5 Ways to Ruin Your Good Name in the Publishing Industry

Writers know the importance of making a name in the industry. We carefully choose a pen name. We devise and implement a brand. We strategically title blogs and websites to draw the most hits on the Web. But the surest way to ruin your good name in publishing is to put our writing in front of the people who matter--agents, publishers, and readers--before it is ready.

I recently paid good money for a self-published book recommended to me by a colleague. I don't want to get into an argument about the pros and cons of self-publishing, for that is not the point I wish to make. The point I wish to express is that this author put her cart ahead of her proverbial cart. Sometimes agents, editors, and publishers reject manuscripts for good reasons. This novel might be the best example of how to make sure your name is remembered--and not for any of the things for which writers hope.

So whether you are self-publishing, entering a contest, or submitting a manuscript to an agent, here are a few things you should do if you want to make your name infamous in publishing--and probably ensure you won't ever get a read again.

1. Disregard proper form and style. In the book I read, the author either did not have any idea how to properly write dialogue or she thought she had enough clout to create her own style. On the plus side, the writer was consistent. She wrote every line of dialogue in the entire book incorrectly.

2. Freely abuse the English language. Write the way you talk and if you mispronounce words or use improper syntax and context, stay true to form. Write things like, "James feared Melissa was a cereal killer" or "Marty didn't hafta check the phone number, he knew it by hard."

3. Ignore continuity. One character's last name changed mid-way through the book with no explanation. Another character fluctuated between two different spellings of her name. Tomato, to-mahto, potato, po-tahto. Let's call the whole thing off, Molly--or is it Mollie?

4. Skip spell-checking, editing, and proofreading. This particular author misspelled the same words with enough frequency that it could not have been an accident. Repeated misuse of homonyms made it clear that the author just didn't know witch, I mean which, word to use. I guess some people just don't want to be told what to do--even by their spell checker.

5. Get your facts wrong. A simple subtraction problem should have shown the author that her character could not have been married for 22 years unless she walked the aisle at the age of nine. And at one point, two characters flew home to Seattle, went to bed and woke up the next morning in their beds--in Las Vegas.

I found the story idea engaging, the voice interesting at times, but the inaccuracies, errors, and typos convinced me that I won't ever spend my hard-earned money on another book by this author, nor will I take seriously another recommendation from that particular colleague. Some more time snuggled up with a good critique partner, a dictionary, or a computer with spell check would have made a tremendous difference with this manuscript. Did this author ruin her good name and her chance of ever signing an agent, getting a publishing contract, or securing a fan base?

I'd love to hear what you think.

*Note: My goal is not to bash this author, which is why I don't list the author or the title. I've also altered some of the telling pieces of information so as to make it more difficult to recognize the book in question.

First Impressions...

We all know how important first impressions can be. Like when we’re going to be meeting prospective clients or future employers. Maybe you’re having dinner with the family of your fiancé or special someone. The fact is, at some point in our life we all have people we want to impress. If you’re a writer, that someone is probably an editor or agent.

As a first reader for a large publishing house I notice a lot of trivial mistakes new writers make. Things they might have caught if they’d spent a few hours proofing their work.

Now don’t get me wrong, there comes a point you have to turn it loose. It’s as big a problem to never send your work off for fear that it’s not perfect. (Preaching to myself here.) It’s just sad to me when a writer has misspelled or forgotten words all throughout a story. Maybe a name or two has changed since the beginning of the book. Perhaps the heroine’s eyes were blue on page 7 but on page 183, the hero gazes into her luscious chocolate eyes.

Little details matter. No, they don’t trump the story. If the story is awesome or you’re a proven multi-published author, who cares if you left out a couple commas and misspelled a half dozen words, but what if your story is pretty good, but the reader or editor sees you as a novice? Someone that needs a little time to grow as a writer. Maybe if that story was so clean it shined the editor might give you a chance to tweak the story and resubmit. It happens.

So here are a few tips you’ve probably heard before, but might not have taken the time to implement.

1. Have someone other than your close friends or family read the book before submission. Don’t be too shy to share it with them. Uh…what if it’s published? You do know people will read it, right?

Remember, you don’t need people who will stroke your ego. Also, don’t be too sensitive. Constructive criticism is meant to help you grow as a writer.

2. Keep track of character details. Names, ages, hair & eye color, etc…Those things are easy to let slip through the cracks, but they’re very important. Someone will find the inconsistencies. Let it be you.

3. Learn and implement a consistent Point of View. That’s one of the things acquisition readers are taught to look for when reading manuscripts. I always note whether or not writers understand and are consistent with their POV.

4. Finally, know the line you are submitting to. Do not just cast your bread on the water and hope somebody will bite. I recently read a manuscript that was so wrong for the line it was submitted for I had to wonder if it was sent by mistake. I almost didn’t even finish it because it was so wrong for the line.

Basically, think of your submission as an interview and try to present the best work you can!

Now that I’ve made you all second guess your submissions, are any of you in the process of submitting or waiting to hear from an editor? Let’s hear about it? And remember to let us know if you have any good news!!!

Sabrina Fox-Butcher