Advice for Debut Authors-Guest Blog

I’m proud to present a guest blog written by Cristina Slough, author of Till Death Us Do Part being released on December 29, 2015 Enjoy !

Publishing is such a cut throat industry, as with everything. If you want to be successful, you have to constantly network. Sink or swim.

Next time you hold a debut novel, take a moment to think about the long journey it’s had before it reached your hands. It started as a little seed of an idea in the writers head. The pages will have been typed, deleted, re-typed, moved around a hundred times over.

The writer may have drank enough caffeine to sink a ship, just to write that one last page. It’s endured heartbreak as the writer has sent their baby off to query combat. Hoping to win over an agent or publisher, only to be rejected. Or worse, ignored.

Then, something magical happens. The moment the writer has been waiting for. An agent or publisher has said that simple, but powerful three-letter-word. YES.

The legal stuff follows: Contracts, negotiations, blah blah blah…

The book you hold is the result of a writer that didn’t give up. Then there is a team of people that turn a manuscript into a real book. Editors, designers, proofreaders, formatters, printers, digital experts. Ahhh, the list goes on. You get the idea, don’t you?

The journey doesn’t stop once the book is born.

The book is out there with all the other books, some of them are major superstars: Jodi Picoult, Stephen King, Jackie Collins, and *deep breath* E.L James.

Suddenly, a new challenge, as the new book on the block has to shout loud to be noticed (aka marketing). Whether this be in a bookshop or online, if you pick the book up, it has somehow captured your attention.

If you like the blurb, you’ll buy the book.

A writer can only hope that their words have brought the story to life for you.

Long gone are the days when authors are given huge marketing budgets. Unless you are already a household name, or your book has been made into a movie. Believe it or not, much of the marketing is now up to the author. This is especially true for debuts. It’s not easy singing your own praises, telling people how fantastic your book is.

So, think about leaving an honest review, especially if it’s a book you loved reading. In the world of social media, you can reach out to people like never before. A reader praising a book is the best review an author can ever wish to have!