One of the best pieces of advice I ever received came from one of my professors in grad school. He said that if you are meant to be a writer, you will be unable to not write. There is no quitting.
The publishing industry is woker than woke. It's completely political now. If you don't "put a chick in it and make it lame and gay" you won't be published. After listening to this channel for a while you realize that if you're a straight white male you should just self publish.
I’m a professional content writer, which means that writing outside of work can be a pain in the ass, and emotionally tumultuous. I’ve taken so much time off writing creatively over the years, but it’s impossible to stay away long term
In review: 1. An intriguing premise - does it have a hook that can be summarized in one sentence? 2. meets industry expectations - fits into a genre or blend of genres with a clear target audience, fits length expectations 3. engaging from beginning to end 4. emotionally moving 5. garnered positive feedback Definitely watch the whole video because there's lots of great advice in there!
I keep going back to work and improve my first novel because of that same fear. Will work on a second be a waste of time? People keep telling me, just write.
In my opinion, ask yourself what you are writing for. If you are writing to get published, yes, it's probably a waste of time. But if you're writing because you have a story you want to tell, I'd say it's one of the most productive things you can do. I think you can learn a lot from writing, also sides of yourself through your characters. Swallow the fear, and don't look back!
The best remedy for that fear is the realization that a bad book written is the foundation laid to becoming a better writer. Write as many bad books as fast as you can so you can start getting to the good stuff worth writing about.
I second bladez, and also add that if the goal is winning (in this case, getting published), then a lot of things aren't in your control and the fear of failure will always loom large. But if the goal is to do your best, the winning part is at most a bonus and losing doesn't matter. You did your best, you enjoyed the process, your time was well spent. Took me ages for that sink in, but if you can shift your priority the difference is night and day. And there has to be an ACTUAL shift, you can't be lowkey just telling yourself it's about doing your best in an attempt to cheat around fear and one day achieve your ambition anyway. We're told that ambition is sexy + all that matters and doing your best is lame or "just what losers say." That is absolutely not true. At all. Leading with ambition is just a recipe for misery and placing your hope for happiness out of your hands.
The little flash of "It Ends With Us" was hilarious. Although I've never considered pursuing trad publishing, this is just a really really enjoyable channel where I've learned a lot about writing--even if for now, it's just for myself. So many things are subjective when it comes to writing and it's important to remember.
Alyssa, I just got my book picked up by an indie press. It's an LGBTQIA novel. I work with a developmental editor and EVERYTHING you advise is so true. I find your insight helpful and beneficial. I am blessed to find a publisher, and everything in this video is true. I got rejected by over 120 agents and tried a different approach, based on your advice. It worked! Thank you and please keep doing these videos.
That’s amazing! Lgbt awareness is so important especially nowadays, I’m working on my own story that’s centred around lgbt characters as well, I’m so happy you got your book picked up!
What publishers think is a marketable book has turned me from an avid reader to virtually a non-reader, and talking to readers online doesn't really give me much hope either. I write what I want to read, because publishers have long since decided my opinion and my purchase of their books is irrelevant.
We live in the greatest era for authors. You are guaranteed to get your book published whether by traditional methods or through self-publishing. Imagine if you wrote a book and the odds of it ever getting published were 1%? How heart breaking would that be if your book failed to be published after you spent a year or more crafting your book. Now, if you want your work out there, you can do it, no matter what. Yes, traditional publishing makes you feel a sense of validation, but so does a reader when they say "I liked your book!" There is no better thrill than a stranger telling you your story swept them away. Rejoice in today's world of authorship and go all out for traditional with the reassuring notion that self-publishing will always be there if you need it. Your book's success should not be defined by the money it makes, but by the quality of its writing.
I think making perfection gets you far. Yet you still want people to read that perfection, don't you? Doesn't it _deserve_ it? Wouldn't it be a crime if it didn't become global in one way or another?
@@sycariummoonshine7134 Yes, that is the dream, but my point is that in today's world, any book you write has a chance. And that is what makes today's era so great for authors. Yes, we want our books to explode and get noticed so we get paid and can become full time authors, but there's no system that will ever exist to guarantee that. The guarantee of today is your book WILL have a chance, and that is gold. I self published my first novella, it sold 90 copies and I had two reviewers who said it was great. To me, my book was a success. My next book is another book I will self-publish before I try the traditional route (I hope to work with Alyssa on its editing). But if you feel the ONLY validation is traditional publication with global distribution, I think you are focused on the wrong thing. SO many successful authors talk about their years of rejection before things started going well for them, but they kept writing because they loved to write, not because they loved the idea of being a successful author. Their works got judged by one person, and if rejected, tossed in a drawer. NOW, everything you write can be published and be judged by more than one set of eyes. Your odds of success go up with how you market yourself and you have so much more control over every aspect of it. I reiterate, it is a great time to be a writer.
I think being "published" can most of the time be prefaced by "traditionally". Self publishing is great, but being successful in that regard, even having more than, say, 20 sales, is not a matter regarding the quality of your work. For me at least, it is not an alternative whatsoever. And for many traditional publishing, whilst also relying on an element of luck, is a kind of quality-control filter that makes it worth it.
In this sense I think it's fine for people to try trad pub first and then "fall back" to indie if they don't get lucky and believe in their story. If you can get paid up front and have alllll the logistics taken care of plus wider distribution, why wouldn't you take that shot? Doesn't mean indie is any less than, just structured differently.
Everything you've stated is so true. The query letter is especially true for me. Everyone loves the story I wrote when I talk about the book or practice pitching it at conferences. In fact, Mark Leslie said at one writing conference (he was the one whom I was assigned to "practice pitch" the book): "Wow! I love that story! If I were a publisher, I'd sign you today." Well, when I write my query letters they, well, suck! They're awful. I mean, awful awful. Being able to put a story into an engaging pitch is so important. Yet, here I sit...still struggling.
@InvestigatingDavidCrowley I hired one from Fiver with good reviews, and it was the best decision haha, my query letter instantly looked so much more professional.
Lots of books that don't get published are good enough. Unfortunately that's only one of many deciding factors, the biggest of which is luck, that the book passes in front of the right industry professionals at the right time. Possibly even more unfortunately, if a book doesn't succeed, the only way to know whether the book's inherent quality was a direct factor, is to self-publish, and even then, that's not a guaranteed measure there, as success there depends on just as varied a set of factors, the biggest of which is your ability to market, which is entirely unconnected from your ability to write. In other words, the only way you can know for certain, is if it happens.
Many good books aren’t published because they aren’t “commercial” enough. Agents and publishers are in business to make money and they don’t make money if it doesn’t sell to a lot of people.
Alyssa definitely going on my honorary mentions in my credit section for thanks and appreciations. Also you miss the shots you don't take, go for it. Worst case you don't get selected, best case is why you're pitching and what dreams are made of.
True....it's all subjective. That's why you have to write for a reason other than achieving recognition or financial gain or so much can be considered lost with those factors as one's criteria for ultimate success.
In short, what you are saying is it is a throw of the dice. That doesn't instil confidence in the people who work at publishing houses who, in theory, have a high education background. Sound like it is easier to just buy a lottery ticket.
a lot of books that... I would not have thought publishable.... are hits and some of the most amazing manuscripts I've read die in the trenches or on sub. There's so much luck involved in tradpub.
Working on second draft First book...giving myself a 30 day deadline to send out queries Love the content... Figuring out who I share a shelf with is going to be fun
Actually laughing out loud! I do not enjoy ‘coho’ books. But I’m an outlier, obviously. Coho doesn’t care if I like her books as she cashes her checks 😂
A piece of advice that I gleaned once was to write things that scare me, not necessarily because of any horrific quality, but because of how vulnerable I have to be to write it. I'm in the final stages of tying up loose ends before the denouement. There are a couple of characters that are destined to die or suffer a tragic fall from grace, and I'm starting to mourn their downfall as I'm coming to that point. I think that my concept and character development are strong enough, provided that I can follow through with writing the hard tragedy that I'd rather avoid.
