I know so many writers who set their sights on a particular genre, publisher, agent, editor. Their entire life surrounds that.
While it’s good to plan—and you should definitely do it—if you aren’t flexible, you’re going to set yourself up for horrible disappointment.
For example, I know someone very well who dreamed of publishing for one House. They worked feverously to prepare their manuscript for just that pub house.
That’s great but they weren’t even considering any other avenue. They were so caught up with the desire to publish for one particular house, others never even hit their radar.
Then the unthinkable happened. That pub house decided to not publish fiction any more. For me, it was just a piece of publishing news. For this individual, it was the end of the world.
They’d pinned their hopes and dreams on seeing their story in the bookstores with the logo of their favorite publisher on the spine. It was devastating.
Here’s the thing. You really should plan. No doubt about that. But there are other things you need to consider:
Plan only what you can control. Seriously, you have no control over any decisions a publishing house makes to pick up your book, or to even stay in business. If you plan things you have no control over, you’ll drive yourself insane and will be disappointed at the end.
Things NEVER turn out the way you plan. Sometimes it’s worse but most times, it’s far better than even your creativity could imagine.
Be flexible. Don’t be so set on going a particular route, publishing for a particular house, being represented by a particular agent that you miss a blessing right in front of you. Some of the greatest successes come when you deviate from your original plan.
They say if you fail to plan you plan to fail. I have no doubt that’s true. But it is just as important to roll with the punches when your career has momentum. You never know where it might take you, but I bet it will be exciting and satisfying.
So, plan your career, then roll with the punches! And enjoy the ride! You’ll be glad you did!