From
to
BEST IDEA
BEST-SELLER
There are no
shortcuts in writing
a great book
IT ALL STARTS WITH a germ.
Seriously. One little germ of an idea, that
catches hold like a virus and takes over
your entire body, until all you can do is
take to your desk and give in to it.
So here's how, in the 21st century, you
go from the best idea to the best-seller list.
Firstly, make sure it is your very best
idea. As creatives, we probably give birth
to more ideas than we can actually ever
process. You're reaching for the one that
has legs; that keeps you up in the night,
and won't – will NOT – be prevented
from emerging.
Next: write it. Then hone it. Re-write
it. Take that thing that's been living
inside you and has to get out and give it
an education, a great upbringing. Send it
to school (or in this case, an editor) and
put it through its paces. Make it the best
in class.
That's just the beginning. And it can
really take as long as putting a kid through
school. However, once you've got the best
version of your best idea, it's time to send
it off to uni. These days, you can decide
whether you want to give it a traditional
education in a mainstream centre of
learning by way of the trade publisher, or
you can do it in the Gen Y way of social
media, online presence, and e-commerce
through ebooks and digital on-demand
publishing.
The choice is yours. It may not always
remain your choice: if you don't get picked
up by a mainstream publisher, you may be
urged down the other route. What brings
me great joy, as an author, editor, agent
and publisher, but especially as an author,
is that we now have that opportunity. We
have options. The power is returning to the
originator of that best idea.
That's not an excuse for short-cuts,
though. Editing, shaping, good design,
great advice – these are all things which you
overlook or ignore at your peril. Do these,
and get your best idea out there.
And then, once it's out in the world,
here's your next task. You need the next
best idea there is …
Jill Marshall
www.jillmarshall.co
"It all starts with a germ.
Seriously. One little germ of
an idea, that catches hold
like a virus and takes over
your entire body, until all
you can do is take to your
desk and give in to it."
www.h e rmagaz in e .co.n z | 41