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Or a gentlewoman.

As a steampunk author I am particularly keen on proper manners. I try and observe them as much as I can, so recent events have been rather disappointing.

Politeness and civility go a long way in publishing. You want to be known as a professional, not as that person who bailed up an editor at a con and tried to thrust your manuscript down her throat. Even though she had both hands full and was talking to her friend at the time.

Don’t go to social events with so little social skills you break into conversation with your relentless desire to pitch. (Yes, agents, editors and publishers are people too!) Get to know people a little, take the time to observe the social niceties, and then most likely people will ask you ‘what are you working on?’ (That’s your cue)

Proper manners are also something that should be observed in all your online dealings. I like the think of myself approachable. Online I answer emails and questions in as a timely a manner as I can. I’m on Twitter and Facebook and am pretty easy to find. However…that doesn’t mean it is an open season to bombard me with requests—especially when I have politely said I don’t have the time right now.

Approach me as you would any other person. Don’t expect me to know or have the keys to the publishing kingdom. I don’t, because if I did I would have used them long ago myself. I have deadlines and commitments in the real world that mean I can’t say yes to everything- much as that pains me. It’s no reflection on you or your work that I don’t have the time to read it. It hurts me to turn people away, but as things get busier for me I have to not only fit in writing, but also time with friends and family.

Writing might seem like it’s bon-bons and caviar, but it is like any regular job in that it takes time to do.

In other words. Be a person. Interact with politeness and interest to the other people around you- most especially when they are agents, publishers, fans and fellow authors. That is networking- not a relentless shoving of your own interests first. Done properly, people respect you and like you, not run away at the first tweet or Facebook message. Then they decide you are a person who they want to do business with, not someone they complain about to their peers.

Yes, being rude gets you a name. A bad one.

This is the first in a series of blogposts, where I talk about what I have learned about the publishing industry, writing, and things I see that just irritate or make me want to pull my hair out. I’m not exactly known for my rants, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have those moments. They are usually inspired by something I heard someone say, something I read, or something I saw someone do. Hang onto your hats!

 

Mama I wish you’d told me it ain’t easy. Oh I wish you’d said the pain don’t go away.

Or so goes the line in Hollie Smith’s heartfelt song, Mama from her album Humour and the Misfortune of Others. Watch the video here, seriously it’s a lament of artists everywhere might understand.

Being a creative individual is not an easy path; it is one that is fraught with danger, missteps, and is certainly not for the faint of heart. Unlike Hollie’s Mama I’m going to tell you that now- but sometimes creatives are their own worst enemy. In this day and age of social media, forums, email lists and everything in between, some people are still throwing hard earned money away.

It seems that everywhere people are trying to make money from creative folks hard work, be they unscrupulous publishers, dodgy agents or people that offer to make every door open to you. Writers, for example are constantly barraged with messages to do this course, or pay this high profile agent to make you and instant bestseller. Sometimes it feels like the industry to make money off writers dreams is larger than the publishing industry itself. (Honestly it amazes me how some new writers are willing to give away their hard-earned money to practically anybody- even people with no proven track record in the field)

Don’t be taken in by the big talk, their pointing at their non-existent credentials, and their promises of a pot of gold and a pony at the end of the rainbow.

If you are going to shell out money for anything that will ‘improve your writing’ (and that isn’t a given that such a thing will happen) examine first the credentials of the person shilling. Have they got a bestseller under their belt (and I don’t just mean calling themselves bestseller- I want to know where and when that happened!)? Who can you contact who has been through this course, and make it someone whose name your recognize, or whose judgment you trust. What are they offering you? (If it’s to make you a bestseller or sell you ‘the secret of publishing’ then please…run don’t walk AWAY!)

Think about Clarion. Yes it is expensive. Yes, you have to live on campus for 6 weeks. But look at the people they have teaching—known names in the speculative fiction field. Check out the people that have been through Clarion; Cory Doctorow, Octavia Butler and Tobias Buckell.

If I was starting out, I would rather save my money for something like Clarion then spend it on a dozen folks who promise you the world. But there are certainly reputable places where you can find cheaper ways to improve your craft. Someone like Holly Lisle, who has a huge number of books under her belt, and a history of training other authors.

Sometimes we only have our selves to blame. Honestly. Please. We know you have dreams and aspirations. We know that they are dear and personal to you and are a shining light in your life. That doesn’t mean you have to throw money at that flame heedless. Take a step back. Breathe. Evaluate the person, what they are offering and if you can afford it.

Please don’t drive yourself into debt because some shyster is telling you he can get you on the New York Times list, or some other impossible claim. Keep at least one foot in reality.

Let’s get smart folks. We, as a group need to do something we are good at; research. Yes, those same logical skill we apply to our writing we should turn on this industry. Don’t take people at their word that they can make the world your oyster.

That’s your job and while it might be exciting to imagine someone has that backdoor to publishing superstardom. No one does. It’s a sad hard fact.

Here’s my experience. I had to work at this. Yes, there were times I wanted to give up, but I kept going, kept writing. And eventually I got my first contract, then my second, hey my third and fourth just recently. I don’t have the answers, but I know it certainly didn’t happen overnight. Like anything you have to work at it. Alot.

Now, get back to writing. That’s where you’ll really learn and improve. And you know what…it’s free!