Writers

FOCUS on writing

So you want to write for no less than God Himself?

Build Your Library

Tips from the experts

The Basics on Marketing Your Work To An Editor or Agent

The Mechanics

The Rules

The Steps

The Waiting

Please feel free to share any of my stories, tips or advice—all I ask is that credit be given. Thanks!

FOCUS on writing:

F un — If you don't have fun creating your story, your reader isn't going to have fun reading it.

Overwhelm your characters ( not your reader with too much info too fast). If fiction is about life magnified—a better experience that we all want to escape into—then you're going to have to create sympathetic characters who face and conquer overwhelming obstacles.

C ut — Don't be afraid to cut even your best-loved lines if they don't really move your story forward. More will come. It's like in that old movie: if you build it they will come. Well, if you keep writing, more will come. Of course, save those really, really good lines—maybe you can use the gist of it in some other context where it'll serve a greater purpose than just to show off how clever you are.

U nderstand your audience — If you're writing in any specific genre, there are "givens" in each that your reader expects. In a mystery or suspense, the bad guy will be stopped, the good guy will win. In science fiction/fantasy you'll build a unique world where good still overcomes evil, at least temporarily and at least in the lives of the protagonists. In chick lit, the heroine will learn something or grow in some way that she otherwise wouldn't have except that this happened to her. And of course in a romance the boy will get the girl—or vice versa.

S elf-confidence — Realize your power of communication. Go through your manuscript and make sure you're not saying the same thing twice, just in slightly different ways. This happens micro and macrocosmically in lots of books. Whenever a writer tells something he or she has just shown (thus repeating herself) it's unnecessary. Some repetition, for effect, can be useful but try to eliminate unnecessary repetition. Have the self-confidence that what you've written is clear, valuable, and powerful enough for the reader to be touched by it and get it without being told a gazillion different ways.

You'll notice the above acronym spells out the word FOCUS. This is perhaps one of the most important elements in the mechanics of writing. Does each scene move your plot forward and within each scene do actions and words move that scene forward? Evaluate your book and see if there is one forgettable scene, or one weak scene. Then like a surgeon fix it or cut it out so the rest of the body won't be disabled by it. Make sure every scene, paragraph, line and word are moving your characters forward through a plot that doesn't stumble or stall but is immersing the reader on a focused journey to the end.

So you want to write for no less than God Himself?

First, the facts:

Breaking into print in the Christian market is every bit as competitive as any other market. In other words: don't look at the Christian market and think since it's smaller than the secular one it'll be easier to find a place. Statistically speaking, it won't be. A smaller market with fewer publishers and fewer books being released equals a tough sell here, too. Sorry about that.

You might also have picked up a few Inspirational stories offering a rather simplistic quality and think you can blow any competition out of the water. Check the copyright date! It is an unfortunate fact that, years ago, Christian books did not seem to strive for the excellence exhibited today. I would compare it to the adolescent stage of life: we went through an awkward period trying to find a place for fiction in the church. But that stage is all over now so unless you already have a big name and people will buy anything you write even if it's an updated version of an insurance policy, don't think this market is desperate for your talent. One thing I've learned is that God hasn't given only me the desire, and a bit of talent, for writing. He's blessed countless others too and some know how to employ those talents better. Pick up a few award-winning books to see the best of what this market has to offer.

Second, beware of idols!

Like any ministry, it's easy to fall into a trap: Since we're doing this for God, we should use the best and bulk of our time, energy and passion for this task. You know, the fatted calf, the unblemished lamb and all that. It's far too easy to ignore other responsibilities He has given us. In fact, one of the dangers of actually getting to do what we've been wired to do is that we love it too much. We equate the work with our love of God and think it's okay to ignore our other relationships. But the truth is we need a well-balanced life to give anything our best.

To do that, remember that God is the one who gave you this gift so first and foremost don't ignore Him. Get involved in a Bible study even if you've read the Bible through every year since you became a Christian at age five. Go to church (duh!), pray in every pause, worship God not just when you're writing but throughout your day, every day. Listen to praise music. If you put God as your priority, chances are He'll help you set the rest of your priorities in line so that this passion He gave you doesn't become an idol that might actually end up snatching you away from intimacy with Him.

Third, Secular minus S, V, & L does not equal Christian fiction.

