I’m going underground for the next few weeks so I won’t be blogging as regularly as usual. I have one chapter left to write in my book, “What’s So Great About Adoption,” and then I’ll make revisions.

My husband made me a nifty little chart so I can visually track how many words I’ve written and how many I have left to write (only 7,075 words to go!). It’s a good motivator for me. Since I’m used to writing 1,000-word magazine articles, writing a 65,000-word book is somewhat daunting. Watching my chart gradually get “taller” helps me to see that I’m making progress.

I’m also preparing to teach workshops at the upcoming Glorieta Christian Writers Conference in New Mexico and working on several stories for one of my clients.

When people learn I’m writing a book, they usually say, “I want to write a book, too. How do I go about getting it published?”

Here’s my standard response:

• Develop a “platform.”



• Get to know literary agents and editors.

The Platform
Your “platform” is, for lack of a better word, your reputation within the industry. In other words, you must prove to a publisher that you’re capable of selling thousands upon thousands copies of the book you author so that the publisher will make money off your book sales.

Common ways to build a platform include writing articles, speaking, having a high-profile job, and blogging about your area of expertise. That way, when people see your name, they’ll automatically think, “Oh yeah, Laura Christianson is that blogger over at adoption.com. I saw articles she wrote in X magazine and Y newspaper. And I attended a workshop she taught at Z conference. I must buy her book this instant!”

Sidenote: It never hurts to know someone really, really famous who will put in a good word for you or offer to help sell your book. If you are famous, please contact me!

In order to meet agents and editors, you have to attend writers’ conferences and trade shows. The publishing industry is so highly competitive that unless you’ve met an editor/agent in person, your chances of getting in the door are slim.

At writers’ conferences, even newbies with few or no publishing credits can sometimes land a book contract if their writing is exceptional and they pitch their idea to the right editor at the right time.

But even knowing industry insiders doesn’t guarantee success. Lately, I’ve been corresponding with a literary agent who I consider a “friendly acquaintance” – we’ve socialized at various conferences. I “pitched” a couple of potential book ideas to this agent and the response was, “Your ideas sound more like magazine articles.”

You can have a cordial relationship with an agent and they’ll still say “no” to your ideas or “no” to representing you because:

A. They’re just pretending to like you and they secretly wish you’d leave them alone.

B. Your writing stinks.

C. Your idea doesn’t meet the current demand within the industry. An agent’s job (and an acquisition editor’s job) is to evaluate the marketability of the book proposals they receive. If they don’t think it’s going to sell, they’ll tell you so, point blank.

Would-be authors have to develop thick skin. When an editor/agent says “no,” you’ll either shrug your shoulders and move on to the next idea or continue tweaking your current idea until it works.