“WTAF?” is a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately. What’s the point of crying, of protesting, of sharing my feelings online? What’s the point of trying to make my voice heard when it’s clear no one is interested in hearing it? 

With everything—and I mean, everything—going on in the world lately, it’s easy to wonder what the point is…and even easier to struggle coming up with an answer. This is especially true with our writing.

Why Do I Write?

Last month, I celebrated the two-year anniversary of my debut novel, Inconvenient Daughter, while chipping away at my second novel—still unnamed and still unfinished. As I alternated staring at a copy of ID and the blinking cursor of my work in progress, I asked myself, “Why? Why do I do this?”

As a beginning writer, I wrote because I thought I had something to say. I wrote to be seen, to be heard. Part of me wrote to settle scores and prove people wrong. Another part of me wrote so others would bear witness to my pain. 

It wasn’t until after Inconvenient Daughter hit shelves I realized writing is about connecting.

I don’t know you, but…

After ID dropped, I received probably fifty emails that began with this phrase. 

“I don’t know you, but I wanted to thank you for writing this book.” 

“I don’t know you, but after reading this book I feel like I finally know myself.” 

“I don’t know you, but this is the book I needed when I was a young adoptee.”

Adoptees from all locations, ages, and situations reached out to let me know they felt seen by the book, that a voice had been given to their grief, pain, and anger…that they gave the book to someone they loved in the hope of coming to a better understanding and healing.

The act of writing may be solitary, but the act of reading, of relating, is communal. We may write to understand who we are, and the things that have happened to us, but we read for the same reasons. 

It is in reading that we find community, and community is everything.

One Is the Loneliest Number

As an adoptee, I’ve always heard the same thing: I was given a better life. It was as if, by adopting me, my parents had spared me some unimaginable suffering. It was impressed upon me as gospel, and I developed a sense of obligatory gratitude. I was convinced I had to repay my parents for the life I’d been with loyalty, with being a good student, etc.

But as I came of age, I began to wonder about my birth mother, about why she relinquished me, about why she had never come looking for me…and I was angry. I was angry all the time. My rage burned through me like a fever I could never seem to cool down from. 

My brother, who is also adopted, didn’t seem to have the questions I did. Neither did the boy down the block, a domestic infant adoptee. And neither did the two girls my mom’s friend had adopted from South America. And so, I thought something must be wrong with me. There must be something different about me. I must somehow be defective.

Worse than rage, pain, and anger is loneliness. 

In these times of uncertainty and threat, we must continue to write. We must continue to share. We must continue to make our voices heard…for we don’t know what hope, what comfort, and what strength we give to others by doing so.

Lauren J. Sharkey is a writer, teacher, and transracial adoptee. Inconvenient Daughter is her debut novel, and loosely based on her experience as a Korean adoptee. You can follow her at ljsharks.com, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The post Writing Is about Connecting appeared first on DIY MFA.

Sincerely,

Aimlessly Acquiring An Agent

Dear Aimlessly,

Yours is a loaded question, with an even more loaded answer. Before I get to that, though, something I always encourage writers to do is define what success means and looks like to them. It’s important to revisit this question often, in all stages of the writing process, and brings me to the first part of my multi-layered answer to your question:

Paths to Publishing

Now, more than ever, there are so many different ways to publish. So, to answer your question with another question: why traditional publishing?

Traditionally, I consider traditional publishing to be publishing with one of the Big Five (Penguin/Random House, Hachette, Harper Collins, Simon and Schuster, and Macmillan). If you are looking to submit to any of these houses, chances are yes, you will need an agent. 

However, the imprints of these houses may open submissions for unrepresented authors periodically throughout the year (but don’t quote me on that). 

At the same time, there are also a number of independent and hybrid presses, along with self-publishing options, that don’t require you to have an agent in order to submit your manuscript for consideration.   

So, I’d ask you to consider why you believe traditional publishing is the right path for you, but more than that, if traditional publishing is truly where your book belongs.

Great Expectations

There’s a common misconception that once an author signs with an agent, their life becomes infinitely easier: their book gets purchased for a boatload of money, eventually topping the bestseller list before being optioned for a multi-film deal. The truth is, an agent isn’t a guarantee of publication. When it comes to books, there are no guarantees.

