Shelli Rosewarne

Hi all,

The sharp-eyed among you may have noticed that there was no post yesterday. O is apparently for oops! This has been a rather crazy busy week and while I had meant to post when I got home from work yesterday I got the chance to go and catch up with a friend instead and it turned into a much later one than I’d expected 🙂 So, please accept my apologies and this cute kitty picture (go on, no one can resist kitties surely?)

Anyway, we shall ignore that wee blip and move on! Today P is for Publishing – yup the big one! I’ve been very lucky to have several works published, and while that still sometimes feels a little surreal to me I thought I would share a few things about the process. The main learning point for me was that while being accepted for publication is one of the most amazing feelings in the world, it is just the tip of the iceberg. When you start writing then being published seems like a shining beacon, something to aim and strive for – which of course it is! But there’s also an implication that when you do reach that point then that’s it – you’ve made it. In actual fact, it’s just the first step in a great deal more hard work.

The first time I got edits back from a publisher, well let’s just say there was a lot of red all over those pages 🙂 A wee bit intimidating to start with, but once you get over the initial shock being able to get professional editing and feedback on your work is absolutely invaluable, and is only going to make you a better writer. Then there’s promotion. Another terrifying process to start with, and something I do sometimes still struggle with today. Perhaps it’s the ‘English’ in me, but I always find it quite hard to ‘big myself up’ – it feels like I’m being vain or arrogant if I’m telling people how great me and my book are 🙂 (well, not that I would say it like that, but you get the general idea!)

There’s also perhaps the slight (and you know it’s slight) hope that your book with magically become an overnight sensation, and let’s face it the rational part of you knows that isn’t going to happen. It takes time and effort to build up a fanbase, to build up your craft, and to make any impact in the market. The best thing to do for that is keep going, the bestselling writers didn’t do it with their first novel. If you are still waiting to be published, hang in there  – when you do get there, enjoy the feeling, but don’t get discouraged if it’s not the be-all and end-all straight away.

Take care x