#IWSG May post -- Getting traditionally published is easy.

Hello people!

Well, April zipped by, and it's May already! How did that happen? I hope your April was amazing whatever you were doing -- writing your little heart out, editing your little heart out, reading great books, participating in the A - Z, having babies, falling in love, falling out of love, travelling...whatever..l just hope you had a great April.


Now here our focus returns to that iffy situation/near impossibility of getting traditionally published.

Nicola Morgan's Write to be Published is just one of 40 books I've read so far for the Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge, ("Some say life is the thing, but I prefer reading.” ~Ruth Rendell, crime writer extraordinaire, who died a few days ago) and with Nicola's permission, I'm reprinting some of it here. It shows how dead easy some think it is to get traditionally published (((laughs uproariously))), so it really needs to be shared. (And I love a good laugh!)

NICOLA'S CONVERSATION WITH A TAXI DRIVER

If you ever manage to become published, you will one day have an incredibly annoying conversation with a taxi-driver. I have no advice for these situations, as I don't condone physical violence. Here's a recent conversation:

TD  - So what's your line of business?
NM - I write books.
TD  - Really?
NM - Yes

 (I am expecting the regular, "They say everyone's got a book in them." To which my answer would be either, "If so, that's usually where it should stay," or, "Yes, but would anyone want to read it?" Unfortunately, this particular story goes beyond such ordinariness.)

TD  - So, how do you get a book published then?
NM - (takes a deep breath, wondering where to begin): Um...
TD  - Because anyone can write a book, can't they? (Silence). Not meaning to be insulting or anything, but anyone can. I've got a friend who's writing one. He says it's easy. Unless you're dyslexic of something.
NM - Actually, you could be a great writer and still be dyslexic.
TD  - Well, that proves it--anyone can write a book. If they've got time. Like, I've often thought of writing a book but I've never had time.
NM - (tempted to ask, "What about when you're waiting at a traffic light? Or your passenger has just decided she'd rather walk?": Actually, it's extremely difficult. We may make it look easy, but you've no idea of the incredibly difficult technical skills and spectacularly creative gifts that are involved.

***

TD  - I don't have much time for books. Like my son--but that's boys, isn't it? Got more important things to do. My daughter now, she's a really great reader. She read the whole of the last Harry Potter book in about ten days.
NM - Really, how old is she?
TD  - Twenty-five. My wife and I, we always told her she could be a writer. Thing is, she doesn't have time. But they say everyone's got a book in them, don't they?

The journey ended. TD got no tip. I stomped to my front door then off-loaded onto my long-suffering husband who had many times in the past asked when the psychotherapy was going to kick in.

Getting published is so easy, really. Write the right book in the right way, then send it to the right publisher in the right way at the right time.


What could be simpler?

Thanks for stopping by. I hope it cheered up your day. To read more IWSG posts, click here. Thanks to Alex J Cavanaugh and the team for hosting the group this month.

For further insights into the publishing world, visit Nicola's blog, Help! I Need a Publisher!

WRITERS' QUOTE for the month:

"I don't care what it takes, this is what I want."  

Susan Mallery who has published 150+ books!