There are benefits of having an agent—someone to advocate on your behalf and to share the heavy lifting (and the misery of rejection) with. At the end of the day, though, an agent isn’t a one-way ticket to publication. 

It’s a Numbers Game

Getting rejected is part of the deal when it comes to writing. I’m not a believer in word or page counts, and I don’t subscribe to the idea of X number of rejections equalling a particular badge of honor. 

That being said, a hundred rejections almost tells you the same thing as fifty—something isn’t working or resonating.

Ask yourself if your query is clear, if your characters, and their motivations, are coming through. 

Another thing—and this is important—is to consider where you’re querying and WHY. When I was starting out, I submitted my work everywhere that was accepting submissions. It wasn’t until I got an email from an editor with a simple question, “Why do you think this piece is a good fit for us?” A quick scan of their website told me they already knew the answer: it wasn’t. 

Make sure you’re querying with purpose. 

Good luck, and keep writing!

What other questions do you have about getting an agent, writing a novel, or getting published? Drop them here and Lauren might answer them in a future column!

Lauren J. Sharkey is a writer, teacher, and transracial adoptee. Inconvenient Daughter is her debut novel, and loosely based on her experience as a Korean adoptee. You can follow her at ljsharks.com, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The post Aimlessly Acquiring an Agent appeared first on DIY MFA.

Let me take you through my answer:

MFA: Missing Factual Applications

There are a lot of great things about MFA programs: time and space to write, the opportunity to make connections with writers, and let’s not forget actual writing. However, one of the ways MFA programs fall short is they sometimes stand for Missing Factual Applications.

Were it not for my internship, (read: me legit convincing my professor they needed to let me work for them so I could absorb their real-world knowledge like a sponge) I wouldn’t know anything about the editing process, querying, publishing, and everything in between. MFA programs are so committed to writing, they forget there’s another type of education their writers need (read: the deets on the DIRE situation that is publishing).

Let me level with you, MFAs aren’t perfect

My MFA program didn’t teach us !@#$ about how to query agencies, or our manuscripts, ways to leverage our education in pursuit of jobs outside adjunct teaching, and the amount of education we received regarding publishing was straight up laughable. 

So, my first piece of advice to this person was: Do not blame yourself for what you don’t know. MFA programs need to find ways to do right by their students by providing transparent and current resources which will help them achieve their goals. 

I found the reason my MFA program didn’t provide any insight into the editing process or the publication process was because they were so grossly out of touch. Despite the fact that one of our faculty members was published several times over, they never taught us a thing about querying. Another faculty member’s book was optioned for a TV series, and yet we never got a lesson in film and media rights. 

What you don’t know isn’t your own fault but, unfortunately, it becomes your responsibility to learn…which is easier said than done.

Answering the Question

The answer to this person’s query is dependent on several factors: what stage of the writing process you’re in and how you’re being published.

The Writing Process

Drafting: If you’re still drafting (meaning you are not yet ready to query publishers), I advise reaching out to anyone and everyone who is willing to read your work. Getting opinions and feedback from those whose life experience, and genre, is different from your own is supremely helpful and valuable.

Getting Ready to Query: Once you are confident your draft is ready to be sent to publishers, I recommend working with an editor who 1) understands your vision for the book, and 2) is familiar with your voice, for tightening, line edits, narrative plot holes, and reviews of your query letter. 

If you find you’re getting consistent rejections, take note of what the rejections are saying (assuming they’ve provided feedback) and re-work your draft.

Post Contract Signing: This part of the editing process really depends on the publisher. Depending on your publisher’s budget, you may or may not be assigned an editor to work with you until final proof. With my publisher specifically, there was an expectation the draft I presented was as close to the final draft as possible. I went to page proofs relatively quickly.

Page Proofs: Page proofs refer to the proof of the manuscript the publisher intends to send to print. When I received the page proofs, I did a one over myself, then I worked overtime in order to pay for an independent editor to also do a once over for spelling, syntax, and narrative errors. There was an expectation that edits made during this phase would not be large scale plot edits.

To be completely transparent, I was published by an independent publisher, and assume a lot of the expectations around proofing and editing are dependent upon your publisher. However, I think the above is a good baseline for what you can expect with the editing process.

