Each book needs a 16-month lead time from finished manuscript to publication. Authors, especially with their first books, must take publicity and promotion into their own hands, Freed emphasized. Put the reader under the character's skin. Use a character's genes and early childhood. By the end of the book, we should know the character's philosophy.
Women like to know why people did what they did.
When we talk about a book we like, we talk about characters. The publishing market is welcoming more new writers than ever, said Freed. If you want to get published, study the market and see who publishes what you like. And if you are writing fiction, you really should try to get an agent. Many publishing houses no longer consider unagented material.