Business Plan Part 8 - Necessary Non-Book Writing

Currently reading - Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

You've written and edited the world's Great American Novel. All you have to do is submit your opus to an agent and editor, rake in the bucks, and you're done, right?

In today's publishing world, the answer is no.

There's one self-defeating behavior I see over and over again in newbies. It starts with "I can't write a query" and continues with "synopsis, back cover blurb, or two-sentence pitch."

Here's the deal--you know your novel, your baby, your product better than anyone. You're the best person to sell, ur, describe your book to a potential consumer. And that's what an agent or editor is--a potential consumer.

Yes, writing a query or a synopsis takes a different skill set than writing a novel. But they are skills that can be learned! Just like you learned to write and edit your novel.

Martina over at Adventures in Children's Publishing wrote far more eloquently about the necessity of learning how to write a terrific query letter. I suggest you check her out.

The last thing I would add is that all writing skills can be learned. Over the years, I've written technical manuals and software project proposals, legal motions and client letters. I've had to learn how to do all these things, just like I've learned how to write queries and back cover blurbs. Don't kill your dreams by refusing to expand your horizons.