Not every first novel is a practice novel.
by Anne R. Allen
It’s a sad truth that most first novels never see print. Editors call them “practice novels.” They make up a good portion of agents’ slush piles, and if you self-publish, they’re unlikely to sell.
On her Bad Girl Comedy blog this week, author Melodie Campbell talked about how “debut novels” are usually not the author’s first. She says, “Industry stats tell us it will likely be their 4th book written. (3.6 is the average, for a traditionally published author.)”
Or sometimes a “first time novelist” may be a veteran of other writing media, like screenwriter Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One. (And co-writer, with Steven Spielberg, of the screenplay for the film.)
And last year, I wrote a post offering 10 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Publish that First Novel.
The truth is that like any other profession, writing requires a long learning process. Last month I wrote about abandoning that WIP you’ve been working on forever, which is what many first novelists need to do. It’s wrenching, but sometimes you have to say goodbye to that unfinished first novel. You may have lost your passion, or need to write something more appealing to the current marketplace.
But not always.
Not Every First Novel is a Practice Novel.
Some first novels make a big splash and launch a career.
These usually fall into one of two categories:
1) Novels that appeal to non-readers.
These are the books that make a big, disruptive splash. Books like 50 Shades, Ready Player One, and Harry Potter shot up the bestseller lists by providing the public with something they didn’t know they were hungry for. Not all these books are brilliantly written, but the stories appeal to non-readers who don’t usually buy books.
People who never go to bookstores pick them up at the supermarket or drugstore. These buyers may not have a bookshelf to put it on, and they may not own another book, but they feel compelled to read this thing everybody is talking about. Books like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, The Bridges of Madison County and The Celestine Prophecy hit that jackpot in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
The problem is, books in this category only happen about once every five to ten years.
Of course when I was starting my writing career, I was sure my book would be one of them. Like a lot of new writers, I had huge dreams. I was writing something that would appeal to everyone! It was new and different and crossed all genre boundaries and was going to change the world!!
Funny thing. Didn’t happen. It usually doesn’t. Not with a first novel.
2) Novels that appeal to voracious readers.
These are the “same but different” books that fall into a category that’s already selling. They are ones that have something new to say, but fit neatly into a category readers are already hungry for.
First novels have a much better chance of succeeding in this category.
So instead of writing the equivalent of Ginsberg’s “Howl” to disrupt the entire literary world, you can stay within current guidelines and write the equivalent of an cleverly innovative sonnet. It needs to follow a prescribed pattern, but says something new and exciting.
Donna Tartt’s A Secret History is an example of one of these. And Catherine Ryan Hyde’s Pay it Forward. They weren’t as disruptive (or lucrative) as 50 Shades of Grey. But they are perfectly crafted bestsellers that appealed to readers who value skilled writing and a new take on a familiar genre.
Both books were bestselling “first novels” that established the authors’ careers. (Actually Catherine had published a short story collection and one short novel with a small press before Pay it Forward, but PiF was her debut with the Big Five.)
These two novels fit into established genres: mystery and coming-of-age. But the authors expanded and enriched those genres with innovative ideas and insights.
If you want to appeal to voracious readers, it’s wiser to aim to write something that fits their habits and comfort zone. But you can do it in an original way. That’s more likely to succeed than trying to make that huge, disruptive splash with your first novel. When you’re a beginner, that splash will probably be a belly flop. Mine sure was. Melodie Campbell’s too.
Here are some do’s and don’ts to give that first novel an advantage.
10 Tips to Give your First Novel a Better Chance in the Marketplace.
1) DO Write Your First Novel in a Genre that’s Being Read.
You may have always dreamed of writing a sweeping Micheneresque epic, a multi-generational family saga, or a stream-of-consciousness Kerouac ramble.
Or you may be set on inventing a new genre for aging Boomers called Retirement Punk, or a totally ironic genre for hipsters called Brooklyn Lit.
But the sad truth is the book is not likely to be read—either by agents or readers of self-published books—until you have established a fan base.
Yes, even self-publishers have to cater to a readership if they want to succeed. Readers usually have a fairly rigid set of expectations for their chosen genre.
And, like anything else, publishing has fashion cycles.
I’m not telling you to follow every hot trend—what’s sizzling now will probably be over by the time you’ve got that “Unreliable Narrator on the Train” book finished.
