A Lesson in Persistence

You want to be a published writer, but it’s a hard dream to hold onto, and there are times you want to give up. I’d like you to read another writer’s story.

Jean Mills’ road to publication was  bumpy and long (very long), but this year her book, Skating Over Thin Ice, was published by RedDeer/Fitzhenry & Whiteside and nominated for the Ontario Library Association’s Red Maple Award. Read her inspiring story below and … don’t give up.

Do you have a publishing dream? Here’s how mine went… (yes, it has a happy ending)

November 18, 2018
Reposted with permission from Jean Mills

When I was preparing for the Breaking In Panel at CANSCAIP’s annual Packaging Your Imagination conference, I knew there was no way I’d be able to share my entire how-I-became-a-published-author story.

Because, you know, it’s a long story.

So, I’m writing this a few days before the conference takes place. Here’s a look at what I hope turns up during the panel discussion but might not: the stuff that I’d really like to share with you writers out there who are trying to get through the door to publication.

I had a dream.

Yes, I was that kid who read voraciously. Yes, I was that kid who wrote all the time. Yes, Language Arts and English teachers loved me. Yes, I studied English Literature at university. Yes, I have a BA and an MA. But the most important thing about my youthful literary education is that my dream was always to be a published author, to see my book on the shelf of a bookstore. I bet this is a dream I share with all of you.

That folder in the front? PYI 1998. Yup. I’ve been coming to this conference for 20 years, and this year, I’m finally a presenter. What a thrill!

First submission

In 1983, I was out of grad school, in my first job, and knew it was time to get serious about completing and querying some of my writing projects (poetry, a contemporary novel, a children’s middle-grade novel).

The kids’ book, about a girl who wanted to play goal for her brother’s hockey team, was complete and, I felt, polished. So I researched publishers accepting manuscripts and sent it off.

A month later I got a reply: “We really like this story and are considering it for publication. We would like to have more readers on our editorial board look at it and we’ll be in touch.”

Wow! I thought. That was easy!

Two-and-a-half years later (after much back-and-forth to see if they were still interested; they were) the story was turned down.

In those two-and-a-half years, a young girl named Justine Blainey took the Toronto Minor Hockey Association to the Ontario Supreme Court to win the legal right for girls to play on boys’ hockey teams. She won. She took her case to the Supreme Court of Canada and won there, too. So now it was the law that girls could play on boys’ hockey teams.

In other words, my story was no longer timely, and it was rejected for publication.

What did I take from this experience?

  1. Publishers are slow.
  1. Timing is everything. And sometimes it’s out of your control. (Justine Blainey hadn’t hit the news when I wrote and submitted my story).
  1. I must be doing something right, because they liked it and considered it for publication. So I should keep doing what I’m doing.

And that’s what I did.

It’s a long journey.

I kept writing my stories and sending them off.

To address the issue of slow publishers, I made sure I had lots of projects on the go, lots of queries out at different publishers, so I wasn’t sitting there waiting for one publisher, one project. I still got lots of rejections, but I felt productive and in charge of the querying process – which was nice, because so much of it is out of your control.

To address that lack of control – and the “timing is everything” issue – I made sure I was aware of publishers’ submission guidelines. I did lots of research, made phone calls and sent letters (yes, some of this was pre-email). I knew who was accepting YA fantasy and who wasn’t; who wanted middle-grade or early chapter books; whose submission period was January to June. And I followed those guidelines to the letter. I perfected my cover letter. I kept a log of my queries and submissions.

A few pages from my submission log. A lot of rejection there. Also a lot of blank spaces where publishers never got back to me. It’s hard, just saying.

And I got lots of rejections. Lots.

Sometimes I got close: “These first three chapters are interesting and we would like to see the entire manuscript.”

Sometimes I got so close it was crushing: “We feel your manuscript has potential for publication, but I’m sorry, we just accepted another story about a girl and a dog.” Or, “This is a strong novel, but we are moving towards more urban settings in our YA fiction.”

Or my personal favourite: “This novel deserves to be published, just not by us right now.”

I have a folder full of rejections. An email archive, too. It’s pretty sad.

I was sad. Discouraged. But dammit – I had this dream…

Yeah. Okay. Thanks.

Not all bad – building on the successes

There were some successes in among all that rejection.

