An Additional Thought on the Radar Theme

I knew I would end up wanting to add more to this and sure enough, here it is.

This really goes along with the idea of knowing if you are ready for an agent or not.

The successful writers out there are constantly producing. I hinted at this in the last post but I think it is important enough to put this in its own little section.
Those writers that are making it out there always have several projects in the works, and writing at many different phases. Let me give you a couple of examples from two writers in particular. You will notice a trend.

Writer A divides her time between 3 publishing houses. Each has different demands and focus. One is a bigger house that really only wants one story each year. This story is unique and the editor really likes to work through the process with the writer extensively. This house demands a lot of time but does so in blocks throughout the year. The second house she works with is a category house. This one is looking at fast turn arounds and roughly 3 a year. Finally, she has an electronic press that she does smaller works with.

Writer B divides her time between 2 publishing houses. Like Writer A, the demands are different. At one house, the push for completion is not so severe. When the stories get done, they get done. She is also at a Category house and is on the 3-4 book a year process.

Now, what you see with both is that they always have a project going. Writer A has one in the middle of a critique, 1 in a drafting phase and several on proposals. She also has a large stack of potential future projects for when the need arises.
Writer B has worked out a schedule (which we just finished yesterday) where she blocks out 3 month blocks for each publisher throughout the year to meet the needs of each editor. AND...like Writer A, she also has many projects that are "waiting the chance to be written."

I bring this up because these writers stay on the radar. There is always some element of their writing that I am working on with them.

Keep that in mind if you want to move to the professional realm of this business.

And by the way, if you want to read a great blog article on the role of an agent as a publicist, check out the Bookends Blog for today. (Great article Jessica!)

Scott