S being sex, V being violence and L being language. Years ago I was naïve enough to think if I just took out the sex from my secular novels I would have a Christian book. God had much to teach me, still does. The thing with Christian fiction is that it's CHRISTIAN. Of Christ, a living being Who wants us to learn to be more like Him. Christian fiction should have three threads, each vital to its success: Plot, Characterization and Spirituality. Weaving a spiritual message into a story must be subtle enough not to seem preachy, visible enough to be noticed by your readers whether they're seasoned Christians or the faintest seeker. It should come out of your characters themselves, mirrored or highlighted by some aspect of the plot. It should be so tightly interwoven with the rest of the story that without it, the story wouldn't be the same. It cannot be simply pasted on as an afterthought to be effective.

To do this, God must be vital in your own life. You must be receptive to His teaching, and no doubt He's trying to teach you something every day of your life. Whatever it is He's trying to get across to us, we can either explore and learn better through our characters or impart through them something God has already shown us. Everything we do should reflect Him—that includes our writing.

Fourth, this really is a ministry!

I recommend asking a few close friends to pray consistently for your writing ministry. Ephesians 6:19, 20 has special meaning to me since writing has taken on a bigger role in life. Paste these verses somewhere, or commit them to memory and repeat them to whomever you feel comfortable enough to do so.

"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."

Ephesians 6:19,20

And don't forget to pray for yourself!

Build Your Library

Most of us who want to write have been inspired at one point or another by stories. Something we've read has either made us want to create our own version to touch others in a similar way, or we've said: "I could write a story like this!" Maybe we've thought both.

So we decide to write.

However, writing is one of the few endeavors people try conquering with little or no training. But just because one can speak, read and write in any given language doesn't mean one can succinctly, precisely and cleverly convey a story. So, when we're starting out as writers hopefully most of us devour as many How-To books as we can.

Actually no matter what stage of writing we're in, we can use reminders about why certain writing works or not. From time to time it's good to pick up the best of the How-To books and take a refresher course.

Here are some of my favorites:

Stein On Writing , by Sol Stein

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King

Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain

Elements of Style by Strunk and White

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

And tips from them:

Fiction is supposed to provide the reader with an experience that is superior to everyday life. Fiction is an escape, so make your story a place they'll want to escape into by evoking emotion, connecting your characters to memories, thoughts or experiences to those of your reader.

As a writer, your objective is to communicate. The absolute best way to do that is with precision and clarity. Ask yourself if every scene, every paragraph, every sentence, every word is created with those two watchwords: precision and clarity.

Now that you're a writer, you must learn to read as a writer. Read a gazillion books of the kind you hope to write, so you'll know the market. It should be fun, because that's what inspired you in the first place.

This is the best way to observe what works and what doesn't, by dissecting stories. Obviously good books can teach us a lot if we study them for things like how they revealed their characters, how they used point of view, narrative, dialogue, conflict, scene structure, etc.. But if you can plod through any book, even one you're challenged to finish, then try deciphering why a poorly written book didn't work for you. Were the characters unbelievable? Were they without goals, or proper motivation for their goals? Does the plot pass the logic test? How about the conflict? In many of the contest entries I've judged over the years, conflict is one of the toughest challenges for a writer. It has to be realistic, compelling and sustainable.

But spend most of your time reading the best fiction out there, the ones recommended to you by others or those receiving a lot of attention. Figure out why it's working for so many people. By reading both good and bad fiction you'll be honing your editorial eye, which you'll need for the revisions on your own work.

Just don't spend too much time with the bad stuff; sometimes habits rub off on us whether we want them to or not. Reading lots of bad books may even convince us not to work as hard as we need to work in order to produce our best. On the other hand, reading a really great book has a way of keeping us humble and striving to do better.

Sol Stein has a wonderful image of the novelist being like the conductor of an orchestra, his back to the audience, his face invisible, summoning the experience of the music for people he cannot see. Your reader should be oblivious to the fact that he's reading words on paper, oblivious to the fact someone has worked to put those words on the paper. All that should be visible is your story and the characters in it. If you communicate your story with precision and clarity, they won't be distracted by words—they will be in your story. They won't be aware of you, the writer, until they finish the book with a satisfying sigh and take a second glance at your name on the spine. They'll want to look for more books by such an unobtrusive author!

