There’s so much about publishing you can’t control.
You can’t control which agents just picked up a similar project. You can’t control whether the market is currently hungry for your genre.
You can’t even control whether your book — a genuinely excellent, well-crafted book — gets a single “yes.”
But there’s one thing you can control: what you write and why.
Trust that by following your creative instincts and committing to the stories that mean something to you, your story will find its home. That doesn’t mean it’ll be easy or straightforward, but you’ll keep your spark alive.
In today’s interview, author and editor Laura Silverman shares why “perfect” isn’t always enough in publishing, the fast-drafting technique that unlocks her characters’ voices, and the internship twist that led to her landing an agent.
OUR SPECIAL GUEST TODAY IS…
Laura Silverman
Editor and Author
Those Summer Nights, available now!
What’s one thing about the publishing process no one tells you, but should?
You can write the perfect book, and it still might not get published. Many writers ask me what they are doing wrong, and while we can all continue to improve our writing craft, sometimes the gates of publishing say “no” even when a book is excellent. Not only does a book have to be good, but it has to land on the right agent’s desk at the right time.
Perhaps the agent just picked up a book similar in subject to your book. Perhaps the market just shifted, and the genre you are writing is temporarily defunct. All we can do is continue writing the stories we are passionate about and hope the timing strikes it right a few times.
What do you do to stay true to yourself in your writing?
I recommend that you write for yourself and not the market. Chasing what the market is after is often a futile effort. Publishing is a slow beast. By the time you are done writing, editing, and querying your manuscript, likely the market will have shifted onto something else.
You must write what you are passionate about. Write the story you want to tell. This is what will fuel you and keep your love for writing alive. Then, we hope for luck and that the market aligns with that passion.
What is the most memorable writing tip or technique that you have heard, and how did it influence your process?
I love the technique of fast drafting. Often, when I get into the zone, there is so much my characters want to say and share. If I slow down to fill in details like setting, I will lose the flow, so I fast draft pages of dialogue to let my characters speak.
Once I am done, I can fill in all of the details like description and internal thought and trim unnecessary dialogue, but it’s a great feeling to just let the words fly while drafting.
Are you querying this year?
Preorder my book written with the creator of QueryTracker!
What’s one thing you do (creatively, mentally, or physically) that helps you stay in it when writing gets hard?
You have to refill the creative well. Many people advise you to write every day. If that works for you, then that is wonderful. But I believe it’s important for many writers to take breaks and refill the creative well by taking in other art. Read books, watch TV shows, listen to podcasts, go to museums, visit a botanical garden, play video games, play board games with friends. I could go on. There are so many ways.
Ready for feedback that takes your story to the next level?
“I have greatly benefitted from my collaboration with Alyssa; I would not be where I am today without her! Her developmental ideas and vision for my novel taught me so much and helped to elevate my work in highly effective ways. Her editorial fingerprint is evident in the final result—a novel on bookshelves nationwide.”
—Jill Beissel, author of Glitter and Gold
How did you get your literary agent? What was the querying process like for you?
I was an intern at a literary agency when I queried my first novel. I spent my days reading the submissions’ pile, the dream internship. I sent my novel out to about ten agents. I asked my supervisor at my internship agency if I should send my novel to one of their agents, and my supervisor recommended who to send it to. I received a few offers of representation. One of those offers came from the agency I was interning at.
According to my agent, Jim McCarthy, he was reading a submission one morning and thought it was good. He went to check who wrote it and realized, “Hey, that’s one of our interns!” I was grateful for the offers from every agent, but I decided to go with the agent at my internship since I knew we already worked well together, and he’s a fantastic agent.
ICYMI…this week on YouTube, I share 6 surprising trends that are reshaping publishing — as reported by the CEO of Hachette.
I think about this a lot - and the role of luck and timing in publishing
Alyssa. I appreciate your chapter breaks. But I have seen a trend that doesn't make me think better of the publishing world. I agree it is all about sales, marketing, and friction free decisions. But I believe traditional publishing has gone to the dark side. What do I mean about that?
I have been querying with various letters (safe ones, risk taking ones) and I understand the market and business of agenting and publishing. I understand luck and timing. I hope for the best. Not one request or feedback other than a form letter. Not one. SO I send out more letters to riskier agents thus clogging up their inbox. Which makes the rejects even quicker.
1. I have gone through multiple reviews for comparables. Except for comps stretching back to the late 1990s, I have not seen a well (not excellent) written novel yet. Yes, I try to better my art of writing and I look critically (mainly to understand the market) at new published works. Most are commercial, romance, thriller or horror. That's the way it is. I understand.
2. Then, I have read all of my comparables including other genres. They may tell the agent where I belong on the book shelf, but they are terribly written (I know tastes change from person to person). However when a newly released book maybe 6 months ago with all the hype around it, podcasts, marketing and you get a 3.7 or lower on Good Reads, I am not alone. Over 40% of the reviews were negative and most of them from previous fans. Yet a podcast with them downplayed everything that was wrong with their book. This is not a one off. Marketing tries to minimize glaring artistic mistakes just because they espouse a certain trend.
3. It all comes down to believability. Fiction is worthless (to me) if your plot is not believable to the reader whatever your plot may be. If it doesn't have the inner consistency of being real, it loses.
4. Most of the novels I see are jaded in some way. I could list them for you, but I think that the publishing industry has catered to a set of beliefs and ignore the writing ability of the writer.
5. I have a scientific background and I love to analyze facts. I subscribe to Publishers Marketplace and do research on QT, agents, readers, podcasts, book sales, what gets published and I just don't like the trend of not appraising the writer's skill to write a good book.
So If you want to block my post go ahead. I still believe in the system even though reality is hard to deal with. I recently read a post where they listed 8 novels you should read before you die. All of them were written before I was born and that was some time ago. To me that is pathetic.
What are your suggestions?