What other questions do you have about the editing process, writing a novel, or getting published? Drop them here and Lauren might answer them in a future column!

Lauren J. Sharkey is a writer, teacher, and transracial adoptee. Inconvenient Daughter is her debut novel and loosely based on her experience as a Korean adoptee. You can follow her at ljsharks.com, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The post What MFAs Miss about the Editing Process appeared first on DIY MFA.

They told me it would take my mind off bad reviews, the social media frenzy…angry family members, and ex-boyfriends. I didn’t know how to tell everyone—or maybe I was afraid to tell everyone—the truth: I wasn’t sure I had a second book in me.

Inconvenient Daughter was always the story I knew I needed to tell. It was part of me—it defined me in so many ways. And now that it was out in the world, I was worried it was the only story I had to give. 

Imposter Syndrome

A lot of people think getting published is validating for a writer. While that may be true for some, up until publication day I kept thinking, “They’re going to realize they made a mistake and pull this book, right?” Seeing Inconvenient Daughter on shelves was weird to say the least, but it didn’t make me feel like any less of a fake.

Those feelings were solidified when I sat down at my computer to write a second book and came up with nothing. Now, I’m used to staring at a blank screen, but I wasn’t used to the lack of ideas or inspiration. There was absolutely nothing going on upstairs. That’s when I started wondering if I was really a writer. After all, what writer has only one story to tell?

The Joy of Writing

It was months before I got an idea, and even when it showed up, it kind of sucked. I was starting to panic as though any minute someone was going to kick my door in and revoke my official writer membership card. 

Then I realized, the benefit of being a writer is the ability to create new realities. And that’s where I found the joy of writing.

I designed a reality where there was no pressure, no expectations…and no deadlines. I gave myself permission to be weird and silly and possibly a bit bold. I’d gotten caught up in success and failure, publishing and drafting, and forgot there’s joy in writing. There’s excitement in discovering the story. 

Hope to Draft Another Day

A lot of these things are easier to say when your book is on a shelf for purchase. At times I found myself thinking, “What are you crying about? One book is better than none.” I think sometimes we writers get so caught up in publishing we lose sight of the fact that all it really takes to be a writer is to write. 

So, whether you’re published or not, whether you have an idea or not, or whether you feel like a writer or not…give yourself the space to explore, to create, to find the joy of writing.

Tell us in the comments: How did you find the joy of writing?

Lauren J. Sharkey is a writer, teacher, and transracial adoptee. Inconvenient Daughter is her debut novel and loosely based on her experience as a Korean adoptee. You can follow her at ljsharks.com, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The post Finding the Joy of Writing appeared first on DIY MFA.

I called my mentor first, and I’ll never forget what he said after congratulating me: “Lauren, it’s not going to save you.”

It wasn’t until after publication I realized what he meant.

What Do You Do?

Whenever someone asked me this question, I would always tell them what my job was at the moment—barista, bookseller, bartender. I think maybe once I said “writer” to which the person replied, “What have you published?” I never said “writer” again.

I felt like I’d been caught in a lie. After all, I hadn’t been published and—if I’m being honest—I hadn’t been writing all that much. Dreams of becoming a writer and actually being one aren’t the same, right?

After Inconvenient Daughter became a book I could hold in my hands instead of an idea in my head, I thought so many things would change. I thought old boyfriends would regret leaving me, that my parents would admit I was right to pursue writing instead of becoming an accountant…I thought I would officially be inducted into “writerdom.” But none of those things happened.

Imposter Syndrome Runs Deep

I don’t know that anyone ever feels like a writer, but I can tell you that I certainly don’t. As a transracial adoptee—specifically, a Korean adoptee raised by white parents—my imposter syndrome runs pretty deep. I never feel wholly Korean or American, neither of Korea nor of America. 

It’s kind of the same with writing—I published a book, but I don’t feel like a writer.

Even now when people ask what I do, I tell them about the claims I process for insurance companies and field questions about their health benefits. And the more I think about it, the more I think we—the writing community—need to rethink what makes a writer a writer. We need to shake this imposter syndrome.

