Australian Author

I think there is something that set Aussie Authors in a league of their own. So how does it all begin?

Spotless was a publishing phenomenon in Australia

But was it because it was a flawless piece of literature? No – it’s like anything, you need to have a message that is worth telling and, more importantly, worth READING.

A piece of literature for the sake of itself, is an ego trip! It just won’t sell!

But if you have something that helps people, or a piece of fiction that touches them deep inside? That’s why there will always be books (even if they all end up being electronic ebooks )

Spotless came about after my sister, Shannon Lush, turned her unexpected fame on ABC Radio into a book with the help of Jen Fleming and ABC Books (now part of the Harper Collins umbrella)

I recall when she first told me she was turning the questions and answers into a book and I told her it was going to be amazing!

But how could I know this before it had been written? Easy! Because Shannon, like me, loves simple remedies for complex problems. More importantly, I was never able to get through to her on radio to tease my Big Sis for being on radio – the phones were always ringing off the hook! She was getting the message out there and people were listening.

For anyone familiar with my 1choice website, I have always followed the KISS method (Keep it Simple, Stupid) and Shannon has the same drive; to help people make sense of common things that perplex us all. But don’t you go thinking that Shannon Lush is just a CLEANING LADY! That is like saying a horse is only made for racing in the Melbourne Cup and my sisers is NO HORSE! We grew up in a household where you fixed problems, you didn’t just throw things away! You fixed them! So you can imagine how my sister and I view the throw-away-society!

So what you will see in the next books by Shannon and myself will be books to help people, books to help YOU make your life easier! We both believe that most people are time poor because they are overwhelmed by the world around them, NOT because they are actually incapable of living. We will teach you to work smart, NOT hard and enjoy life. You have to enjoy life, because it’s a ride you only get to go on once and there are no refunds or rewinds. You owe it to yourself to get the most out of it and leave the world better than when you came in… pretty simple really

I was previously talking about the formula to become a full-time author and I mentioned Sean Williams’ Blog post (which I still recommend you take a look at)

This time I’d like to talk about some things that work and some pitfalls to avoid:

1. To become a full-time author you need to write.
It might seem self-evident, but I’ve seen people become full-time students instead of full-time authors because they keep chasing credentials rather than writing.

This isn’t to say that professional writing courses are bad, anything but, however I am saying that they do not replace writing for an audience as the best means of learning your craft.

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2. To become a full-time author you will need to sacrifice.
From picnics to birthday parties, once you start writing for competitions, ghost writing, or writing your first manuscript, you will need to set your priority on writing.

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3. To become a full-time author you are going to have to grow thick skin.
When someone critiques your work (whether it’s a professional editor or a reader) do not argue with them. Don’t correct them. If you have to explain what you were trying to do after they have read it, then you failed to get the message across in your writing.

Just thank them for the time they gave you and think about how you can improve. This will also help when you finally publish a book and someone hates it -someone will, trust me!- and I can’t emphasise this enough.**

It follows the message I repeat often: The only obstacles you face are those you build yourself. And it’s easy to remember.

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4. To become a full-time author you are going to have to learn the business of publishing.
Publishing is a business. If you are thinking about your work as being a piece of your soul or precious artwork and won’t compromise based on an editor’s feedback, stop now. Write for yourself, there’s nothing wrong with writing for your own self-satisfaction, in fact it’s very rewarding.

But if you want to become a professional author (full-time author) you need to understand that this is a very different discipline to writing for yourself. So go and start learning about the publishing industry and, in particular, what they like to see in a manuscript submission.

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5. To become a full-time author your writing needs to look the part.
Publishers have style guides which they publish on their websites. Go and check out some publishers you want to submit to and read their style guide and apply it to your documents. Pay particular attention to font size, line spacing and margin sizes.

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I will add to this guide in further 5 point add-ons to make it easier to digest so stay tuned for more

P.S. Don’t forget the formula to become a full-time author:

Dreams + (Dogged) Determination = Success!

or perhaps:

Dreams + (Dogged) Determination + Don’t listen to the Doubters = Success!

*For those of you who aren’t Science Fiction readers, Sean is a New York Bestselling Author who has written for George Lucas to create many of the Star Wars books, amongst a legion of his own works and co-authored works with Shane Dix. Not bad for a local boy, eh?

**This also works for business people – Click here for other business tips.

Over the last 28 years that I’ve been taking notes (gawd I feel old writing that!), I’ve noticed something that is common to books (both fiction and non-fiction), websites, artwork and business ideas.

I’ve seen people at business courses suspiciously tentative about revealing their ideas because “no one else has thought of them before,” and I’ve seen writers who won’t share anything about their plots for fear they will be stolen.

So what have I noticed?

Something that repeats itself over and over…

There are no truly original ideas, only unique perspectives

It’s not the idea that makes your work unique, it’s you.

There is no one that’s been through exactly what you have, but there will be people who have been through similar situations. Don’t be threatened by them – this is what gives you a sense of camaraderie with them – they are often your target audience…

So what I’m trying to say is do it…

Doers DO, talkers just talk
- or: Ideas mean nothing if you don’t ACT!
Don’t hide under a rock – make sure people know about your work. Make sure they know about you! Whether it’s a publisher, artistic studio or the local BEC or business registration office… Make sure as many people as possible have seen your work.

If you have been working on an idea for years and you suddenly see the same thing published and think “DAMN, they stole that!” They probably didn’t steal anything. They just acted on it, even if they came up with the idea long after you.

They did something

So…

What are you waiting for?

Launch that business. Write that story and send it to the publisher you dream of writing for. Send your art to Disney or Marvel. Let it go and watch what happens… it might take on a life of its own

But.

Don’t just sit in a group that meets to talk about it. You gain experience by doing, not talking about how you plan to do it one day.

I was looking at the Blog of an Adelaide author, Sean Williams* and came across this post, which is gold for two reasons:

1. He’s telling it like it is. From the real world. His own experience.

2. I’ve seen the same ‘formula’ work in both writing and business.

It follows the message I repeat often: The only obstacles you face are those you build yourself. And it’s easy to remember.

Dreams + (Dogged) Determination = Success!

or perhaps:

Dreams + (Dogged) Determination + Don’t listen to the Doubters = Success!

I know – Too many D’s

*For those of you who aren’t Science Fiction readers, Sean is a New York Bestselling Author who has written for George Lucas to create many of the Star Wars books, amongst a legion of his own works and co-authored works with Shane Dix. Not bad for a local boy, eh?

• I posted New Writer – Allen & Unwin – Arena Friday Pitch check it out here http://bit.ly/94mkI #
• I posted SPAM Help tip #1 check it out here http://bit.ly/CkfBc #

Calling all writers

What? Your first chapter and synopsis.

Where? electronic submission (link below)

Allen & Unwin, those people of ineffably fine taste who only publish wonderful people (Cough! Cough! OK, they’ll even give a mug like me a go!) have a great submission process for new writers via their imprint, Arena…

It’s called the Arena Friday Pitch and you can see it here
www.trenthayes.com/Arena-Friday-Pitch

The Arena Friday Pitch is a great opportunity for new writers! Here is an excerpt:

“We are looking for a whole range of fantastic writing across many genres – crime, romance, thriller, history, fantasy, non-fiction – whatever – so long as it’s ADULT fiction or non-fiction (but not young adult or children’s).”