I am not sure that I will pursue traditional publishing, but I still want my work to be good enough to be able to. I'm definitely checking out the assessment.
Greetings Alyssa, I am the Tolkienesque novelist D L Lindeman. Positive Feedback. I sent copies of my first novel to my Novel teacher from High School plus an English Literature professor. They both gave me great feedback including quotes that I used (with their permission) to promote my series. FYI I do have an "Upmarket" agent and a traditional publisher. My first novel "Erdani Saga Book One: Son of the Ancients" (Erdani is pronounced Air Donny) comes out Dec/Jan.
Hi Alyssa I've been watching your videos for a few months now and just finishing the last 25% of my developmental edit and have a question I haven't heard asked before so thought I'd ask you as I know you do this kind of editing. My editor has great reviews and has worked on bestselling books and for publishers and I hired him for these reasons. He has really helped spot problems in my story that needed addressing and has pointed out the technical flaws I have with grammar which I absolutely agree with. However. From the start I wanted him to be brutally honest with me. I want hard truths so I can improve. He has been so complimentary to my story I just have trouble believing it's as good as he says. I should point out I have zero confidence in my writing (but I didn't tell him that) but he says things like, he had to put the book down and collect himself and that it was thrilling and how much he despised my bad guys. He said a number of times he had to read on without editing just to see what happens which is the highest compliment an editor can give. Do you think he is just being encouraging or polite? Do you say things like that to your clients? I tell myself he has my money so why would he lie, am I just being paranoid? Sorry this is long, would love to hear your or anyone else's thoughts. Look forward to more videos!
Hello Alyssa. I found you completely by accident. I am about 41% complete in my crime adventure debut novel (regarding the 90,000-word limit.) I have watched your videos. Some from 3 years ago. Awesome information. I kindly thank you and look forward to more.
I've started to expand on a paper I wrote concerning personal identity. After my experience, a death in the family, and the experiences I see my contemporaries deal with almost daily, I see there might be a place for my book idea. Seems like many people have this problem, or may well experience it in the future. I was going to just put in a WordPress blog, but thinking about going further.
Alternatively flip the question on it's head, why should these publishers deem themselves worth of having your debut? They get plenty of opportunities to publish a book, you only get one chance to have a debut. Also It Ends With Us is hugely overblown.
@@azrielackerman4659 I get what they mean, but only to a certain extent. Writers can get so desperate to be published that they take the first agent and first publisher that gives them attention even if one or the other isn't a good fit or wouldn't work in their best interest. In that sense, it's healthier to have a certain amount of caution and make sure you're getting what any writer deserves.
Here's my recommendation as a writer who is not an author. Educate yourself on the publishing industry and business. I went to book fairs for several years. I spoke to local publishers, I spoke to authors and officials. I simply thought of it as gathering information but i see now it is also determining what is attractive to publishers and what is unattractive to publishers .
thanks again, Alyssa! your insights always help me better understand the complexities of the industry and motivate me to keep querying. I'm back on submission again -- perhaps fool hearted in my attempts to query for several different novels i feel are good enough for publishing after years and years of revisions. my big question this summer is why is it taking so long to hear back from any single agent? of course their inboxes are getting hit harder than ever, but this year has been ESPECIALLY quiet compared to previous ones, where i used to receive rejections usually within a month or so of submission. i started querying this year back in March and have yet to hear anything from a single agent -- rejection or otherwise...i know silence after a certain period of time can imply rejection, but i feel like i used to always at least receive a rejection email out of sheer courtesy. thanks again!
Thank you so much for this informative video about difficulties in traditional publishing, If that possible could please make a video about rules that publishing houses put to accept a book ? Samples of acceptance, samples of rejections, samples of editing, stuff like this please I am a children author but I am in my debut novel as novelist and I really need those to be experienced. Thank you. Hugs from Lebanon.
I once learned from a woman on a publisher that the genre that I wrote in was nothing they published right then. I made some research and learned that the genre I wrote wasn't published in my homeland. So I had to switch genre.
I came fairly close to writing a book for a small publisher back in 2012. I was sent a contract in fact. I ended up not writing the book because the publisher noted in June and July wanted the book released at Christmas. I had been a freelance writer for magazines and print journalist for newspapers for nearly 20 years at that point. I hadn't written a book before so i had no gauge to rely on. In terms of articles, yes but not books. So i ended up not writing the book. I can only say what is publishable is what is beheld in the eye of the publisher you deal with . Different publishers Different standards.
I guess it’s out of date to flash fifty shades… but still a great example. Not well written. But IMMENSELY popular. Just write your book, people! See what happens!
Love your videos Allysia.. I’m 28K words into a memoir.. mostly funny stories with a few dilemmas too…Will 40K words be enough?… all the chapters are different stories but written chronologically.. a light hearted read you can pick up and put down at your leisure..etc
Memoirs are great, just be aware that there are far fewer agents looking to represent these than standard fiction or non-fiction. As for length, it is very unlikely an agent that works with long-form fiction (novels) will even consider a 40k long piece. This is not novel length sadly. The recommended length would be double that, 80k. An alternative to writing more would be to look for an agent that represents both novellas, and memoirs, but these would be even harder to find. Of course, this is all assuming you want to publish traditionally! Maybe you don't, and that is totally okay too.
No writing, whether you're published or not is a waste of time. Self-publishing gives you more control over your writing, but the ultimate level of control is to just write for yourself. Going to a publishing house gives over control (in my opinion, I've never tried to publish with one) of your writing to other people. They will tell you how to make your book more saleable, but will you lose your own voice in the process? Limelight or being true to yourself, it's up to you.
Is it true that publishers won't touch a book where the author is the same as the illustrator? apparently if the illustrator is different then the publisher has more options of marketing it? thanks
Hi Alyssa: I'm still confused about selecting 'comparables'. What are the major characteristics agents looks for with the comparables? For example, is setting important or no - I understand they are interested in potential sales but what story features point to good sales down the road? Okay, thanks for all your vids.
While this video has some good points, the very idea that to be good a book has to be accepted by a publisher feels wrong to me. So many good books have been rejected by publishers, while so many awful ones have been accepted. The fact that a publisher accepted your book does not reflect on its artistic quality but on the marketable, profitable qualities the publisher wants to see.
Personally, I don’t think the work it takes to get traditionally published is worth the payoff anymore. I keep hearing stories of publishing houses not giving the same resources they used to: editing, marketing, etc. And that they expect the author to do all of that on their own anyway. They’re basically just a glorified distribution service that takes most of the earnings anymore. (Unless you are already an established author.) It’s really disheartening.
It's difficult to give a straight answer to the question there is no criteria. Publishers maintain a posture of "The chooser," by being intentionally vague and refusing to even read submissions and then filtering queries with AI or interns. This allows publishers to choose writers instead of rewarding stories. Publishers don't believe in selling stories. They believe in marketing authors. If you want readers you'll have to get them yourself. If you want to sell books (gain consumers) who may or may not read, but will certainly BUY a book. You need to appeal to that audience... The people who like the idea of being a reader more than reading. This is the trad pub game. Not for people like me (on multiple levels). Unless of course you're willing to read my book and prove me wrong. 😅
Publishers (and agents) read every submission, it would be actively against their interest not to. They're filtered through interns because everyone in the industry is doing the work of 5 people on a single person's salary and even agented submissions are a slush pile. AI is nowhere near qualified enough to actually evaluate a piece of writing, that's not a thing. Agents and publishers don't *respond* to every single submission, but that's a different issue.
My issue in the past was that I was given bad advises or didn't get much needed feedback that would make my work, letter or synopsis good enough for agents.
Well, my burning question is how long do you keep trying the traditional publishing route before moving onto self-publishing? I have something almost ready to go, but can't decide which to try first.
