what the message was about and He demonstrated it that morning.

I’ve had a number of writing projects on the go too. I’ve been using these precious days of summer to tie up some loose ends. One especially I almost let die. It’s a fantasy series that was almost published twice by reputable publishing houses but each time the deals fell through. Then a publisher asked to see it. He liked the idea so a contract for the first book came quickly. There were a couple of things I didn’t like about his process, but sent him the second book. He liked it too and sent another contract. Things began to go awry at that point and to make a long story short I ended up on the wrong end of the stick and the second book never did make it to print. That’s when I almost let it die.

But I received an email from the mom of a boy who had read the first book. He was wondering about book two. Then someone else asked about it. I took that as an indication that God was saying “Go.” So I pulled out those files and went to work, did some editing on book one and refreshed my memory about Createspace. Book two is almost ready to go and I have the cover ready for book three. It’s been fun. I’ve enjoyed renewing my acquaintance with the characters and playing with some of the plot line. Finding just the right images for the covers was also exciting.

I have no idea what God intends with these little books, but I know He has said, “Go,” and go I will. I’m pretty sure He’s going to show up and demonstrate His sovereignty once again, even when it concerns a fantasy series that almost died.

He’s like that. And when He says “Go,” it’s best not to argue.
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Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife and mother of three adult daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone. The sequel, A Tumbled Stone was short listed in The Word Awards. Marcia also has two devotional books in print and has contributed to several anthologies. Her work has been endorsed by Sigmund Brouwer, Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan. 

 Abundant Rain, an ebook devotional for writers can be downloaded on Smashwords or on Amazon. It is also now available in Journal format on Amazon. 

Her most recent release is a devotional book for travelers: A Traveler's Advisory

Visit Marcia’s Website

Sign up to receive her devotional column, The Spur

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Delayed Reactions

Geranium budding

By Marcia Lee Laycock

I’m a delayed reaction kind of person. I seem to take things in all quickly, all in one swoop, but it takes a while before anything comes back out. It’s often weeks before my will, emotions, and brain kick in and something results. This was particularly frustrating when I was in school and the quick-witted would make fun of me or maliciously attack. The words that would come days later were often equal to the enemy both in cynicism and cruelty. I’m glad, now, that they were never uttered.

This delayed reaction thing is also frustrating as a writer. I once spent ten days traveling to Greece and Israel, touring sites from Mars Hill to the Temple Mount. The days were full of stunning sites and moments that literally caused me to gasp. There were also some moments that caused me to moan. But as I sat down to write about them, there seemed to be a block. Things hadn’t settled enough yet. The images and feelings were all still too raw. I knew from experience that it would take time and I must be patient. Rushing into it would result in writing that was half-baked and shallow. Like picking a flower before it has fully bloomed. To truly get to the meat of things, I had to wait.

In writing, as in most things in life, timing is everything.

And that’s where I have to rely on God. I ask Him to give me the words, and to nudge me at the right moment, when those words are ready to be put on a page. In the meantime I content myself with jottings as the images come back and the emotions are resurrected. I sort my photos and skim my journal. And wait.

Often God seems to specialize in delayed reactions. I petition Him in prayer but the answer doesn’t appear right away. I get frustrated, sometimes even angry. There is a danger at that point, that I may react, take action on my own. I speak from experience when I say the results are usually disastrous. It is then I must remember 2Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Timing is everything – His timing, not mine. Trusting that He has it all under control isn’t easy. I’m a lot like Martha, who accused Jesus of not caring enough to be there in time to cure her brother. But Jesus did care. He cared enough to not only resurrect Lazarus back to life, but to reveal the true identity of the One who raised him. Mary and Martha knew Jesus but they did not understand His resurrection power until they saw it with their own eyes.

And that’s the meat of the story – the deep, vital core – knowing Jesus in all his glory is worth everything, all the frustration, all the tears, all the anguish. And then we hear Him whisper – “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
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Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife and mother of three adult daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone. The sequel, A Tumbled Stone was short listed in The Word Awards. Marcia also has three devotional books in print and has contributed to several anthologies, including the Hot Apple Cider books. Her work has been endorsed by Sigmund Brouwer, Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan.

Abundant Rain, an ebook devotional for writers can be downloaded on Smashwords or on Amazon. It is also now available in Journal format on Amazon. 

Her most recent release is A Traveler’s Advisory, Stories of God’s Grace Along the Way.

Visit Marcia’s Website

Sign up to receive her devotional column, The Spur

Read More