WHY I WRITE: ADVICE FOR NEWBIES
I now have 3 fiction
books in print, all in the Rabbi Aviva Cohen Mystery series: CHANUKAH GUILT, UNLEAVENED DEAD, and YOM
KILLER. I was fortunate enough to find traditional (i.e., royalty-paying)
small presses to publish the books, and they have all received positive
reviews.
Another frequent
question is what I would tips I would give to aspiring writers. I have four
bits of advice. They’re not original with me, but have stood me in good stead.
- Don’t give up. If you can’t find an agent – and
remember, it takes only one who believes in you and your book – or if the
agent can’t find a publisher, try querying small and mid-sized publishers
that do not require agent submissions and are willing to take a chance on
an unknown. And if you still are not successful and are sure your book is
publishing-worthy – and has been ruthlessly edited, preferably by
strangers, and formatted by a professional, and read by people who
recognize and appreciate good writing – then self-publish.
- Grow a thick skin; but don’t get overly confident.
There will be critics who will hate your book for the same reasons others
love it. Accept all of it – the good and the bad – with equanimity.
- Don’t expect to get rich. The reason there are news
articles about writers whose blogs are optioned for Hollywood or writers
who sign seven-figure multi-book contracts is because those occurrences
are so rare.
- Get out there and push yourself. The days of the
reclusive writer slaving away in an attic garret – or, more likely these
days, parents’ basement – are over. As are the days of publisher-financed
book tours and advertising blitzes, unless you’re a bestselling author who
doesn’t need the extra hype. If you don’t have an internet presence, if
you don’t spend part of your writing time on social media, if you don’t
participate in Listservs, if you don’t attend writer and fan conferences
at which you participate on panels, your book, no matter how good, will
remain unknown and unread.
And finally, why do I
write? It’s so I can answer the question “What do you do?” by answering, “I
kill people.”
But, of course, there
is a much more important and serious answer: the sense of accomplishment and
satisfaction when people tell me how much they enjoy reading what I write, the
chance to entertain others. When UNLEAVENED DEAD was
published, a woman who serves with me on the board of our local library bought
the book. She was a big fan of CHANUKAH GUILT, and had been waiting
patiently for book #2. Her husband of many years had died just a few months
before, and she was still mourning the loss. When she came to my book launch
party a few weeks after she had bought the book, I asked her if she had read it
and enjoyed it. She said, “Enjoyed it? I got home and began reading it in bed.
I went to sleep with a smile on my face for the next three nights.” That to me
is not just satisfying, but a symbol of success. It was the best praise I could
have received.
BLURB FOR YOM KILLER: No
time is ever good for a family emergency, but for a rabbi the period
just before Yom Kippur is especially difficult. Yet despite the approach of the
Holy Day, Rabbi Aviva Cohen rushes off to Boston to be at the bedside of her
mother, who was found unconscious in her apartment at an assisted living
facility. The big question is: was it an accident or an attack? The search for
the truth uncovers everything from old grudges to family secrets to fraud - and
possibly murder.
BIO: Rabbi Ilene Schneider is the author of the award-winning Rabbi
Aviva Cohen mysteries: Chanukah Guilt, Unleavened Dead, and the recently-released Yom Killer. She
also writes non-fiction. The best-selling Talk
Dirty Yiddish will be re-released in a new version soon. She edited Recipes by the Book: Oak Tree Authors Cook,
and created a website of questions and answers about Chanukah.
LINKS:
Email: rabbi.author@yahoo.com
Websites/blog: http://rabbiauthor.com
Facebook: facebook.com/rabbi.author
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