Category: Publishing
Publishing, of course, is the be-all and end-all of most writing. That is, writing that goes beyond a few sentences here and there.
Do I have any special inside information?
Heck no. All I have are my own experiences and observations, which I am willing to share with you.
A Quick Comparison of Publishing to Running a Blog
I’ve been in a situation where I have had to sift through guest post submissions and pitches to a blog. And… so many of them are just plain terrible.
Sorry, folks, but they truly are!
Why are they so bad?
No Fit
Do you even know what we do here? It’s on the website, so there’s kind of no reason for you to not know it at least a little, tiny bit.
Same thing with publishing. You honestly think they’re going to take your vampire time travel story/auto repair manual in a publishing house that only handles romance?
Bad Grammar, Spelling, Etc.
Why do I accept guest posts? I do it to be a good sport and to build connections. But I also do it to save time. If your pitch or your draft are full of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and other errors, guess who’s job it is to correct all that?
Your publisher feels the exact same way. Sure, your work is going to be edited. Of course it will be! But it’s like sending your clothes out to be cleaned. You don’t have to roll around in mud before sending them out.
Tone Mismatch
On the blog, there are all kinds of posts but only some are on general topics—and we don’t do those anymore. So, if your pitch hinges on a pre-pandemic post, you’re missing the boat.
For your standard publisher, if they are a Christian publishing house, the likelihood is high that they won’t want you to be sending them drafts with promiscuous characters unless there’s a very clear comeuppance or lesson learned, etc.
Anyway, read the room, folks!
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