Can you give me tips towards writing and publishing my first novel?
So far I have these: >Read at least 20 novels of the same genre/topic you wanna do >Read at least 20-50 novels in the cannon, from the best writers in history, read at least half of those of your best language writers >Read guides on manuals of style, grammar and storytelling >use said tools to make something professional >hire a professional reader who will tell you a professional review >hire a scout or an agent >hope for the best
Is this the only way to publish today?
>inb4 self publish only works for erotica.
Adrian Walker
Why do YOU want to write a book?
Joshua Jones
money, recognition, fame, gettting good in something, not being a useless neet, making my parents proud, nothing else to do.
the usual.
Easton Hill
write it first, then worry about publishing.
other than that
>Read at least 20 novels of the same genre/topic you wanna do
If there actually are 20 novels from the same genre/topic you're shooting for, you might want to rethink the book entirely.
>>Read guides on manuals of style, grammar and storytelling
Meh. Your grammar should be passable, if you look at most published writers their grammar is usually mediocre to bad. Writing has no rules ultimately, bad grammar can be good, good grammar can be bad. Just focus on being you, rather than what other people think you should be.
>>hire a professional reader who will tell you a professional review
what the hell is a professional reader? Probably way better to just pass your book around to people's opinion you value.
>>hire a scout or an agent
what the hell is a scout? An agent is a no brainer, but it's not like it's as easy as snapping your fingers to get one.
>Is this the only way to publish today?
No, there's never one way to do anything. You're attempting to break into a creative field. Be creative in your methods.
Jordan Morgan
The best answer would probably be something like, "I have a story in my head that I'm just dying to tell!"
writing a book for your reasons is a pretty good path towards failure.
Julian Russell
>20 novels there's always novels with the same topic, that's why they're called genres.
>grammar sure, but I don't want to be a shit writer.
>professional readers readers who give professional opinion, usually a written essay towards your work.
>scout an agent to meet agents.
>there's no way I've done my research.
I don't have a story of my life. I want to make novels about history and over blacks in history.
Andrew Gutierrez
>there's always novels with the same topic, that's why they're called genres
Yeah...and if you're writing a book that's the same as 20 other ones, and you have nothing that makes your unique, that might be a problem.
>sure, but I don't want to be a shit writer
why not? Shit writers are successful too.
>readers who give professional opinion
If it's somebody you know, and actually value you their opinion on things, I guess, but you can find people like this for free. I also would be pretty suspicious of somebody claiming to be a professional reader, what are their credentials?
>an agent to meet agents. if you can't find an agent on your own, you might not belong in the field. It's one of those little tests.
Thomas Turner
you generally sound like you're getting advice from all the other sub-par unpublished failures on some website on how to succeed in writing.
Do your own thing, do it well, do what you like to do and keep refining your methods. That's about the best path you'll find.
Carter Davis
>the same I'm not talking about the same, most plots are technically variations of the hero's journey. there's a book called 36 plots, where most plost in literature fall into one of those plots.
>unique shakespeares stories are not unique, but they're good.
>shit writers is genre fiction about prose quality or plot quality?
>give opinion most normies can't give a proper review for shit, their opinion is useless.
>an agent on your own that's not how it works today, a lot of agents dont receive unsolicited manuscripts now. The proper way is now to use a scout.
Josiah Watson
Its simple: send your stuff to all the legitimate agents in your country. If none of them pick you up your work isn't publishable. Getting published is easy - its writing something that anybody wants to read thats diffucult.
Grayson Lee
There's few general categories successful writers fall into
>writer experienced things 99,999% of the people don't. E.g. Hemingway, Bukowski
>intensive, lifelong amount of academic work and a dramatic experience that got them to put all that into a lore. E.g. Jules Verne, Tolkien, Tolstoy
>unorthodox view on the world that happened to coincide with what people wanted to express politically. E.g. Nietzsche, Yasunari Kawabata
>strange personality and escapism people use deliberately to build their character as different from mainstream to compensate for their failures. E.g. Camus, Modiano.
>ability to sense the economical niches and hit a jackpot by attracting masses. E.g. Dickens, Harry Potter, 50 Shades of gray
>writer was professional originally in whole other industry but uses that to sell books. E.g. scientists, philosophers, athletes.
You fall in any of the common categories? Then you better rely on excellent use of language and technicality
Kevin Brown
What country are you in? I work in publishing and I've never heard of a 'scout'...
