Thread by @willrdean

10 years ago I was still stuck in the query trenches (lost & confused). Here’s a few things I’ve learned about writing/publishing in the past decade 🧵

1. Resilience. Rejection is part of the job. It gets easier. It’s not that your work isn’t good it’s that it isn’t a good fit.

2. As a writer the most important thing you can do is read. Read widely & read well. Read often. Prioritise reading. It’s like one free degree after the other.

3. Community. We are often hermits but we support each other. Find a tribe. Share experiences & celebrate their wins.

4. For your long-term sanity, focus on the work (writing), not success/the mechanics of publishing. When things get tough (they will) go back to stories to lift you up.

5. When you have success pay it forward. Support debuts. Give feedback on query letters. Be there for them.

6. Get an accountant if/when you can afford one.

7. Be honest with your agent/editor. Don’t be a diva. Respect their time and they fact they have other authors to focus on. Develop a team mentality.

8. Register for PLR. Don’t forget large print editions. Libraries are amazing.

9. Any writing career has its ups & downs. Be open to pivoting, using a pseudonym, changing agencies, changing genre. Adapt & overcome. It’s not over until you say it is.

10. You’ll be sent lots of proofs. This is fantastic. It can also be overwhelming. You can’t read them all.

11. Even if it’s not in your nature (raises hand), try to be organised. Your schedule, receipts, deadlines, tax payments, foreign rights deals.

12. Pre-orders are important. They show bookshops there is demand for your work. Talk to your team about how best to work on this.

13. Look after yourself. Take breaks from writing, take social media pauses, use a good chair, go for walks if you can, talk/vent to writer friends.

14. Publication week can be overwhelming. Take a moment to forget the minutiae/to do lists & remember you always dreamed of this.

15. Fall off the horse. Get on again. Repeat.

16. Think long-term. Focus on craft. Step out of your comfort zone. Push yourself a litttle. Again: read well.

17. Don’t look at Goodreads. The greats have 3 star ratings. We don’t rate paintings this way. It’s not useful for you.

18. Librarians and booksellers are your heroes. Appreciate them, thank them, value them.

19. If you have a conflict with your agent/publisher always act professionally. It’s a small world & word gets around. Be kind.

20. Check the numbers. Transfers, payments, taxes, royalties.

21. When you’re sent page proofs to check, read them. Don’t skip this. It’s tough to read your own words over & over. Do it anyway.

22. Register for ACLS.

23. Do what you can to support & nurture a diverse publishing environment. We need all the voices. We want all the stories.

24. Events are daunting! They’re daunting for everyone. But these are book people. They’re nice.

25. Get paid for your work/appearances.

26. But if you don’t need those appearance fees consider waiving them so they can go to someone else. Many events operate on tiny margins.

27. Write the next book. If you’re sad or disheartened or lost or broke, withdraw and write the next book.

28. Publishing can seem a bit posh & London/NY centric. This is improving. There are regional hubs. There are more working-class editors and publicists. Don’t be put off.

29. Fight for your work/rights/voice to be heard. Do so in an empathetic & considerate way. Stand up for yourself & others.

30. Only do the social media you enjoy. Try YouTube or TikTok if you like video. Try a blog or substack if you prefer to write. It’s fine to do none of it.

31. This is not like training to be a doctor or plumber. There’s no set path or qualifications. You’ll need to muddle through & find your own way in your own time.

32. Working for yourself is liberating. And terrifying. Treat the art like a hobby & the business part like a job.

33. 1 in a million gets a massive book fair 7 figure deal. They sound amazing (& the money’ll come in handy) but they can also be a curse. Where do you go from there? Usually down. Work with what you have. Think long-term.

34. Get a cat or a dog or parrot. To balance the angst.

35. You don’t have to write every day. You don’t have to write what you know. You don’t have to write 70-90k words. There are no rules.

36. Editors are wise. Listen to them.

37. Copy-editors are maniacs. Joke! They’re great. They make work readable & help fix your timelines.

38. Appreciate your readers. They are everything.

39. Fail, go again. Pivot. Take a break. Try something different. Have a secret side project. Keep going.

40. A rejection is not a rejection of you it is a rejection of 1 piece of your work. Often because it’s doesn’t fit.

41. Try to distill your book into a sentence. This is hard! But it helps readers, editors, booksellers, reviewers. Comp titles can be useful.

42. The Writers & Artists Yearbook is a great resource.

43. If you’re lucky enough to have translators, value them. They’re amazing.

44. You get better at chess or tennis by playing people who are better than you. You get better at writing by reading incredible authors.

45. Write what excites you. Never dial it in.

46. Stephen King said ‘turn off the TV’. That’s still correct. Also: turn off your phone.

47. There is no ‘best’ process. Some write a first draft in a month, others in five years. Some constantly edit & look back, others push ahead until it’s done. Find your own way.

48. Don’t feel guilty when you take a break. The best ideas often come to you in fallow periods.

49. Writing is magic. If it starts to feel like work go reread your favourite books or write a short story in a new genre with no limits or view to publication.

50. You don’t pay agents up front. If they ask they’re not agents. Dont pay for expensive courses unless you want to.

51. Be lucky. I cannot emphasise this enough. Also: the more you read and write the luckier you will be.

52. Save your work. Back it up. Do this often. Use a few different methods. Make it a habit.

53. Don’t place a mug of coffee/tea/water too close to your laptop.

54. You do to have to write articles for newspapers and magazines about trauma or private matters if you don’t want to. Many authors choose not to do this. Protect your boundaries.

55. If you’re on tour/at an event and you need a break take a break. It’s a marathon not a sprint.

56. Respect self-published writers. They work hard. We’re all on the same team. Find what works for you. This can change over time. Self-publishing is the best route for many writers.

57. Read your work out loud before you send it. This is exhausting & brutal but it’s worth it.

58. Make your own news. If you’re not in The Bookseller or have tube posters (99.9% of authors) do something creative with your book cover, run a giveaway, reach out to reviewers, share some of your research, make a rudimentary trailer, celebrate small wins. Readers will notice.

59. Don’t judge your work & career by the simplest yardstick. We need sales/borrows, but don’t be fooled into using that as the only metric of success. Choose your own. Reader feedback, artistic stretch, the joy of creation. Don’t obsess over numbers. Take pleasure in the craft.

60. The same folk who helped you become a reader (librarians & booksellers) will help you become an author. Pay it forward by acknowledging & thanking them, by directing your readers to indie bookshops, by visiting libraries for events. They are the superheroes of the book world.

61. Finally, I wish you the best of luck. We all need it. Sometimes when things are looking grim an unexpected opportunity will pop up. Publishing can be slow (or it can seem that way - screen adaptations can be slower). Tell your stories, please. I, for one, want to read them.