Pros and Cons of Being a Debut Author
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I've been getting a lot of questions recently from debut authors, who are writers who have never before published a book. There seems to be a lot of stress and anxiety from this particular segment of the writing community, so I wanted to address the concerns that debut authors in particular have. I frequently hear comments like, “literary agents are never going to give me a shot because I'm a debut author” or “I shouldn't even try to publish my first book because it's probably terrible.”
These comments make me sad because, as a developmental book editor, I often work with debut authors on their first books and I see it as a special and exciting time of your writing career. So, in this article, I’ll be going over what it means to be a debut author, the pros and cons of being in this position, and some myths about debut authors.
First, I want to start with a word of reassurance in saying that debut authors are getting published and getting book deals with major publishing houses. One of the most common misconceptions about debut authors is that it’s impossible or very rare for them to get a literary agent's representation. Debut authors seem to think that publishers aren’t interested in making deals with them and are only going to focus us on writers that have an established track record of sales and have published multiple books already.
This is simply not true, and it's not something I saw when I was in the industry. Book deals are regularly being made with both debut authors and established authors, but you don't have to take my word for it–to prove it, simply take a look at the publishing deals reported in the “debut” section of Publishers Marketplace. This is the database the traditional publishing industry uses; any book deal that is conducted through a major publishing house will be listed there. I’ve even seen cases of debut authors receiving two- or three-book deals!
In my experience working at Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and a top literary agency, it was never seen as a deal breaker or even a red flag that an author was a debut author. The publishing industry is always looking for new voices and talent, so as a debut author, there are special opportunities you can take advantage of. But I'm also not going to sugarcoat the fact that there also are hurdles you have to overcome in this position.
By being aware of these pros and cons, you can better leverage your position as a debut author and power through the obstacles.
The Pros to Being a Debut Author
There Is No Sales Benchmark to Meet
The first pro of being a debut author is that you have no benchmark for prior sales of your books, since you have, of course, never published a book before. This is one of the biggest pros of being a debut author, as it means you aren’t tied to specific metrics and expectations for how your book is going to sell once it is published.
Your literary agent and publisher will, instead, use comparable titles to get a gauge for what sales to expect. But because there isn’t any hard data on your success yet, your agent and your publisher will likely be more forgiving with the sales figures. This, hopefully, can be freeing for you as you embark on the publishing journey for the first time.
There Are Many Programs and Awards
The next pro of being a debut author is that you are eligible for special programs and awards. In the industry, every year there are a set of debut author awards that are given out–once you publish your first book, you will no longer be eligible for them. This includes The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the Goodreads Best Debut Author award, and the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel.
These awards can help increase visibility for your book and give you some validation as a first time author, as they help position you as a new talent in the book world. But keep in mind that you can’t apply to these awards on your own. Typically your literary agent or publisher would send out a copy of your book to these awards on your behalf.
There’s Endless Career Potential
The final pro of being a debut author is the potential for your career. There's truly endless potential for you when you're a debut author, and agents and publishers recognize that. This is why agents seek out new talent and publishers offer attractive book deals to new authors, as your career could skyrocket into literary fame. Remember, you got signed in the first place because your literary agent, editor, and publisher believed in your writing talent and loved your story so much they wanted to share it with the world. This team believes in you and believes in the potential for your career as a writer.
As a debut author, the world is your oyster. You have so much room to develop your craft, nurture meaningful relationships with other writers and members of the publishing industry, and engage with your audience, which is only going to grow the more books that you publish. That's why I personally am always so excited to work with debut authors, and I hope that you retain that sense of optimism and excitement as well.
The Cons of Being a Debut Author
The Lack of Name Recognition
Your lack of fame and name recognition means it’s likely going to be harder for your book to get attention in media outlets and in stores, as you don’t have an established audience yet. Instead, you have to create it from the ground up.
But remember, you're not going to be doing this alone–your literary agent and publisher will have a marketing and publicity plan for your book launch to help you reach those readers and garner the attention your book deserves.
The Publishing Learning Curve
The next con to being a debut author is the publishing learning curve. The traditional publishing industry can feel very opaque and confusing to anyone who is not inside of it and even to people working within it. Debut authors usually have little understanding of the nuances of the publishing industry and the expectations of what it is like to work with a publishing house. Writing a book is hard in and of itself, but the business of publishing has a steep learning curve as well.
This is the reason why I created my writing and publishing advice channels, and if you’re interested in learning more about the industry, I have posts about book deals, literary agent processes, and more on this website. You can find many authors and publishing professionals sharing insight about the current publishing landscape on Twitter, Tiktok, and YouTube as well.
So do your best to educate yourself as a debut author, so that you don't get taken advantage of and have realistic expectations.
The Pressure to Prove Yourself Worthy
The final con for being a debut author is the pressure that you feel to prove yourself. This is arguably the biggest con to being a debut author. You probably feel like you have to reach a certain level of sales or else you're going to be a failure and your writing career will be over. It’s completely normal to want to prove yourself to your literary agent, publisher, and yourself. But keep in mind that publishing is extremely unpredictable in terms of what books are going to take off and sell a ton of copies and what books are going to have a quieter launch, especially for debut authors.
Agents and publishers know this, so even if your book doesn't reach the expected level of sales, it's unlikely that your literary agent and publisher are going to drop you or deem you unpublishable. I never saw that happen when I was working in the industry. It’s just understood by many publishing professionals that sometimes it does take a third, fourth, or even fifth book by an author to break out and sell extremely well. So keep your head up and focus on what you can control, which is telling the best version of your story possible.
I hope this video helped you feel more confident in your position as a debut author and more optimistic about the future of your writing career!
Thank you so much for reading and happy writing!
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