Hello dear readers!
A 'short' while ago (summer of 2018) I started a non-fiction project titled Simple Ways to Write, Publish, Market a Debut Novel (+ Intimate Testimonials from Published Authors).
Because of various things going on in my life (working on several fiction books, turning my newest release — Whispers and Other Strange Stories— in audiobook format, and some health issues) this book is taking me longer to publish.
I have, therefore, decided to release extracts from my project here on my website. These extracts are from Part 4 of the Simple Ways book, titled Intimate Love Letters: From Published Authors to Aspiring Authors. They contain, as the name suggests, letters I have gathered from authors about their journey to, through, and after publication. These are the questions I have asked them to specifically write to me (and you) about:
How was the experience of writing your first / debut novel? What is some (brief) advice you would give to aspiring novelists now?
What are the essential things to do, and others to avoid, to make a good start as a writer and aspiring author?
How has writing the first novel influenced writing your second one, and/or your writing career in general?
What did you learn the most from this author journey you’ve been on so far?
What lessons have you learned about life from reading?
What book changed your life that you would also give to a friend’s child on their 18th birthday?
What would you tell your 16-year-old self if you could go back in time ‘disguised’ as a stranger?
What is one thing that always makes you smile?
‘The thing’ of your choice can be tangible or intangible and doesn’t have to be writing related. Can also be a pet, person, book, movie, poem, memory, etc. If you’d like to mention more than one ‘thing’, please do.
I will be releasing their 'letters' one by one, every week or so, in the order they got back to me.
I hope you enjoy them and find them useful. I love reading them and think are most enlightening, especially to aspiring authors, but also to seasoned ones. It is always great to learn from others.
This first letter is from JD Estrada. JD Estrada is an indie author with currently 13 published books — some fiction, some non-fiction. He is originally from Puerto Rico.
You can find and follow him here:
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Dear Dreamer:
I suspect the prospect of writing a book seems at times insurmountable and that either time, energy, or motivation all have a funny way of leaving your side when you need them the most. I’m here to tell you a couple of things, but the first one is that everything will be OK.
Does that mean there’s a foolproof way of publishing? Not a chance. But this is what you want to do; otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this book. One of the most common questions I get asked is how long did it take to write my first novel. The fun part is seeing people’s faces when I give my answer: Seven years. That’s how long it took for me to write, transcribe, edit, proofread, edit, format, get the cover for, and publish Only Human. By the way, the word edit is there twice and for good reason. Writing requires a lot of editing.
As you can imagine, trying to synthesize that experience is a bit of a challenge since that’s pretty much the time it takes to completely change the taste buds in your mouth. Still, it was fascinating because, in that book, you can actually witness me capturing the entire process of finding my voice as a writer. It takes a couple of chapters, but for me, I can clearly see when I stopped trying to impress people and got swept away by my story and found my voice. It was eye opening and extremely satisfying. I also get asked if I’d ever edit that first novel and the answer is “no.” I want people to find my story and my voice along with me. I think that’s something a lot of authors can’t share with other people and I’m happy to do so.
I’ve been a published author for 5 years and in that time I’ve been able to publish 13 books, including 3 full novels, 6 poetry collections, 1 middle-grade short story collection, a bilingual collection of essays, poetry, and short stories, and 2 non-fiction books. I’ve done things in a way where my readers actually enjoy me tackling so much variety. It actually seems they enjoy that I keep them guessing, even if I’ve kept them waiting a bit for book 3 of the Human Cycle series. But in that time, I’ve been able to learn quite a few things although mainly about myself and I thought it’d be worthwhile to share some advice to aspiring novelists. By the way, this is my perspective and odds are huge you will find conflicting or complimentary advice in this and many other books. 1. Don’t pay attention to people who constantly write about the things you HAVE to do to be successful. You don’t HAVE to do anything. Everyone has a different writer journey and the steps to your success and your happiness will be different to those of other people. Read tips, see what applies, and do what feels right.
2. Don’t limit yourself creatively. Be it traditional or independent publishing, always push yourself to be a better writer, to write something unique, and to share something no one else could write. Be you. Don’t be the next X or Y author. Show us you.
