So I’m sure tons of writers have this question:

“How do I get published?”

Now, I can’t say I’m published yet. I’m still waiting to hear back from the publisher I sent Harvest into. I pray that, if they are the right people, they will pick it up.

However, there are plenty of things I’ve learned while getting ready to publish and want to pass them on to new writers, experienced writers, etc. Whoever wants to get published will, hopefully, benefit from me writing this.

1) Read. WOAH, gettin’ crazy here, aren’t I? But that’s the truth, I got tons of books about making my manuscript the best it can be. I have a book titled “Bullies, Bastards, and Bitches.” It is an incredible book and I’ve learned a lot that has helped me round out my villain (not antagonist, since antagonist and villain are two different things) a little bit better. “Make A Scene” is a book I’m readying now, as well. Quite enjoying it; teaches how to ramp up tension in ever page. And that’s something publishers, editors, agents and the like look for: TENSION. Make sure your novel has plenty of it. Make sure your characters aren’t flat. Read other novels and books and learn how they did it. Read. A ton.

2) Mind set. Remember that your mindset is important. Don’t go into this thinking you’re a terrible writer. If I sent you a pitch saying “I like this book, but I’m sure it’s not as good as others out there…” would you take me on? Be confident; don’t discourage yourself. Be realistic and remember that there may be rejection letters and there may be a lot of rejections. Don’t let that push you away from your passion. Writing is yours! Don’t let someone’s opinion of your book throw you overboard.

3) Understand the market. If you’ve been doing research on how to get published, a lot of other places comment on this as well. Get to know the market you’re going into, be it fiction/sci-fi/fantasy/non-ficiton, and whatever else floats your boat. Do research, get books–just understand the market, fellow writer.

4) Edit and re-edit until you are happy with your novel. If you don’t like it, what makes you think others will? Put your all into this novel. Put your bloody soul into what you’ve written. Read over your manuscript (and just because I say “novel” doesn’t mean this doesn’t apply to novellas, short stories, even poems) and come at it from a reader’s perspective. Make notes for yourself on what you can fix, but try to come at it like a reader. Would they understand why this is happening? If not now, will they later?

5) Patience. Writing is hard, guys. Any tumblr blog for writing will tell you that. But if you pursue your dream, you’ll get there. Just keep fighting. No one will fight harder for your manuscript than you.

6) I’m sure there is more, but at the moment, I can’t remember what else I was going to write (cause I’m professional like that). I hope some of this helped. I’ll come back through this when I have more to say and edit it up. Blessings to you and your manuscript! GET OUT THERE AND GET PUBLISHED!