by Anne R. Allen
I’ve been going through my blog archives, and I found one of the first pieces I wrote for the blog—15 years ago. This was before the “Kindle Revolution” had really taken hold, so almost all beginning writers were desperately trying to “land an agent.” (We seemed to treat agents like some elusive species of game fish in those days.)
But what struck me about this piece is that the message is still relevant. New writers are still expecting to jump right into a career with only one book under their belt. This is because we’re still telling each other the same myths about the success of first novels.
Here’s the truth about “practice novels.”
You’re not Failing as a Writer. You’re Building Inventory! (post from 2010)
Most writers I meet are desperately trying to get a first novel published. Most will fail. Here’s the bleak truth: almost no writer gets a book deal on the basis of a first novel alone.
“Yeah, but…” sez you, “how come I see first novels published all the time?”
Because, gentle writer-friends, the “debut” book is NOT the writer’s first novel. It’s probably her third. Or fifth. Or tenth. It’s simply her first novel that got published—the one that finally got an agent’s attention AND could withstand the nasty scrutiny of a bunch of snarky editors and marketing people looking for reasons to reject it. (Remember: finding representation is just a first step to another set of rejections—this time of your agent’s pitch.)
So does that mean you should just toss that first novel into the shredder?
Nope.
OK, a lot of us will realize, after we learn to write better, that the first novel was just a practice piece. But others write excellent beginning novels that don’t get picked up—mostly because they aren’t the high-concept, breakout, hits-the-current-trend-at-the-perfect-spot-in-the-curve material publishers require these days.
So what you need to do after that first round of rejections is put the first novel in a drawer and write another. And another. And keep querying. And keep getting rejections.
No, don’t jump off that bridge!
Don’t Open a Store with One Item to Sell
You’re not facing defeat; you’re BUILDING INVENTORY. You wouldn’t open a store with only one item to sell, would you?
I recently read an interview with agent Jenny Bent in the online zine Women On Writing. The interviewer asks if agents prefer writers with more than one book “in the works.” Here’s what Jenny said:
“Absolutely. It’s pretty much essential. They want an author for the long haul, not just one book. And these days, they want to release them pretty close together because the thinking is that this is the best way to build an author.”
Think about it: writing another novel in a few months while you’re also focusing on marketing your debut book (and keeping your day job) could send you on screamy-meemy overload. So isn’t it nice you’ll have that drawer full of manuscripts?
Some Do’s and Don’ts
One caveat: DON’T make all those books part of a series. (A major mistake I made.) If you can’t sell #1, nobody’s going to want to buy #3 or #4 as a breakthrough “debut.” The best thing to do if you’re looking for an agent is write your books as stand-alone titles.
But DO write them in the same genre. Develop a personal style or setting that can be established as your “brand,” but don’t use the same characters or a continuing storyline.
Then, when that agent call comes, and she asks what else you’re working on, you can deliver your already perfected pitch for the novel-in-the-drawer (and all its little friends) and you might even get yourself a multiple-book deal.
Remember—to be a successful writer, you have to be in it for the long haul. So, in spite of all the rejections you’re getting on that first novel, go write another and start building inventory.
originally posted by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen) February 7, 2010
Self-Publishing Has Changed the Way We’re Building Inventory
I think the above advice still stands for any author seeking representation.
But of course in the era of self-publishing, you don’t have to go through the grueling process of fishing for an agent. But that doesn’t mean you should self-publish that first novel without building inventory.
If you are planning to self-publish, this advice is still pretty good, except the part about writing in a series. You can self-publish a series even if book #1 doesn’t rock the publishing world. You can build interest as you release more titles. But you’ll get much more traction if you publish them in quick succession, which will be a lot easier if you have already written several titles in that series.
And remember that short fiction and creative nonfiction should be in your inventory, too. Having a story ready if you’re invited to join an anthology or publish in a magazine raises your profile and will build your brand.
by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen, @annerallen.bsky.social) June 22, 2025
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What about you, scriveners? Did you “land an agent” with a first novel? Do you know anybody who has? Did you decide to self-publish a first novel? Are you building inventory?
THE HOUR OF THE MOTH
A light and funny beach read just right for summer fun.
And this poor book needs reviews. I’ve turned into a total slacker when it comes to getting reviews, so if anybody wants a free digital review copy, just leave a comment or contact me. I’ll send you a code for a free download from BookFunnel. A fair and honest review would be much appreciated, but not required.
Ebook and paper book available at Amazon. Paper book also available at Barnes and Noble
NPR fans, there are Easter Eggs in this story just for you!
When Camilla Randall allows a neighboring business to hold a “Moth Hour” storytelling event in the courtyard of her beachy California bookstore, she finds an inconvenient corpse left in the audience after the event. The deceased, a storyteller famous for his appearances on NPR, turns out to have a shady past — and a lot of enemies. Unfortunately, Camilla’s boyfriend Ronzo is one of them.
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featured image by wayhomestudios on freepik
Yes, the problem is individuals in today’s world, more so than ever, expect immediate success. Indeed, immediate success takes too long.
First, from a novel perspective: A writer in my home town had two novels published that had less than mediocre success. In 2011 he had his third book represented by an agent who even got an auction going. Random House ended up winning the auction and paid a $200,000 US advance. The agent also sold Canadian rights for $50,000 CAN and the British rights for 30,000 pounds.
Incredible success, right? Yes, it was fairly easy money in his pocket but the US edition of the book sold fewer than 5,000 copies in both hardcover and paperback. Of course, the advance was non-refundable — so he got to keep the entire amount, less the agent’s fee. As for me, I would feel like a complete fraud having taken that big of an advance for so few copies sold. It goes without saying that his next books got little attention from agents and publishers.
On the other hand, my “How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free” was written in 2003 and was rejected by 35 British and US publishers. I had to self-publish even though I had some real success with my books previously. HTRHW&F has now sold over 475,000 copies. The book has earned me over $1.75 million US. I definitely don’t feel like a fraud.
Here’s the weird thing, however. I have a new book called “Great Friends Rock: How to Find Them — And Keep Them!” ready to be published. My books have sold over 1,125,000 copies worldwide and have been published in 22 languages in 29 countries. Yet I think that any agents to whom I send the new book as well as all the major publishers will reject the book. They will say I have no platform. The fact that I have come up with 75 to 100 unique book marketing techniques (that 95 percent of book experts are not creative or smart enough to come up with) will fall on deaf ears. So I will self-publish — and prove them wrong again.
In short, unless you are James Patterson or Stephen King, you will have to keep proving yourself in this industry forever — without anyone else’s help!