We were doing what guys do, acting hyper-masculine by trying to eat the hottest wings on the menu. In reality, it was just a chance to get together before many of the recent grads I had worked with in Young Life left for college.
In the middle of that dinner, my wife called me and told me to check my e-mail immediately. I opened the e-mail on my phone to read that Moody Publishing was offering to publish my first book.
It was truly one of the most exciting days of my life.
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| I got to meet John Perkins in Chicago! |
Going in to the book-writing process, all I knew that I enjoyed writing and I wanted to write a book. Literally nothing else. Having now gone through the process once, I've started to learn what to do and what not to do. In the first of a two-part blog, here would be my advice for ambitious writers hoping to get their first book published.
1. Being an author is part-time writer and part-time small business owner. Being an author will feel like a part-time job or sometimes even a full-time job. I played basketball in college. Fans see the glamorous part, but players know all that happens behind the scenes before game day. As an author, you wear a lot of hats besides that of a writer. Publishers definitely help you out throughout the process, but you are the main person responsible for the writing and promotion of your book.
2. Write as much as you can. Prior to writing a book, I wrote sports at The News Leader in Staunton for 13 years. I also wrote for many other publications about faith, culture and music. I wrote for free for as many publications as I could, and I was able to build lots of relationships. Also, expanding my reading audience beyond the local newspaper readership was important as I sold the idea of my book to a publishing company. I would suggest creating a personal blog and finding a Web site that is looking for writers. Then contribute to both sites consistently. Set a goal of one personal blog and one published blog a week.
3. Read as much as you can. One book that was required reading for me was Michael Hyatt's Platform. (Read about it here.) The book is filled with insights that apply to new and aspiring authors. Another way I continue to improve as a writer is to read as much material as I can from really good writers. Not only is reading enjoyable, but you grow as a writer, so it's a win-win situation.
4. Know what publishers like. Publishers are not looking to read your book. They want a book proposal that tells them why lots of other people would read your book and two sample chapters. Hyatt actually addresses the right way to make a book proposal in the Platform book and on his blog.
5. Be prepared for your big break. In July of 2012, I attended The Legacy Conference at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. I actually had my book proposal in my backpack. When I met the representative from Moody Publishing, she told me what I needed to submit to have my book considered. I was able to hand it to her right on the spot. If nothing else, she knew I was serious about becoming a published author.
I was interviewed on the Chris Fabry Live! show about being an author and the Trayvon Martin aftermath. You can listen here.
I write these blogs as conversation starters. I would love to know what type of book you would like to publish, and what other questions you have about writing a book. If you have written a book, what other tips would you suggest to aspiring authors?
Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog about forgiveness here), and a dad to five crazy kids. Chris leads Young Life at his former high school, Robert E. Lee, in Staunton, VA, and he has written for VIBE, Rapzilla.com, JamTheHype.com and other publications. Moody Publishers recently released his first book, You're Grounded, which you can purchase here. Please consider subscribing to the Cross Promotion blog, which gets updated twice a week.
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