Different Kinds of Deadlines

 

Writers have (and dread) deadlines. For writers with different kinds of work on their hands, it can mean different kinds of deadlines.

 

Ever since I decided to make freelance writing more of a hobby than something to earn money from (though I am grateful I still earn money from freelance writing), my deadlines have changed. Gone are the pre-set deadlines of article assignments, articles to write for clients and articles to turn in by a pre-set deadline an editor wants me to meet.

 

These days, I have my own deadlines, and they are all different.

 

Freelance writing may be a hobby for me these days, but I certainly don’t treat it like one! I treat it like a job. Old habits, I suppose. Monday through Friday, I am at the desk and working at it, but instead of pitching articles on a variety of topics or, for the niche writers, on a topic I can write well about, I am submitting essays, short stories, poetry and, lately, micros (very short writing ranging from 50-500 words). I do still write articles, but mainly on topics I am already published in and I know I can write well about. And I usually only pitch or submit articles when I come across a call for articles on something I know I can contribute to.  

 

On that note, I’m always looking for opportunities to submit to magazines, websites and anthologies. These usually have deadlines, and if it’s something I feel I can contribute towards, then I work on doing by that deadline. For example, one magazine will stop accepting submissions for a particular issue on July 31^st, so if I want to contribute, I make a note of this deadline in my planner. Writing the deadlines into my planner helps a lot so I can plan ahead and start getting to work on writing/revising/editing and finalizing my submission so it will be ready in time. Plus, it gives me the chance to plan my week and know what work I should focus on.

 

Sometimes, though, one of the many markets newsletters I am subscribed to might show up in my inbox, with a list of markets with deadlines ending soon. For example, on Monday, I received a newsletter containing markets that had July 31^st deadlines. I made a list of the markets I could submit something to and got busy submitting!

 

There are also deadlines I have which are related to my newsletter. The week I publish the newsletter is “newsletter week,” in which I spend all week putting together everything I will be including in the issue that will go out that weekend. I set deadlines on when I need all interviews and photos turned in. I also have a deadline on when I stop gathering content for the newsletter and start putting it all together. Plus, I have the deadline on when the newsletter must be ready to send out.

 

Then there are the books I write. If I’m doing NaNoWriMo, it goes without saying that the novel I’m writing must be complete by November 30^th. If I’m writing a book attached to a certain holiday, I’ll have a deadline on when to finish writing that book. If I have some free time to work on another book outside of the free ebooks project, then I set a deadline on when to finish writing the first draft. For the free ebooks, my deadline to have the manuscript ready to publish is usually the 25^th of the month.

 

Having these deadlines has definitely been more flexible for me. They also keep me busy, because there’s usually always something I am working on in order to meet a deadline.

 

While every writer cannot have deadlines like these in their writing life, I have found these kinds of deadlines to be less of a stress because they are far in advance. I also usually know what to work on next because of them. And I just like having self-imposed deadlines to get my writing submitted or turned in by, because I would really like to be a part of a publication or a type of anthology. By meeting that deadline and having my work considered, at least I am trying to make that happen.

 

From Writer to Author: The Newbie Author’s Guide to Getting Your Book Published Offers Advice, Tips and Resources to Make a Dream of Becoming an Author Come True

 

When I was 19 years old and trying to get my first book published, I knew nothing about the publishing industry. Yes, I had been writing for years, and I’d taken the novel manuscript I wrote in high school through several rounds of revision, but I never really took the time to educate myself about the realities of becoming an author. I figured all I had to do was find a publisher in Writer’s Market, query the ones my book seemed a good fit for, and just take it from there.

 

I didn’t know there were predatory publishers. I didn’t know what red flags to watch out for. This is probably why I ended up getting swindled by a shady publisher!

 

Fortunately, my story has a happy ending. I extricated myself from that mess and was on a mission to learn EVERYTHING I could about the publishing industry. I worked with an attorney who, bless him, agreed to help me pro bono, built a network of more knowledgeable authors who kindly and generously helped me figure out where to go from there, and eventually signed with an indie publisher who published a brand new revised edition of my first book. The novel that started out as November’s Child became Shadow of Samhain and I have not looked back since.

 

All the same, I never forgot all of those people who helped me out. I was young, new, confused and scared. They took me into their fold and ushered me onto my new path of making a comeback as an author.

 

And because I know just what it’s like to be an unpublished author who only dreams of getting their book published, I decided to write an ebook sharing everything I have learned about the smart way to make that dream come true.

 

The Newbie Author’s Guide to Getting Your Book Published is that ebook. If I were to take on a writer who wants to become an author, this is everything that I would tell them. This ebook contains everything I have learned so far after 30 years and 40+ books under my belt.

 

I decided to write this ebook because I believe that writers should help other writers. We all need to support each other and pass on the knowledge that we have learned. I am happy to help out the writers who have often emailed me or contacted me somehow with questions regarding writing and publishing. In fact, I know some young writers who dream of becoming an author someday.

 

And I know what it’s like to be inexperienced and to have that dream. There is so much information to wade through out there. There are so many choices about getting a book published and so many things about being an author that some writers don’t yet understand. Getting a book published seems to be this magical gift bestowed on only a select few or those who the publishing gods have deemed worthy. But you know what? It doesn’t have to be. And it's not like that at all.

 

The truth is, anyone can become an author. The trick is to do it right.

 

This ebook will help you to do it right. If anything, it will help you gain the confidence and knowledge to boldly press forward in your quest to achieve that fleeting status of Authorhood.

 

Don’t just dream about becoming an author. Believe in yourself and your book enough to make it happen. You CAN make that dream come true, as long as you go into this journey with a bit of knowledge about how to get there.

 

Here is the book’s blurb:

 

Have you always dreamed of being an author? Have you written a book but don't know how to get published? What caution should you take in trying to find an agent or publisher for your manuscript? This book will answer those questions, and more. From taking your first draft to a final draft, networking with other writers and how to find the right agent or publisher for your book, The Newbie Author's Guide to Getting Your Book Published is for everyone new to this author thing, and what you can expect once you make your dream of becoming an author a reality.

 

Available for free on Kindle Unlimited. Print coming soon! Click here for the ebook.