I think it really comes down to your personal publishing goals and timeline. Both can be rewarding paths! I have another video about some factors to consider when you're trying to decide: ruclips.net/video/yJiwM2AZZyo/видео.html Wishing you all the best with whatever you choose!
Thank you so much, Ms. Alyssa. I feel much better now (I suffer from some pretty bad imposter syndrome). I do have a question though....what if our book is in a subgenre that doesn't have many (if any) books around to compare it to? My book is a romantasy set in the last months of the American Civil War. I love both historical fiction and romantasy and thought it would be fun to combine the two.
My worry is that I'll never figure out how to make my book or my writing better or good enough to get published. I could write multiple books, pay thousands of dollars to developmental editors and beta readers, spend years working on craft, and still never catch up with the market. It's very possible to never be good enough. And that makes me so sad. (I'm bitter and confused from the middle of querying! Perhaps I will feel better later)
Hello, is it difficult to get an international agent when you are from Southeast Asia? Can you create a vlog discussing the opportunities for authors outside the US or UK to secure representation from international literary agencies? Thank you!
The difference between a good author and a good pilot is that when somebody is a bad pilot somebody crashes into a mountain people die and there are obvious clear cut signs which all of us can see however literature and being an author is not like that and I absolutely effing hate it when people compare writing story telling and literature to that type of stuff particularly when people bring up the question of how much or if you actually have to read in order to be a good author or write a good story/book.
I think my problem is coming up with a more intriguing way of describing my premise. My book has a more classic, fairytale vibe, like Tangled. So I end up just going with the broadest premise which is usually just "a princess sets out to save her kingdom from a dangerous enemy" ... which describes like half the fantasy books in the world. 😂 Wow I need to work on that.
@@AceFreehley The economics for trad authors is pretty dire. Depending on the royalty rate you get offered, selling 100,000 books will net you somewhere around $30 - 100k after all is said and done. How many authors are realistically going to sell 100k copies of their book? It seems like there’s pros and cons to both routes, but trad publishing is like only swinging for the fences despite the fact that most runs scored are not due to home runs.
Actually, it is pretty easy to control your chance of being struck by lightning (or not). If you stand in a field, soaking wet, during a thunderstorm, and hold a metal tent pole straight up, your odds are quite good. (Or is that bad?) Making money publishing? Not as guaranteed, clearly. But, by analogy, there ARE things to do to increase your chances. For starters, do what Alyssa says.
I understand you can't say - This is a best-seller! Or not. But what do you think about tier-listing it? Maybe across those criteria- Premise is a C, Industry Expectations a B, Engaging is S-Tier as it's a page-turner from first to last. Maybe there are other categories for "Publishable" - like Structure, Conflict, Character, Concept. It is the most difficult issue with this art - as a writer, you want to know: Are you any good? Is this fan fiction or is this the next "Aliens" franchise?
Hi Alyssa, What are your thoughts on submitting non-English manuscripts? In your opinion, what's the best way to get a non-English book accepted by an English-language literary agent or publisher? Would you recommend hiring a translator if one's English skills aren't strong enough to write the book directly in English? Or is there a risk that the translator might claim the work as their own? Have you had any experience with this as an editor? I would really appreciate any tips you can offer.
Hey Alyssa, I just got accepted into the fall Futurescapes writing workshop. Are you familiar with this at all? It is my first time doing a workshop like this and I wonder if you could tell me how to make sure I get the most out of the experience?
It depends on what sells. Usually, crap books that are a crime against trees. Cheap crap. Because this is in demand. It’s like a competition between publishers who causes more trees to be cut for nothing.
I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we're curious to know Alyssa's hair and skin care routine... =======================================================================================================
Can we leave questions in the comments for you to address in future videos? If so, here goes: What do you recommend we do if we see an element from our work in progress, like a premise, a plot twist, or a major story component appear in some newly released piece of fiction or media? I'm not talking about something we saw and were heavily influenced by - I'm talking about the sensation of being SCOOPED by some other project, author, or creator we knew nothing about, that was apparently riding the same creative wavelength we were, and got to market first. Do we make adjustments? Keep going as if we never saw it in the first place? Please advise.
would publishers take on a well written, but very classic feeling hero/high fantasy? is there a place for books like that in traditional publishing or are they just looking for things that are new and twists opposed to classic fantasy? in short, i want to write about a guy that goes from a normal everyday life to going on a quest after mythical items in order to face an evil golem king..? i personally love reading books like that but im a very primitive fantasy reader😂 i know everybody else is looking for the new shticks and twists they get these guys to write now (some are realy great like land of stories!), and i get that the hero on a quest for a sword thing was milked dry but despite this, could such books succeed if written well? i just want to expand a bit on what my story is if anyone is interested. im open to any ideas and tips. its about a kingdom that was taken over by a golem, this golem bribes goblin chiefs, and ogre warlords so he has an army of baddies. (although i do make sure to have good goblins and ogres as well... no race is evil!😂) and he seems to enforce some very strict laws and bans "magical creatures, like dwarfs and trolls and dragons or talking animals" etc (i mentioned these specifically because they will be in the book) because of this there is a secret order that tries to get rid of the golem king. (*this is where the story actualy begins.) the order gets infiltrated by spies and they start hanging all of them. so they get desperate and send a boy called matt to go kvetch to a wizard. matt isnt sure about accepting this mission but right when they are giving it to him they get ratted on and a bunch of ogres and goblins start chopin the place up. matt then escapes and makes his way to the wizard. he befriends a talking moose btw because im not getting matt to walk all over the place! and makes it to the wizard. wizard tells him that now hes gotta get the old kings set if he wants to be able to beat the golem, so he sends him out to find the things with a bunch of riddles. getting each item is a test for example matt has to trade smelly cheese with a troll chief to get the sword etc, while he is doing this the golem king has a bounty on his head + sends a bunch of ogres to get him. bottomline he gets the sword shield and armour, and on the way he gets a talking chicken and a ogre to join him. and goes back to the wizard. wizard sends out a bunch of squirrels to tell all the magical creatures and the remaining order to get together. they all come and see that matt has the king stuff so they all team up and put the kingdom (its realy just a city for the most part) under a siege. end of the day matt has a 1 on 1 with golem and wins. this isn't reinventing fantasy. its a quest with a evil guy. but i think its a story that fantasy fans would like... im writing it and if i cant get published traditionally ill have to do the "self publishing" thing. which is fine by me.. i just wish i could have one of those penguins on the cover😅
If you want people to read your books, then by all means go for it. If you want to be a successful writer though... importantly, you don't have to avoid writing a book like this. But really, what book aside from a folk tale is ever so vaguely focused? Yes, these things can happen in your book, but for your narrative to be compelling it has to be about more than that. Mechanically you have a hero, sure, but who is your character really? Sure it's a "quest", but what even is this quest? All of the books you're imagining, no matter how classic, are certainly more than a reductive study of their structure. You don't have to re-invent the wheel, but you better know how to make one and what to make it for!
You can keep this plot, but not those creatures, because they've been used to death. Give it some new layer, imagine instead of golem king it's a god from Aztec mythology, and the creatures are from Aztec lore. That's just an example. What I'm saying is, give the heros journey storyline a new face that we haven't read before
@@azrielackerman4659 i hope you are right! id rather focus on writing my book as well as i can. as opposed to worrying about whether some publisher likes this kind of plot or another. in the end im not looking to become the next jk rowling and end up making millions from a book. i just want to be able to spend my time writing something i love and share it. that's what a book is to me. and so thats what ill be doing. whether i get to put a penguin on the cover or not is less important.. although i wonder if including a penguin in the book would justify...😅
@@a.roydendsouza562 ok so i think im going with jewish mythology. i get to keep the golem, plus the wizard turns into the rabbi that made the golem. and i just add the witch of endor as the one that corrupted the golem from protecting to oppressing. so it all fits😂! the three main quest beasts will be: -the tigris of bel ilai (that's a lion that every time he roars peoples teeth fall out and pregnant womens babies die... and the walls of rome fall etc. nasty stuff this lion) -the ziz (the ziz is a big mythical bird. were talking huuuuge. does the job i think!) -the leviathan (BIG whale. makes the other two look cute..) now when it comes to replacing the goblins and the ogres im thinking of shedim and barzilai. and theres loads of other things to add during travel etc so ill just see what i can do there when i get to it. this change is actualy an awesome way to tell a classic fantasy story, in a unique way, and also use all that stuff i learned in yeshiva! thank you dude! very good advice!
