Since I was sixteen, I have attended various writing workshops. I went to college, minored in Creative Writing and took as many diverse courses as I could register for – from Scriptwriting to Playwriting to Fiction Writing.

However, when it came to my own first novel, not only did I still get stuck, but I had absolutely no idea how to get published.

Then two years ago, I got sucked into to a four-day trip to DragonCon in Atlanta. During that time, I was taught more about publishing (from writing greats like Kevin J. Anderson and Michael Stackpole) than I had learned in all my previous years. And I feel it my duty to pass along these secret rules of publishers to all you potential writers out there in hopes that it will help you like it helped me.

Please understand though, these are notes collected from the repeated advice of several publishers and New York Times bestselling authors. They are not my own opinion, but I do believe in them and they DO work.

The Rules to Writing That Every Author Should Obey:

1. A writer writes. If you just talk about your story, then you are a talker. Firefighters put out fires. Doctors doctor patients. And to be a writer, you must actually WRITE your story.

2. A writer writes EVERY DAY. When this happens, writing becomes habit. Those mental blocks disappear as we trudge through them and force ourselves to continue on with the next scene. Even if it’s not good and you eventually have to toss it, you keep writing that next piece of your story and you’ll get where you’re going.

3. Never, EVER edit until you are finished with your first draft. This is probably one of the most important rules and, according to many sources, the biggest reason why ninety percent of would-be authors don’t ever finish a book.

4. At some point you must stop editing and send out your work. Like a child, you must eventually let it go out into the world and become the best it can be.

5. Keep your work on the market. Kevin J. Anderson said it took him eighty tries to get his first novel published. Keep sending out those query letters!

6. Once you get one work done, don’t wait on it to get published. Start on your next work!

7. 12-point Courier, double-spaced. Repeat that to yourself. This is like a secret password to publishers and agents. Sure, a lot now also accept Times New Roman, but formatting in 12-point Courier says, “Hey, I’ve researched publishing and I know what I’m doing. Look at me!”

8. Few want to publish a new author if he is outside of a particular word count. 60,000 to 80,000 for children’s and young adult novels. 80,000 to 100,000 for adults. (Note, some say you can add an additional 20,000 for sci-fi/fantasy because of world building.) Yes, a RARE few first-time authors get published who are outside of this count, but publishing companies pay by the word, and usually neither them nor agents want to take a big risk on someone who has a high word count and has never previously been published.

9. For snail mail, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. A lot of publishers will refuse to respond without this. The light-hearted comment was, “We get hundreds of manuscripts each day. How dare you assume we’re paying the postage on all those responses.”

10. No colored paper, no handwritten manuscripts, no gifts, and no death threats. Like those crazy auditions on American Idol, this either screams “Amateur!” or “Run ’cause I’m nuts!” (F.Y.I., the threats go into a “special file.”)

11. When writing to a publisher or agent, don’t say, “My friends loved this,” or “All my students think this novel is great.” The publisher or agent will be the judge. Once again, compare writing to auditions on American Idol.

12. Join a writers’ guild. Many recommend the Romance Writers of America because of the ease of joining and the assistance offered. Also, search “Writers Beware” (on sfwa.org) and read the articles.

13. Never pay an Internet agent or publisher to take a look at your script. These people are typically never legit. Editors fees are, though, as well as some contest entry fees.

14. Attend writing and comic conventions to network with potential agents and publishers. This is often were they are looking for new talent, and you get to meet people face to face.

15. Have your pitch ready. It’s a one to three-sentence summation of your story. Rehearse it so that you can give it at a moment’s notice. The short synopses of books or films on Amazon and IMDB are great guides. (If you need a better format, email me.)

16. Don’t send in more than three grammar errors per page on your final draft. More than that and agents/publishers will usually toss it. (Note: There are of course exceptions for style choice and dialogue. What is meant is unintentional errors, run-on sentences, spelling mistakes, and verb or point-of-view shifts.)

17. Research potential agents before you query them. A favorite site is LiteraryRambles.com. Read their specific notes on pet peeves, what stories they are looking for, and what to send in a query. Agents ask for different things.

18. Even if you get a hateful response, always, always be kind and gracious. Don’t tick anyone off or knock other writers. The publishing industry is a small field, and lots of people are connected to each other. You CAN get blackballed.

19. If you are a first-time author, you MUST have your first script completely done before you will get picked up. Again, no one likes to take risks on a newbie.

20. Things that ARE overdone: Starting a novel with a dream sequence. Starting a novel with a couple arguing in a car. “I’m going to get revenge on the guy who wronged my Pa” stories. And prologues, prologues, prologues! (Many writers, agents, and publishers confessed that yes, a lot of books have these, but they HATE to see them from a new author. They said prologues typically say, “My first chapter or two is really boring, so I’m going to give you a teaser to keep you reading.” They also said they typically skip reading the prologue altogether and go straight to Chapter One.)

As aforementioned, I hope this helps all of you fellow struggling writers. Please know, I do believe there are exceptions to every rule, but they are rare and far between. The rule I personally have found most useful is Number Three. I spent six years writing and rewriting the first sixty pages of my novel, and after obeying this rule and writing every day, I finally finished my first draft in three months.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me at theheroesoflegend@yahoo.com. Thanks so much and best of luck to you all!

Editor’s note: Erin also wrote a piece yesterday on the eight must-have books for writers.