But if you can tailor your Retirement Punk idea to the mystery genre, or the Brooklyn Lit story into urban fantasy, you might get your foot in the door. Then you can let your green-spiked-hair senior citizens rock on, and those avocado-toast eating leprechauns conquer the world!
But do be aware of what books people are—and are not—reading now. Read lots of current book reviews. Check Amazon’s bestseller lists. Visit your local bookstore and library often and read, read, read.
2) DON’T Write a Novel that Imitates a Screenplay.
If you’re under 75, you probably have the TV screenplay format seared into your subconscious, because you’ve spent a lifetime watching TV. This means that when you’re writing a first novel, you have stuff to unlearn.
In a novel, we don’t have to rely so heavily on what the characters say. In fact, they usually don’t say what they’re feeling at all.
A reader perceives the action from INSIDE the head of the character/s rather than viewing it from OUTSIDE. In a movie, we’re peeping toms, watching the action through a camera lens; in a novel, we’re experiencing it.
A novel is a mindscape, not a landscape.
When you’re writing for a habitual reader, you need to keep that in mind.
3) DO Avoid Head-Hopping and Experiments with POV in a First Novel.
In your first novel, choose one or two point-of-view characters and stay tight in their heads during their scenes, That way you’ll avoid confusing the reader.
Save the experiments with point of view for later works. Omniscient and multiple points of view aren’t “wrong,” but they’re old-fashioned and very tough to do well.
How tough? Two seasoned novelists recently exchanged thoughts on POV on my Facebook page. One was writing his first book in 3rd omniscient POV after publishing dozens of popular novels in 3rd person limited.
The other is a veteran epic fantasy novelist. (Omniscient POV is much more common in fantasy.)
Author #1: I never like to write in the 3rd person omni…never liked it. But I’m doing it right now and it’s so far out of my comfort zone…
Author #2: I think 3rd omniscient is the ultimate “reach” because you need to write as if you KNOW, you know? Guys like Tolkien could do that, because he owned the whole world. But in 3rd empathetic/close you can keep it right down to the level of what one person sees or hears.
Author #1: It keeps it more concentrated and less confusing, too.
If even these seasoned pros have trouble with omniscient POV, think how hard it is for a newbie to get it right. Leave this until you’ve made a name for yourself like these guys.
You’ll notice that they’re concerned not just with their own creative process, but the comfort of their readers. A confused reader is not a happy one.
4) DON’T Depend on a Prologue to Initiate Tension.
There’s much debate about prologues in the blogosphere, and they’re almost de rigeur in some genres (like epic fantasy.) But a vast majority of agents and editors dislike them, and many readers skip them.
This is because so many beginning writers use prologues as a backstory dump or a crutch to create tension.
If this is your first novel, you’re going to make a much better impression if you don’t have to rely on a prologue. You can add one to book two, but for now, do without.
My blogpost on prologues is here. Why shoot yourself in the font 🙂 ?
5) DO Have a Protagonist and an Antagonist.
There has to be one main character. And one major troublemaking force that keeps that character from her goal.
Equality is ideal in the real world, but in narrative, one person has to dominate. If another character walks in and tries to take over, tell him you’ll put him in another book later.
If that character won’t take no for an answer, it may be that you need to change the focus of your novel. Don’t be afraid of taking this kind of detour from your outline. A change of narrator can often raise a novel from ho-hum to thrilling. So be grateful when the characters let you know it’s time for a switch.
And remember an antagonist isn’t necessarily a mustache-twirling villain. It can be a situation, a disease, or society itself—anything strong enough to thwart your character for the whole narrative.
But that’s the thing: the antagonist has to keep up that thwarting for the whole story. It can can have surrogates, but there has to be one big source of trouble for the entire book. Otherwise you may have a series of vignettes or episodes, not a complete novel.
6) DON’T Choose a Protagonist who’s Easily Satisfied.
Your main character has to want something. Badly. All the way through the book. And your duty as an author is to keep them from getting it.
Satisfied people make lovely companions, but as soon as your characters get what they want, your story is over.
Never let your characters get what they need. Throw as many obstacles into their path as possible. Hurt them. Maim them. Give them cruel parents and girlfriends who are preparing to kill them for alien lizard food.
It’s OK. You’ll solve their problems in the end. Then won’t you feel good?
7) DO Limit the Number of Characters.
