Monday, October 25, 2010

Melissa’s Myths For Mondays

Myth #10:

It Should Take No More Than a Year To Finish a Book and Sell It


I actually thought it would be much faster than this. I thought I’d dash of a book, give it a thorough going over to pick up any spelling errors that the computer missed. (Since I’m the worlds worst speller, I’m not sure how I thought this was going to work.) Then I’d send if off to an agent who would take one look, fall in love, and pounce on my manuscript. Within weeks I’d have a contract, and my book would be on the shelves within six months of that time.

Boy did I have a lot to learn. I had no idea that agents might take weeks or months just to look at your query, and then if you’re super super duper lucky they might ask to see a partial or full and take months or more to look at that. And that’s just to get to step one.

Does anyone have any tales of woe or triumph about submission times?

14 comments:

  1. Yeah *sigh* unelss you're a celebrity. I watched the Today Show when Hoda said her book one year from start to publish and I almost choked on my oatmeal!

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  2. No woes yet, but I'm glad this is a myth! I also had some misconceptions about when I'd be finished (thought it'd be done this past summer...). Now I'm trying my darndest to finish it mid-dec, which would be 1 year exactly.

    I'm not even thinking about the long drawn out process after the book's written! :)

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  3. I'm looking forward to the submission process, mainly because I've been mired in the writing process. Even slogging through submissions will feel like I've accomplished a step in the process!

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  4. I used to think that I would sell my book in October and have a hard copy book by December. I was so naive.

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  5. I'll let you know in a few months. I'm polishing queries now.

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  6. I thought I'd get my book written in a year. Which I did. I thought revisions would take 6 months or so. More like 6 YEARS! (Though in my defence, I change my marital status twice, my work situation once, and my living situation three times in that six years.)

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  7. Ahhh.. I hear you! I started seriously writing again in November of 2008 and was absolutely convinced that I would be finished the MS by December, have it out by January, be signed by February, quit my job in March.. annnnd... you get the picture ;)

    I haven't even finished my FIRST book yet... but I've stuck with it, and I know that counts for something big. Even after all the struggle and delays, I'm still here, trying, 2 years later.

    We'll get there, don't worry! :)

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  8. He he he!
    Yeah, though what Christina said is so true. Amazing how fast they can pump out a celebrity book. Grrr.

    Have a great week,
    Lola

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  9. Ah, this is so true and definitely something I learned the hard way. I thought I'd get the book (and more) accomplished within a year. I started my rewrite for my first book in May and am now in the ever long revision process. I think it's best to not set such a strict time line but maybe more daily manageable goals? Great post!

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  10. Hi Melissa - Oh, the good ole days when we didn't know any better. I used to think the same things. Write a book. Edit a few times. Write a query, send it off and voila! An agent. A publisher. A six figure contract and hello WORLD. All of this is a year! LOL. All of those things ARE still possible, but it takes time, different paths and different maybe even different versions of "HELLO WORLD." =d

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  11. GAH! this sounds so familiar!

    oh - and i bet i'd win at the world's worst speller competition.

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  12. Hundreds of tales, Melissa. In the end I self-published, but now turning to Kindle and looking for an agent! :0)

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  13. Yeah, what's with all these celebrities writing books and getting published. Don't they have enough going on???

    I see that many of you have busted this myth.

    And Amie-I'd give you a run for your money on spelling.

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  14. I always write when I hear rules or myths like this. No one who really knows the writing world talks like that.

    Jai

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