Over the last few years, I've been on a
researching and fact-finding mission for any information on how to
become a published author in Australia. Whilst there's a wealth of
information online, it can often be a little overwhelming. Sometimes
you just want to be told what your next steps should be in a concise
easy-to-digest format from someone who's been successful in the
process. Enter the Australian Writers' Centre's 'How to Get Your Book
Published' course!
Armed with my new blog, written on the
back of my work business card—classy!—I attended the two hour
course with much enthusiasm, preparing to leave the session knowing
exactly what my next step would be. In the past three years I've
attended four other courses at the Australian Writers' Centre and
they have each been fabulous in their own way. I've completed
Creative Writing 1, Creative Writing 2, Into to Novel Writing and
Blogging for Beginners. The courses are always full of like-minded
people who want/need to share their writing, which is always one of
the great joys of these classes—being surrounded by kindred
spirits!
The course was presented by Geoff
Bartlett, author of Comedians in the Mist, the adorable Cattitude and
Mutterings. Most information I've garnered from different courses and
festivals tend to leave me a tad overwhelmed, and often, a little
disheartened, but Geoff was very encouraging whilst remaining
realistic. Although the stats remain the same, 95% of submissions are
passed based on proposals alone, he delivered the material without
leaning towards the doom and gloom version, which I really
appreciated.
Here's a few nuggets of wisdom I learnt
on the night:
It takes between 12–18 months to
publish a book. *Sounds pretty fair to me.
The media will always back local talent
over international talent. *Yay for Australian authors!
Think outside the box for marketing
opportunities *Still mulling this one over.
Literary agents are mostly interested
in authors already published or a celebrity. *Sadly no and no for me.
Literary agents have a 50% hit rate
with manuscripts they pitch to publishers *That's pretty awesome! Now
I'm wondering how I can become an instant celebrity...
On a full moon all the lunatics come
out *Ha! Must remember not to behave like a lunatic around
publishers...
But my favourite part of the night was
Geoff's theoretical scenario:
“Let's say Astrid wrote the
Australian version of the Hunger Games...”
To which I replied, “I like the sound
of that.”
“Then literary agents will be
interested in representing her, pursuing other writing opportunities
for her, such as writing for film or an episode of Home and Away.”
Whilst I wasn't so keen on the Home and
Away offer (no offence Home and Away fans), I started imagining that
my book *will* be the next Hunger Games, one can always dream!
So what are my next steps? Well, it
sounds like an agent is off the cards for now, so I will be crafting
a kick-ass proposal for publishing houses that accept unsolicited
manuscripts. Slush pile here I come! ;)
If you have any questions about
publishing, or suggestions on how I can become an instant celebrity,
please let me know in the comments. For other aspiring authors, I
highly recommend the 'How To Get Your Book Published' course, here's
the link:
http://www.writerscentre.com.au/sydney/getyourbookpublished.htm
Until next time,
Astrid
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