Author and consultant Alison Weiss has suffered the publishing blues. She began her talk by lamenting one setback after another. After a while, I began to feel bad for her. Oh, my!—I'm not supposed to feel sad at an SCBWI conference! This is supposed to be a happy space. I continued to listen, however. Soon, I began to recognize her story within my own. The publishing road is not paved smoothly. You should expect bumps, potholes, and setbacks along the way.
In this session, Alison lays out many of the setbacks you may encounter and offers suggestions on how to propel yourself to your next great thing!
Here are a few setbacks with advice on how to pivot:
Setback: your agent drops you?
Pivot: Get a sub list. Where has your work been submitted? Put on your business hat and get your house in order. Get that next project ready, and work your contacts!
Setback: Your editor leaves
Pivot: Talk to your agent. Ask who will be handling your book. Advocate for yourself. Speak up!
Setback: Your publisher is closing
Pivot: Pull your contract. Talk to your list mates, and build a posse. You can support each other. Think about your next big thing to get back in the game.
Setback: You get a bad review
Pivot: Shake it off. Move on, you have other things to create.
Setback: Your publisher declines your next project
Pivot: There are other fish in the sea. Look for a nibble somewhere else. Write something new book. Reinvent yourself.
Setback: You and your agent aren't seeing eye to eye
Pivot: Take a step back, then have a conversation. Do your research, and know when to step away. Starting over his hard. But use what you've learned along your path to propel yourself forward.
Set new, realistic goals!
Don't set goals out of your control or you'll set yourself up for disappointment.
Celebrate the small wins!
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