by Blythe Daniel @BlytheDaniel

I am queen of shortcuts on most things. If I can get something done faster, why would I take the longer route?

But with writing, this isn’t the case. The longer route of writing, revising, preparing for release, releasing a book and all that comes with this, shortcuts are the rude interrupters of longevity.

As an agent and a writer, I work with the logistics of writing for the better part of each day. I am someone who plays with words during the day. Writing, editing, arranging, emailing.. Words are a big part of my day. Even the words I speak to my family after the school day as evening turns toward dinner conversations and bedtime. Words are just so important – written or spoken!

Yet I’ve noticed that there is a trend toward taking shortcuts. What will get to the finish line faster. From a child doing chores or homework, they think about the shortcuts they can navigate to get there (I know, I’ve seen it and probably did it myself). And writers think, if I can do this faster and avoid some of the work, then I’m in!

I saw a quote the other day that showed a picture of a lone shopping cart that wasn’t put back in the stall outside the grocery store. The quote said: “I don’t know one successful person who leaves their cart in the middle of the parking lot. If you’re too big to do the small things, you’re too small to do the big things.”

This resonated me because first, it is just easier if you take the shortcut and don’t return the cart. But then it creates more work for someone else if you don’t. It may be a shortcut to you, but it’s not for someone else.

This is how I see writing and the life of an agent. If you try to take a shortcut on doing the work of writing your manuscript or writing a book proposal for an agent or editor to review, it may be a short cut for you, but it creates more work for the person reading your work. An agent or an editor, if they are generous with their time, will tell you that you need to fill in more, give you some feedback that will require more work. Wouldn’t it better to show the agent or editor that you went the extra mile and did the hard work from the beginning?

One of the things that makes me turn down proposals, mainly, and some sample writing is that I can see that the person submitting has taken shortcuts. They’ve sold themselves short on developing a platform, they’ve not fully explained their idea, they have written statements that show me they haven’t done their research (things like “I don’t think there are any other books like this out there..”). These things alone tell me that if they aren’t willing to do the hard work of a proposal, researching other books, digging deep to show me the depth of their idea, how they are connected to the audience.. then I don’t want to invest my time to do the hard work I know it takes being an agent if the writer isn’t willing to do the hard work themselves.

You can be one of the writers that doesn’t take shortcuts by doing the following:

• If you think it will take you one hour for every chapter of your book, plan to at least spend two hours. Double your capacity so that you are not shortchanging yourself or the process of writing and editing your work.
• Spend the time to invest in building an audience. Don’t think that this is for “someone else.” This is for you. If you’re a writer, you need an audience.
• Research other books and read them. You won’t accidentally take anyone else’s idea. You need to be well read and know what your competition is.
• Spend the time to come up with the right pitch of how your book will answer the basic felt need and in a way that other books don’t.

Some of the things that I see that don’t allow me to move forward with a project are:

• No marketing plan in the book proposal (only a list of who the author is connected with)
• Not thorough in your comparisons of other works by publishers in our market that an agent would pitch (not just general market publishers or publishers I wouldn’t pitch to)
• Uses generalizations in their book summary descriptions where it doesn’t show me the specifics of your book
• Doesn’t show me what I will gain from your book – only just who it’s for and why you want to write it
• I’d like to see a few comments from readers who have read your work. What did they say about your writing and your topic and how it related to them? It’s helpful to have readers read your work before you send it to an agent or an editor to review.

How can you show an agent that you are someone who doesn’t take shortcuts but is willing to invest the longer amount of time needed to show your writing? That you are committed to the process that an agent and editor need to see that you value their time reviewing your work and you don’t want to give them any reason to pass on it?

I believe that if you are willing to take these steps, you have the potential to be a successful author who doesn’t just walk through some steps, but completes the process of assigning value to all that you do. And that is what makes a person not just attractive in publishing, but in life. 

What is one area that you can begin working on today? What is your plan to carry out the next area(s) before submitting to an agent or editor? Having a plan and timeline will help you carry out your goals. You can do this! 

Blythe Daniel is a literary agent and marketer and has been in publishing for over 20 years. She has written for Proverbs 31 Ministries, Focus on the Family, Ann Voskamp, and Christian Retailing. She and her mother Dr. Helen McIntosh are the authors of Mended: Restoring the Hearts of Mothers and Daughters (Harvest House Publishers).

www.theblythedanielagency.com; www.ourmendedhearts.com