Us vs. Them

When I was in graduate school, the Us vs. Them mentality was strong. The “Us” being those of us in MFA programs, the “them” being those who weren’t. But “Us vs. Them” extends to publishing too. I used to think what separated writers and dreamers was an ISBN, but the reality is the only thing separating writers from identifying as writers is the mentality that there’s a specific set of requirements to be a writer, AKA imposter syndrome.

So, for whoever needs to hear this, if you dream of writing—you are a writer. 

If you avoid writing and wish you didn’t—you are a writer. 

And, if you’re not published, if you’re not in an MFA program, if you’ve gotten a ton of rejections—you are a writer. 

Get rid of that imposter syndrome once and for all. You are a writer.

Dream on.

Lauren J. Sharkey is a writer, teacher, and transracial adoptee. Inconvenient Daughter is her debut novel, and loosely based on her experience as a Korean adoptee. You can follow her at ljsharks.com, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The post Faker: On Fighting Imposter Syndrome appeared first on DIY MFA.

I never thought of myself—and my writing—as investments until recently.

Deviating from the plan

My parents are boomers. From a young age, I knew my job was to go to college for four years, get a “real job” that came with financial security, and get married. As my love of books and the desire to write one of my own began to grow, I came to realize all the things my parents wanted for me were likely not in my future.

After leaving for college fresh out of high school, I found myself in an abusive relationship, dropped out of school, and had a mountain of credit card debt. When I finally left my abuser and returned home to live with my parents, I was twenty-two with 32 credits, no real job experience, and I was in collections.

Revisiting the plan

It was clear that if I was ever going to get my life together, I needed to embrace my parents’ plan. So, I got a part-time job at Barnes & Noble, finally got my drivers license, and enrolled in community college. Once I finished my associates degree, I transferred to state school and got my bachelor of arts degree.

I did something else, though—I buried my dreams of being a writer. My degree was in Multidisciplinary Studies (a fancy way of saying Liberal Arts), with a concentration in Technology in Society and a Writing Minor. I started working nine-to-five, I was whittling down my debt, and I was even seeing a guy.

Life seemed to be as it should—I was “on track.” But as the days passed, my “track” felt more like a loop. A predictable cycle that seemed to be endless and made me more miserable by the day.

Investing in myself

I was working in an office, and I remember my coworker coming to my cube and saying, “Ohmigod Lauren! It’s THE BEST day! There are bagels in the conference room and they got the good cream cheese!” Now, there’s nothing quite like a Long Island bagel, but I knew then and there this wasn’t the life I wanted (even though I currently work in an office that also gets excited about food). I wasn’t happy punching a clock, answering phone calls, and going through the motions of nine-to-five-dom for my parents’ sake. This wasn’t who I was.

I quit the next day and made researching, applying to, and writing my entrance sample for graduate school my full-time job. My parents thought I was crazy. When I told them I wanted to go to school for writing, they were like, “But haven’t you already gone to school?” You should have seen their faces when I explained an MFA was a terminal degree which wouldn’t offer career advancement in a conventional sense.

There were times I thought I was crazy too—after all, there seemed to be a lot of risk involved: there was a high probability I wouldn’t be accepted, there was no guarantee of publication, and I hadn’t been writing seriously for a while. Suffice to say, I was rusty. Not to mention I would be taking on more student loan debt, and I wouldn’t graduate until I was in my early 30s. But deep down, I knew this was right.

Taking the risk

Toxic positivity is real, not being realistic when it comes to big life decisions can be dangerous, and it’s not always easy to believe in yourself. But the thing is, if you invest in yourself, you will never be disappointed in the return. Am I in more debt that I’d have liked? Yes. Was I nervous it was a huge mistake? Yes. But am I living my dream and would I have done it any different? Absolutely not.

Lauren J. Sharkey is a writer, teacher, and transracial adoptee. Inconvenient Daughter is her debut novel, and loosely based on her experience as a Korean adoptee. You can follow her at ljsharks.com, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The post Investments & Returns appeared first on DIY MFA.

To be clear from the outset: small press publishing is a division of traditional publishing, but it’s not what people typically imagine. While Big 5 publishers put out thousands of titles and rake in billions of dollars each year, small presses publish way fewer books and make $50 million or less per year. They also tend to focus on a certain literary category (for example, poetry or memoir) and may even specialize in regional authors, depending on where they’re based.

