3 Tips for Aspiring Authors by Young Adult Paranormal Author Leigh Goff...

Be Ready for Rejection

Even if someone had told me about this, I’m not sure I would have believed just how much rejection there would be. I even used Query Tracker to hone my agent and publisher searches, making sure my manuscript fit what each agent or publisher was looking for and that I followed their query rules. I can look back now and smile at how many rejection letters I received for my first novel, only because there were a few kind agents in the bunch who took the time to offer brief critiques on what I had submitted. 

I would send out 15-20 queries at a time, then I’d wait to hear back from the literary agents or small press publishers. I didn’t always get a response, but when I did, it was ultimately a rejection (cue sad music). With some of those rejections came little nuggets of advice. Trust me, those nuggets aren’t meant to be mean, they were bits of gold meant to improve my writing. I took that gold and made revisions. And I made revisions. And I made revisions. This book was my first attempt at writing a novel and I had a lot to learn. The rejections were disappointing and hurt at first, but the advice was necessary, appreciated, and it did make the book better. So I’d say be ready for rejection and be open to any advice a writing professional offers you. 

Be Prepared--the Publishing Process Moves Slowly

Once I received a publishing offer for my first book (woohoo!), I was slated for edits. There were three rounds of edits that had to fit the various editors’ schedules. Completing a round of edits does take time. Fortunately, I am good with deadlines, even when I had to take a chapter and rewrite it completely. Once that was done, the book went to their graphic designer for cover art, and it was typeset (set up for printing). The book was then scheduled for a release date that worked for the publisher and their other book releases. Plus they had to plan social media events leading up to and for the week of the release.  

My favorite part of this slow-moving process is the cover art. There’s nothing like getting to see what your “baby” is going to look like on a bookshelf! 

Don’t Give Up on Your Dreams

Dreams do come true, but they may not happen the way you expected or on your perfect schedule. 

After my first book was published, three months later the publisher went out of business. I was blessed to find another publisher that was excited to take on my novel along with my second book. My third book was discovered during a Twitter pitch party. That was a nice surprise. However, after the book was published the pandemic happened. That publisher suffered financial losses and went under. The company’s name was purchased by someone who had their own catalog of books, so that allowed me to take ownership of the third book. Finally, after years of hoping, I signed with a literary agent for my fourth book. I worked with her on the edits for that manuscript and it is currently out on submission to editors and publishers. 

When that book went on submission, I finished my fifth book which is a YA thriller set in coastal South Carolina. There are three sisters, an exotic garden, and Big Pharma causing lots of deadly trouble. I just love it. Fingers crossed that my agent finds the best homes for both of these books. My sixth book idea is being outlined at present. It will be a YA thriller set in D.C. and it’s going to be super fun to write! 

Leigh Goff is an author of three published young adult novels and is represented by Lauren Bittrich. She is working on her next novel, a young adult thriller, while her current manuscript, Wicked Sweet, is on submission.

You can find her current published novels at Audible | Amazon | Apple   

Learn more about Leigh Goff on her website and blog. Stay connected on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkTree

9 Ways to Achieve Your Goals on the Road Less Traveled…

Achievement in any field requires effort and sacrifice. You need to act in a manner that will allow your goal to become reality. If you want to be an Olympic medalist, a bestselling author, or a great actor it requires hard work and dedication. Every achievement in life comes with its own price tag. Here are nine guidelines for those on the journey toward achieving their dreams:

Write down what you want to achieve: Be clear and concise on what it is that you want in life. You can’t commit to memory what you don’t remember. Put pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard, but get your dreams and goals out of your head.

Make preparations: Know where you’re going, make a plan and work your plan.

Act deliberately: Do it NOW! Taking decisive actions instill a sense of purpose and confidence.

Get others involved: No one is a self-made person. Life is teamwork. Find your team. All achievement requires the help of other people.

Expect failure: Bummer, but true. Failure is a necessary ingredient of success. There can be no success without some failure.

Keep your focus: Don’t allow yourself to be distracted. Stay focused on your written goals.

Examine your journey: What’s working, you keep, and what’s not working, you toss out. Make sure you insert some new directions. Review your goals often, this way you’ll see how far you’ve come!

Take a reward: Give yourself an occasional ‘high five’ for a job well done. Treat yourself to something special. Be refreshed and encouraged by your progress.

Be true to yourself: Never compromise your integrity and moral character. It’s not worth it! Achievement is gained when we are seen as a person who can be trusted and relied upon. Be that person!

Thank you for reading my blog. If you have time, please comment and share what you are doing in your life that will help you to achieve your goals and dreams. Love to hear your comments! Cheers!

Recharged and Ready for 2014…

Now that the holidays are behind us and a brand new shiny year looms in front of us, I’ve had some time to reflect on my past, present, and future. Inside I feel that it’s time for a change, to move upward and onward, and leave the past behind. There are so many things I want to accomplish in my personal, business, and spiritual life, but need to create the time to make it ALL happen. Since there’s no magic bullet to success and fulfillment, there are some things that you can do each and every day that will start to clear the path to your wildest dreams.

Below is a list that, if followed, I believe will result in the actualization of my goals and dreams:

·         Always seek happiness (a.k.a. follow your bliss)

·         Don’t follow others

·         Find out who you really are and what you’re passionate about

·         Never work another day in your life (love that concept!)

This list may come off as sounding a tad selfish, or even unrealistic. But trust me. If you think about how short life really is, then practicing these sage tips will open up so many doors for you in the future. If you want to have a position of advantage in whatever you put your heart, mind and soul to, then you must keep your head above the rest, and think differently. Remember, you have the advantage even if you don’t realize it.

So what are you waiting for? Are you with me? Are you ready to grow into a new phase of life? Wishing all my readers and followers a very happy and prosperous 2014! Salute!

Just Ask 'How'?

Imagine getting a chance to wave a magic wand to create your future. What would this future look like? Who would you be, what are you doing? Are you working at your dream job? Cranking out bestsellers? Starring in award-winning movies? Owning a chain of businesses? Putting criminals away? Saving lives? Teaching young minds? Raising responsible children?

Okay, now that you’ve got an image of your future self, I want you to ask one very important question.  How am I going to achieve this awesome future? That’s it. Chances are, some of us don’t even know where to begin. I’m betting an education comes into play here. You’ve got to get your hands dirty, grimy, yucky. Whether it’s how to write bestsellers, how to act, how to practice law, how to run a business, or how to teach, we all need to start somewhere. I had no idea whatsoever how to write a novel when I decided I wanted to be a bestselling author someday. None. Zero. Zip. Then I opened up a college course program to the page, How to Write a Novel, and jumped at the chance to learn this skill. That was seventeen years ago. BTW—I’m still shooting for the bestseller list, but I’m much more prepared than I was back then!

The point is, I just asked ‘How’? How do I go about writing a book worthy of getting on the bestseller list? When I asked that, it seemed that the Universe conspired with me to get me on the right path, and give me what I had asked for. Don’t get me wrong, the road to finally seeing my first book, The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis in print has had many a pothole and detour, but I followed through, and got back on course each time. I became proactive in my quest, figured out what I needed to do, and just did it.

And you can too. Victory can become yours if you listen to your heart and embrace your purpose. All you need to do is just ask ‘how’? Then go for gold.