I understand the temptation to have a cast of thousands. My first novel sure did. Every time my characters got a haircut or went out to eat, I had to introduce the hairdresser or the waitress and give these new characters lovely backstories and make them a part of the action.
I added a few in each chapter. Pretty soon even I didn’t remember who they all were.
It takes great skill to handle a huge number of characters and keep your readers caring about them all. As a newbie, you probably don’t have that skill. I sure didn’t.
8) DON’T Put Something in a Novel “Because That’s the Way it Really Happened.”
Even if your story is based on your own experiences, remember real life is mostly boring.
That’s why we read fiction.
9) DO Follow Standard Guidelines for Your Genre.
And here’s my handy-dandy guide to word count by genre.
Wrong word count is the #1 reason most agents stop reading a query.
This is because beginners tend to blabber in 50 words what a pro can say in one. Or they try to expand a short story into a novel, but can barely stretch it to novella length.
I know I’ll get more snark on Twitter for saying there are standard guidelines, because “A novel should be as long as it takes to tell the story.”
That’s fine for your writing exercises and practice novels.
But publishing is a business with certain standards. A 500,000 word romance from a debut writer is unlikely to sell to romance readers, who have certain expectations. And if you have a 35,000 word epic fantasy, it better be a “bridge” novella between big books or fantasy readers will vent their ire in their reviews.
As I said in my post on word count guidelines, “While readers will happily plunk down the big bux for an 819-page book by George R. R. Martin, they’ll turn up their noses at a book that long—even if it only costs 99c—if it’s written by Who R. R. You.”
These guidelines don’t exist to thwart your (I’m sure very, very special) genius. They’re like contest word count guidelines. To win the contest, you have to follow the rules or get tossed out of the competition.
Think of my sonnet metaphor. If you enter a sonnet contest, you’re not going to win with your version of “Howl,” no matter how brilliant it is.
Later, when you ARE George R. R. Martin, you can make your own rules.
10) DON’T Rest on Your Laurels.
After you finish that oh-so-publishable masterpiece, get busy writing another one. If you’re going the trad. route, getting a two-book deal is a whole lot better than one. And if you’re self-publishing, it’s tough to get traction with a singleton title. So start making plans for that series!
One of the biggest obstacles for authors who have had a first novel published is writer’s block. I have a friend whose first novel landed on the NYT bestseller list, stayed there for months and got made into a film. A spectacular success story. But he was so afraid he couldn’t duplicate that success that he could not write another word for nearly a decade.
So get busy with novel #2 while you prepare to launch #1.
This is the one where you can break the rules!
What about you, scriveners? Do you think it’s possible to publish a first novel?Did you? What do you think was the biggest obstacle to publishing your first work? What did you do to overcome it ?
posted by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen) May 6th 2018
Update: If you’re having trouble commenting: I apologize! The WordPress elves seem to be on a bender or something. Comments are getting eaten and people are being told they’re not authorized to comment. I have no idea why. I’ve sent an email to my webmaster, but I’m not sure if it’s a WordPress problem or a problem with this blog in particular.
BOOK OF THE WEEK
In honor of next week’s Mother’s Day holiday, I’m spotlighting an exciting novel by my own mother, Shirley S. Allen. It’s a story of how the west was won, based on the life of my great, great grandmother, Roxanna Britton
Roxanna Britton: A Biographical Novel
by Shirley S. Allen
“Jane Austen meets Laura Ingalls Wilder”
The ebook is available at all the Amazons, Kobo, Nook, iTunes, Inktera, and Scribd
This novel, by my mother, the late Dr. Shirley S. Allen, is a rip-roaring tale of how the west was won. It also happens to be all true. It’s the story of my great, great grandmother, Roxanna Britton, who pioneered the Old West as a young widow with two small children.
It’s got romance, action, cowboys (not always the good guys) Indians (some very helpful ones) the real Buffalo Bill Cody, and a whole lot more!
Widowed as a young mother in 1855, Roxanna breaks through traditional barriers by finding a husband of her own choice, developing her own small business, and in 1865, becoming one of the first married women to own property. We follow her through the hard times of the Civil War to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 to a homestead in Nebraska to her final home in Elsinore, California.
Excellent advice as always. My first novel (under a pen name and in a popular genre) *was* published.
However.
