I'm pleased to have my fellow Wild Rose Press author, Sharon Buchbinder, here to share with us some things she learned on her journey to becoming a published romance novelist.
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Never
Grow Up and Other Contrarian Advice
As a relatively recent arrival to the
realm of “Published Full Length Romance Author,” I am here to provide the
contrarian’s guide to achieving this status. There truly is no one route to
publication. You really don’t need an
MFA. You don’t even have to have majored in English, although being able to use
the language correctly is a plus. You don’t have to starve in an attic writing
timeless prose or poetry. You don’t have to have lived in the belly of the
underworld and struggled with alcoholism and addiction, although that has
worked for others. You don’t even have to have designated office space. What do
you need? Here are my top ten tips for becoming a published romance author.
Never grow up.
Be curious about the world around you and wonder, “What if?” Grownups (i.e.,
anyone who is done growing) are
boring. Childlike curiosity is not childish. It enables you to see the world
with fresh eyes and to bring a new perspective to a story. Look at F. Paul
Wilson’s The Keep. Paul is a
physician who started writing medical thrillers. Then he had a wild idea: what
if Nazi’s encountered vampires in World War II? The result is a cult classic.
Keep saying, “What if?”
Be yourself.
There is only one you, and you have your own voice. Don’t try to be a clone of
another author. And don’t promote yourself that way. Do not say, “Oh, my work
is just like Nora Roberts.” Um, no it isn’t. You will only be a pale imitation
of that author--but you are unique.
Get a job that pays. Money. Preferably with benefits. Because you have to live. While this
flies into the face of those who say "do what you love and the money will
follow," this is a tough business. Even for the most talented author, it
takes time to climb the book rankings. Besides, who wants to live in their
parents’ home forever?
Seize the
moment. You can write in 15 minute
blocks, at lunch, on break, in a fast food restaurant, on a napkin (yes, I’ve
outlined entire books on a napkin), before the kids are conscious, in the
bathroom, in the middle of the night when you can’t sleep. If you are
passionate about writing, if it is an obsession, you will be unable to resist the urge to write.
Where ever you go, have a notepad or phone and jot or text your ideas to
yourself. I used the notepad app in my phone and made a list of story ideas.
When I looked at it 3 years later, I had written all those stories. Carpe diem,
carpe noctem, carpe wheneverem.
Get rejected.
Yes, get rejected. You will learn from those rejections what works and what
doesn’t. I was rejected by 82 (no, that is not a typo) agents. That experience taught
me to look at other avenues to publication. Paper your office with your rejections. And,
yes, I'm still submitting to agents, because I believe the right agent can be an author's best advocate in the competitive
publishing world.
Have trusted readers. When I started writing my first novel, I needed a
cheering section to keep me going, to give me the courage to keep writing. That
first stage should not last more than a year--at most. The next step is to put
your work out there for others to read and critique. No smoke blowing allowed.
Regardless of what path you go--paid editor, critique group, critique
partner--you must have other readers. Otherwise, it’s like well, dare I say it?
Masturbation. It feels good for you, but it wasn’t good for the other person.
Be brave, get alpha and beta readers and listen to their constructive criticisms.
Be persistent. Did
I mention I received 82 rejections from agents? If I hadn’t been persistent, I
would have never had the courage to send my work to contests, I would have
never won writing awards, I would have never had the chutzpah to send my little story to a small electronic publisher
called the Wild Rose Press and gotten it published. You must be persist.
Do not whine. No
one, and I do mean no one, likes a whiner. If you get rejected, allow yourself
no more than 24 hours to cry, stomp your feet, and have a pity party. After 24
hours, STOP. Be child like, but not childish.
Don’t take it personally. While the story of your heart is your baby and you
know this is the best (fill in the blank) story ever told, publishing is a
business. The publisher is not going to take a story that doesn’t fit with
their lines or needs. They are in business to make money.
And finally,
if it doesn’t fit, find another publisher--or publish it yourself. Right
now, we have a lot of choices as authors. Agents, editors and publishers are
feeling the pressure to perform. Some are responding to the sea change and
stepping up to the plate to market and promote our stories. Last year, I self
published two books. Will I continue to pursue publication with other
publishers? Yes. I did with the Wild Rose Press, and I will continue to do so. I
believe there are many great opportunities with traditional publishers. I don't think this is an either or
proposition. I see it as a great prospect (with some caveats) to connect with
our readers and do what we do best: tell a story.
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OBSESSION
A year after a barbaric childbirth, complete with a
near-death experience and an encounter with her guardian angel, Angie Edmonds
is just happy she and her son, Jake, are alive. She's finally in a good place:
clean, sober, and employed as a defense attorney. But at the end of a long work
day, she finds herself in a parent's worst nightmare: Jake has been kidnapped
and taken across the Mexican border by a cult leader who believes the child is
the "Chosen One."
Stymied by the US and Mexican legal systems, Angie is forced to ask the head of a Mexican crime syndicate for help. Much to her chagrin, she must work with Alejandro Torres, a dangerously attractive criminal and the drug lord's right-hand man. Little does she know Alejandro is an undercover federal agent, equally terrified of blowing his cover—and falling in love with her.
Stymied by the US and Mexican legal systems, Angie is forced to ask the head of a Mexican crime syndicate for help. Much to her chagrin, she must work with Alejandro Torres, a dangerously attractive criminal and the drug lord's right-hand man. Little does she know Alejandro is an undercover federal agent, equally terrified of blowing his cover—and falling in love with her.
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About Sharon Buchbinder
After working
in health care delivery for years, Sharon Buchbinder became an association
executive, a health care researcher, and an academic in higher education. She
had it all--a terrific, supportive husband, an amazing son and a wonderful job.
But that itch to write (some call it an obsession)
kept beckoning her to "come on back" to writing fiction. When not
attempting to make students, colleagues, and babies laugh, she can be found
herding cats, waiting on a large gray dog, fishing, dining with good friends,
or writing. You can find her at www.sharonbuchbinder.com
Paranormal
Romance Guild Winner Best Mystery/Thriller, 2012
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