TRANSCRIPT

Hi, this video is slightly longer than some of my other videos, but it's really important to watch this one all the way to the end because this video sets up a schedule to follow to help you in reaching your goal of becoming a published picture book author.

As you may recall in earlier videos I talked about the Rule of 3, which is to always be working on one manuscript, always have one manuscript on submission to agents and always have one manuscript on submission to publishers.

This structure makes the Rule of 3 a perpetual motion machine that ensures you’re maximizing your chances of getting published.

But how do you get this machine going?

This is where goal-setting comes in. As part of the Unstoppable Author Framework, you’ll automatically be writing every single day. However, to make the framework produce results, you need a specific goal that you’re working towards. And this is what I recommend…

Write and have on submission 6 manuscripts every year.

And I'll repeat that, write and have on submission 6 manuscripts every year.

And you may be thinking oh my gosh this is way too much. Or maybe you think it’s too little. If you’ve heard of the 12 x 12 Challenge, you know that their goal is to have you write 12 manuscripts in a year. And that is a fantastic goal and definitely forces you to always be writing.

The goal of these videos, however, isn’t about writing manuscripts: it’s about providing you with a process that improves your odds of getting traditionally published. To accomplish that, break down every two months this way:

First, Weeks 1-3: Write and refine your manuscript on your own. (And just FYI if writing a complete manuscript in 1 to 3 weeks feels like an uncomfortable deadline, don’t worry about it. It’s okay to be outside your comfort zone. Push through the discomfort. Great things are on the other side.)

Second, Weeks 4-5: Work with one critique partner or paid editor to perfect your manuscript.

Third, Weeks 6-7: Write and refine your query letter, synopsis and pitch, and find comparable books.

And finally, fourth, Week 8: Query agents first, and then query publishers.

When you break your goal down to a weekly structure like this, it suddenly feels a lot more manageable.

By committing to this schedule, you’ll get the Rule of 3 rolling, putting more of your manuscripts out in the publishing world and increasing your odds of hitting an agent’s or editor’s inbox at the time that they’re looking for a manuscript just like yours.

What’s more, this pace helps you counteract the really slow pace of the publishing industry and constantly changing submission guidelines. If a publisher or agent is closed to submissions at the end of your first 8 weeks, they may for example be open at the following week 8.

And you’ll also find that the querying process gets easier. It doesn’t get less tedious. But you’ll find with time that you can send out emails and complete QueryTracker forms much more quickly.

I know this is a lot of information. If you download The Unstoppable Picture Book author on my website howardpearlstein.com you'll have this in front of you to see how it breaks down and that might make it easier to follow and to understand.

If you have any questions about this, just let me know in the comments or drop me an email.

And than you so much for watching. If you got any value out of this video, like it, subscribe to my channel and share the video with other aspiring picture book authors.