I have a bad habit that The Boy finds frustrating. If there’s a snack or treat in the house that I’m particularly fond of, I’ll inevitably end up saving the last one for a “special occasion”.

The problem? Sometimes that special occasion never comes. Cue soft biscuits in the cupboard — and stale cake.

Last week, I sat down with a newer writer currently working to finish her first novel. She asked what she could do to start getting attention from agents and publishers now, to make sure that her efforts in writing her first book aren’t wasted.

So I told her the cold, hard truth: there are no short cuts. You can’t query a half-written novel, and every single publisher, no matter their size, will want to know you can write a whole book before they offer you a contract.

Honestly, that makes every aspiring author’s job really simple. All you have to do (for now) is finish that novel.

Ah — but what happens if that novel doesn’t get you an agent? What if it dies on sub, or never gets even a single full request? Doesn’t that make writing it a waste of time?

Here’s another hard truth: in this industry, there are no guarantees.

And maybe that seems like too much truth for a newsletter entitled “Celebrate Everything”, but that’s where the biscuits come in. Because for me, there are five rules that help me survive this industry, every single day.

1. Finish the next book.
2. Steel yourself against rejection.
3. Be prepared to hurry up and wait.
4. Remember to play.
5. Celebrate EVERYTHING.

Don’t save the biscuits. Find a reason to enjoy them as often as you can — whether that means using them to comfort yourself after a pass or to reward yourself for another 100 words added to your draft. You never know how long it’ll be before the industry acknowledges your efforts.

So until then, eat the biscuits, and don’t let your cake go to waste.

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