Like any art, writing demands training. That means facing the daunting task of meeting with other writers and getting feedback. It's nice to have your mom or kindly Aunt Martha read your work and tell you how wonderful you are, but that's not going to teach you very much. What you need is a critique group, people who read like writers and can tell you what's working and what's not. And when you come across one of those harsher critics you'd love to prove wrong, do it by improving your writing—which always comes with revision.

I wish I could say the few words every aspiring writer wants to hear: Hey, let me introduce you to so-and-so and that's all you'll need to break into this wild publishing world. Maybe there's something to that old "it's-not-what-you-know-but-who-you-know" fast-track connection.

Well, as a girl who grew up in a blue collar town with airplanes flying overhead every three minutes, I can honestly say it wasn't the people I knew who helped me get published. But if you have a connection and the guts to ask that person, go for it. Many aspiring writers, however, have learned that having a good word put in for them by an established author is a nice gesture but often doesn't lead to a contract. While it might be tempting to try this route, I'm not convinced it will be the payoff you hope it will be.

Besides, even if you have someone's help getting in, ultimately it's the readers who decide who stays in this business. So working on your writing skills will help now—and later. Study those How-To books, enter writing contests for the feedback, join a critique group, attend conferences or take a college course or online classes on conflict, dialogue, plotting, everything you can. Concentrate on those areas that are most difficult for you. When a contest judge or a critique partner points out an area that needs work, shrug off the hurt and then pay attention to what they're saying because they might be giving you some very good advice.

I wish I had the time to offer critiques but between judging contests, meeting the demands of my critique groups and my own deadlines, I don't have the time to take on any more critiquing. But I cannot stress enough the value of getting feedback to tighten and tone your writing so it will become the best it can be. Frankly, this business is just too competitive and unpredictable to say much more than that. I've been surprised to see some writers make it while other talented writers strive for years and still wait. I'd love to say God will bless all those who work, trust and persevere but sometimes it doesn't happen in the way we expect. This world, like this business, doesn't always make sense.

Sometimes the blessing is in the writing itself. I've experienced that every time I find my way back from a rejection. The real question is: would you write even if you were never paid a dime for it—even if you and God are the only ones to share the words? If the answer is yes, then you're a writer and the truth is there's no escaping that.

So get to work. Start writing!

The Basics on Marketing Your Work To An Editor or Agent

The Mechanics

After you've completed your novel, it's time to try marketing it. Notice I said completed. It's very rare that a publisher will offer a contract to a writer for an unfinished project based only on a proposal/sample if that writer doesn't already have some kind of name or track record. Same with agents.

So by completion you've already tightened and focused your plot, made sure your character's goals, motivations, actions, reactions, inner and outer conflict all pass the logic test, prayed your way through the spiritual element if you're writing for the Christian market. You've gotten honest input from objective writers who have some experience critiquing, or entered contests to gain unbiased feedback from judges. And of course you've polished away every typo and grammar problem. You think your book is as close to perfect as you can make it.

Since you've already read a gazillion of the type of books you're writing, you've looked on all the spines to see who publishes the ones you like best. If you decide to look for an agent, you might look on the Acknowledgements page to see if a specific agent is mentioned. Or check the latest Writer's Market Guides or Literary Marketplace at the library for publishers and/or agents. Also take a look at my Links page for a few sites on Agent listings and tips on how to contact them. There is also a link there to Preditors and Editors, a site devoted to letting authors know which places to avoid. Now you know who's buying/selling the kind of fiction you're writing.

Then check for any Writer's Guidelines on the website of the publisher or agency you're targeting. There you'll find the best advice available—whether they want a query letter first, introducing yourself and your project, or if they want a proposal right off the bat and what constitutes a proposal. If they take submissions directly from authors (a few still do), some like specific fonts, some don't care as long as they're 12 point and easy to read. Just make sure you follow their guidelines because if you don't that's the fastest way to get your work returned unopened, unread, time/postage/paper wasted.

If your favorite publisher only accepts submissions from agented authors, you're not out of the ballpark yet. Perhaps they will look at something if you query them first. A query letter basically asks permission for you to submit your proposal.

Or consider going to a writer's conference where you can meet editors (and agents) face-to-face. This is expensive, often requires travel costs and will take you away from home, but it's become one of the best ways to market your stuff these days.

