I've been asked a lot for writing advice, and I thought I would put it here for anyone else who was interested. Publishing a book has been a great experience for me, but it has been a long road.
1- Writing a book is the first challenge and 99% of people who want to write a book never finish. So, you're almost there by just writing a book. My most recent published book is my 4th book I've actually written (2nd one published). My first 2 need some work, but I like to write so I continue to write.
2- Next is to do rewrites and get some feedback from your book. Have some people read your book and tell you honestly what they think. Family will be kind and nice, so maybe try to find some neutral feedback. You can find beta readers online to read your book. You can also join a local writer's group to get feedback. This is where rewrite is a big part of the writing process. Many authors rewrite a dozen times before submitting.
3- The next challenge is finding an agent/publisher. Of the people who write a book, 99% of them never get their book published. Every author does it differently. I read a lot of books that are the same genre and style of my book and I wrote to those publishers to see if they would be interested in my book. Many publishing companies require you to go through an agent, while some others don't. My publisher didn't require an agent. A great book to buy to see what agents/publishers are out there is: Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents
4- This is about signing a contract and going through edits with your publisher. My publisher assigned an editor to my book and together we have gone through on at least 6 edits of my book (this is not counting the 3 rewrites I did prior to submitting my manuscript).
5- You must follow the guidelines of your publisher. Most publishers have their own illustrators to do the cover. They just want your book. Period. Publishers also have a calendar of when your book will be released and that is subject to change.
6- Last is to promote your book. Facebook, twitter, blog. Start a blog or website now and talk about the writing process. Get people excited about your upcoming book. I hope this information helps. I wish the best of luck to you.
This pretty girl and I get SOO excited every time we see one of our very favorite books, "I'm not Cinderella" written by my amazing cousin #TarrahMontgomery!! We have both read it twice💙If you love fairytales and Cinderella as much as we do you must get this book!! You can also find it on Amazon!! #ImNotCinderella #BraiBrai
My name is Catherine, I live in Salt Lake City Utah, and I am 13 years old. I have to start off by saying that I have completely fallen in love with your book. Yesterday, I finished reading it twice and today, I read all of my favorite parts (which was like half of the book). Well, yesterday I FINISHED it twice. I kinda stayed up reading and lost track of time, and when my flashlight broke from me using it too much, I realized it was 2:30 in the morning. I could NOT stop turning the pages. Every single word made the book even better, which I don't know if it could even get better. Brinlee was the most amazing character and her personality was so outgoing. I loved Katie as well with the way she was to Brinlee. Dennan was so perfect because of how you described him. Some authors just have a gift of writing and you are probably one of the best/my favorite. For years, my favorite books were the books by Jessica Day George, but know, I love your book even more.
I really hope that you write another book, and it would be cool to base it off of a really well known fairytale again. What if something happened to Cass, or Gabby, as if one of them got lost in a different world with a red cape (hint, hint: red riding hood) ... Otherwise, you could tell the tale of the Queen, or the Grandma-I would love to hear that one. You can probably tell that I have been thinking about this all day.
I can't wait to see what your imagination has you write next. I have always wanted to be an author, and I want to have an amazing book like you someday.
From, Catherine
A reader who can't stop reading your book.
Tarrah Montgomery, author of "Im Not Cinderella" , will be at the Garland Public Library this Thursday, 10/2/2014 from 4:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. Come visit and meet this author. :-)
