Sometimes it Pays Off to Slow Down
Blogger: Rachel Kent
We’re always in such a hurry. Running the publishing race and jumping its many hurdles. Getting things done and doing them quickly is great, but there are certain areas where it’s a good idea to slow down and do it right so that you can actually save time in the long run.
1) Editing–I have heard many authors need to power through writing the book to get it finished and once they finish they go back to edit. Don’t plow your way through the editing. Be sure to leave ample time before your deadline for your edits and revisions. This will save you time and will also save hours for your critique partners, agent, and editor.
2) Proposal–One of my clients turned in the most beautiful proposal a couple of weeks ago and I felt like crying because it was perfect! It was so easy to get that proposal read and sent off to the editor waiting for it. This is not always the case. Proposals come in and they make me want to cry because they are a mess. They take me hours to fix up before I feel they’re ready to send.
And if you are submitting your proposal to agents, you want it to be lovely the first time. Take the time to do it right and have someone else look at it before you send it off. This will allow for the agent to actually enjoy your proposal for what it is, rather than getting hung up on formatting and lack of detail.
3) Your author bio–This is part of your proposal, but you will be using versions of it everywhere. Make sure you keep it up to date and that it actually reflects who you are and what you write. Get feedback on it from your friends before using it.
4) Social media and social media marketing–Slow down and think before you post anything. Does what you are going to post help your audience? Does it entertain them? Is it something you should post or could it end up hurting you? If you are not 100% sure it’s okay, don’t post it.
What are other writing-related things you’ve found it’s best to take your time on?
Happy December! Can you believe it? This year has flown by. May you have a month filled with blessings, family and friends.
This is all so true, Rachel. Thank you for the reminder to take a deep breath … and to let it out slowly. (Doing this now.) It’s hard for me to enjoy the season and to submit above par work when I’m frazzled.
Reminds me of the classic gunfighter’s axiom:
“Fast is fine, but accurate is final.”
Love that, Andrew! I will have to keep that one in mind.
True, true, true. lol. Got a laugh outta me.
Love the axiom Andrew!
Thank you Rachel for the post, and may all of you and your families have a very blessed Christmas season, and a wonderful last month of 2017.
I’ve found I need to slow down and do nothing but think. Thinking helps me grow spiritually and helps me pray. Ideas come when I take time out from everything and think. For me writing begins with thinking through my story, the characters, the complications and twists, turns, timing–and especially facts, so the facts agree from the beginning of the book to the end. Then I can think about my marketing.
All good points and reminders. There is no rushing quality. Time to slow down and think more about some of these.
Striving for excellence pays off. I’m a plodder. In the plodding through what’s before me, I seek to do it clean. Problems arise when I don’t dot my I’s and cross my T’s before something publishes because the computer blog site has a glitch or the computer is down and I can’t log on to fix it…so a blog publishes that is not completely finished and there’s nothing I can do about it etc., etc. It makes me look bad but there’s no way to edit until it’s fixed. I need to keep them in draft form until they’re finished, I guess. Not talking about proposals, but my struggle. It happened three times to me in 2017. Good and helpful article, Rachel.