3. Follow your gut. Your instinct will see you through better days quite often. This applies in life AND writing. For me, I know I’m on the right path when there’s no doubt in a line or a plot point.
4. Invest time and or money in a cover you’re proud of. Make your covers unique and have them reflect what’s inside while being attention catching. What that means for you is different than other people but put your book next to other books and see if it pops out. If it doesn’t, consider revising because people judge covers and you want yours to make it into the shopping cart.
5. If you independently publish, always make sure to write over 100 pages. That’s one of the only musts I’ll say. Below that threshold, most self-publishing presses won’t be able to include a spine and this will hurt your sales.
I could write 50 more tips off the top of my head, but those are some of the most important covering a couple of things. As far as other things to do, honestly, use social media in a way where you’re not just promoting your work. I suggest it for a couple of reasons, but mainly because if no one responds yet you still have fun doing what you’re doing, then you’re winning. Also, people don’t respond exclusively to book promotions because there are a LOT of people like that. Be yourself always.
That’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned on my writer journey. Sure, I’m far from selling thousands of books, but I’ve sold hundreds and I’ve always done so by my rules. That’s gone a long way to keep me motivated because sometimes sales aren’t there, reviews aren’t there, and you need to love what you do and how you do it to keep going. Also, and I can’t stress this enough, read. Read a lot. Read all genres. Expand your horizons. Feed your brain. It’ll reward you with richer and more unique stories. Read psychology, philosophy, children’s books, YA, fantasy, sci-fi, and poetry. Write poetry. Fall in love with words and what you can do with them.
As for books I’d give to someone on their 18th birthday, there are a couple of titles I’d recommend and if I made a gift book basket, it would include: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe, The Hobbit, The Little Prince, The Sandman Graphic novel, books from the Disc World series, and Dune. I mention these books because they are essential in my life and in my writing. Harry Potter came at a time when my life needed magic direly. It also shows what perseverance can reward you with. Rowling was rejected at every corner until someone took a gamble and now there is a theme park based on a book series. How amazing is that? For the Lion, the Witch & The Wardrobe, this was the first book that really, truly connected with me. The Hobbit was my favorite book in high school and is still one of my favorite books because it is so well balanced, has poetry/songs, and really invites you to go on an adventure. The Little Prince is in that basket because there’s no book like it. It’s short, symbolic, easy to read, yet will reveal worlds of meaning with every read and as you experience this thing called life. The Sandman series is included because it shows just how amazingly creative and literary comics can be. It’s visual poetry and one of the richest story arcs I’ve ever dived into. As for the Disc World series, Terry Pratchett is by far one of my favorite writers. What he can do with one sentence is mind boggling and every page is quotable. Finally, there’s Dune. For me, Frank Herbert definitely opened my eyes to what sci-fi can be and to how real a world within words can be.
I got asked what I would tell my 16-year-old self if I could go back as a stranger. For me, I’d gift that kid a notebook with one message: You will write two stories this year for English class. One will get you a perfect score of 100. The other will barely make the grade. The difference is simple. In one story, you’re telling YOUR story and in the other, you’re trying to emulate. Always listen to your voice, keep all your notebooks, and don’t throw away the poems you wrote in college tests, they will be worth a lot of money in the future.
And lastly, one last tip: find your smile in what you write. Let me clarify. Don’t just find smiles. Find your smile in what you write. Make references to songs, movies, books, and life. Include some pieces of yourself in your writing that add that extra dimension. I recommend this because, although we all want to be read and we want people to enjoy what we write, I strongly believe we should write for ourselves. Make it clear. Make it understandable. But make it so that you smile. Even if you have to edit it a hundred times. Even if you find a typo you later fix. Even if only ten people read it. Because your writing starts with one reader… and that’s you. Trust me, if something you write makes you genuinely smile, odds are big that at least one other person will smile… and that’s a good enough start.
For now, write on, dream big, and my best to you on your journey.
Peace, love, and maki rolls
JD