Advice from Atlin Merrick

Advice for Writers from Editor Atlin Merrick

I’ve got a guest blogger this month: my friend, the wonderful Atlin Merrick of Improbable Press. She’s a writer and editor whose passion is amplifying the voices of the underheard. I asked her for her top three pieces of advice for writers. What follows is her own words:

As an editor for over twenty years, the first wee bit of advice I’d love to give writers is easy peasy lemon squeezy:

Write no matter what.

If you love the story, write the story. Is it the hot topic at book stores right now? Doesn’t matter.

No one predicts what’s suddenly the zeitgeist. Who saw Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid being as big as it became? Is your story niche? Doesn’t matter. Solar Bones by Mike McCormack is a prize-winning novel written as one single sentence.

The point is, popularity is unpredictable but your passion is irreplaceable. If you love your story, write your story. Say what you want to say, the way you want to say it, and finish writing it. Be proud because you’ve done the hardest part: waded through self-doubt and time crunches and let your passion carry you to a completed work. It’s the only thing a writer really controls, so please write.

When you’re done send the work out, and know that now you don’t control everything.

It’s fine if you want to control the process, that’s what self-publishing is for and plenty of people go that route. I’m an editor for traditional publishers though, so I can talk to you about that.

Traditional publishing is where the press does all the work after they accept your story. They edit it, proofread it, design the cover, promote it, and get the book printed and into the hands of readers. And you pay for none of that. During that process you do take part. All edits have to be agreed on by both the publisher and writer. Often a press will ask you how you envision the cover, but since they’re paying for the artwork the final call is theirs. You’re collaborators now.

Ask questions, ask questions, and none are dumb times infinity forever.

You can’t know what you don’t know. When you approach a publisher with your story, always, always read their submission guidelines first, and if you have a question, email them for clarity, they get questions all the time. They also receive books they’d never publish because people ignored the guidelines. No one wins there, so always read the submission guidelines first.

Once your novel or short story is accepted, ask questions then too. Whether about the contract, edits, promotion – ask! And unless you want a real short career, be polite please, because this is your workplace now and tantrums help no one. Yes, some writers throw them and life becomes difficult difficult lemon difficult for everyone; often those writers are newbies because it’s from anxiety and confusion that people lash out.

Write for the love of it, for the joy your characters bring you, and you’ll find others who are carried away by that passion. Good luck!

–Thanks very much to Atlin for stepping in for me this month! You can find Atlin Merrick on Bluesky or reach her at atlinmerrick@improbablepress.com