First I am home and happy to be here! Last night Laura Drewry and I ditched the actual RITAs and instead opted to put on our dresses and drink daiquiris in the bar. It was lovely. When the RITAs were over we snuck down and mingled.
Okay, now time to review the conference a tad. I thought I’d report on the PAN sessions I attended. Today I’m going to share some info I picked up at Carly Phillips session on the road to success. It was a low-key but great talk. She mainly told us her personal journey, but she also gave us a few things to think about for ourselves.
The first was How is your agent looking at you? Agent problems seemed to be everywhere this conference. I can’t tell you how many people were either looking for a new agent–or in my opinion should have been. It is really important that you have an agent who is supportive of your work and understands you and what your goals are. People always say a bad agent is worse than no agent–but I’d go a step further and say a good agent can be bad for you too. Don’t get hung up on the fact that everyone else thinks your agent is a “top” agent, or one they would like to have. The only thing that matters if the agent is a good fit for you. If you can’t get them to send your stuff out or if they make you feel like dogie doo–they are not a good agent for you.
The biggest question Carly raised was What is success for you? We talk about this a lot in my local chapter. With so many options today so far as publishing, I think it is really important writers decide what they want out of writing. Then decide what route they should go. The toughest part of this is not letting what someone else thinks is important influence you–you need to decide that for yourself.
Carly took this further–talking about contests, money, bestseller lists, etc. Contests IMO don’t do much for your career or to sell books, but they do provide validation. Be honest with yourself–are you someone who needs validation? If you get down on yourself without it–contests may be an important part of your success plan. (Remembering of course that not finaling may be harder if you are looking for validation.) Do you just want to have a steady money-making career? Or do you really need to see your name on a best-seller list? Again be honest.
Then look at How can you get there? Certain houses are known to be better at getting their authors on best-seller lists. Would it be worth it to you to take a smaller advance to get with one of those houses? Or perhaps money is important enough you are willing to write for a number of houses under various names.
Carly also said you need to be willing to put yourself out there–to crash and burn. Without taking some risks, you will not get the big gains. But most important she said to like your career.
I totally agree and I think the best way to do this is to do what she said in the beginning–be honest with yourself. Decide what is really important to you–what you (not your critique partners or friends) want. There is nothing wrong with having a goal that doesn’t include making a list or getting a six figure deal.
So–what are you waiting for? Sit yourself down and pry the truth out of your brain. What do you really want? What would make you feel like a success?
