In light of the unprecedented and scary year we've had, we thought it'd be a good idea to share our 2020 in regard to how the year affected our writing and our lives.
Today, Terry Whalin shares his
experience:
By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin
As we end this strange year of
2020, I've turned to my writing more than ever.
I began the year with lots of
conferences on my schedule and travel plans. As an editor, I find many authors
at these events and they are productive for my career in publishing. In February
I spent five intense days at a Book Funnel Bootcamp and learned a great deal
plus built this
site for my 10 Publishing Myths book.
In March, I traveled to Nashville
for a red carpet event with my Morgan James authors and colleagues. The worldwide pandemic
was just beginning and my wife questionned whether I should attend—but I did. It
marked my last time to travel for the year since my other events were cancelled.
On the way home, my plane backed up from the gate and the pilot announced they
were closing all of the ski resorts in Colorado. They gave the passengers one
opportunity to get off and stay in Nashville. My plane was loaded with parents
and children headed to ski and about half of my airplane left the flight and
stayed in Nashville—and the airline would have to straighten out their baggage
later.
Throughout the months that
followed, I continue to find new authors and sign them at Morgan James but I was
less active than in years past because of the pandemic. With the additional free
time, I turned to my writing and producing books for others. One of those books
has been completed and a second one is nearing completion. These books are ones
I write for others (and my name may or may not appear on the printed book). It's
just one of the pivots that I've experienced during this “different”
2020.
My Writing
Tip:
Publishing is still active and
books are selling. At Morgan James we published and launched over 200 new titles
this year. Editors and agents may be working at home but they are still actively
reading and responding to pitches and proposals. I encourage each of us to keep
our fingers on the keyboard and keep pitching our projects. The more you knock
on the doors, the more they will open for you. There are many opportunities but
these opportunities will not come to you. You have to be actively looking for
them.
Tweetable:
W. Terry Whalin is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. His work contact information is on the bottom of the second page (follow this link). He has written for over 50 magazines and more than 60 books with traditional publishers. His latest book for writers is 10 Publishing Myths, Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed. Get this book for only $10 + free shipping and over $200 in bonuses. One of Terry's most popular free ebooks is Straight Talk From the Editor, 18 Keys to a Rejection-Proof Submission. He lives in Colorado and has 190,000 twitter followers.
8 comments:
Terry, thanks for the encouraging tip. Authors should keep on keeping on and submitting their work. You need to go after opportunities!
Karen,
Thanks for the feedback and comment. Without the author taking action, nothing happens. I believe there are many great opportunities ahead for each of us--if we seize them.
Terry
Thank you so much for news from the unfamiliar world of traditional publishing. Interesting and inspiring! Carolyn
Carolyn,
Thank you for this comment and feedback. Traditional publishing is alive and well and continuing to release (and sell) books. There are many ways for authors to get out there and it's good we can speak about it here on Writers On the Move.
Terry
Thank you, Terry, for your encouraging post. It sounds like you had a good year despite its challenges, because of your perseverance and terrific attitude. I especially like your reminder to keep knocking on doors. In my experience, that truly is the best way to succeed in the publishing world.
Linda,
Thank you for this comment and feedback about my article. Pitching or knocking on doors gets tiring and often is something I don't want to do either--but then I do it--because it is built into the fiber of publishing. If you don't pitch, you don't get the opportunities. It may be a book deal, a magazine article, a podcast, a radio show or whatever--each one includes the necessity to pitch or ask. So...I keep on knocking--and encourage others to learn how to ask and keep on asking too.
Terry
Thank you Terry.
It's good hear how your publishing year went and your resourceful pivots. We're inspired to keep rolling over the bumps and write!
Fantastic new website for your "10 Publishing Myths". Congratulations, you did a great job with it.
So there you are! Even in a pandemic and political craziness we can still make our own choices. We just gotta keep a little power for ourselves. (-: Thank you, Terry!
Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
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