Student writers often ask me how they can get their book or article published. Here are some tips.

Writing Tip for Today: What are some strategies for becoming a publishable writer?

Practice 10k Hours

If you want to write and be publishable (as opposed to self-publishing your own work), a lot of practice is required. Malcolm Gladwell proposes 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill or craft. While some believe you must have inborn writing talent or know insiders, the key is still practice. Lots of practice.

Set a schedule to accomplish your 10k hours. Show up and get your BIC (Buns in Chair). Don’t wait until inspiration strikes—write as much as you can as often as possible. Do try to set a schedule that you can reasonably do on a weekly basis.

While you’re at it, learn to read the best work you can find. Read in the genre you hope to break into. Avoid ONLY reading classics—know what’s out there right now. You’ll need this info for your book proposal to agents or editors.

Love the Rejections

Oh, how we all hate rejections. They feel awful. Publishers are notoriously slow about making editorial decisions, but in between submission and the rejection, hope stays alive. Don’t let yourself place too much emotional currency on any one submission. Write, revise, submit and go work on something else.

Keep good records of your submission/rejection stats. You won’t want to embarrass yourself by submitting the same work that’s already been turned down. Set goals for submitting and keep at it—in time, you will weather rejection like a pro.

When you begin to receive rejections with personal notes attached, be encouraged. The rejecting editor sees promise in your work. Any time an editor or agent takes the time to comment on your rejection slip, you can learn a lot about your writing.

Write, revise, submit and go work on something else.

Learn the Business

The business of writing isn’t attractive to most writers. We just want to write! The marketing, platform or outreach necessary for healthy writing careers doesn’t appeal to most of us.

One of the most important tips about writing to publish (traditionally) is that you need a following in place before you approach editors or agents. Some say a writer needs at least 20k people on an email list before any publisher will consider a writer’s work.

Unfortunately, in most cases it’s no longer enough to be a terrific writer—although it helps. These days you must bring your own readership (called platform) before a trad publisher will make a deal. A few writers may be publishable because of who they know. But for the majority of us, growing a readership before you go for a traditional publisher means that the business of writing goes hand in hand with the quality of your work. Grow that platform, whether you want traditional or you go for self-publishing. That is, if you want people to buy your book.