By Stephanie Monahan

So, you want to get published. You might think there’s only one way to do it: Study creative writing at school, sell short stories to literary magazines, collect rejections, get an agent, land the book deal, live happily ever after as a best-selling author while your publishing company takes care of marketing and promotions, etc.

But now, in the world of Twitter and blogs and e-books, the road to publication is changing. I learned this firsthand last year.

I took creative writing classes in college, then worked as an editorial assistant at a small publisher. When I moved out of state, reality set in. Publishing jobs were rare and mostly concentrated in cities. There weren’t many opportunities in central Pennsylvania. So, I took a day job and wrote on the side.

I polished some stories and submitted them to the journals I thought were so important. A few rejections came; otherwise, I heard nothing at all. I eventually gave up on short stories. The truth was, I hated short stories. I hated reading them, and I hated writing them. Mostly because I was writing the types of stories I thought I had to write ~ the literary kind I studied in school. That was a lesson learned only through experience ~ I needed to find my own voice. I needed to embrace the types of stories that I liked to write ~ commercial women’s fiction. Accepting this was my first step.

Many pages ended up in the shredder. But with each draft, I improved and learned what worked and what didn’t. Finally, I finished a full-length women’s fiction book. I researched agents, queried them and waited. More rejections came.

I put the manuscript away, intending to take a break. Then, I stumbled upon Entangled Publishing’s website and saw a call for novellas for its Valentine’s Day-themed anthology. The company intrigued me, and an idea for a story grew in my mind. The main character was the perfect mix of snarky and serious, and I loved her.

Writing the novella was a complete detour for me, and it was the best writing experience I’ve had. I finished it in two weeks, never expecting anything to come of it. About a month later, I got an email from the editor. He didn’t want it for the anthology ~ he wanted me to expand it into a full-length novel. I was contracted in January 2012, and 33 Valentines was published in January 2013.

The contract, it turned out, was just the beginning. Then came the edits, the cover, the blurb, the publicity … and the list goes on.

There have been lots of twists and turns, but if there’s any advice I can give aspiring writers, it is to believe in yourself and your story. Write what you want to write and what you want to read. Write the story that only you can write. There is no longer a right way to get published ~ do your research, be prepared and seize the opportunity when it comes. Believe me, it will.

Check out our online interview with Stephanie Monahan as she discusses writing and her new novel 33 Valentines at thepulsemag.com.

MORE INFORMATION:
stephmonahanwrites.wordpress.com
twitter.com/stephwrites
entangledpublishing.com/33-valentines