The Purcell Agency, where I’d been an assistant all summer, recently promoted me to associate literary agent.

As soon as I announced, several aspiring authors with amazing ideas reached out and wanted to know how to get started writing the book that’s been bouncing in their brains for years.

As a debut author myself, I made a lot of mistakes early in my writing journey.

This guide is to help you NOT make the mistakes I made and achieve your publishing dreams as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Additionally, this guide is not necessarily a linear list of steps, just things to consider as you start to write YOUR book.

1. Your Publishing Plan

Developing a publishing plan early will help you stay focused on the end goal. Writing is personal, but publishing is a business. This fact is something I encourage you to remember.

Ask yourself questions such as:

• Why do you want to write this book?
• Why now?
• Who is your target audience? Are you writing a memoir for family or do you hope to have a wide audience of readers?
• Is this the only book you plan to write, or do you hope to have a writing career?
• Are you hoping to score an agent and land with a big publisher?
• Are you planning to self-publish and are willing to pay to have your book professionally prepared?
• How do you handle critique and constructive feedback?
• How committed are you to putting in the thousands of hours it will take to write and revise?
• Are you hungry enough to get this book into the world that you will stop at NOTHING to make it happen?

2. Read A LOT in Your Genre

Reading in your genre, preferably books published within the last 3-5 years, is key. First, you need to know what is selling in your genre today. What was selling in your genre ten years ago will have changed. Newer published works will help you craft your book in that same style for your best chance at publication.

Additionally, once your novel is ready for querying (pitching to agents and publishers) you’ll already have recent comps to include in the query letter. Comps are recent book titles similar to your book used to illustrate your book’s vibe.

3. Build a Community

Writing means putting your bum in the chair, opening a doc, and filling it with words. It’s a solo endeavor. However, not many authors complete a novel and pursue publishing without a community.

Community is where you’ll find support, education, connections, and advice. Without a writing community, your writing may suffer and your journey may be longer.

How to build a community?

If you are new to writing, it may seem a difficult task to build a community. The following suggestions should help.

• Social Media – Almost all social media platforms have writing communities. Search the hashtag “writingcommunity” and follow authors, agents, and editors.
• Critique Match – This platform allows you to meet other writers and critique each other’s work. You can also hire professional critiquers at low-cost.
• Join Professional Writing Organizations – Search for organizations online to join in your genre. Check out Pam Neely’s 73 Professsional Organizations for Writers.
• NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month is in November. But the platform and community is available year-round.

4. Craft Matters

I’m sure your premise is incredible. You have a story you are excited to tell. But—you want to tell it well. And my friend, you never get a second chance. to make a good first impression.

Not to discourage you, but here are the facts—less than 2% of authors who write a book score a publishing deal. Additionally, agents report up to 95% of manuscripts they receive are not written well enough to warrant a request.

To break into publishing, you need a compelling premise executed via high-quality craft. Yes, publishers provide editors. But their job isn’t to fix bad writing. Their job is to elevate already excellent writing.

So how do you master the craft of writing?

• Read books on the craft of writing. Check out this list of 25 Of the Best Books on Writing For Authors Who Want to Master Their Craft.
• Read articles on the craft of writing. Check out this Reedsy article for Top Writing Websites
• Listen to podcasts on the craft of writing. Check out this Podcast Review for The Eleven Best Writing Podcasts for 2023.
• Watching YouTube videos on the craft of writing. Check out ProWritingAid’s 13 Favorite YouTube Channels for Writers.
• Go back to school. Check local and online campuses for creative writing courses. Also many authors, agents and editors offer online courses.

5. Start Small

I give this advice to aspiring authors all the time. What I mean by start small is to consider writing flash fiction or short stories for writing competitions and anthologies.

This accomplishes multiple goals.

• You learn the craft of writing in small digestible bites.
• You may get the opportunity to work with a professional editor at no charge.
• You may earn publishing credits so when you do write that novel, you have some writing experience to add to your bio.

Curiosity Never Killed the Writer is one of the most comprehensive databases of current writing competitions and calls for submissions.

Additionally, check out Wild Ink Publishing and Writer’s Workout’s open call for submissions.

6. Study Story Structure

If you are anxious to put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and start your book that’s fine. Get some creative juices flowing. But begin with a clear structure in mind.

If you don’t, in revision you’ll have more work to do if you don’t first start with a structure.

Most genre novels (so this list excludes literary and nonfiction), at least those repped by agents and sold to publishers, follow a structure similar to this:

• An opening scene—Introduce the reader to the protagonist in the main setting right before the inciting incident.
• An inciting incident—The event that happens to prevent the protagonist from ever returning to the status quo.
• Tension building to the mid-point—Author Sally Lotz said it best, “Keep throwing rocks at your protagonist.” The halfway mark of your story is when the protagonist starts to WANT to make a change even if it hasn’t fully happened.
• Tension building to the climax—When the protagonist is forced to confront and hopefully defeat the antagonist.
• An ending scene—The protagonist’s character arc is complete. They’ve learned something new. They aren’t the same character as in the opening scene.