Needless to say, there’s a vast range of small presses out there. But if you do choose one, you can expect certain things to be different from working with a major publisher—and indeed, for some of those to be a drastic improvement.

Find that elusive home for your unique story

First and foremost, you’ll likely enjoy working with a small press if your book has quirky subject matter, employs an experimental style, or otherwise represents a “niche interest”. Where a major publisher might be reluctant to spend resources on it—and where self-publishing may not appeal because you have no idea how to market such a book yourself—a small press can provide just the right balance of enthusiasm and knowledgeable assistance. (Lilly Dancyger recently published a great case study over on Electric Lit about this, for those who are interested.) 

The tricky part, of course, is finding a suitable press for your book. Because small presses love to specialize, you’ll have to do some research to find a press with the right catalogue and qualifications. I’d recommend looking carefully at each press’s in-house team, their mission statement, and the books they’ve released in the last year to figure this out. Remember that no legitimate press will ask you for money upfront. No matter how small, they’re still a publisher, and that entails providing services in exchange for later royalties, not out-of-pocket payment.

The good news is that if you want to start researching small presses, you can find plenty of reputable ones in this directory of independent publishers. Even if your perfect match isn’t among them, looking into these publishers and their catalogues will give you a sense of what a legitimate small press should look like.

Work with an experienced team without losing creative control

One of the biggest frustrations authors report with Big 5 publishers is how little creative control they retain. Without a doubt, this is the way of mainstream traditional publishing: the author gets an advance for their troubles, but they have almost no say in the editing, design, and marketing of their book. And while many authors are understandably relieved to be free of the responsibility, others very much want to stay involved.

If the latter sounds like you, definitely consider publishing with a small press. The grassroots nature of most small presses means that authors are encouraged to help prepare their book for publication—contributing substantially to edits, cover design concepts, etc.—and that it’s an excellent learning experience for new authors, as Marilee Haynes discusses here.

Crucially, though, you’re not left to manage all your own production services (as you’d need to when self-publishing), because your publisher will already have an in-house team. In effect, you get the best of both worlds: experienced, talented people to help make your book a success, without wresting away your creative control.

Some authors might be fine with having minimal control in exchange for a bigger advance, which is entirely fair! But keep in mind that while Big 5 publishers pay out in the short term, their long-term plans do not guarantee sales. If you suspect your book will be a tricky “mainstream” sell, go with a small press that cares deeply about your niche and will listen to your ideas—rather than a major publisher that will shut you out and potentially market your book all wrong.

No upfront costs and decent royalty shares

Going back to the financial side of things, it’s true that most small presses can’t offer high advances, and some small presses don’t offer advances at all. An established small press might give you a couple thousand dollars… but that’s very much the exception, not the rule.

Still, the overall financial benefits of going through a small press can outweigh this tiny or nonexistent advance. As mentioned above, one significant advantage of small press publishing is that you don’t have to hire an editor or cover designer yourself, which means no upfront costs (and again, if a publisher does ask you for money ahead of royalties, they’re not to be trusted). Also, while small press royalties aren’t as much as those you’d get from self-publishing, they’re a lot better than royalty shares with a major publisher—usually just 5-10%, compared to up to 50% royalties with a small press (and versus 70% with self-publishing, for context).

That’s not even to mention that royalties only come through after you’ve “earned out” your advance, which can take ages with a Big 5 publisher, if it happens at all. So while I won’t deny that small press advances are low, I’d also point out that massive advances aren’t such a good thing if your sales are disappointing, and that higher royalty shares often make for a more positive, sustainable publishing experience in the long run.

Curious to learn more about royalties in publishing? Check out this post on how much authors make—and for thoughtful ruminations on author costs and royalties from someone who’s been through it firsthand, be sure to read Lauren Sharkey’s piece on the price of publishing.

It’s easy to pivot to another publishing path

Despite some drawbacks of traditional publishing and self-publishing, both are still very viable publishing routes! Working with a small press isn’t for everyone, and if you ultimately find yourself drawn to one of these instead, do feel free to change course.

