To ask for advice about my book?

[Firsttimewriter]

I have name changed for this thread. I am a third of the way through writing a lockdown book. I started it as a way to pass the time but 30,000 words in, it is shaping up to be something I am really proud of. I have shown it to three trusted friends and they have been extremely complimentary. I am pretty sure I will persevere and finish it in the next six months. But the question is, once it is done, should I pitch it out for publishing or not?! I have always wanted to be a published writer and if I could make any money from it, that would be an added bonus. But the problem I have is that it is based on truth. I suppose you could call it a memoir. Mostly it is funny anecdotes about relationships I have had strung together with some real life background info. Unfortunately it features my real family members, some friends and lots and lots of ex boyfriends. For that reason, I wouldn’t consider publishing it under my real name, and I would have to change all names. But even with some details changed, I am pretty sure some of the featured people would recognise the stories if they read it. I am worried some people I am close to would be offended / annoyed / think badly of me. I would also risk embarrassing people if my identity was unveiled. What are people’s thoughts?! Am I just going to have accept that I have written a whole book for my own pleasure and that’s as far as it can go?

If you are concerned about the book being identifying you have 3 choices. Either mix loads of fiction around the fact, so the fact bits are obscured, wait till those mentioned are dead, or decide it's more important to you to reach a wider audience than peoples reactions and deal with the consequences.

Thank you. That is exactly the advice I wanted. I need to give it more thought.

Bear in mind that in order to publish it - even under a pseudonym - if it could be considered libellous, then you (or your publisher) could be sued. That’s unlikely - unless you’re saying something really scandalous- but the most likely thing, as you’ve said yourself, is that you’ll offend a great deal of people. Only you can weigh that up.

A publisher isn’t likely to promote an anonymous author unless the writing is extremely good or the content really juicy. To sell books now authors need to be prepared to promote them. So you should bear that in mind.

You could self-publish, however, and then you’d be in control of how/who/when - but liable entirely for any libel if it arose. It’s often the best way to make money if authors do it well and research it.

Or turn it into fiction. Look at this as Draft One and then see what elements would make a great novel.

Get the first draft finished, then when you edit it you can make changes to obscure the details enough to make it fictional. My advice would be not to go back over what you have written and make changes at this point as you may never get to the end - just make changes going forward and marry it all up when you edit (you will probably do more than one edit!).

The next hard task is getting an agent and then getting published!

Yes, perhaps I can a) see if do actually finish it b) investigate whether anyone actually wants to represent me or publish it and then c) spend a lot of time re-editing if it seems worth it. Interesting that anonymous authors are not seen as worth promoting however. I hadn’t thought about that. Thanks.

Oh and if you don't think you can fictionalise it enough to make it into a novel and decide you want it to be a memoir/narrative non-fiction you would (usually) need a huge platform for a publisher to take you on.

Firsttimewriter you need to edit before you submit to agents and publishers if you go down the novel route. Your work needs to be in as close to publishable state that you can get it to and polished so it shines.

A few tips for non- fiction submissions here, the process is different to that for novels:

www.writersandartists.co.uk/writers/advice/1087/preparing-for-submission/how-to-find-a-literary-agent/

There are routes, if you look for them, where budding authors can submit drafts of eg 1 chapter for peer review etc. Some workshops are run by - or have the involvement of - established authors, whose advice is worth taking. These were once in-person retreats etc, currently online, but still providing valuable support to new authors.

A friend of mine got published this way and is about to publish her 3rd novel.

Good luck with yours.

It's also worth getting involved with "book" Twitter and following other writers as well as agents and publishers as there are sometimes competitions run or publicised on there and it is also a good way of finding out who is looking for what and generally networking.

Thanks for all the advice and for the interesting article link. I am feeling even more inspired. I think perhaps there will be a way of passing it off as fiction even if it isn’t by making alterations to locations and other giveaway details. Much appreciated.

As tinsel says - you can’t think about submitting it until you know what you’ve written and have edited it so it’s the best it can be. It’s tough to get any attention from agents, and almost impossible to get traditionally published without an agent. Agents look for potential and will work with you on polishing it if they like your style ... but you need to know if you’re approaching an agent for fiction or non-fiction, then what sort of fiction etc, who likes the kind of thing you’re writing, what its close comparisons are... lot of work in research and you can’t skip it, if you’re serious about it.

Good luck finishing it!

I know someone who recognised himself in an ex-girlfriend's novel and managed to get the book withdrawn after it had been published and that was from a big publishing house. He was very bitter that she was more successful than him but she was a nasty piece of work.

@tinselearedcow

Get the first draft finished, then when you edit it you can make changes to obscure the details enough to make it fictional. My advice would be not to go back over what you have written and make changes at this point as you may never get to the end - just make changes going forward and marry it all up when you edit (you will probably do more than one edit!).

The next hard task is getting an agent and then getting published!

Tinsel knows her shit. Good advice (and a useful ink in her later post).

@SummerWhisper

I know someone who recognised himself in an ex-girlfriend's novel and managed to get the book withdrawn after it had been published and that was from a big publishing house. He was very bitter that she was more successful than him but she was a nasty piece of work.

Ooh that sounds a bit like the Amanda Craig Vicious Circle saga, but that book did end up getting published by another house after extensive rewriting.

OP this article about that book might interest you:

www.independent.co.uk/news/complete-fiction-but-very-familiar-1312451.html

Just to say, there is some very good advice on all aspects of writing and publishing in this topic:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/creative_writing

You might enjoy a browse!