Publishing IS Hard - So Suck It Up!

I recently had a post from an author who was overly frustrated about how hard it was to get published and how hard it was to get an agent. You could almost feel the "You don't understand what I have to go through" tone in the post.

What this author wrote is similar to other posts and emails I have seen. 

• It's hard to know what all of the editors and agents want
• It's hard to keep track of all the submissions
• It's hard to write query letters
• It's hard to write a synopsis
• It's hard to write and market at the same time
• It's hard to... (I think you get the idea)

Yes, publishing IS hard, and successful authors know this. They work hard at what they do.

Successful authors spend hours planning out new projects or researching how to bring their unique voice into projects their editors want. 

Successful authors know the demand for meeting deadlines on new projects, while revising projects sent back by the editors, and dealing with their regular jobs and children. And yet they do it. 

We are, unfortunately, living in a new generation where, I believe, so many people are just looking for the "easy way" to do things. Authors are constantly looking for a quick way to make it big. They think that going to things like query tracker, copying and pasting all of the agent emails into a system like Constant Contact and then mass mailing is going to solve their problems. One author I heard wanted an agency that would match authors with the correct agent so they did not have to do the work.

The publishing industry is already doing a lot to make your life as authors easier. Editors and agents are constantly tweaking their websites to insure that what they want is clearly available and displayed to authors. They spend hours of their own family times attending conferences (when there was no COVID-19) working with authors. They do what I (along with Joanne Grant and Michelle Grajkowski) will be doing in July of working with authors to help them out with their work. They are active on social media with helpful hints such as #MSWL, #PUBTIP or comments on what they are reading and why they like or hate it.

But here is the thing authors. You have to do some of the work on your own. As I continually say, it will take time! Stay at it.

And frankly, if it is too hard for you, maybe that is your gut telling you that maybe writing is not a career for you and something you should just do as a hobby.