One of the main things I used to think about in this respect is James Kelman winning the Booker in 1994. One of the judges stood up and proclaimed ‘Frankly, it’s crap!’ and stormed out. Mr Kelman shrugged it off stood in front of the world’s stage and said:
‘Our language and our culture have the right to exist –
and no one has the authority to dismiss that’
That is a message we can all take for our writing, regardless of what background we are coming from. It was certainly one that helped me. We need to be unreasonable sometimes. We need to challenge gatekeeping. That was certainly something I experienced. The majority of my rejections, however kindly worded, were around using the language I used in my community.
For all writers, even out with these groups it is a very daunting process of how to professionalise yourself within the industry. People often ask the same things I used to worry about, which now seem trivial… but definitely didn’t at the time. I used to fret, can I use brand names/do I need to italicise them and simple grammar and layout that we basically aren’t taught in school in the UK. There’s literally no need to worry about this small stuff. Another thing I hear lots is, I need an agent! What I found was that the people who were always saying that, were the people who needed to focus more on editing. The people who are always editing and never submitting are usually the ones who need an agent!
When you do begin to approach agents, craft your submission to them with the same fervour that you do your art. We pile hours, blood, sweat and tears into our art, but are often lazy with submission. We use blanket templates and carpet bomb as many submissions email addresses as we can. This is a waste of everybody’s time. These must be tailored to specific agents. Some will just never be suited to your style and work. I was rejected 300 times. That was largely for language and as a difficult book to publish – but regardless, these were probably often sent to the wrong agents through my own laziness and inexperience. It may have not been as long/ or as many rejections if these had been more targeted. Represent yourself like you were going for a job interview. Best foot forward, show them your passion and commitment and how hard you are going to work during your career as an author! This is communicated best by effort alone.
I am asked questions often, as are other authors, which a Google search could answer in twenty seconds. It’s not that we mind answering, but research is a huge part of this as a career. It’s part of the commitment of learning the business of writing. Favours only ever take us so far. Being a well-read professional and artist can be the same thing! I often recommend the book From Pitch to Publication by Carole Blake – and she gives a fantastic insight and is much more informed on the subject than most writers.
With representation, when that does come… people sometimes say, Agents work for you! The reality is - it should be a partnership. Taxation wise, they are your employee. You pay them money to perform a service. The reality is, it’s a two-way street. The harder you work for them, the harder they will work for you! I changed agent because it wasn’t working for me. You need to be flexible and adaptable if required with that relationship, but it isn’t working, be strong and sort it. But as with all relationships, there’s peaks and troughs. Agents are running long lists and it’s best not to monopolise their time with the minutiae. They also know and speak to each other. It’s a village out there – someone said to me at the beginning. This is good advice.
THE MAGIC FORMULA TO SUCCESS!
[There isnae one, sadly!
But here’s a few top tips from a young apprentice…]
· BE FLEXIBLE! Nothing will happen when you want it to. It won’t happen the way you expect it to either. It takes a lot of time to make any money from writing (I’m still waiting!) but if you are flexible and enjoy the process – it may well happen! Build strong reciprocal relationships with people – booksellers especially determine your success.
· EMBRACE SOCIAL MEDIA! I was a technophobe growing up – but I quickly learned this is a powerful tool to connect with an audience. It’s FREE! I have never spent a penny on additional marketing. It’s still growing, but it’s been worthwhile so far.
(That said… while it can be your making… it can also be your ruin. I purposefully remain apolitical on my social. There will always be people who disagree, even if your views are moderate and popular. I retain my social as a commercial space – not a noticeboard for my views and opinions [bar the odd cheeky post about Rangers Football Club winning the league] Keep private and personal separate from business! Social media behaviour is absolutely paramount to your reputation and your success as an author.)
Remember, bad social is worse than no social.
Use social media as a space to connect people with your art, support others and keep it light.
· MENTOR PEOPLE! Both published and unpublished, I’ve always been involved in proofreading other’s work. The process of helping others, will help your own work to no end. This gave back and made me a much sharper writer, both of my fiction and journalistic pieces which help later to supplement a living.
When you do end up successful, lots of people will have lots of questions – endeavour to answer as many as possible! It’s a privilege to mentor others.
· PERFORM! Live performance is so important to build your profile. I was filled with unspeakable dread when I had to read my work aloud in front of an audience the first few times. Practice definitely makes perfect here. I rehearsed in front of mirrors and recorded myself with my mobile. The more you do this, it becomes an enjoyable performance when you do read live – not just a hurried reading to endure. I started small, podcasts, pub venues… now I’ve performed in front of hundreds of people, on panels, in front of the trade press, working in prisons and schools. If you can do this at low-level, open mic nights, spoken word etc. … you will be ready for the big stuff when it comes.
Now, I’ve done a sofa interview and presented a tv show. It was the small stuff that prepared me. At the beginning of your career – embrace grass roots media! There will be a local podcast with your name all over it!
· GIVE BACK! Above all the mechanics of success, the greatest privilege of this journey has been the opportunity to give back to the community. I’ve worked in schools and prisons and worked with people in dire need of the inspiration which saved my life as a former gang-member. How we conduct ourselves reflects on our communities, old unis, families, agents and publishers. People will look up to you and are incredibly generous with their support, time and hard-earned dough– return the favour by being an inspirational figure, especially to young people.
If you ever get to the place where you can give back with your time, money or energy… you absolutely should. It will serve them and you in ways that it’s hard to even describe. When people message you to say they’ve had an experience with your work: you’ve inspired them to become a writer, or you’ve inspired them to do better with whatever their circumstances are - that’s a special thing for an artist and a great privilege I’ve been very lucky to have.
I hope this wee crash course is an insight into the process and some pitfalls!
Promote yourself well, work hard for yourselves and other people!
All the very best,
Graeme Armstrong
