It’s Never Too Late to Publish Your First Book
Have you ever wanted to become a published author? Maybe you had dreams of being a novelist, but a growing family cut those aspirations short. Maybe you’ve wanted to record your extensive knowledge of local history, but never got around to it. Maybe you’ve been pounding away at that piece of historical fiction for the past 15 years, but never knew exactly how to get the attention of a literary agent – or just don’t know how.
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Maybe you’re just too concerned that the literary world has a bias against authors who aren’t in their golden years. If that’s the case – you’re wrong.
Literary agent Scott Hoffman wrote an advice column in Writer’s Digest that lists a few items authors over age 50 commonly do wrong when pitching their book. Here’s what he had to say.
1. Avoid the word “retirement.” Why? Because of the connotations. Agents and editors don’t want to think you’ve got nothing but free time to lounge and put a pen to paper – they want to believe your career path has pivoted and you’ve been hard at work honing your craft.
2. Prepare to put some energy into selling your book. Hoffman writes that publishers are very good at what they’re supposed to do: “finding good manuscripts and making them better through the editorial process.” What publishers aren’t necessarily good at is getting out there and selling your book – nor is it their job. It’s actually yours! “You have to mercilessly exploit your personal and professional connections to sell books,” Hoffman writes.
3. Make sure your next book is on deck. Hoffman writes that publishers aren’t interested in one-trick ponies. Rather, they want an author they can get a lot of books out of. If you’ve spent years writing that first book, Hoffman said it’s best not to mention that in your correspondence with publishers and editors. “Most publishing houses expect an author to publish a novel every year or two in order to build a following, and it’s often a novelist’s fourth or fifth book that hits it big,” writes Hoffman.
It’s important to remember that while these pieces of advice are intended to be helpful, it’s still extremely difficult to get you first book published! Equally as important to remember is that there are plenty of authors who have published their first books in their golden years, and have done so with great success.