Blog Tour: ‘#SayYes Tips for aspiring authors’ by Hannah Doyle, author of The Year of Saying Yes

Posted July 7, 2017 by Charlotte in Blog Tour, Guest Post / 0 Comments

'#SayYes Tips for aspiring authors' by Hannah Doyle, author of The Year of Saying Yes

Today I am super excited to welcome to the blog Hannah Doyle author of The Year of Saying Yes. Today Hannah is going to be talking about her #SayYes Tips for aspiring authors  and I am super excited to read her thoughts.

As always don’t forget to check out the other blogs on this tour for other amazing content!

 

Hannah Doyle

Hannah Doyle: #SayYes Tips for aspiring authors

Hello there!

I’m Hannah and my debut romantic comedy, The Year of Saying Yes, is out now. I can’t tell you what a dream come true it has been to see something I have written turn into a proper, bona fide ebook. I’ve been wanting to write a novel for absolute yonks and I feel very lucky to be in this position right now.

So many people I meet say they’d like to write something too. Unless you’re one particular friend of mine who once told me that studying “books” (English Lit) at university was her idea of torture. “Who wants to read and then write about it?” She asked. I know, what a weirdo.

Well, reading and writing are my two favourite things and for those of you who feel the same, I thought I’d note down my top tips to other aspiring authors. Though, be warned, I’m only such a newbie in the industry myself so please don’t just take my word for it.

1.Know your market

I absolutely love a rom com. It’s my go-to genre for pretty much any occasion. Lying in the sun on holiday? Fetch me the Lindsey Kelk! End of a long and busy day? I’ll take a bath and that new Mhairi McFarlane please! So when I decided to take the plunge and get writing, I naturally gravitated towards a romantic comedy of my own and I think it really helps for you to know your market inside and out. What do you like about the books you read? What don’t you like? Is there a niche which you could tap into?

2. Prep prep prep

You’re never going to write a whole novel if you have no idea where the story is going. Give your plot some serious thought before you even think about writing that opening chapter. I’m not saying you have to stick to it like glue once you get going, but you definitely need to know roughly what is happening and when so that you don’t get yourself in a right old pickle.

3. Give it time

It’s super tempting to just get the heck on with sending your work to agents as soon as you’ve typed “the end” but don’t! You need to tweak it and make sure it’s the best it can be. I then sent my book to some friends who are also rom com fans and asked for their opinion, before incorporating their feedback. Ten bazillion more re-reads and I was ready to submit.

4. Make a hit list

You’re going to need an agent to get your book off the ground. Flick to the back of books by your fave authors and note down who represents them. Or take a look on a website like Agent Hunter, they’ll tell you which agents are actively looking for new clients and how to pitch your book to them.

5. Develop a thick skin

You’ll probably get a lot of rejections. Boo hiss! But all it takes is one agent to see your potential and you’re flying.

6. Oh, and be prepared to wait

For. A. Long. Time. It may even be several months before you hear back from an agent. These guys get a lot of submissions, so make sure you have a lot of plans to take your mind off things!

7. Get online

I think it really helps if potential agents and publishers can get a sense of what you are like by checking you out on social media. Headline, who have published The Year of Saying Yes, found me through my blog which makes all the ramblings I post on there so worth it!

8. Celebrate

Even if you haven’t bagged an agent, don’t be disheartened. It may be that the book needs just a squidge more work, or you simply haven’t found your dream match just yet. But whatever happens, you should blooming well get some fizz in the fridge because you just wrote a book, sugar plum! That is no mean feat and you should be very proud of yourself.

What do you think of Hannah Doyle’s #SayYes Tips for aspiring authors? Do you have any other tips and tricks?

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