Going From Self-Published to Traditional in 3 Years

I was a precocious three year old. I toddled up to my mother and said: “Will you teach me to read? I want to write books.”

By four, I was writing stories about flying Furbies and talking birds. It was no surprise that I spent more time crafting my work than spending time at high school discos. I mean, come on. Why would I want to dance awkwardly and force conversation when I could WRITE about dancing awkwardly and forcing conversation?

By fourteen, I was OBSESSED with getting my book published. And I mean obsessed. I dreamt about it, I researched, I contacted other authors. Looking back, it was mentally exhausting. I wish present me could tell my past self to chill out.

When I was 17, I finished High School and had no intention of going to university, even though I was in the top ten of every class. I just wanted to write and I was worried my dream wouldn’t come true. So, I saved up $3,000.00 and self-published, perfectly aware that I’d never make that money back.

But I didn’t care. My book was in my hands. Crappy cover, unedited and glaringly white pages made me happier than I could imagine. I sold about thirty copies and was strangely satisfied with Googling myself. I’m definitely my biggest stalker.

I tutored during the week, but I wasn’t making a lot of money and my savings were gone. I couldn’t get a job anywhere, until a friend of a friend introduced me to the owner of Discover Magazine. He was impressed that I authored a book and hired me on the spot. Five years later, I still work for him.

When I was 22, I wrote Broken Dolls in ten weeks. I finally managed to find an editor and he changed my life. He showed me how to write in a way that no writing course had ever explained. My editor was brutally honest and I loved that about him. He taught me not to rush into submitting my work – when I was self-published I sent manuscripts everywhere and it’s only now I can understand why they rejected me. My work was sloppy.

Still, I was a scamp. My editor advised that I rewrite Broken Dolls, but I was getting impatient. I needed to get published. It was like a little voice scratching at my mind and tugging at my stomach. If I didn’t do it now, I’d probably explode. I told myself if I was rejected one more time, I’d just self-publish again and study marketing.

The Publishing Gods were smiling that day. Within five hours, the CEO asked for my full and five days later I had a contract. I couldn’t believe it. I was signed. I was ACTUALLY signed! Naturally, I cried like a baby. Then my mum cried. Then my grandmother cried. There were a lot of happy tears in April 2015.

I found out that self-publishing isn’t as glamorous as people make out. Sure, Switched and Fifty Shades of Grey were originally self-published, but they didn’t get popular until a traditional publisher signed them on. There’s still a stigma associated to it and I’m humiliated that fans of Broken Dolls are now buying my self-published title Dumb Luck, which is full of grammatical errors and clichés that only a sixteen year old would write. Maybe it’s a good thing. Aspiring writers can see the growth through my books.

My advice? Get an editor. Seriously, they’re your best friend. Don’t ask your family members: ask a professional.

Don’t focus on getting published with the Big Six. There’s nothing wrong with signing onto a small press. In fact, it’s sometimes better to be a big fish in a small sea.

You’re not going to make a career if you write for an hour here or there. You need to set aside ten hours a week, at least. Make this a commitment; not a hobby. Anybody can write a book, but not everybody can get published.

Self-publish to satisfy your own needs, but don’t stop there. We’re writers, and we’re writing our life story. Keep growing, keep learning and don’t take no for an answer. You WILL get that contract if you’re determined enough…but only if you get an editor. And show don’t tell. And don’t do anything that seems contrived. And know the difference between YA and MG. And so on.

As always, keep dreaming, keep shining, keep writing.

You can do it.