An educational publisher, Nelson Canada, accepted a couple of my manuscripts and turned them into novels for a school novel study program (CANSCAIP’s Sylvia McNicoll had some novels in this program, too).

I turned to freelancing and had reviews, articles and stories for kids published in magazines and newspapers. I did a lot of corporate writing and built up my editing skills. I became a college teacher and taught writing skills and business communications for 15 years at three difference colleges.

I did some self-publishing – one of the Nelson novels (when it went out of print, because teachers were still asking for it), a sequel, and a sports novel for a niche market.

I thought of myself as a writer – but, there was still this dream. A real book on a shelf in a bookstore…

What’s the point?

But the dream wasn’t coming true. I wrote the stories that just kept welling up out of me. Publishers kept saying “This is good, but…” “We really like this, but…” “This is a well-written novel, but…”

I mean, really, what’s the point any more? And add to that other things like job stresses, raising a family, Life.

I nearly gave up, so many times.

And then…

Fast forward to the spring of 2017. I’m querying a YA novel about a girl, a musical prodigy, named Imogen St. Pierre. It took me three years to write. I don’t have high hopes for it because, well, why would I? Rejections have already started to arrive.

But I love this story, this character. Writing her was the most satisfying, exciting, positive creative writing experience I’ve ever had. So even if Weird Girl (the working title) never sees the light of day, I consider it a win. Possibly the best writing I’ve ever done.

And then one day I get an email from Peter Carver at Red Deer Press: “I will be recommending to my publisher that we include it in our list as soon as possible. Thank you, again, for thinking of Red Deer for this remarkable story.”

Skating Over Thin Ice was published in June 2018.

Do the math. Yup. It took me 35 years – 1983 to 2018 – to “break in” and see my book on a shelf in a bookstore.

So if you learn anything from my story, let it be this:

Rejection is part of the process. Accept, learn from it, and move on.

Publishing is a business, and there’s only so much you can control.

Write the best story, your story, and keep working on your writing.

And most important of all, do not give up. Believe in yourself and your dream, and keep trying.

(I really, really hope it doesn’t take you 35 years, though…)

 

My rejections. Some of them, anyway…

Because if I had given up, my dream would never have come true: seeing my book on a shelf in a bookstore.

The Bookshelf, Guelph

Resources, suggestions, tips for breaking in:

  1. Being a writer is a professional undertaking. So be a professional. Join a professional writing organization (such as CANSCAIP, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Professional Writers Association of Canada…). Attend professional development sessions and conferences such as Packaging Your Imagination. Libraries and community groups, literary festivals all offer workshops. Be informed.
  2. Enter contests. An internet search will bring you tons of suggestions – literary festivals, the CBC Literary Prizes, libraries, organizations. (And here’s a great story from author Lisa Dalrymple about how contests helped her break into publication).
  3. Connect with other writers on social media or in person. There’s probably a critique group on your area – or start one, if that’s your thing (it isn’t mine, but that’s just me). Make writerly friends in person or through social media. Don’t let it be a distraction, but be encouraged by being part of a community of writers. (I don’t know how I would have kept going if not for my writerly friends! You know who you are!)
  4. All writing is grist to the mill. Find opportunities to build your writing cred. For example, does your local independent bookstore or library want book reviews for their newsletter or website? Explore freelance opportunities (PWAC is s great place to start for tips)
  5. Write your stories. Not stories to fit some market, or check a box on a publisher’s checklist. Write the stories that are in you. Published or not, you are a writer, and those are the stories that matter.
  6. And finally, the most important thing to remember: don’t give up. 

 

Woozles Books in Halifax, N.S.

Posted by Jean Mills

November 18, 2018

 

Heat Wave and Changes Made

My Neighbour's Flowers
My Neighbour’s Flowers

The cicadas are singing outside my window as I write and the fan is full in my face. Today, thankfully, there is a breeze, too–something that was sadly missing as I ran errands yesterday (in a none AC car) and caught up with a house and garden from which I’d been absent for ten days. In between, I spent chunks of time in front of the fan doing basically nothing or soaking my feet in cool water in an effort to feel more human. My son and his friend kept cool recording music in the basement. In the evening, I went to my last PWAC meeting—for a year.

