How to be noticed by editors and publishers: make your strengths shine

To be a successful writer and be noticed, being good is often not good enough. You have to shine You have to have something that puts you above everyone else. Of course, however, nobody is perfect. All have failures and defects. But everyone has talents and skills too. What is your talent?

Find your talent and focus on it. Develop it. Show it in your writing so it really shines. Remember, one thing that stands out is much easier to notice than ten things that are good, but not great. Make sure your best ability stands out.

Stacey's story: start with something special

I had my breakthrough while taking a break from writing. I was watching the movie Bring it On and decided to see the additional features. One of them was an interview with the director and talked about how the script was noticed because it opened with the song of joy. That stood out, got their attention, made them want to read the rest. I decided to take the same approach. I took the risk with the beginning. I started with a letter, a poem, a fragment of a newspaper. He must have made a difference because with that change, he bought a manuscript that had been rejected 14 times. –Stacey, novelist

Carmen's story: use your strengths

My teachers and readers told me that my dialogue was really strong. So I decided to stop hiding it and put it in front. I made the first chapter of my novel almost every dialogue. He got the attention of an agent, who since then told me that the individuality of the first chapter told him that he had found a new writer with a clear sense of style. He took me and is now trying to sell that sense of style to publishers. Even better for me, he's not only trying to sell my first book, but he's also trying to sell me as the next novelty, a young writer to be careful of! –Carmen, novelist

The editor says: "Forget modesty"

 You have to go in there and show what you have. Whatever you do better than others, show it. Develop your work around your best ability. Otherwise, you will meet the rest of the writers who are good, but don't stand out. –James, editor

The editor says: "I am looking for something"

Many writers make the mistake of trying to show me everything they do well. Forget this. I am looking at hundreds of manuscripts a day. To get my attention, you have to hit me between the eyes with a strong point that I can't notice. There will be time later to show me your other strengths. For the first contact, focus on making a clear point about yourself and making it good.

Susan's story: is it really a defect?

In the early days of Susan's career, everyone advised her that she depended too much on dialogue. Then she cut the dialogue. He continued writing but discovered that his work lacked energy. Years later, he decided to ignore all the advice. The novel came naturally and was almost all dialogue. Book reviews praised his unique style and voice. Susan learned her lesson: never repress what is natural to you. Remember, what comes naturally can be your best gift, not your biggest flaw.

The six best ways to find your strength

1. Ask other people what stands out from their work.

2. Read some of their best work and make a list of what makes them good.

3. Read the contents of a book about writing and ask yourself if there is an area in which it is good.

4. Think about what other people have said about your work. Is there a comment that is repeated?

5. Ask yourself what do you care when you write.

6. What do you like about other people's work? Often, the things you notice in other people's work are also things that you are good at.