Before that I had written 100s of magazine articles on all topics from romance to male adventure so I was pretty confident that I knew how to write something people would read—and editors would buy. Wasn’t quick, wasn’t easy and, at that time, newsstands (now practically obsolete) needed magazines to fill them, so there was a hungry market. Very different now.
Ruth–I didn’t know that!
But yes, having a successful career writing in other formats before you start a novel is certainly one of the best ways to make sure that novel will make the grade. Starting a novel when you’ve never written short form work gives you a serious handicap.
That is great news! I’ve written for print magazines for years, even won 2nd in a readers’ favorite poll, and a couple of contests at a big name blogger site. Wow. You have made me have hope! Haha!
Katharine–Sounds as if you’re in exactly the right position to write a successful first novel. Happy writing!
My real life would certainly be boring in a book.
My first book was my first book, but only because I went back to the first full story ever wrote and completely rewrote it.
I’ve still never created a true antagonist who was a person. Mine have all been situations and forces.
Great list!
Alex–Most writers have pretty boring lives, I think. Sitting at a keyboard all day doesn’t make for a lot of drama. 🙂
Congrats on publishing your first novel! Yes, I think most first novels that do have success need a lot of work. Adventure stories often have non-human antagonists, don’t they? Overcoming natural disasters or other forces of nature can create a lot of tension.
I don’t have any answers for those question! But I think the biggest thing to getting published might be getting out of your own head.
H.R. If by “getting out of your own head” you mean observing other people and not just writing autobiography, I think you’re absolutely right. I think the ability to observe and listen to other people is essential for good writing.
I do!
“A novel is a mindscape – not a landscape”. Great takeaway, Anne! So is “Who R.R. You” You made my day 🙂
Garry–Thanks! I’ve often wondered what would happen if I added another “R” to my name. (The R stands for Rogers, by the way.) 🙂
You’ve been on a tear lately, with words that simultaneously encourage and warn. I always feel like that first bike ride, and you’re there to make sure I don’t tip too far one way or the other.
I really like #3, but I can’t quite… name the reason why! And #4, that one stings… I have one prologue in the half-dozen tales I’ve got out so far. And my most dedicated reader just skipped it the first time through. Ack!
Will–I thought you might like #3. 😉 That’s a lovely metaphor, that I’m here to make sure new writers/riders don’t fall off the bike. Thanks.
That’s very interesting about your prologue. I thought they were more acceptable in epic fantasy, but it sounds as if your reader belongs to the “skip it” school. I read them if they’re short, but sometimes I skim and go back to it later if I realize I missed something.
Great stuff, as usual,
I particularly like directive #10 — to not rest on one’s laurels. Even those of us who are laurel-free should keep writing after that first attempt. And second attempt. And third.
CS–The laurel free can get discouraged and stop writing, which is so sad. They send out a rough draft, get 5 rejections and say they’re done. But the ones who get too comfy on those laurels after an early win can be pretty sad, too.
Another home run, Ms. Allen!
These ten tips are valuable advice.
Thanks for sharing, Anne.
I am keeping this as a handy reference as I continue editing my “practice” novel.
~Ingmar
Ingmar–I hope the tips will help you take your first novel all the way to successful publication!
Another great post Anne! Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us all!
Barb–Thanks! And thanks for dealing with the comments elves!
i did self-publish my first novel. It was fun to write, launched my career, sold well (on my rural island–at least), and empowered me to write more.
Leanne–Sometimes it’s best to start locally, rather than try to sell to the whole world. And you’re right that success breeds success. Once you know you can do it, you’ll do it more!
Great post. Great advice. Thank you.
These are great suggestions to follow. Thank you.
I have four published novels but because they’re more like self-published (I’m with a very small press), sales are not what I want. I’m still looking for an agent and maybe one day I’ll find one. It’s hard to break into the masses. There are just so many of us.
Patricia–You’ll be interested in next week’s guest. Eldonna Edwards started out with a self-published memoir. But she found an agent and now is making a big splash with one of the first books in the new Kensington hard-cover imprint. She’ll talk all about indie vs. trad pub experiences.
Wonderful article as usual!
I’m technically getting my first book published, but that “first” come with so many asterisks as to render it almost untrue. The book stemmed from five years of publishing essays online – I just took the best stuff, rearranged and rewrote several times, and added 60% new stuff. But I’ve also written novel-length Harry Potter fanfic (at age 14, no less) and novel-length memoirs of my teenage years (suffice to say, I had a LOT of time on my hands as a teen). So I’ve had plenty of practice writing unpublishable stuff before getting here.