I’ve been a member of the Professional Writers’ Association of Canada for over eight years now. I’ve served on local executives and was president when a few of us started our own branch in Kitchener.  I’ve met amazing people and been able to grow my freelance business with their help and inspiration, but I’m taking a year off. This wasn’t an easy decision to make. Our monthly meetings are always energizing and the people in the group are just plain fun to hang out with. It was tough to say good-bye, but—

I’ve set some writing/publishing goals for myself this coming year, and I also want to take some time to do another thing that I love (take singing lessons) and, well, something had to go–for a year. I’ve set a time limit in order to keep pressure on the other things I want to do. I have one self-published middle readers book, and I know, from my reading, that for self-publishing to work you need several books out there. So, I need to finish the sequel to The Dragon’s Pearl and get back to work on a series of medieval mysteries for middle readers that I’ve been playing with for several years.  Also, this fall, I will have three new courses to teach—-a lot of challenges ahead and lots of time needed to make everything work.

And I’m looking forward to all of it. I stewed about leaving PWAC for a long time, but once I made the decision, I knew it was the right one. So onward to lots of writing, lots of school work—and hopefully a break in the weather very soon!

Wherever you are, I hope you are having a cool and creative day!

Random Acts of Kindness for Writers Week

Okay, I admit that I’m slow, and that the week ends today, and I just found out about it,

but

I still want to send out my thanks to the amazing writers that belong to the Waterloo Region and Guelph branches of the Professional Writers Association of Canada. I have never attended a meeting without feeling inspired and informed. Freelancing is a lonely business, and the support I have received from fellow sufferers members has been wonderful over the years.

I began as a neophyte and with their help I have learned to hone my web copy, conduct professional interviews, refine my photography skills, write better query letters, find markets for my feature ideas, and so, so much more. They eagerly look for ways to make their work better and for ways to find new clients, and unselfishly share everything they have learned.

I should also add a shout out to the PWAC members whom I have met infrequently and to those that I have never met all across Canada who contribute their expertise so generously to the listserves that are sponsored by the organization. Thank you for never letting a  question go unanswered.

Thanks fellow PWAC writers. May the contracts pour in and the editors be kind and may I be able to help you all someday as you have helped me.

Talking Writing with Writers

Once a month I realize how lucky I am. I belong to an organization called the Professional Writers Association of Canada, and am the president of our local branch. I’m lucky, because once a month we have a meeting at my house and I get to spend the evening with other writers.  Aside from the fact that it also means that, at least, the main floor of my house gets clean, it’s a real pleasure to talk writing with other writers.

I know my family loves me and supports my writing life, but no matter how much love and understanding comes my way, they just don’t quite get it. My fellow writers “get it.” They get that it’s actually normal to be excited about a rejection letter because it contained a personal note of encouragement from an editor. My husband says, “But it’s a rejection!” while I’m fist pumping at what, for me, is a breakthrough moment.

Tonight is one of those nights when the writers gather in my (clean!) livingroom and share what they’re working on, what they need help with, and what’s ahead in their writing life. Amid the tea and goodies, we share the ups and downs of the freelance writing profession with humour and support, knowing that everyone in the room “gets it.”

Priceless!

Want to know more about POD publishing?

I’m wearing my Waterloo Region PWAC president hat for this post, in order to tell you about a workshop that we are hosting in April.

If you are thinking of entering the world of POD and e-book publishing, veteran freelance writer and author, Paul Lima, can give you the advice and information you need to make your venture successful. On April 9th at 9:30 a.m., he will be presenting his 3-hour workshop, Getting Your Book to Market Using Print on Demand at the Country Hills Branch of the Kitchener Public Library. To learn more about the workshop, drop by http://waterlooregionpwac.blogspot.com/. You can find out more about Paul and POD publishing at his site http://www.paullima.com/.  

The workshop is being presented by the Waterloo Region chapter of the Professional Writers’ Association of Canada (http://www.pwac.ca/). I’ve been the president of this chapter for over a year and a member for six, and I can’t say enough about the benefits of being a part of such a great organization and having the opportunity to meet monthly with such a fabulous group of supportive and professional freelancers. Because of them, I leave every meeting eager to get back to the keyboard and grow my freelancing skills and business. Do you belong to a writing group that inspires you? Have you grown your own group through Facebook or Twitter? I’d love to hear your story.

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