Sometimes It Is All About Timing

Not only are there a ton of variables when it comes to publishing and finding success in this business, there is also the issue of timing. There are a lot of writers out there who found success, not so much because they were amazing writers at the time, but the simple fact that they were in the right place at the right time.

Yesterday, on NPR, I heard an interview with a man who just wrote a book about the history of television that proved just this. He was talking about why Milton Berle really found success. He noted that a lot of people openly admitted that he probably wasn't the best performer, but he was in the right place at the right time. The networks needed someone and he was available.

There are a lot of authors out there who just happen to have a story available that matches what an editor wants at a particular time. I remember one RWA conference I attended where I saw a version of this. It was in the height of the huge vampire movement and one editor made a comment in the middle of a panel stating that "if someone out there had a vampire story with teens she would buy it in a heartbeat." Soon after that, TWILIGHT hit the market. Now let me state that editor was not the person buying the book, but they soon had a ton of books that followed.

Did those authors start writing the books when they heard that comment? Probably not. But they had stories that fit the line and were able to submit immediately.

There will be many times when you will hear editors or agents start talking about a new line, or something they want to see badly. You may likely think, I can write that! But my word of caution is to not waste your time. The odds are, by the time you get that story ready to go, the market will have already shifted.

Just wait though. The odds are, there will be a time when the timing is right for you and your story can be the one that gets the attention you want.