Road to Publication is a column by authors, agents, publishers and publicists who will discuss the journey from finishing your manuscript to selling your book. For this issue’s column CFF asked two published authors, Jeff Schnader and Samantha Ryan, what they learned on the road to publication and what advice they would give others.

Advice for the Journey from Two Authors

Jeff Schnader (‘75CC) wrote The Serpent Papers, published in 2022 by The Permanent Press, after going through CFF’s workshops. He is working toward publication of his second novel, To Be Hamlet or The Star Chamber, chapters of which CFF members have also read in workshops.

The following are highlights from his recent article , "My Pilgrimage to Publication" 

1. As a writer, I set out to recognize my flaws. Initially, my characters were one-sided; my plots were underdeveloped, and my dialogs were stilted. I needed help.
2. I decided to educate myself. I read “How To” books.  Some were very helpful, including 20 Master Plots by Ronald B. Tobias, The Art of Fiction by John Gardner, and Writing the Blockbuster Novel by Albert Zuckerman. I also reread my favorite classics in order to understand which elements would succeed.
3. There is no one way to write a novel. My writing habits were what I found were best for me; there is no formula. My novel bent me to its will, at times dictating what I had to write in unanticipated ways. 
4. I asked others to critique my work, paying careful attention to the negative comments.  CFF’s workshops were helpful for polishing my work.
5. I hired an editor. The less work an agent has to do, the better.  A great editor is a must but may cost thousands. 
6. Agents are very helpful, but some small to medium sized publishers accept manuscripts without agents. I searched Google for top small publishers. One took my first novel; I was lucky.
7. The main thing is not to give up. Keep going. Stamina, drive, motivation and belief (which borders on insanity) have to keep you going.
8. Enjoy the journey, or it’s not worth the effort! 

Samantha Ryan has published two novels, These Are Not My Final Words (Truborn Press) and Pride (Rattling Good Yarns Press) and a long list of short stories. Reach her at samryanreally.com and on Instagram @samryanreally. 

Learn to be flexible! Many obstacles will require flexibility and that was something I — as an individual with a color coordinated wardrobe — struggled with early on. You’ll need to be flexible in:

1. Drafting. You’ll hear many rules when you start writing. Giving yourself flexibility on all the rules while drafting can lead to an editable first draft rather than a document that ends up in your trash can.
2. Querying. There is no standard approach to querying. Try pitch events online, meet with agents in person, and understand that the book that gets you an agent might not get you a publishing contract. All of the “no’s” that come with querying will either make you flexible or you will break and give up.
3. Production. Once you get to the publishing process, you’ll think you’ve reached Simone Biles levels of flexibility…and then an editor will cut your favorite chapter.

Understanding that many hands will touch your work before it hits the shelves helps temper the fear of losing control over the work as a whole.

In the world of publishing, so much can change quickly. All of this can be daunting when you’re just starting out, but remaining flexible, taking each piece and letting it go before moving to the next hurdle, will keep you focused on your ultimate goal: sharing your work with the world.