Emotionally moving. I've gotten flak by asking this on another channel, but is this true for all genres and readers? I loved the original Star Wars movie, but I can't remember it as being emotionally moving; it was just fun and exciting. On the other hand, I loved BA Alita, which had a highly emotional ending, but for Alita, it was Alita I loved, not the emotion of the ending. My first novel has emotion, I was wondering if too much so. It is scifi about a person going through extreme stress. It's hard for me to gauge if I'm inputting emotion sufficiently as I'm not a very emotional person myself.
A certain degree of emotionally moving, yes. Even in Star Wars we took time to connect with Luke's desire for something greater and more exciting than his farm life on a relatively normal planet (which is heavily relatable). We feel for Leia when her harmless home planet is obliterated. If you're not a naturally emotional person and aren't drawn to it in fiction, your writing likely reflects that. But you should get direct feedback on your work from beta readers and/or critique partners and see what the overall consensus is.
The excitement you felt when watching Star Wars is an emotion. You were excited, on the edge of your seat during the action scenes, because you cared about the characters. If you hadn't cared about the characters, you wouldn't care what happens to them, therefore the action-packed scene wouldn't be exciting.
An even bigger question than “can I get traditionally published,” is “should I.” You’ll get a 5-10% royalty, minus 15% to your agent, minus taxes. In order to make a living from being traditionally published, you’d need nearly every book you write to be a best seller.
Most writers don't make a living from getting published. Most don't get to quit their day jobs. I myself don't expect to quit my day job, which I shouldn't anyway because I need my employer's benefits. Writing is not about the money.
@@azrielackerman4659 An advance is simply that - an advance on your royalties, which are typically 5-10%. Most advances are pretty small. If you can explain how this changes the economics I laid out in my comment above, please enlighten me.
@@BelleRose11000 Of course you shouldn’t expect to live off of your writing. How could you if you are giving away 95% of the revenue from your writing?
am i 'good' writer, or a 'bad' writer? Only the adjectives are up for discussion.. i once wrote a 5000 word essay about a heroin addict..to a group of addicts..got booed from the podium.. After reading a truant asked me, "so, you win the essay contest?" "nope.." "Thought you were a 'writer'?" "Didn't say i was a good one.."
hmm, sounds like the system sucks. That's ALWAYS the problem when trying to make money from artistic endeavors. Artists should be in charge of art, not executive businessmen that are only concerned with money. Art should be free. Period. All of it. Capitalism turns art into crap. When you take the money out of art, the only people that make art are the artists that are compelled to make art. At that point, the artist has full control of their art, like they should. And yes, I realize this is a pretty controversial opinion, but let me make it less so. I want to go back to when artists had rich personal patrons that would support the artist and let the artist do art instead of worrying about money. Let's stop trying to suck up to publishers that only want money. Let's stop giving the music industry billions of dollars while the musicians starve. Art will be saved when we stop seeing it as a commercial product.
@vernonkroark: The problem with free books is how hard it is to find the good books among all the garbage put out for free by people with little talent. Amazon's reader ratings are a help only sometimes, because people shamelessly game the system with organized (or even purchased) 5-star ratings (and sometimes dox the work of an author they hate on a personal level with organized 1-star ratings). The underlying issue is that readers' time is not free; it is the most valuable thing they have. Much of what readers pay for, when they buy a book from trad pub, is the assurance that experienced book readers have found this book to be worth their time. The other thing that (many) trad pub readers pay for is the likelihood that other people they know will also read that book. This necessarily limits the number of books published by trad pub every year, which in turn forces them to reject lots of great books. Sigh.
For one, nobody can tell you your book is crappy or good enough. It will be up to God or the universe because that some point chicken soup for the soul submitted 140 submissions and he finally got a yes and then look what happened? Of series worth millions now. So I wouldn’t take the advice of anybody, but yourself and your persistence of knowing that you need to know and the only way you can do is trying
I'm writing a fan fiction piece about the 45th president of the United States. He flys at the back of the largest dragon in the United States with his children (both legitimate and b*st*rds) and their dragons to reclaim his position as rightful heir to the oval office. I think it has an intriguing premise, meets industry expectations, is engaging from beginning to end, emotionally moving, and has garnered positive feedback (from my followers on Truth Social). Sounds like its time to submit it to publishers!
lol the sarcasm here is great. This is why 45th is getting cancelled as really he's a dragon rider protecting us from the political white walkers loooool
Ouuu shit, I'm late today. Good excuse though. My researcher sent me 2 days worth of new material just as I was ready to roll up my sleeves and do some serious writing. 6 hours yesterday, 3 hours of it today, this is why I dropped out of college after a few months. Feels like work. My researcher used the wrong phrase with me the other day, "You need to..." Whoa whoa whoa! I don't NEED to do anything. That's why this is fun. I need to pay rent, I need to go to work, I need to pay taxes (so illegals can live the good life), but I don't NEED to write. I'm done. That's my therapy.
Just shove all the booktok tropes Check every DEI box Then you'll have a shot if not just accuse the publishing house of being istaphobes and draw attention to your book.
It’s recommended to take the self-published path. Most media, books, and movies have fallen victim to the woke mind virus. Entertainment has hit rock bottom in terms of quality.
Liberal themes have been the larger voice in stories since the dawn of time, dude. Meanwhile, there's no shortage of Straight White Abled media and there never will be. You still have way, way more publishing options and opportunities then any of those pesky minorities, gee what a terrible problem to have.
![[DOKKAN BATTLE] Worldwide Campaign Announcement Video Part 2!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JpT5Voak6WA/mqdefault.jpg)
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received came from one of my professors in grad school. He said that if you are meant to be a writer, you will be unable to not write. There is no quitting.
The publishing industry is woker than woke. It's completely political now. If you don't "put a chick in it and make it lame and gay" you won't be published. After listening to this channel for a while you realize that if you're a straight white male you should just self publish.
I read that in a book, or something similar: You write because you *have* to.
Yep. I write for myself. If I wanted to make money I'd play the lottery.
I’m a professional content writer, which means that writing outside of work can be a pain in the ass, and emotionally tumultuous. I’ve taken so much time off writing creatively over the years, but it’s impossible to stay away long term
That's fucking stupid. What if you don't have any hands
In review:
1. An intriguing premise - does it have a hook that can be summarized in one sentence?
2. meets industry expectations - fits into a genre or blend of genres with a clear target audience, fits length expectations
3. engaging from beginning to end
4. emotionally moving
5. garnered positive feedback
Definitely watch the whole video because there's lots of great advice in there!
The worst part of creation is the fear that everything could be a huge waste of time. I'm writing my first novel and it's hard to overcome that fear.
I keep going back to work and improve my first novel because of that same fear. Will work on a second be a waste of time? People keep telling me, just write.
In my opinion, ask yourself what you are writing for. If you are writing to get published, yes, it's probably a waste of time. But if you're writing because you have a story you want to tell, I'd say it's one of the most productive things you can do. I think you can learn a lot from writing, also sides of yourself through your characters. Swallow the fear, and don't look back!
@@bladez2027 Indeed, writing for others is what is bogging me down.
The best remedy for that fear is the realization that a bad book written is the foundation laid to becoming a better writer. Write as many bad books as fast as you can so you can start getting to the good stuff worth writing about.
I second bladez, and also add that if the goal is winning (in this case, getting published), then a lot of things aren't in your control and the fear of failure will always loom large. But if the goal is to do your best, the winning part is at most a bonus and losing doesn't matter. You did your best, you enjoyed the process, your time was well spent.
