STACY-DEANNE (DEE-ANNE)

"Brings together music's young powerful women," says Billboard Magazine

"Very Informative," says Best Selling author and celebrity interviewer, Sheila M. Goss

"Can't Wait to Get My Hands on the book!" Delores Thornton, book reviewer and radio show host

"A best selling author suggested "Divas of the New Millennium" as a book she had to have during a television interview," reports Heather Convington of Disilgold.

ADVICE FOR ASPIRING WRITERS

1. Before you sit down to write/​know what kind of novelist you are:

Do you have a specific genre you're writing for? Many authors (like me) do not have genres but many do. Decide what genre you're writing. Are you going to write novellas, short stories or novels? A collection of short stories is easier to sell than short stories alone. Novels are easier to sell than other forms of fiction. Short stories work well for writers who work the magazine circuit.

2. Make sure you NEED to become a writer:

What I mean is, can you really write? If you are dying to tell a story but aren't sure if you are any good you need to join online writing and critique groups. You can connect with other aspiring writers as well as published writers, agents, publishers and editors. If you can get advice from anyone published than run with it! You're getting first hand information from someone who's gone down the road you're traveling. Also, you must be able to take professional criticism. If you expect everyone to love your work as much as you do then you will learn the hard way that many people won't. It doesn't mean your work isn't good but it depends on people's tastes. And yes sometimes the work just isn't good, LOL. But if you get into a writing group you will soon find out if you have what it takes to become a writer.

3. Forget what your family says about your work because it DOESN'T matter

If mommy and daddy love your work that's fine but it doesn't amount to a hill of beans to anyone in the literary world. Your family loves you. If your novel is a piece of crap they are going to act like it's a masterpiece because, like I said they love you. If your family has knowledge about the business or if your mother is an agent, editor or publisher then fine. She may know something about critiquing your work. But if your family knows less about the industry than you do, I suggest you not value their opinions, LOL. It may feel good to hear but believe me it doesn't help in the long run. The industry doesn't love you so remember that when you send professionals your manuscript.

4. Know your audience!

This is something you MUST learn. If you don't know your audience then how do you expect a publisher to know it? They are not going to conduct any street surveys for you and the public, LOL. You are going to have to know your audience and you are going to have to be able to tell agents and publishers what that audience is before they even consider taking on your work. A publisher cannot market you or your book successfully without knowing whom you wrote it for unless the publisher works with a specific genre. Note: Most readers are women so that's a start.

5. Have your work edited properly

And this means the BEST it can be! Long gone are the days when a publisher took your work and edited it from top to bottom. You have to meet them halfway. A publisher is not going to waste time with anyone who doesn't know the difference between, " their ", " there " and " they're " or " then " and " than ". Other than grammar, sentence structure and spelling, you have to make sure the contents of your story match up. You will probably reread your manuscript more than five times before it's suitable. But it's worth the time put into it. I suggest hiring a professional editor if you dont know how to edit yourself. Some are expensive but they are well worth it. Most charge by the line or page of your work. If you don't want to spend the money then do what I did. I took classes and became certified in editing. I edit my own manuscripts. I also suggest using Microsoft Word or other word processing programs. You're using a computer so why not take full advantage? These programs are extremely valuable and will help you catch the mistakes you miss on your own. But you must know proper grammar because computer programs are not going to be perfect. You have to check the work yourself in the end for the best result. And yes, you may still have mistakes but your work will be 95% correct if you're prepared.

6. Research the industry/​know which way you wanna go

Know what publishers are looking for. What are agents looking for? How do you want your work brought to the public? Do you plan to self-publish, become traditionally published or use other methods? We all know traditional is the hardest road but I feel the most rewarding in terms of a writer's long-term career. (This is my opinion.)

I just wanted to post this bulletin for people who needed a little insight. This may not be all you need to know but it covers some of the basics. I think I know a bit about what I am saying, LOL. Remember I cannot give advice to people who write me individually. So don't send me questions, LOL. I won't be able to answer individual questions. Hopefully this bulletin will help.

Also, the publishing world is a game of chance. When it comes down to it, it depends on the right person seeing your work at the right time.

If being published is meant to happen for you then it will.

Stacy