Hey-hey people!
This post has been in the making for a while, but life, as it does, got in the way. Studying for the LSAT until your eyes bleed and starting an internship in the field of environmental policy and legislation will do that to you.
But I do think this is an important post to make. I am far from an experienced author, but the experiences involved with publishing Patron are still fresh in my mind. I learned a lot of lessons that — I hope — can help aspiring authors who might be looking for advice or guidance. I tried making these points things beyond the obvious. If you know anyone who is looking to independently publish a book, kindly consider sending this post their way!
Without further ado, here are five of the biggest lessons on writing and publishing I learned from Patron:
1- Start on the “back end” earlier than you think.
When you’re writing to publish there are more steps beyond just writing and revising your manuscript. That sounds obvious, I know, but its something that I think more authors need to keep in mind as they work and not after they finish writing. When you publish something, you will have an audience and that audience will want a high quality product. Don’t underestimate things like formatting, cover design, artwork, and the power of a good editor. Go for quality in all the background work that you can for your manuscript (within the constraints of your budget, of course).
With all that said, you may be surprised to hear that you should start thinking about those things well in advance of whatever publication date you have planned. Now, I am not saying you should get copy editing done after your first draft is complete, but you will want to start making inquiries sooner than you think.
Editors may have busy schedules and many clients and might not be able to slot you in for weeks or even months. It pays to have that done in advance and gives you a deadline to work towards. Artwork, if commissioned, takes time to create. My cover artist, Rob from Zionic Arts, did a fantastic job but took longer than we initially agreed because of the birth of his first child. That’s of course a very understandable reason to take more time, but you should remember that complications can arise and it pays to be prepared. That leads me to my second point, which is…
2- It will take longer than you want.
I am a big fan of the phrase that “no plan survives contact with the enemy” because it applies to just about everything in life. In publishing, you are going to encounter unexpected delays or hurdles. Maybe it will be difficulties with formatting your manuscript. Maybe a personal tragedy will strike that requires your attention and time. Perhaps an editor or artist you higher gets sidetracked.
Whatever the case, be prepared for these challenges. Don’t let them shake your desire for publication! Instead, learn to be more flexible with your goals and self-imposed deadlines so you can keep moving forward without getting discouraged. It helps a lot to have people you can rely on for advice in these situations, and that leads me to lesson number three…
3- Meet people in your local writing community.
The number one way to feel more motivated, and empowered, about writing is to find other like-minded individuals in your community. Before publishing Patron, I attended a handful of conferences around the Denver area and learned a lot about writing and publishing. Some of these were huge events with hundreds of attendees, others were small and more specialized. The lessons I learned at them went beyond just the lectures I attended like “how to write better action scenes” or “crafting better dialogue” too. I learned about the program I eventually used to format Patron, Vellum, and also met members of 30th Street Press who offered to work with me for publication. I got excellent feedback from industry professionals and met many interesting and wonderful people who I continue to meet at other events. The social connections you will make at a conference are the most important part. And, if you’re nervous about being there, don’t worry. Everybody else is scared too. Just be as friendly as you can be, and don’t let any rude people get you down. You might be surprised by who you connect with, and that brings me to lesson number four…
4- Find a team.
If you go to a conference or even just ask a handful of writers on the street (or at coffee shops, libraries, and home desks for more likely places to find us) about what the single most important thing someone can do to improve their writing, many will probably say this: join a critique group.
I met other members of my group at the 2022 RMFW Gold conference. We were all new attendees with relatively little experience looking to make connections in Denver’s writing scene. All of us agreed that, since we were looking for a critique group, we might as well make one of our own.
And I am glad that we did. I now count them as my closest writing friends. I have been privileged to see their stories develop and lucky to get their feedback on my own. Every one of us has something different to bring to the table when its time for discussions and I have learned a lot from each of my partners.
You don’t need to make a critique group of your own but you should try to join one no matter what. See if there are any in your area, or ones that meet online, and try them out to see what group fits. They’ll help you through the tumultuous process of publication, which leads me to my final point…
5- Embrace the unexpected.
I touched on this earlier, but things will not be as smooth or clear as you want. I don’t say that to be pessimistic, but I do think its something that more aspiring authors need to be aware of. Life gets in the way. Unexpected challenges — and also beneficial opportunities — will pop up. You can, and should, absolutely keep your end goal of publication in mind, but be aware that the path there will not remain the same.
Think of it as climbing to the summit of a mountain. You can see where you need to go, but do not know how you will get there. Your path will change. You might find an easier, or harder, route forward. Embrace the journey, not just the destination.
Write on,
Tyler Wright
If you enjoed this post or found it useful, please consider buying a copy of Patron on Amazon and leaving a review! If you like sci-fi books with action, high stakes, and a diverse and interesting set of characters you will likely enjoy Patron!