Look up "Writer's Conferences" on the web or check out writer's magazines listing such things (Writer's Digest, The Writer, etc.). Sally Stuart's Christian Market Guide offers a great guide to conferences. Find a conference that has a faculty you'd benefit from most, with the agents and editors you'd be interested in submitting to. Chances are you'll have a lot in common with other attendees and get to meet some favorite authors, too.

Plus, many conferences include a critique on anywhere from 10 to 30 pages or more. Some charge a nominal fee for this, but it's usually worth it. You get a one-on-one meeting with an author or editor in a related area of interest who will have read your stuff in advance of this meeting. It's a great way to guarantee getting some tailored feedback.

Whether you attend a conference to make connections or find a publisher who will accept proposals directly from authors, you must make sure you've gotten the basics down first. The formatting must be right if you want your work to be read. Your pages should be uniform with approximately 1 to 1 1/2" margins all the way around. Remove the "widows and orphans" by going to the tool bar under "Format" and choosing "Paragraph" then "Line spacing and page breaks" to un check the widows and orphans option. This will give you the same number of lines per page without big gaps at the bottom of some pages.

The only thing that should be single-spaced is your cover or query letter, and sometimes the synopsis (summary of the story). You'd be amazed at how often a new writer brings a manuscript to a critique group with narrow margins and single spacing.

Remember, editors and agents are busy people who use their eyes all day. That means don't use fancy, hard to read or small fonts on anything—letters, proposals, or manuscripts.

By the way, if your proposal slips off the pile on the editor's desk along with a bunch of others what's the easiest way for that overworked editor to get it back to where it belongs? Headers! Your info should be on every page, with at least your last name, the name of the project, and the page number, perhaps even contact info.

I heard an editor speak recently who told this horror story. A writer had submitted a proposal and the first reader recommended it as something to consider. But in the process of the proposal going from one office to another, it became separated from its cover letter. When the editor finally did look at it, she loved it and wanted to see more, too—but it had no header! They have no idea who wrote the book, what the title is, or any way to reach the author to tell them to send more. It may still work out if that author does a thorough and explicit follow-up, but who knows since the editors don't even have a title? At the very least, a lot of time has been wasted. And what kind of assumptions might be made by the editors about this author's organizational skills? Don't let this happen to you.

But hold on. Are you REALLY ready to start marketing your work? I can't tell you how many times I've seen authors send off their projects too soon. We're so excited about our work, it's the best we can do TODAY and we want to get started on what will undoubtedly be a very long process. So we rush off what is, in essence, a rough draft.

Just remember, you'll be a better writer tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that. Don't rush things!

The Rules

#1 - Show respect.

As with any successful relationship one of the most important aspects is respect. It's common sense, really. Ask yourself with every inquiry, every letter, every contact you make in this business, if your attitude and words exhibit respect.

#2 - This is a business so treat it like one.

That means exhibit your authority on the subject of your book — no one knows it better than you do.

It also means keeping a tight rein on your emotions. I've often said writers are some of the most emotional people on earth. We choose to explore and write about emotions all of the time, which usually means we've experienced the gamut ourselves first.

But keep the emotions on the pages of your manuscript, not in letters to other professionals. You may love your book and your characters but don't gush about your talent as you're trying to sell your work, or talk about your characters as if they're sitting right beside you waiting for an editor to get back to you. Editors are business people, and expect to be treated as such.

On the other end, if you receive a rejection of your work, take it as the business decision it really is. Don't send a follow up letter berating them for their unwise choice, don't be rude to them the next time you see them at a conference. You really have no idea why your book was rejected and you certainly don't want to alienate anyone for future possibilities.

More importantly, trust that God is in control and He expects you to treat others as He would. Because yes, God loves editors and agents—even ones who've rejected us.

#3 - Don't give up.

Even if you get rejected, don't give up on a project you believe in. If the place you've queried has allowed multiple submissions, you might have the project still "out there" somewhere else. If not, see if you can learn anything from the rejection and start over again. See my segment Quitting on the Thoughts On page of this website for further discussion about this.

The Steps

Prepare a query letter and proposal.

What's a query letter?

It's a letter inquiring whether or not a publisher or agent would be willing to consider your proposal. Some publishers and agents take e-mail queries, some only want snail mail. As I said above, make sure you check their website for guidelines!

