Crossing the Threshold: the webpage of Melinda Rose Goodin

The 34 step program for unpublished authors

Compiled by Melinda Goodin

And some people think 12 step programs were enough <g>

In the past, an author had up to five books in which to make mistakes and learn to plan her career. Now, publishers may not buy the option book of a first time author if advance sales for her unreleased book are low. Unpublished authors must learn about the industry before they sign their first contract to prevent this from happening to them.

Margaret Brownley gave a wonderful talk on this topic at the 1995 Romance Writers of America conference. She encouraged unpublished authors to plan their progress in order to avoid the common mistakes that many newly published authors make. I made some of those mistakes when my first non-fiction book was published and hoped I could avoid them when I started writing genre fiction.

With these thoughts and Ms. Brownley's advice in mind, the members of the Internet Romance Writers List, RW-L, began working out some of the steps an unpublished writer might take to reach her goal of establishing a writing career. The title of the article is a joke, and these steps aren't the only ones an unpublished romance writer can take to change her or his status. (Indeed Margaret Brownley said she'd worked out 500 steps between being unpublished and a New York Times bestselling author, but don't let that scare you.) Likewise, these steps are in no particular order, and cover only the basic concepts. They may not suit each author, so pick those that are relevant to your needs.

  1. Write what you love - write from the heart.
  2. Write the best book you can by learning the basics of good storytelling: characterization, motivation, romantic and dramatic conflict, point of view, emotional intensity, pacing and grammar.
  3. Join Romance Writers of America for support, advice, marketing information and fellowship.
  4. Complete a book. Revise that book. Begin a second book, so that you have a proposal in addition to a completed manuscript.
  5. Make a one line statement of what you wish to accomplish in the next five years and write it down. Psychologists state that people are more likely to attain their goals if they write them down.
  6. Make a plan of steps that must be accomplished in order to meet that goal.
  7. Give yourself annual reality checks about how much you can expect to accomplish and adjust your goals to suit. Likewise do an annual review of your achievements.
  8. Be aware of any subconscious blocks (e.g. fear of success, fear of failure, low-esteem, writing too slow, afraid of rejection, procrastinator, lack of passion for your novel). If you have a subconscious block or two, plan which limitation you wish to overcome and get help if necessary
  9. Work out which things are affecting your career outside of yourself and the publisher (e.g. timing, market trends, family responsibilities, Nora Roberts (?!)). Figure out which ones you can do something about and forget the rest.
  10. Work out your strengths and improve on them.
  11. Identify your weaknesses and work on improving them.
  12. Learn about the industry and keep up-to-date - read the Romance Writers Report and Publishers Weekly, subscribe to Pandora's Box, regularly assess the Waldenbooks romance bestsellers list.
  13. Write 1,000 words a day.
  14. Pitch your idea to agents and editors wherever possible and appropriate.
  15. Network - publish articles in your local chapter newsletter and RWR, build up a contact business card file of industry professionals you meet at conferences. Write thank you letters to judges of competitions you enter. Develop an address file for mailing promotional material. Join the Internet - this is especially useful for isolated writers who can't attend RWA meetings. There are several active romance writers lists that can keep isolated writers in touch with the markets and sympathetic contacts.
  16. Enter contests that are judged by editors and agents. If you win, you may get your manuscript in front of a buyer without sitting in the slush pile. Unpublished authors with wins or finalist positions in reputable contests are more likely to get agents. They have some credentials. Contests can get an author's manuscript in front of several editors within a year even if the author is unagented. Even if you don't win, they can help you get used to meeting deadlines. They enable you to test out areas of your writing for weakness. Not sure if your love scene sizzles? Try it out on the judges of one of the love scenes competitions. Not sure if your writing has enough lightness to it? Try the Love and Laughter competition.  Contests can also help you establish connections with editors who act as final judges, via thank you notes, and those editors may ask to see the rest of your book.
  17. Judge a contest so you can get insights into the editor's perspective.
  18. Learn to present yourself like a professional both on paper and in person.
  19. Study market trends - write the book you want to write, but package it more commercially according to current trends. This doesn't mean rewriting your book to suit the trends, but rather, focussing on those relevant issues in your query letters.
  20. Find a mentor.
  21. Be an active member of an online or in-person romance critique group. Learn to accept constructive criticism without becoming defensive about your work. Learn what you do well, and improve on it. Learn what doesn't work, and improve on it or alter your style. If possible, find a First Reader who will give you honest, straight forward and informed opinions and responses to your work.
  22. Attend local and national romance writers conferences with serious intent to make contacts and learn about the industry.
  23. When a publisher asks for your complete manuscript, obtain a copy of their boilerplate contract. Discuss it with published authors so you are informed of any negotiable points and contractual surprises when “the call” comes.
  24. Prioritise your writing.
  25. Believe in yourself.
  26. Learn to talk to editors and agents without getting stagefright. Some authors use scripts to prepare for interviews, "the call" and other important conversations.
  27. Know your production capabilities. Be aware of research and mental preparation time requirements. What can you expect from real life? Are the any other projects you are working on consecutively? Don't set unrealistic deadlines for yourself or allow a publisher/agent to set them for you.
  28. If you wish to quit your day job and turn to full time writing, work out a plan for the lean times and budget (or marry someone rich <g>).
  29. Keep proposals going in your computer and out into the cruel world.
  30. Try not to take any lag time between writing projects. It's awfully hard to get up to full momentum once you have taken a break.
  31. Read many, many books of the type you want to write.
  32. Critically analyse your favourite book. What makes you laugh or cry? How much dialogue is there, compared to description. How are you made to identify with the heroine and hero? How does the author draw that response for you?
  33. Now that you know how the author of your favourite book did it, discover your own style.  Try different types of writing - you have to time to play with your writing at the moment, so take advantage of it. See which subgenres work for you and which ones don't. Ask your critique partners to point out the sections of your work where your own style shines through and learn to recognise and nurture it.
  34. Learn to submit your manuscript or competition entry, then ignore the mailbox and work on the next project.

Published author Patricia McLaughlin , who writes as Patricia McLinn, added the following advice: “These are the kind you don't have to clear off the couch for--so leave those stacks of story idea clippings right where they are, don't bother to move the pile of potential character pictures an inch.  These goal steps are for those of us who think 12 steps to anything is *way* too ambitious:

Career planning doesn't work for everyone, and the number of steps listed up here may make you want to curl up in a foetal ball and hide. Just take a couple of steps and try them. Then take another step. It's an ongoing process and remember to be aware of the positives. Acknowledge how you've moved your career forward, and enjoy each of the steps along the way.

I'd be pleased to correspond with anyone regarding these issues.

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links updated 7th April 2007

Page last updated: September 1st, 2000