I was catching up on some blog posts from GLA when I came across this interesting statement by agent Dorian Karchmar of WME (William Morris Endeavor) Entertainment.

“The book business is very difficult and not getting any easier; most books that are published don’t sell well, and many careers end practically before they start.”

Now there’s a bucket of ice cold water for you! It’s disheartening to think that you can dedicate so many years to a career, and then have it end so suddenly - and just when you thought you were finally getting somewhere.

Yes, yes, I know. Writers write to write, not to get published. It’s all about the journey...

Well, not for me. True, I do love to write just for the sake of writing sometimes. It can be very therapeutic. But, or should I say BUT since it’s a very big BUT, I consider myself a professional writer. Published = paycheck (although unfortunately not usually biweekly).

I have heard on many occasions that book buyers won’t buy a book from an author whose previous book didn’t sell well. Which of course means a publisher will be less likely to publish a book by that author, which means an editor is less likely to acquire the author’s next manuscript. Usually when I hear something like this, I just shove it in the closet with all the other “I’ll worry about that some other time” thoughts. I guess today is “some other time” because I’m pretty worried about it.

Now, I did take Ms. Karchmar’s statement somewhat out of context. She is offering sage advice, and the statement quoted above followed her reflection that many writers simply query too soon - before they’ve matured as writers and before a manuscript has matured.

My question is, how does one know when they’ve matured as a writer? When has a manuscript matured? Isn’t maturing an ongoing process? I like to think that I’ve matured as a writer - I’m certainly much more professional than I was when I started out nearly 10 years ago. I also like to think that my manuscripts have matured. But have they matured enough?