This is a super basic scaled-back story structure, but hopefully, one that gives you some ideas. For some examples of the most common story structures check out 7 Story Structures Every Writer Should Know from Reedsy.

Read through them and see which one fits the story you plan to tell best.

7. Hire Professional Help

It is never wrong to turn to the professionals. If you are an emerging writer, I encourage it. If you wanted to learn how to skydive, you’d hire a professional. If you wanted to learn how to scuba dive, you’d hire a professional.

But I would discourage you, out of the gate, spending a ton of money. It’s not necessary. Learn in small bites. Buy an hour or two of someone’s time. You’ll likely learn from that and can use it moving forward.

But what kind of professionals are out there to help emerging writers? Here are a few.

• Book Coaches – Book Coaches can help you get organized, get started, and provide motivation and accountability.
• Professional Critiquers – Once you have something written, take a chapter or two and hire a professional from a place like Critique Match so see if you are heading in the right direction.
• Developmental Editors – A developmental editor helps your story shine from a line level including filling in plot holes, completing character arcs, and elevating the writing craft. Again, you can start with a chapter or two.

8. My Book’s Done, What’s Next?

Pop the champagne, celebrate, and put that book away for a few months. You’ll want fresh eyes for revisions.

However, during this time, don’t stop reading, writing, learning, and building your community.

This is also a good time to start researching literary agents you’ll want to query through Manuscript Wish Lists, studying the current publishing landscape at Publishers’ Marketplace. and securing alpha and beta readers and critique partners.

After a few months (I’d recommend. at least three) give your story another read-through and pass of revisions. Then it’s time to bring on the team you’ve been building through your community.

• Alpha Readers – These are a few trusted readers to give you honest feedback on your unpolished (because believe it or not it still isn’t) manuscript. Choose people you trust to look past grammar and punctuation (we are a LONG way from that.) You want to know if your characters are engaging, if your setting is immersive, if the plot is intriguing, are the stakes clear, does the pacing work, etc.
• Beta Readers – After you’ve received and implemented feedback from Alpha Readers, it’s time to bring on new Beta Readers. These should be readers who have some experience with the craft. You can hire Beta Readers or maybe you’ve met other authors while building your community and you can swap services.
• Critique Partners – These are your “write or die” writing besties. You can secure them earlier if you want. But these are authors probably at the same spot in their writing journey as you are and who may write in the same genre. These one or two people are writers you trust implicity to be honest but who also wrap that honesty in a warm hug!

9. Executing Your Publishing Plan

If you’ve followed the above steps, I assume a birthday or two has passed and you are feeling more confident as a writer. You’ve probably passed through the Emotional Phases of Writing more than once. It’s now time to revisit your publishing plan.

• Traditional Publishing Via an Agent – If you plan to pursue the most sought-after publication route via an agent, you’ll need to write a query letter, a synopsis, and comb over agents’ manuscript wish lists. Here is a podcast my critique partner and I did on how to get an agent. An agent will work with you on more revisions and help to sell your manuscript to an editor at a publishing house working to get you an advance and other contractural items in your favor.
• Traditional Publishing Via a Publisher Who Accepts Unagented Manuscripts – Many amazing publishers (such as my publisher Wild Ink) accepted unagented manuscripts. While you likely won’t get an advance, you may get higher royalties and a more active voice in the creative execution of your manuscript.
• Hybrid or Self-Publishing – These are publishers who charge authors to publish their work. Authors retain the most creative input but at a cost. Just be sure to highly vet hybrid and self-publishers. Some are reputable offering authors a quick path to publication while other “vanity” presses are known for taking advantage of an author’s dream by over-charging and underdelivering.

10. Marketing Before Your Debut

Regardless of the route you choose, you’ll likely need to do some level of marketing prior to your debut.

• Build a Website – Agents, editors, and readers need a place to find you.
• Pick a Social Media Platform and Be Present – Like it or not, social media is here to stay. Find where your readers hang out and meet them there.
• Guest on Podcasts and Writing Blogs – Take advantage of FREE advertising. Approach writing podcasts and blogs and ask if you can be a guest.
• Market Locally – If you work to build a fan-base at the local level, they’ll help you grow.

In Closing

I’m just one author, one agent, and one editor. But I’ve helped multiple authors launch multi-deal writing careers. It’s my passion.

I believe if you approach publishing as a business, accept feedback as a gift, and commit to the hard work, you’ll start on day one of your author journey toward a path of success!

Feel free to add your own publishing and writing tips in the comments below.

There’s a lot more to publishing than writing a book and slapping a cover on it.

Vince Flynn