Took me ages for that sink in, but if you can shift your priority the difference is night and day. And there has to be an ACTUAL shift, you can't be lowkey just telling yourself it's about doing your best in an attempt to cheat around fear and one day achieve your ambition anyway.
We're told that ambition is sexy + all that matters and doing your best is lame or "just what losers say." That is absolutely not true. At all. Leading with ambition is just a recipe for misery and placing your hope for happiness out of your hands.
The little flash of "It Ends With Us" was hilarious. Although I've never considered pursuing trad publishing, this is just a really really enjoyable channel where I've learned a lot about writing--even if for now, it's just for myself.
So many things are subjective when it comes to writing and it's important to remember.
@@whackedout101 I too loved her comments on subjectivity.
1:47 DIABOLICAL 😂 the shade is craaaazy
Alyssa, I just got my book picked up by an indie press. It's an LGBTQIA novel. I work with a developmental editor and EVERYTHING you advise is so true. I find your insight helpful and beneficial. I am blessed to find a publisher, and everything in this video is true. I got rejected by over 120 agents and tried a different approach, based on your advice. It worked! Thank you and please keep doing these videos.
That's amazing - congratulations! I'm so happy to hear my content has been helpful and that you found a home for your book!
That’s amazing! Lgbt awareness is so important especially nowadays, I’m working on my own story that’s centred around lgbt characters as well, I’m so happy you got your book picked up!
What publishers think is a marketable book has turned me from an avid reader to virtually a non-reader, and talking to readers online doesn't really give me much hope either. I write what I want to read, because publishers have long since decided my opinion and my purchase of their books is irrelevant.
We live in the greatest era for authors. You are guaranteed to get your book published whether by traditional methods or through self-publishing. Imagine if you wrote a book and the odds of it ever getting published were 1%? How heart breaking would that be if your book failed to be published after you spent a year or more crafting your book. Now, if you want your work out there, you can do it, no matter what. Yes, traditional publishing makes you feel a sense of validation, but so does a reader when they say "I liked your book!" There is no better thrill than a stranger telling you your story swept them away. Rejoice in today's world of authorship and go all out for traditional with the reassuring notion that self-publishing will always be there if you need it. Your book's success should not be defined by the money it makes, but by the quality of its writing.
I think making perfection gets you far. Yet you still want people to read that perfection, don't you? Doesn't it _deserve_ it? Wouldn't it be a crime if it didn't become global in one way or another?
@@sycariummoonshine7134 Yes, that is the dream, but my point is that in today's world, any book you write has a chance. And that is what makes today's era so great for authors. Yes, we want our books to explode and get noticed so we get paid and can become full time authors, but there's no system that will ever exist to guarantee that. The guarantee of today is your book WILL have a chance, and that is gold. I self published my first novella, it sold 90 copies and I had two reviewers who said it was great. To me, my book was a success. My next book is another book I will self-publish before I try the traditional route (I hope to work with Alyssa on its editing). But if you feel the ONLY validation is traditional publication with global distribution, I think you are focused on the wrong thing. SO many successful authors talk about their years of rejection before things started going well for them, but they kept writing because they loved to write, not because they loved the idea of being a successful author. Their works got judged by one person, and if rejected, tossed in a drawer. NOW, everything you write can be published and be judged by more than one set of eyes. Your odds of success go up with how you market yourself and you have so much more control over every aspect of it. I reiterate, it is a great time to be a writer.
I think being "published" can most of the time be prefaced by "traditionally". Self publishing is great, but being successful in that regard, even having more than, say, 20 sales, is not a matter regarding the quality of your work. For me at least, it is not an alternative whatsoever. And for many traditional publishing, whilst also relying on an element of luck, is a kind of quality-control filter that makes it worth it.
I say go for it. There are no guarantees in life and if you don't believe in yourself, no one will. 🤷
In this sense I think it's fine for people to try trad pub first and then "fall back" to indie if they don't get lucky and believe in their story. If you can get paid up front and have alllll the logistics taken care of plus wider distribution, why wouldn't you take that shot? Doesn't mean indie is any less than, just structured differently.
Everything you've stated is so true. The query letter is especially true for me. Everyone loves the story I wrote when I talk about the book or practice pitching it at conferences. In fact, Mark Leslie said at one writing conference (he was the one whom I was assigned to "practice pitch" the book): "Wow! I love that story! If I were a publisher, I'd sign you today." Well, when I write my query letters they, well, suck! They're awful. I mean, awful awful. Being able to put a story into an engaging pitch is so important. Yet, here I sit...still struggling.
@InvestigatingDavidCrowley
Have you thought of asking writing / critique partners, or a pro marketer?
Why not hire a professional to write your query?
@@lunapond7652 I plan on it! Cause, yeah...I need one! lol
@InvestigatingDavidCrowley I hired one from Fiver with good reviews, and it was the best decision haha, my query letter instantly looked so much more professional.
@@lunapond7652 Thank you for the suggestion!
Lots of books that don't get published are good enough. Unfortunately that's only one of many deciding factors, the biggest of which is luck, that the book passes in front of the right industry professionals at the right time. Possibly even more unfortunately, if a book doesn't succeed, the only way to know whether the book's inherent quality was a direct factor, is to self-publish, and even then, that's not a guaranteed measure there, as success there depends on just as varied a set of factors, the biggest of which is your ability to market, which is entirely unconnected from your ability to write.
In other words, the only way you can know for certain, is if it happens.
Something like getting married, then.
Many good books aren’t published because they aren’t “commercial” enough. Agents and publishers are in business to make money and they don’t make money if it doesn’t sell to a lot of people.
@@dorothynesbit8864
Authors could read them aloud, for RUclips! Or even for Audible if they'll go for it.
Alyssa definitely going on my honorary mentions in my credit section for thanks and appreciations. Also you miss the shots you don't take, go for it. Worst case you don't get selected, best case is why you're pitching and what dreams are made of.
True....it's all subjective. That's why you have to write for a reason other than achieving recognition or financial gain or so much can be considered lost with those factors as one's criteria for ultimate success.
This is amazingly helpful. It's hard for a person to have perspective on their own work. This helps.
So glad to hear you found it helpful!
In short, what you are saying is it is a throw of the dice. That doesn't instil confidence in the people who work at publishing houses who, in theory, have a high education background. Sound like it is easier to just buy a lottery ticket.
a lot of books that... I would not have thought publishable.... are hits and some of the most amazing manuscripts I've read die in the trenches or on sub. There's so much luck involved in tradpub.
There's a lot of luck in indie pub too
I’m working with a professional editor on my first manuscript! I learn what he thinks about it in a few days! I’m excited!
Working on second draft
First book...giving myself a 30 day deadline to send out queries
Love the content... Figuring out who I share a shelf with is going to be fun
Your intro repeats itself so often, I had to check if I had restarted the video.
the it ends with us cover popping up XDDDD
i was wondering if it was me hallucinating and had to watch it twice 😅
ikr, the shade 💀💀
Actually laughing out loud! I do not enjoy ‘coho’ books. But I’m an outlier, obviously. Coho doesn’t care if I like her books as she cashes her checks 😂
half of high concept is the actual book and the other half is marketing. if you're good at marketing, you've got a better shot at everything
Omg so true!!!
Greatly appreciate your content! Please keep it up
A piece of advice that I gleaned once was to write things that scare me, not necessarily because of any horrific quality, but because of how vulnerable I have to be to write it. I'm in the final stages of tying up loose ends before the denouement. There are a couple of characters that are destined to die or suffer a tragic fall from grace, and I'm starting to mourn their downfall as I'm coming to that point. I think that my concept and character development are strong enough, provided that I can follow through with writing the hard tragedy that I'd rather avoid.
I am not sure that I will pursue traditional publishing, but I still want my work to be good enough to be able to. I'm definitely checking out the assessment.