Your query letter should be addressed to the appropriate person, be brief and have a business tone. While it might be tempting to put in how God told you to write this book and that He specifically mentioned the editor you're approaching as "the one" who would see it through to the printed page, most editors are put off rather than excited by such a notion.

My queries generally include a taste of my project in the first paragraph, identifying which genre it belongs to and the theme of the book in a line or two. The next paragraph gives a brief history of my publishing credits, and a closing paragraph thanks them for their time and that I look forward to hearing from them at their convenience.

When you're talking about your credits, use any publishing experience in this instance: e-zine articles, devotionals you might have published, church or group newsletters, anything pertinent to professional writing even if it's non-fiction. If it's writing that someone other than yourself thought people would be interested in reading, then it counts. If you don't have any, include your education especially if it's related to subject matter in your novel.

Some people include a brief marketing analysis, stating a comparison of their work to someone most editors would be familiar with. Briefly tell them how yours is similar and how it's different. Don't forget to mention the title of your manuscript, though, not just other titles your work compares to if you include a marketing analysis or marketing plan.

If you do anything in a query, make sure your letter respects the editor's time and eyes. That means make every word count, leave plenty of white space and by all means use at least a 12 pt. font.

Also include the word count of your completed project. Specify whether you're using the actual count from the computer, or the old-fashioned formula of 250 words times the number of pages (if your margins are about 1 to 1 1/2 inches all the way around, and about 25 lines per page, which is what they should be). I've heard some publishers do have a preference as to whether they like the approximate count or the computer count, so check their website for this, too. And by no means should you infer that your work is complete if it isn't. I know, you're sure it WILL be done by the time they want to look at a full manuscript—but you can't really guarantee that if it isn't already finished, can you? Any sort of duplicity is bound to catch up with you.

And of course include a SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) for their response.

What is a proposal?

If you receive permission to send your proposal, that usually means they want to see a brief synopsis and the first three chapters, unless something else is specifically noted (perhaps more than three chapters). Always send the FIRST three chapters unless they've requested otherwise and include the prologue if you have one. You'll top it with a very brief cover letter thanking them for the invitation to submit your work. If your work is being considered elsewhere, you should mention that if you haven't already done so in the query or during your face-to-face meeting at a conference.

Keep your synopsis brief. Make sure you tell them the WHOLE story—that means don't play tricks like "If you want to know how it ends you'll have to contact me." Believe it or not I've heard this does happen but since you know the #1 rule about respect, you would never do this, right?

The point of a synopsis is to prove your story works. It should show the theme as it reveals a taste of your voice as a writer. Clarity is especially important in a synopsis; you don't want to lose an editor's attention because she can't follow your story. Have someone who isn't familiar with your manuscript read through your synopsis for simple understandability. I can't stress enough that editors are busy people and don't have time to decipher a synopsis that leaves out important aspects, convolutes the timeline, or introduces every character right down to naming the pet of the next door neighbor who has nothing to do with the main plot line. Focus is the keyword here, and you don't need to spell out sub-plots unless they have a major impact on the main plot or character.

Most publishers want a synopsis to be brief these days—2 or 3 single spaced pages. Some might prefer a page or two longer but double spaced! That means really zeroing in on what happens, why, and how it's resolved as you tell how your character grows. And yes, everyone's always admonishing you to "show, don't tell" in your writing. Well, in a synopsis you DO want to tell. That's the only appropriate place for it, so enjoy the ease of it where you can.

Some people include a self-addressed, stamped postcard with a simple, pre-printed statement on the reverse stating they received your proposal, leaving a blank line for them to fill in the date. All the editor or assistant has to do is drop it in the mail and perhaps fill in the date.

Otherwise you can pay a nominal extra fee at the Post Office and send it with a Delivery Confirmation Receipt. DON'T choose the option requesting someone to sign for it. That just irritates people. All you need is a tracking number to check that it was delivered. This won't account for in-house misplacement, but at least you'll know the Post Office got it there.

Once again include a SASE. If you want your proposal back, include a self-addressed envelope large enough to accommodate all the pages, along with the appropriate postage in stamps already affixed (don't have the post office meter the return envelope, because that comes with a date and you don't know when they'll be returning it). If you don't want your proposal returned, ask them in your cover letter to discard/recycle after consideration and to use the letter-sized stamped, addressed envelope you provided for their response.

