Want to Beat the Publishing Odds? Here’s What Very Few Writers Understand
I get a lot of emails from aspiring authors asking how I got started and what they should do to get their book or idea published. Unfortunately, every path to success is one of paid-off risks or just otherwise blind luck. On the other hand, luck isn’t about winning bets on fair coin tosses — it’s about tipping the odds in your favor and knowing which risks to take.
It’s not possible to follow the exact same path that I did when publishing my books. Or, I don’t think it would be wise for me to recommend it. Not only did I self-publish my books, I literally posted them online. That’s probably considered a no-no by literary agents.
And, speaking of agents, I don’t even have an agent! (Also probably considered a no-no by literary agents.) So, no, I’m sorry, I don’t have specific and easily actionable advice to get a book published.
Perhaps we can phrase the problem in a different way, though. You may ask, what would you do if you had to do it all over? Good question! Now that puts me on the spot.
Assuming I would still know what I know now, I would still do generally the same things — that is, do the things I enjoy and complete the things I would be proud of. If success comes from it, that’s a bonus.