Luckily, if you start with small press publishing, it’s easy to switch to a different path after your first book. Having collaborated with a relatively small in-house team, you’ll then be prepared to either trust your next book to a larger one (that of a Big 5 publisher) or to go in the other direction and hire your next team directly (if you self-publish).

Essentially, small press publishing lets you sample both sides of the publishing world. If you like the balance, by all means, stick with it. But if you’re seeking better royalties, or if you’d prefer to work with a literary agent to get acquired by a major publisher, you can always look into other options—now with a bit of experience under your belt.

Savannah Cordova is a writer and content creator at Reedsy, a marketplace that connects authors with the best editors, designers, and marketers in the business. In her spare time, Savannah enjoys reading contemporary fiction and low fantasy, as well as writing the occasional short story. She’s here to pull back the curtain on publishing so that every author can have the greatest possible chance at success.

The post Small Press Publishing Might Solve All Your Problems appeared first on DIY MFA.

First and foremost, hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is wrong. My team and I will not condone or allow any of this language or behavior in our community.

We have been lucky not to have this ugliness infiltrate our word nerd community thus far, but I want to make something very clear: the racist vitriol and verbal abuse that has permeated certain pockets of social media has no place at DIY MFA. If we see so much as a hint of this in our community, my team and I will shut it down. Clear? Cool.

In moments like this, it is important to amplify voices, particularly the voices of those who may be most harmed by these events. Right now, it is the AAPI author community that needs our support, so we would like to highlight the amazing authors from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community who have participated in our podcast and summits.

Please support these authors by buying and reading their books and spreading the word about their work. If you would like to meet some awesome authors and add some great books to your TBR (to be read) pile, check out the interviews below.

Past Podcast Guests:

Alka Dhillon

Alka Dhillon is a self-help author and founder and CEO of Technalink. Alka was interviewed on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 59: Finding Your Om Factor. If you want to find Alka, you can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, or visit her website.

Yang Huang

Yang Huang writes contemporary fiction novels, short stories and essays. Her interview can be found in Episode 217: Write Dangerously of DIY MFA Radio. You can find Yang on her website.

Guy Kawasaki

Guy Kawasaki is a non-fiction author of useful how-to guides on social media, marketing, and business. Guy appeared on DIY MFA Radio along with his co-author, Peg Fitzpatrick, in Episode 27: Social Media for Writers. You can connect with Guy on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or LinkedIn. 

Fonda Lee

Fonda Lee is an author of both adult and young adult fantasy and science fiction. Fonda was interviewed in Episode 262: Inside the Mind of a Worldbuilding Junkie of DIY MFA Radio. To connect with Fonda, check out her website.

Virginia Loh-Hagan

Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan is an author of children’s books and academic works. Virginia was interviewed on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 284: Adapting Legends While Staying True to the Story. Visit her website, or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Alexandra Monir

Alexandra Monir is a popular author of young adult fiction across genres like science fiction, paranormal, romance, and mystery. Alexandra was interviewed on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 338: The Dystopian Superhero Story in which she discusses her recently released contribution to the DC ICONS series, Black Canary: Breaking Silence. You can find Alexandra on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Veena Rao

Veena Rao is an author of literary fiction as well as a founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of NRI Pulse. Veena appeared on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 334: The Unexpected Female Protagonist. You can find Veena on her website or follow her on Twitter and Instagram. 

Abbigail Rosewood

Abigail Rosewood is an award-winning author of historical fiction. Abigail was interviewed on Episode 308: Setting, Characters, and Identity: Your Story’s Ecosystem of DIY MFA Radio. Check out her website or follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Shanthi Sekaran

Shanthi Sekaran is an indie contemporary fiction author. She was interviewed on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 132: Capturing Diverse Experiences on the Page. You can read more about Shanthi on her website or on Twitter.