Once you mail off your query or proposal, forget it for a while. You've looked on their website to see how long they usually take to respond, so give them that much and even a little more. After that time has passed, send a brief, polite follow-up letter. You can even include a convenient self-addressed-stamped-postcard listing the name of the project and asking them to check one of two options: Manuscripts was returned on: (create a line for them to record the date) OR Manuscript is still under consideration. If they respond by checking the first option and that date has long since passed, you can assume it was lost in the mail. It may still turn up, but at least you know the status. If they check the second it means your waiting time isn't over yet.

Just don't call them, even if you somehow manage to find their phone number. You won't be scoring any points with them, believe me.

Receiving A Request for A Full Manuscript

If you make it to the next step in the progression after querying and submitting a proposal, they'll ask for your complete manuscript.

Then what? You're on easy street and can quit your day job, right? Because let's face it, they've already seen a sample of your writing, they've read the synopsis so they know the whole story. Why WOULDN'T they buy the entire book once they've expressed an interest in it, or if you're dealing with an agent, take you on as a client?

I wish I could say that receiving such interest is a sure-fire sale but unfortunately it's not. I've seen many writers go through this step only to end in disappointment.

One thing to remember is that in most publishing houses there are a number of people who must approve the purchase of each book. The editor you've approached may love your writing, your book—YOU! But the fact is that editor has to turn around and sell the book to the rest of the editorial and marketing staff. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.

Large literary agencies may handle their acceptances the same way, with a committee needing a unanimous "Yeah!" vote before the agency takes on another client. Smaller agencies don't have that but after receiving the full manuscript they might find something doesn't quite work for them, after all. Or their workload has increased, which fluctuates for agents.

Rejections are especially disappointing if you're offered no reason or only vague ones, but the fact is many times editors and agents can't put into words what's not working for them. Sometimes it's a matter of not having enough time to explain their decision.

But remember, it doesn't automatically mean they think your work stinks. What it really means is that they don't think your work would be a good fit for their publishing house or their agency. It's a business decision.

So when you get a request for a full, rejoice that at least one agent or editor has shown strong interest in your work. But don't quit your day job, there's no sale until you sign the contract.

I recommend going through your manuscript one more time for any tightening and typos before sending it in after a request for a full. Then, mail it off with a prayer and try—just try—to forget about it.

By the way, mail the complete manuscript even though they already have the first three chapters. You don't want them to have to chase down that original proposal to match it up. Your goal as a writer is to make your future editor's life as easy as possible. Don't give them a reason to put your work aside once they have it in their hands.

Once again include the type of SASE you choose to use. If they want to buy the book or take you on as a client they will probably call you or email you so any return envelope very likely won't be used if it's good news.

If you've made it through this lengthy process and end up with a sale or an agent who thinks she/he can get you a sale, congratulations! You've achieved something that, statistically speaking, doesn't happen very often. Celebrate! Then pray, 'cause in this business you're going to need His guidance more than ever.

The Waiting

One of the things our society seems to nurture is impatience. Any kind of waiting seems like torture.

For me, there's only one effective way to take my mind off of the waiting. Work. This might be the right thing for you, too. Write as if that book is already history. Start a new project. Do research work. Read other fiction. Read How-To books and writer's magazines. If you want to stay immersed in this field you love, fine, but don't fixate on the project you just sent off. You'll just find all kinds of things to worry about. The project may need more revising, but you can do that after you get an answer: if it's a rejection, you have plenty of time to revise. If it's a sale, you'll have the whole editing process just ahead! Use this time away from the project to gain the fresh eye you'll need for the next stage of revisions—whether you do it alone or with the input of an editor.

Once you are offered a contract there's more waiting ahead. First you wait for the much-anticipated contract to be drawn up by the publisher, for your agent (if you have one) to make changes, for the publisher to respond. Once that's finalized you wait for the book to be scheduled, for the cover art to be done and approved, for the substantive editorial revision requests, then line edits, galleys and proofreading and finally the printing and distribution process.

So. . .once you finish your book even if you sell it tomorrow, chances are it won't be on the shelf for another year or two. . .sometimes longer, if the house you're working with has a backlog of purchased manuscripts.

But the bottom line is, all this waiting gives you the perfect opportunity to keep writing. Don't let anything stop you. Because then as you sign your contract you can say, "By the way, I just happen to have another project you might be interested in. . ."