Local Authors Talk About Writing
A crowd of aspiring writers turned out to hear a panel of of local authors at the Rogers Public Library on July 9.
The five panelists were anything but uniform in the advice they had to offer the many publishing hopefuls present.
Opinions varied on the necessity of having an agent. Pat Carr and Radine Trees Nehring feel that having an agent is not essential, while Sally McClusky, who writes romances under the name “Bethany Campbell,” listed the advantages of having an agent.
All the writers agreed on the importance of hard work, persistence, and the ability to take rejection. Barbara Youree, writer of Christian romances, told how she sent query letters to 75 agents and 25 publishers before her nonfiction book, Courageous Journey, was accepted for publication.
Lela Davidson, managing editor of ParentingSquad.com, admitted to having dreams of publishing fiction, but pointed out that short nonfiction pieces are easier to sell than a full-length novel.
Three other points of unanimity among the panelists were:
• the importance of belonging to a writers’ critique group
• the importance of attending workshops and conferences
• the importance of having your work edited by a professional before publication.
Maeve Maddox
Maeve Maddox writes about English usage and public education at AmericanEnglishDoctor.com/. Her most recent publication is The Fabergé Flute, a cozy mystery novel set in 1980s London.