Nisha Sharma

Author of both young adult and adult contemporary romance, Nisha Sharma’s interview can be found on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 268: From Bollywood-Inspired YA to RWA. You can find her on her website or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Lauren Sharkey 

DIY MFA Columnist and creative non-fiction writer, Lauren J. Sharkey’s most recent DIY MFA article is Dollars and Sense, about reframing your writing career to avoid becoming a starving artist. Lauren was interviewed on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 316: Truth with a Capital T. You can find Lauren on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Carol VanDenHende

Carol VanDenHende is a DIY MFA Columnist and an award-winning author of contemporary romantic fiction. Check out her most recent DIY MFA article, What Is Author Brand and How to Craft Yours. Carol is also interviewed on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 328: Book Marketing for Busy Writers. You can find Carol on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

K.S. Villoso

K. S. Villoso writes speculative fiction with a focus on deeply personal themes and character-driven narratives. Listen to our interview with her on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 292: World Building in Epic Fantasy. Visit her website or connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

David Yoon

David Yoon is an author of young adult romances and adult thrillers. Read the guest blog he wrote for DIY MFA here: How to Write Sparky Dialogue. David was very recently interviewed on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 353: Making the Shift from YA Romance to Adult Thriller. You can find David on his website or follow him on Instagram.

Summit Interviews:

Guy Kawasaki

Guy was also featured in our Memoir Summit. His interview is called Wisdom in Small Moments.

Fonda Lee

Fonda appeared in our Science Fiction and Fantasy Summit. Her interview is Creating Dynamic Characters through Conflict.

Mona Shroff 

Mona Shroff writes adult contemporary romance novels, and she has contributed a #5onFri post to DIY MFA which you can read here: #5onFri: Five Questions to Ask when Writing a Second Chance Romance. She was featured in our Romance Summit. Her interview is The Debut Author’s Journey. To connect with Mona check out her website.

These Summit Interviews will be open until Monday, May 3 at 12pm ET.

Upcoming Episode on DIY MFA Radio

Stay tuned! DIY MFA is featuring the following AAPI authors in upcoming podcast episodes:

Thien-Kim Lam

Thien-Kim Lam is an adult contemporary romance author. You can find Thien-Kim Lam on her website or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Rajani LaRocca

Rajani LaRocca writes middle grade contemporary and historical fiction. Connect with Rajani on her website, or find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Tasha Suri

Tasha Suri writes young adult fantasy and romance. Read more about Tasha on her website or connect with her on Twitter, and Instagram. You can also sign up for her newsletter.

Gabriela Pereira is an author, speaker, entrepreneur and the founder of DIY MFA.

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Writing Holds Power

Now, more than ever, writing holds so much power. Whether you’re a politician or just a regular Jane, the words we put out into the world hit with tremendous impact. And sometimes, that impact comes with a price.

After the events at our nation’s capital, it seemed everyone in my life on every social media network had something to say. As our feeds to be an echo chamber of our own ideals, my Instagram and Twitter seemed to echo what I myself was feeling. It wasn’t until I logged onto Facebook that I ran into trouble.

The Balance of My Experiences

When my novel Inconvenient Daughter hit shelves, I was terrified. While it wasn’t necessarily my story, one couldn’t deny the similarities between the main character, Rown, and myself. Not only was she a transracial adoptee raised on Long Island, but she also had my penchant for getting into trouble, love of 90s music, and fantastic ability to pick the wrong guy.

I was worried that people would see me differently. That the book would somehow cop to something I’d tried to hide. Most importantly, though, I thought it would cost me my relationship with my mother. Thankfully, my mother’s only comment was the book had too many curse words, but I did notice I was missing Christmas cards from several family members this year.

I find myself in the same predicament now: what will my words cost me in the wake of our country’s reckoning? 

The Generation Gap

My Instagram and Twitter feeds are populated by people who either share my lived experience or who possess the ability to empathize with it. Unfortunately, my Facebook feed is filled with the thoughts and opinions of those from the “walk it off” generation. Broke your arm? Walk it off. Feeling sad? Walk it off. Having crushing anxiety and hopelessness at the cataclysmic destruction of all you once had faith in? Walk. It. Off.

I sat before my computer for what seemed like a long time – wondering if these statuses deserved a response. Wondering if it was worth the emotional labor to drop the knowledge so many seemed to be desperately in need of. Wondering if I shared my thoughts, my fears, my truth if it would cost friendships, relationships with family members, or cause problems at work.

