My days have been filled with so many amazing things lately.
Nanowrimo put on this amazing podcast back at the end of February called Attracting an Editor. Awesome! Barry Cunningham, he published Roald Dahl and JK Rowling, and his new author M. Anjelais were interviewed for about an hour. Both were charming and funny. Both were very direct and honest about their experiences in publishing. I’ll give you the couple of point that really got my attention. The ones I am still thinking about, mulling over, sharing with other people three weeks later.
-You need to be fearless. You will be rejected but keep going because whether an editor likes your work is not at all about the quality of your work but more about the moment that the editor reads it. Always carry on believing in your work.
-According to Barry what editors want the most is an authentic voice, everything else can be fixed.
-According to Barry, only get an agent if they are really adding something to the process. They keep your books for the rest of the book’s life, so you have to be happy giving away a percentage forever.
-Per M. only write if it feels like something you must do, if you really love it. She writes because it’s as natural to write as it is to breathe.
Wow. air in, air out. Yep. I’m in love.
I think you can still get the video of this from Nanowrimo. It’s worth it to watch it. Although there were some audio issues with Barry in the beginning, if you work to understand him, it is totally possible.
Stay tuned for more fun and games.
T.A. Henry 