I finished my wip two nights ago after about 3 years work and will start submitting it next week. Your videos are a key part of that journey
so close to 50k!
Greetings Alyssa, I am the Tolkienesque novelist D L Lindeman. Positive Feedback. I sent copies of my first novel to my Novel teacher from High School plus an English Literature professor. They both gave me great feedback including quotes that I used (with their permission) to promote my series. FYI I do have an "Upmarket" agent and a traditional publisher. My first novel "Erdani Saga Book One: Son of the Ancients" (Erdani is pronounced Air Donny) comes out Dec/Jan.
Hi Alyssa I've been watching your videos for a few months now and just finishing the last 25% of my developmental edit and have a question I haven't heard asked before so thought I'd ask you as I know you do this kind of editing. My editor has great reviews and has worked on bestselling books and for publishers and I hired him for these reasons. He has really helped spot problems in my story that needed addressing and has pointed out the technical flaws I have with grammar which I absolutely agree with.
However.
From the start I wanted him to be brutally honest with me. I want hard truths so I can improve. He has been so complimentary to my story I just have trouble believing it's as good as he says. I should point out I have zero confidence in my writing (but I didn't tell him that) but he says things like, he had to put the book down and collect himself and that it was thrilling and how much he despised my bad guys. He said a number of times he had to read on without editing just to see what happens which is the highest compliment an editor can give. Do you think he is just being encouraging or polite? Do you say things like that to your clients? I tell myself he has my money so why would he lie, am I just being paranoid? Sorry this is long, would love to hear your or anyone else's thoughts. Look forward to more videos!
My 2 goals for this year: Finish my manuscript; get Alyssa a youtube award for her to put in the shelf behind her! 🎉🎉
Hello Alyssa. I found you completely by accident. I am about 41% complete in my crime adventure debut novel (regarding the 90,000-word limit.) I have watched your videos. Some from 3 years ago. Awesome information. I kindly thank you and look forward to more.
I've started to expand on a paper I wrote concerning personal identity. After my experience, a death in the family, and the experiences I see my contemporaries deal with almost daily, I see there might be a place for my book idea. Seems like many people have this problem, or may well experience it in the future. I was going to just put in a WordPress blog, but thinking about going further.
Alternatively flip the question on it's head, why should these publishers deem themselves worth of having your debut? They get plenty of opportunities to publish a book, you only get one chance to have a debut. Also It Ends With Us is hugely overblown.
While cute that kind of arrogance is both delusional and unhelpful, both for publishing and for someone's development as a writer.
@@azrielackerman4659 I get what they mean, but only to a certain extent. Writers can get so desperate to be published that they take the first agent and first publisher that gives them attention even if one or the other isn't a good fit or wouldn't work in their best interest. In that sense, it's healthier to have a certain amount of caution and make sure you're getting what any writer deserves.
Here's my recommendation as a writer who is not an author.
Educate yourself on the publishing industry and business.
I went to book fairs for several years. I spoke to local publishers, I spoke to authors and officials.
I simply thought of it as gathering information but i see now it is also determining what is attractive to publishers and what is unattractive to publishers .
thanks again, Alyssa! your insights always help me better understand the complexities of the industry and motivate me to keep querying.
I'm back on submission again -- perhaps fool hearted in my attempts to query for several different novels i feel are good enough for publishing after years and years of revisions.
my big question this summer is why is it taking so long to hear back from any single agent? of course their inboxes are getting hit harder than ever, but this year has been ESPECIALLY quiet compared to previous ones, where i used to receive rejections usually within a month or so of submission.
i started querying this year back in March and have yet to hear anything from a single agent -- rejection or otherwise...i know silence after a certain period of time can imply rejection, but i feel like i used to always at least receive a rejection email out of sheer courtesy.
thanks again!
1:47 the same book came to my mind as well XD
Thank you so much for this informative video about difficulties in traditional publishing, If that possible could please make a video about rules that publishing houses put to accept a book ? Samples of acceptance, samples of rejections, samples of editing, stuff like this please I am a children author but I am in my debut novel as novelist and I really need those to be experienced. Thank you. Hugs from Lebanon.
I once learned from a woman on a publisher that the genre that I wrote in was nothing they published right then. I made some research and learned that the genre I wrote wasn't published in my homeland. So I had to switch genre.
I came fairly close to writing a book for a small publisher back in 2012. I was sent a contract in fact.
I ended up not writing the book because the publisher noted in June and July wanted the book released at Christmas.
I had been a freelance writer for magazines and print journalist for newspapers for nearly 20 years at that point.
I hadn't written a book before so i had no gauge to rely on. In terms of articles, yes but not books. So i ended up not writing the book.
I can only say what is publishable is what is beheld in the eye of the publisher you deal with .
Different publishers
Different standards.
You put that book cover in too fast for me to screenshot it lol. Now I’m going. To accidentally buy it and read it
I guess it’s out of date to flash fifty shades… but still a great example. Not well written. But IMMENSELY popular. Just write your book, people! See what happens!
1000% YES.
Love your videos Allysia..
I’m 28K words into a memoir.. mostly funny stories with a few dilemmas too…Will 40K words be enough?… all the chapters are different stories but written chronologically.. a light hearted read you can pick up and put down at your leisure..etc
Memoirs are great, just be aware that there are far fewer agents looking to represent these than standard fiction or non-fiction. As for length, it is very unlikely an agent that works with long-form fiction (novels) will even consider a 40k long piece. This is not novel length sadly. The recommended length would be double that, 80k. An alternative to writing more would be to look for an agent that represents both novellas, and memoirs, but these would be even harder to find. Of course, this is all assuming you want to publish traditionally! Maybe you don't, and that is totally okay too.
No writing, whether you're published or not is a waste of time. Self-publishing gives you more control over your writing, but the ultimate level of control is to just write for yourself. Going to a publishing house gives over control (in my opinion, I've never tried to publish with one) of your writing to other people. They will tell you how to make your book more saleable, but will you lose your own voice in the process?
Limelight or being true to yourself, it's up to you.
Just keep trying you will get your book published one day
Is it true that publishers won't touch a book where the author is the same as the illustrator? apparently if the illustrator is different then the publisher has more options of marketing it? thanks
Hi Alyssa: I'm still confused about selecting 'comparables'. What are the major characteristics agents looks for with the comparables? For example, is setting important or no - I understand they are interested in potential sales but what story features point to good sales down the road? Okay, thanks for all your vids.
I look to my favorite books for inspiration, hoping I can one day be as great as my favorite authors 🏆
While this video has some good points, the very idea that to be good a book has to be accepted by a publisher feels wrong to me. So many good books have been rejected by publishers, while so many awful ones have been accepted. The fact that a publisher accepted your book does not reflect on its artistic quality but on the marketable, profitable qualities the publisher wants to see.
Personally, I don’t think the work it takes to get traditionally published is worth the payoff anymore. I keep hearing stories of publishing houses not giving the same resources they used to: editing, marketing, etc. And that they expect the author to do all of that on their own anyway. They’re basically just a glorified distribution service that takes most of the earnings anymore. (Unless you are already an established author.) It’s really disheartening.
It's difficult to give a straight answer to the question there is no criteria. Publishers maintain a posture of "The chooser," by being intentionally vague and refusing to even read submissions and then filtering queries with AI or interns. This allows publishers to choose writers instead of rewarding stories. Publishers don't believe in selling stories. They believe in marketing authors. If you want readers you'll have to get them yourself. If you want to sell books (gain consumers) who may or may not read, but will certainly BUY a book. You need to appeal to that audience... The people who like the idea of being a reader more than reading. This is the trad pub game. Not for people like me (on multiple levels). Unless of course you're willing to read my book and prove me wrong. 😅
Publishers (and agents) read every submission, it would be actively against their interest not to. They're filtered through interns because everyone in the industry is doing the work of 5 people on a single person's salary and even agented submissions are a slush pile. AI is nowhere near qualified enough to actually evaluate a piece of writing, that's not a thing.