Re: prologues – on my current WIP, I was convinced I’d have one, but decided to start drafting from Ch1 and go back to write the prologue later. I’ve since come to realize that I don’t need the prologue, so good thing I didn’t write one and get attached to it.
And re: #10, another debut author just said a very interesting thing at her book launch: if you are working on a new book, you won’t take the results of the old one so personally. She likened it to raising children: focus on the young child; the older one has now gone off to college and his success or failure no longer reflects on you. It’s a fun way to look at it!
Irvin–Lots of wisdom here. I love the advice about working on another book helping authors deal with all the negatives of publishing. I think that’s absolutely true.
So glad to hear you could write yourself right out of the need for a prologue!
It sounds as if this “first” book is nothing of the sort, since you’ve done so much other writing. (Including the unpublishable stuff.) I think fanfic is a great way to cut your writing teeth. ‘It used to be that young painters were always trained by copying the masters, and I think that works for writers too. Writing a whole novel at age 14 is very impressive. I only managed angsty poetry at that age. 🙂
A while back I was getting sick of not finding a book that fit, I was tired of the monotony of plots and common characters. I talked to a friend who is well published and she said write the book you wish to read. I have, several. And they break many of your rules, namely 3567. I may never get published but Now I have stories that are not industry standards and are refreshing to come back to while I still search for someone out there who has many characters with outrageous POVs and there is not a monster around every corner and I can pick the hero I like best amidst the crowd.
Sam–That’s what I did. It meant my career stalled for a decade or so, but I did finally find a publisher where the editor was pretty fierce and got my quirkiness under control. And of course if you’re just writing for yourself and friends, you can write whatever the *%$# you want. 🙂
Another fantastic post with loads of great advice. I especially like #8 both for fiction AND memoir. In memoir people tend to want to include everything the way it (yawn) happened. And in fiction because, it’s FICTION. People keep asking me, “Are you psychic?” and “Was your dad a mean jerk? ” likely because the themes are steeped in my upbringing as a preacher’s daughter. My dad was nice (boring!) and I’m not clairvoyant (snore). If I’d written a novel based on exactly how I grew up I’d lose people on the first page. 😉 By the way, I wrote my debut novel first, followed it up with one that kind of sucks, then came back to the first one and revised it after getting some perspective and honing my craft. If I’d try to sell it right out of the gate I’d never have gotten it published.
Eldonna–It’s amazing how many people assume that novels are autobiographical isn’t it? I get reviews that say “this is obviously a thinly disguised memoir, because you can tell the author lived through all this.” Haha. For my book about a wealthy fashionista. 🙂
My first novel was finally published too, after I’d written three others. It took an editor with a powerful red pencil!
I am a former hipster who through the magic of the internot red your art icle and still get autocrat auto correct fix my czar, I mean car, oh, by the way, me good fiends, John Blandly and Pants on Fire think you are great– many inspiring ide
as, thanks
Art–Many thinks to ewe and your fiends! I hope your czar recovers. Loved your piece on Lake Champlain. Beautiful spot. We used to visit when I was a kid, driving from Waterville Maine to Geneva NY to visit cousins. I think the Lake is Great, too. 🙂
These are some great tips, thank you for sharing. I think when you’ve written your first book you’re just so excited that you want to get it out there, but it’s much better to move on to your next project and keep writing more and more. Then you can revisit your first novel when you have more experience.
Tizzy–That is a truth that every writer needs on an engraved plaque on their computer.! Don’t rush to publish! It’s a marathon, not a sprint. It’s about a career, not a book. Never send out a ms. until you’ve at least got a second one in the works.
Good advice. One point you might like to add is for new authors to choose a genre in which they could write lots of stories. I suffer from multiple genre-itis. I flit about all over the place – in short stories anyway. I’ve written one novel but am currently pondering my direction in writing and may just have discovered it!
Susan–You’re so right. I probably should have added a #11: Write lots of short stories! Stories are valuable in so many ways. They can get you into group anthologies and magazines. They can be self-published as a collection or a short ebook that work as a bridge between big launches. And they can be given away as a reward for newsletter subscribers, etc.
Plus new writers can use short fiction to explore different genres. Not every writer is sure what genre they want to end up in eventually, and writing short pieces gives you the opportunity to experiment. Good for you to do this with stories instead of jumping into novels right away. That’s the right way to launch a career.