Christian Howard
alright, well looks like you got it all figured out then. you're bound to succeed on the path you're on. The world is your playground now, follow your golden path.
Is that more what you want to hear?
Alexander Nelson
I think I'm more about the economical niches and writing genre fiction in your cathegories.
Spic land, my country is shit so my best shot is to send manuscripts to spain or argentina.
isn't this the lit board? why so tsundere.
Is not hard to google shit and read blogs and opinions today.
Nolan Hughes
>isn't this the lit board? >why so tsundere. >Is not hard to google shit and read blogs and opinions today.
well you ask for advice, then shit on advice, so fuck you generally.
Robert Williams
we're simply having a debate bro.
I'm not shitting, but your advice is the same shit people that don't read about the industry gives.
just write and everything will be fine. just write several novels before getting published your first.
there must be a better and smarter way than just brute force.
I'm a ENTJ and we love structured plans.
Hudson Walker
it would be a debate if your method was proven to work....you're the one asking how to break into publishing bro.
Just do whatever the hell you're going to do.
Brandon Bennett
It's like the most safe path from what I've google.
Henry Morales
>Spic land, my country is shit so my best shot is to send manuscripts to spain or argentina.
are you the same unlikable little shit from Venezuela who's on every damn thread here who thinks he's world class master in writing, yet is constantly asking for beginner's advice?
Ryan Hall
there you go then, why are you bothering to ask for any other approach?
Lucas Morales
kys
Blake Taylor
I'm cojeburras.
we can have a nice debate. why so tsundere?
Daniel Fisher
sounds like you just need to do it, don't use the excuse of preparing, to procrastinate. day dreaming of how you will try to get published and what you will do after if you ever get successful, in love with the idea of being a writer. without actually getting down to doing it. stop coming to Veeky Forums for a while. the only way to write the book is to sit down and write it, and write regularly, the more the better. of course reading books and reading about writing books is important too, but like I said that can be a snare if you don't write anything. there is no easier way, eat shit until it's done.
Julian White
Look, people think this is complicated because it protects their ego.
They can't get published because the patriarchy/sjw's/the jews are conspiring against them, and hence they need some complex route to success.
The reality is they can't write. Look at the critique threads on here. most can't write two good sentences. That's what agents receive every day. Write a couple of decent paragraphs and you'll get good feedback instantly.
Benjamin Peterson
>They can't get published because the patriarchy/sjw's/the jews are conspiring against them, and hence they need some complex route to success.
well also the fact that actually being a good writer requires a hell of a lot of self-critique and introspection, which most egotist shut ins refuse to do, and would rather say their ideas are brilliant and everyone else is stupid for not getting them.
Alexander Taylor
you better be writing right now op.
Jose Brooks
Get this book and study it well, "El arte de escribir y La formaciĆ³n del estilo" by Antoine Albalat. >De nada
Nathan Taylor
first and only piece of advice: stop posting on Veeky Forums
Logan Harris
thanks.
Josiah Sanchez
Yeah, quit arguing about how to publish a book when you haven't even written the goddamn thing yet.
Samuel Harris
Those normies are going to read your book, and they are going to drop it for the reasons that they will state to you - unless you don't ask them of course and instead hire a "professional reader".
William Miller
also, be sure to include what sort of reaction you are looking for from the professional reviewer, this saves the time of you arguing with them over their opinion.
Justin Sanders
yeah but normies are not qualified to give a proper review that is worth a damn.
they usually give very brief emotional opinions, is useless.
Brayden Anderson
No, they give brief, emotional responses to YOUR work.
Isaac Martinez
Maybe your work is just shit.
Ryder Sanders
>>strange personality and escapism people use deliberately to build their character as different from mainstream to compensate for their failures. E.g. Camus, Modiano. i don't get how modiano fits in this
Henry Gomez
which is useless sempai.
normies lack a criteria to give a proper review.
Nolan Jackson
you've neglected perhaps the most important trait: >discipline in writing and ruthlessness in editing even drunken bum Bukowsky had that
Christian Jackson
all of this is hypothetical questioning that doesn't matter, you still refuse to write and instead choose to shitpost on the internet. most people who want to write a novel don't get far before quitting, it's pretty obvious where you stand.
Levi Taylor
>which is useless sempai.
Yeah, don't bother to question WHY they're giving that sort of response, dismiss it as useless and continue on with your nonsense, having learned nothing.