Agents and publishers don't *respond* to every single submission, but that's a different issue.
My issue in the past was that I was given bad advises or didn't get much needed feedback that would make my work, letter or synopsis good enough for agents.
Well, my burning question is how long do you keep trying the traditional publishing route before moving onto self-publishing? I have something almost ready to go, but can't decide which to try first.
I think it really comes down to your personal publishing goals and timeline. Both can be rewarding paths! I have another video about some factors to consider when you're trying to decide: ruclips.net/video/yJiwM2AZZyo/видео.html Wishing you all the best with whatever you choose!
Good summary. Thanks
Thank you so much, Ms. Alyssa. I feel much better now (I suffer from some pretty bad imposter syndrome).
I do have a question though....what if our book is in a subgenre that doesn't have many (if any) books around to compare it to? My book is a romantasy set in the last months of the American Civil War. I love both historical fiction and romantasy and thought it would be fun to combine the two.
That Colleen Hoover snapshot was shaaaady 😂😂😂❤
My worry is that I'll never figure out how to make my book or my writing better or good enough to get published. I could write multiple books, pay thousands of dollars to developmental editors and beta readers, spend years working on craft, and still never catch up with the market. It's very possible to never be good enough. And that makes me so sad. (I'm bitter and confused from the middle of querying! Perhaps I will feel better later)
Hello, is it difficult to get an international agent when you are from Southeast Asia? Can you create a vlog discussing the opportunities for authors outside the US or UK to secure representation from international literary agencies? Thank you!
Something NEW to the table. Here's hoping. Four years in now. Cant give it up.We shall see?
The difference between a good author and a good pilot is that when somebody is a bad pilot somebody crashes into a mountain people die and there are obvious clear cut signs which all of us can see however literature and being an author is not like that and I absolutely effing hate it when people compare writing story telling and literature to that type of stuff particularly when people bring up the question of how much or if you actually have to read in order to be a good author or write a good story/book.
I think my problem is coming up with a more intriguing way of describing my premise. My book has a more classic, fairytale vibe, like Tangled. So I end up just going with the broadest premise which is usually just "a princess sets out to save her kingdom from a dangerous enemy" ... which describes like half the fantasy books in the world. 😂 Wow I need to work on that.
By looking at the odds, it's a bigger chance to be struck by lightning than being published AND making substantial money.
@@AceFreehley The economics for trad authors is pretty dire. Depending on the royalty rate you get offered, selling 100,000 books will net you somewhere around $30 - 100k after all is said and done. How many authors are realistically going to sell 100k copies of their book? It seems like there’s pros and cons to both routes, but trad publishing is like only swinging for the fences despite the fact that most runs scored are not due to home runs.
Actually, it is pretty easy to control your chance of being struck by lightning (or not). If you stand in a field, soaking wet, during a thunderstorm, and hold a metal tent pole straight up, your odds are quite good. (Or is that bad?) Making money publishing? Not as guaranteed, clearly. But, by analogy, there ARE things to do to increase your chances. For starters, do what Alyssa says.
@@davidmackie3497 Fair enough! 😂
LOL my publisher told me that kids books don't make money, but they'd take 50/50 cut for it if they publish it, ugh.
I understand you can't say - This is a best-seller! Or not. But what do you think about tier-listing it? Maybe across those criteria- Premise is a C, Industry Expectations a B, Engaging is S-Tier as it's a page-turner from first to last. Maybe there are other categories for "Publishable" - like Structure, Conflict, Character, Concept. It is the most difficult issue with this art - as a writer, you want to know: Are you any good? Is this fan fiction or is this the next "Aliens" franchise?
Am currently on my first book and seriously am really scared of the outcome..
Hi Alyssa,
What are your thoughts on submitting non-English manuscripts? In your opinion, what's the best way to get a non-English book accepted by an English-language literary agent or publisher? Would you recommend hiring a translator if one's English skills aren't strong enough to write the book directly in English? Or is there a risk that the translator might claim the work as their own? Have you had any experience with this as an editor? I would really appreciate any tips you can offer.
1:48 😅
Hey Alyssa, I just got accepted into the fall Futurescapes writing workshop. Are you familiar with this at all? It is my first time doing a workshop like this and I wonder if you could tell me how to make sure I get the most out of the experience?
It depends on what sells. Usually, crap books that are a crime against trees. Cheap crap. Because this is in demand. It’s like a competition between publishers who causes more trees to be cut for nothing.
12:20 my family member just tells me when it straight up sucks and just tells me to stop reading to her when its so bad 😪
By seeing the trash that some Publishers put out I'm afraid to know the quality of the one who doesn't make the cut
I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we're curious to know Alyssa's hair and skin care routine...
=======================================================================================================
Can we leave questions in the comments for you to address in future videos? If so, here goes: What do you recommend we do if we see an element from our work in progress, like a premise, a plot twist, or a major story component appear in some newly released piece of fiction or media? I'm not talking about something we saw and were heavily influenced by - I'm talking about the sensation of being SCOOPED by some other project, author, or creator we knew nothing about, that was apparently riding the same creative wavelength we were, and got to market first. Do we make adjustments? Keep going as if we never saw it in the first place? Please advise.
what suggestions do you have for getting external feedback?
would publishers take on a well written, but very classic feeling hero/high fantasy? is there a place for books like that in traditional publishing or are they just looking for things that are new and twists opposed to classic fantasy?
in short, i want to write about a guy that goes from a normal everyday life to going on a quest after mythical items in order to face an evil golem king..?
i personally love reading books like that but im a very primitive fantasy reader😂 i know everybody else is looking for the new shticks and twists they get these guys to write now (some are realy great like land of stories!), and i get that the hero on a quest for a sword thing was milked dry but despite this, could such books succeed if written well?
i just want to expand a bit on what my story is if anyone is interested. im open to any ideas and tips.
its about a kingdom that was taken over by a golem, this golem bribes goblin chiefs, and ogre warlords so he has an army of baddies. (although i do make sure to have good goblins and ogres as well... no race is evil!😂) and he seems to enforce some very strict laws and bans "magical creatures, like dwarfs and trolls and dragons or talking animals" etc (i mentioned these specifically because they will be in the book) because of this there is a secret order that tries to get rid of the golem king. (*this is where the story actualy begins.) the order gets infiltrated by spies and they start hanging all of them. so they get desperate and send a boy called matt to go kvetch to a wizard. matt isnt sure about accepting this mission but right when they are giving it to him they get ratted on and a bunch of ogres and goblins start chopin the place up. matt then escapes and makes his way to the wizard. he befriends a talking moose btw because im not getting matt to walk all over the place! and makes it to the wizard. wizard tells him that now hes gotta get the old kings set if he wants to be able to beat the golem, so he sends him out to find the things with a bunch of riddles. getting each item is a test for example matt has to trade smelly cheese with a troll chief to get the sword etc, while he is doing this the golem king has a bounty on his head + sends a bunch of ogres to get him. bottomline he gets the sword shield and armour, and on the way he gets a talking chicken and a ogre to join him. and goes back to the wizard. wizard sends out a bunch of squirrels to tell all the magical creatures and the remaining order to get together. they all come and see that matt has the king stuff so they all team up and put the kingdom (its realy just a city for the most part) under a siege. end of the day matt has a 1 on 1 with golem and wins.
this isn't reinventing fantasy. its a quest with a evil guy. but i think its a story that fantasy fans would like... im writing it and if i cant get published traditionally ill have to do the "self publishing" thing. which is fine by me.. i just wish i could have one of those penguins on the cover😅
If you want people to read your books, then by all means go for it. If you want to be a successful writer though... importantly, you don't have to avoid writing a book like this. But really, what book aside from a folk tale is ever so vaguely focused? Yes, these things can happen in your book, but for your narrative to be compelling it has to be about more than that. Mechanically you have a hero, sure, but who is your character really? Sure it's a "quest", but what even is this quest? All of the books you're imagining, no matter how classic, are certainly more than a reductive study of their structure. You don't have to re-invent the wheel, but you better know how to make one and what to make it for!