You make me feel like writing. 🙂
Katharine–I’m so glad I inspired you!
For some reason, Anne, my first book is doing much better than the two following books (although, when I did a second addition of grammatical issues – I lost 15 wonderful reviews). I do believe that I write better in the fantasy genre, than the mystery genre. So, lesson learned. I am now doing a fantasy series adding in a little colonial history too. Finding what makes your heart beat faster and fills you with joy and excitement when writing is key to one’s best writing. At least for me anyway. Thank you for a great post. K D 🙂
K.D.–Relaunching a book sounds like a great idea, but losing reviews is a big trade-off. I agree that writing in a genre you’re passionate about is more likely to be your path to success, no matter what your skill level. If you write in a genre that’s selling, but that you don’t love, that novel probably won’t be as big a success.
I find that, though I prefer to write fantasy, I write where “the muse” takes me. I have two fantasy novels published, a two-volume story that is adult fiction/romance, I just finished a paranormal romance, and I’m trying to start a fantasy series.
I realize I may be hurting myself, sales-wise, by not restricting myself to a single genre, but I can’t just ignore the ideas that present themselves.
Fred–You may be able to find a connecting “brand” that will link your paranormals and fantasy novels. The two aren’t unrelated.
My first novel, written in my late twenties, was garbage. Almost forty years later I took a class to learn how writing for publication is different than just writing. Four novels published so far, and two have excellent reviews (though not enough).
And, thanks to your information on word counts, I meat-axed my 106,000 word paranormal romance/thriller to 88,000 words. Now we’ll see if that helps interest an agent…
Fred–My twenty-something novel was soooo bad. Heavy on self-pity and light on plot. I’m so glad I never managed to finish it.
Congrats on your heavy-duty editing!! 88K words is the sweet spot, or so agents say on their blogs.
I’ve used so many different pov’s but I feel like it’s necessary in this particular book. My book is 90% in the main characters POV and the other 10% is scattered among 6 or so ppl because perspective is a huge theme of my book.
Mkat. If it’s clear to the reader, that may work. The whole point is to be aware of the reader’s needs.
I approached my first novel with nothing but joy and enthusiasm and just wrote. I was young and enthusiastic. Then I put my work aside for a few years and read it again later. I remember what I felt when I was writing it. But the book is not good. In the meantime, I’ve learned a lot at university and in workshops, and I’m about to publish my new book with Novum publishing. Publishing two books at once would be great, too, of course. But I only write as a hobby and until I have another book to the point where I’m satisfied, it will probably take another few years.
Betty–It sounds as if your first book was a typical “practice novel,” like mine. When I talk about a “two-book deal” that doesn’t mean both books are published at once. It means you get a contract with a big publisher to write two books for them, and you get a bigger advance because they get the promise of a second book. The first one is written and polished–and that’s what your agent shops around, and the second is in development. That can mean you’ve got an outline and sample chapters or a rough draft. If you landed a two-book deal, you would no longer be a hobbyist writer. Once you get an advance, you can call yourself a pro.
If you haven’t yet given money to Novum publishing, you might want to rethink. Writer Beware lists them as a vanity press with dodgy practices. If they offer you free printing, it’s okay to take it, as long as you armor yourself against their hard-sell tactics to sell junk marketing packages.
Yes, the first book was just for practice, looking back. I’m still a little sad that it doesn’t read as well as it felt when I was writing it.
With my second book, I tried self-publishing for a while, but I don’t have the spare time for that. That’s why I signed with Novum Publishing. But I looked beforehand to see if the services were a good fit for me and had my lawyer review the contract before signing. It should be fine and I’m confident that I’ll get what I signed for.
Thank you for your words though and the explanation on the “two-book deal”. I now understand better what you mean and can also see why having two finished books can make you more attractive to traditional publishers than having only completed one book.
Betty–I think that’s a feeling that doesn’t go away–even with your 10th book or 20th. You’re always a little disappointed when you read that rough draft you thought was so marvelous. Editors usually pop that bubble, but with work, we can make it even better. Although the very first fledgling book may have to stay in a drawer.
I don’t advise new writers to go with a vanity press like Novum, because they tend to overcharge for services, and don’t always deliver sales with their expensive marketing services. But they work for some people.