Wanted - Career Writers: Why editors are not looking for one hit wonders

I have said this before and I will say it again. Publishing is a weird industry. How many times do we hear "it is all about the story." That is so true. We don't care how long you worked on the project, or the level of research you put into it, if the writing is bad or it is not something that the market will accept, it will not sell. But with that said, there is another factor that comes into place. The writer.

Agents, in particular, are not looking for the one-hit-wonders. We are looking for career authors that plan to stay around a while. We want authorst that are here to learn their craft and build their leadership. For me, this is a big factor. It's part of the reason why I push so hard on professionalism and your approach when it comes to pitching a story to me either in person or from a distance through snail mail or e-mail. If you are someone that I wouldn't want to work with for a while, I don't care how good your story is, I will pass on the project. The only thing that I believe separates me from the other agents is the fact that I do that up front. They request the manuscript and then do it.

You may have a fantastic first story, but do you have more behind you? Anything in reserves that isn't a copy of the other one?

When I sit down and talk to writers about their career, if it is in person or on the phone after I have shown some interest in a project, I often talk about where they see their career in 5, 10 or 20 years. For many, just knowing the next project is tough. But the answers I hear at this point are very telling.

But why do we really want the career writers? Simply put, this business takes time to be successful. If you don't have what it takes to wait and keep working, you will struggle, and yes, no one makes money.

So this really goes out to many of you newer writers. If you are sitting there with your first project and you are thinking about sending that little sucker out this week. Stop! Are you a one hit wonder or career writer? Can you prove it to us on this end of the submission?

Scott