Fast track to publication
4 tips for aspiring authors
If there is a way to get a book published, I’ve tried it. To date, I have two books published with Penguin Random House (America’s largest publishing house), three books published with the independent presses Catapult and Tin House, a short story turned into an Audible Original on Amazon, a chapbook published with a micropress, and a short story collection that I self-published in my early twenties. Whether you only want to share your work with your family or have dreams of your novel becoming an international bestseller, between print, online publishing, audio, and social media, there’s no shortage of ways to share your writing with the world. Regardless of how you intend to share your work with others, here are my top tips to help you prep the best version of your writing.
Introduce the people in your head
Whether they’re writing fiction or nonfiction, most writers have been carrying their stories in their heads (and hearts) for a long time. They understand their characters’ motivations and they see the world they move through as clearly as if it were their own. But most readers will be coming to your work with no idea of who your main character is or what their world looks like, so it’s important that you show your readers what you see, so they can see it, too.