One of the things no one tells you about when it comes to writing is that once you put it out in the world it no longer belongs to you. Writing is a wish and a hope we send into the hands of the reader. And while once what we write enters the world – whether it’s a tweet or an essay – no longer belongs to us, the writer is always the one who pays the price. And so I closed my computer, for I wasn’t sure if I was ready to pay the balance just yet.

LAUREN J. SHARKEY is a writer, teacher, and transracial adoptee. Inconvenient Daughter is her debut novel, and loosely based on her experience as a Korean adoptee. You can follow her at ljsharks.com, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @theljsharks.

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Aside from whether to pursue the traditional publishing route or self-publish, the most frequently asked question I receive from those looking to publish is how much money my book made. The price of publishing comes in different forms – what was your cut, how many copies have you sold, has the book been doing well? Essentially, it all boils down to one simple query: was it worth it?

I always tell writers who ask these questions if their goal of publishing is to make money, then they definitely shouldn’t publish. Publishing a book will not make you rich. In fact, the royalties probably won’t be enough to make your student loan payment. When it comes to the price of publishing, so many are focused on the ROI, they forget “I” stands for investment. And you can’t get a return unless you invest.

Defining Success & Paths to Publication

Aside from evaluating why you want to publish, another important question writers need to ask themselves is “What does success mean to me?” Is success getting on the bestseller list? Is success selling a million copies? Or is success simply finishing something? Your idea of “success” has a drastic impact on your chosen path to publication, which then affects your investment.

Now, while I could probably talk all day about the different paths to publishing, we’re only going to take a little crash course here.  It’s important to understand how the paths to publication affect how much the writer will need to invest in making their book a “success”. 

The appeal of the traditional publishing route is the Big 5 publishing houses have spent decades cultivating connections within the literary community, which they use to promote their authors and their books, and usually have big budgets to back that promotion up. Independent publishers also have connections, but usually smaller budgets and less human power which puts some of the burden of making the book a “success” on the writer. Self-publishing, on the other hand, the writer is typically on their own from start to finish.

The Price of Publication

To give you a little background on where I’m coming from, I’m a first-time author whose book was published by an independent press. Here are some of the costs I encountered on my path from contract to bookshelf.

Website

These days, the thing you absolutely must have is a website. Fortunately, where are so many service providers such as WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix who make it easy to create a website, even if you’re not the most tech savvy person. However, the more fancy you get with it, the more costs can add up. Purchasing a domain name, monthly hosting fees, and design-related expenses can put you in the hundreds and go up to thousands of dollars.

Publicity

Whether you’re being published by one of the Big 5 or self-publishing, one thing is true everywhere: at the end of the day, getting your book out there is 100% on you. The costs no one tells you about are the time, effort, and energy it takes to get your book out there.

Even though I already worked full-time, promoting my book was the full-time job I worked after I clocked out of my 9-to-5. I spent countless hours carefully curating Instagram posts, sending messages to Instagrammers and bloggers, and planning a calendar of content designed to engage and pique the interest of readers.

That’s not an option for everyone, though. Publicity and marketing consultants are more than happy and qualified to help you navigate social media, make meaningful connections, and get your book out there…for a price. However, you’ll be happy to know that no matter what your price range, there’s a pot for every lid.

Giveaways

My publisher gave me a single box of 44 author copies for free, the rest I purchased at the author rate, which was still pretty substantial. Shipping fees, packing materials, and ads for giveaways quickly put my bank account in the red.

Final Thoughts

In the beginning of this article, I told you all this boils down to one simple query: was it worth it? I guess it’s only fitting that I answer. At the end of the day, my book ended up costing me more than it made back in terms of straight dollars and sense. However, my social media promotions allowed me to build an audience of people anxious for my next book, my website gets a decent amount of traffic, and I managed to have an email exchange with one of my favorite authors. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

LAUREN J. SHARKEY is a writer, teacher, and transracial adoptee. After her birth in South Korea, she was adopted by Irish Catholic parents and raised on Long Island. Sharkey’s creative nonfiction has appeared in the Asian American Feminist Collective’s digital storytelling project, First Times, as well as several anthologies including I Am Strength! and Women under Scrutiny. Inconvenient Daughter is her debut novel, and loosely based on her experience as a Korean adoptee. You can follow her at ljsharks.com.

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