You can keep this plot, but not those creatures, because they've been used to death. Give it some new layer, imagine instead of golem king it's a god from Aztec mythology, and the creatures are from Aztec lore. That's just an example. What I'm saying is, give the heros journey storyline a new face that we haven't read before
@@azrielackerman4659
i hope you are right! id rather focus on writing my book as well as i can. as opposed to worrying about whether some publisher likes this kind of plot or another.
in the end im not looking to become the next jk rowling and end up making millions from a book.
i just want to be able to spend my time writing something i love and share it. that's what a book is to me. and so thats what ill be doing.
whether i get to put a penguin on the cover or not is less important.. although i wonder if including a penguin in the book would justify...😅
@@a.roydendsouza562 thats a very interesting idea! i cant belive i did not start with that!😂 i will begin thinking of something effective immediate.
@@a.roydendsouza562 ok so i think im going with jewish mythology.
i get to keep the golem, plus the wizard turns into the rabbi that made the golem. and i just add the witch of endor as the one that corrupted the golem from protecting to oppressing. so it all fits😂!
the three main quest beasts will be:
-the tigris of bel ilai (that's a lion that every time he roars peoples teeth fall out and pregnant womens babies die... and the walls of rome fall etc. nasty stuff this lion)
-the ziz (the ziz is a big mythical bird. were talking huuuuge. does the job i think!)
-the leviathan (BIG whale. makes the other two look cute..)
now when it comes to replacing the goblins and the ogres im thinking of shedim and barzilai. and theres loads of other things to add during travel etc so ill just see what i can do there when i get to it.
this change is actualy an awesome way to tell a classic fantasy story, in a unique way, and also use all that stuff i learned in yeshiva! thank you dude! very good advice!
So by 1:15, I'm hearing that there isn't an answer. Even following tips can result in nebulous and repeated rejections.
2:52 SKIP THE INTRO
Emotionally moving. I've gotten flak by asking this on another channel, but is this true for all genres and readers? I loved the original Star Wars movie, but I can't remember it as being emotionally moving; it was just fun and exciting. On the other hand, I loved BA Alita, which had a highly emotional ending, but for Alita, it was Alita I loved, not the emotion of the ending. My first novel has emotion, I was wondering if too much so. It is scifi about a person going through extreme stress. It's hard for me to gauge if I'm inputting emotion sufficiently as I'm not a very emotional person myself.
A certain degree of emotionally moving, yes. Even in Star Wars we took time to connect with Luke's desire for something greater and more exciting than his farm life on a relatively normal planet (which is heavily relatable). We feel for Leia when her harmless home planet is obliterated.
If you're not a naturally emotional person and aren't drawn to it in fiction, your writing likely reflects that. But you should get direct feedback on your work from beta readers and/or critique partners and see what the overall consensus is.
The excitement you felt when watching Star Wars is an emotion. You were excited, on the edge of your seat during the action scenes, because you cared about the characters. If you hadn't cared about the characters, you wouldn't care what happens to them, therefore the action-packed scene wouldn't be exciting.
❤
An even bigger question than “can I get traditionally published,” is “should I.” You’ll get a 5-10% royalty, minus 15% to your agent, minus taxes. In order to make a living from being traditionally published, you’d need nearly every book you write to be a best seller.
You say that like we don't know what we're get into.
Doesn't sound like you know what an advance is lol
Most writers don't make a living from getting published. Most don't get to quit their day jobs. I myself don't expect to quit my day job, which I shouldn't anyway because I need my employer's benefits. Writing is not about the money.
@@azrielackerman4659 An advance is simply that - an advance on your royalties, which are typically 5-10%. Most advances are pretty small. If you can explain how this changes the economics I laid out in my comment above, please enlighten me.
@@BelleRose11000 Of course you shouldn’t expect to live off of your writing. How could you if you are giving away 95% of the revenue from your writing?
am i 'good' writer, or a 'bad' writer?
Only the adjectives are up for discussion..
i once wrote a 5000 word essay about a heroin addict..to a group of addicts..got booed from the podium..
After reading a truant asked me, "so, you win the essay contest?"
"nope.."
"Thought you were a 'writer'?"
"Didn't say i was a good one.."
Anything is good enough to be published if you self publish but once again it still begs the question of should you.
If you feel you have to ask that question then I’m not sure I want your book published
hmm, sounds like the system sucks.
That's ALWAYS the problem when trying to make money from artistic endeavors.
Artists should be in charge of art, not executive businessmen that are only concerned with money.
Art should be free. Period. All of it. Capitalism turns art into crap.
When you take the money out of art, the only people that make art are the artists that are compelled to make art. At that point, the artist has full control of their art, like they should.
And yes, I realize this is a pretty controversial opinion, but let me make it less so.
I want to go back to when artists had rich personal patrons that would support the artist and let the artist do art instead of worrying about money.
Let's stop trying to suck up to publishers that only want money.
Let's stop giving the music industry billions of dollars while the musicians starve.
Art will be saved when we stop seeing it as a commercial product.
@vernonkroark: The problem with free books is how hard it is to find the good books among all the garbage put out for free by people with little talent. Amazon's reader ratings are a help only sometimes, because people shamelessly game the system with organized (or even purchased) 5-star ratings (and sometimes dox the work of an author they hate on a personal level with organized 1-star ratings).
The underlying issue is that readers' time is not free; it is the most valuable thing they have. Much of what readers pay for, when they buy a book from trad pub, is the assurance that experienced book readers have found this book to be worth their time. The other thing that (many) trad pub readers pay for is the likelihood that other people they know will also read that book. This necessarily limits the number of books published by trad pub every year, which in turn forces them to reject lots of great books. Sigh.
My neighbor liked my first chapter...
Read 20 books in book club .
Cant remember one
SOMETHING ISNT RIGHT.
For one, nobody can tell you your book is crappy or good enough. It will be up to God or the universe because that some point chicken soup for the soul submitted 140 submissions and he finally got a yes and then look what happened? Of series worth millions now. So I wouldn’t take the advice of anybody, but yourself and your persistence of knowing that you need to know and the only way you can do is trying
I'm writing a fan fiction piece about the 45th president of the United States. He flys at the back of the largest dragon in the United States with his children (both legitimate and b*st*rds) and their dragons to reclaim his position as rightful heir to the oval office.
I think it has an intriguing premise, meets industry expectations, is engaging from beginning to end, emotionally moving, and has garnered positive feedback (from my followers on Truth Social). Sounds like its time to submit it to publishers!
lol the sarcasm here is great. This is why 45th is getting cancelled as really he's a dragon rider protecting us from the political white walkers loooool
Ouuu shit, I'm late today. Good excuse though. My researcher sent me 2 days worth of new material just as I was ready to roll up my sleeves and do some serious writing. 6 hours yesterday, 3 hours of it today, this is why I dropped out of college after a few months. Feels like work. My researcher used the wrong phrase with me the other day, "You need to..." Whoa whoa whoa! I don't NEED to do anything. That's why this is fun. I need to pay rent, I need to go to work, I need to pay taxes (so illegals can live the good life), but I don't NEED to write. I'm done. That's my therapy.
5 years until AI writes them all😢
Judging by these boring formulae.
Just shove all the booktok tropes
Check every DEI box
Then you'll have a shot if not just accuse the publishing house of being istaphobes and draw attention to your book.
It’s recommended to take the self-published path. Most media, books, and movies have fallen victim to the woke mind virus. Entertainment has hit rock bottom in terms of quality.
Liberal themes have been the larger voice in stories since the dawn of time, dude. Meanwhile, there's no shortage of Straight White Abled media and there never will be. You still have way, way more publishing options and opportunities then any of those pesky minorities, gee what a terrible problem to have.
How do I book a date with this woman?