By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com

As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences.  Today let’s talk about the difference between writing about what you love and just writing to get published.

No matter what you do, when you love what you are writing about – it shows!

Your passion, joy and care for the subject matter, how it’s presented and the reader’s experience with it are very apparent.

When you attempt to write in the latest genres that are being published instead of what you sincerely enjoy, what shows up on the page is beyond your control and many editors and agents can see right through it.

When an agent meets someone like Barbara Barnett who truly loves House, M.D., the agent can’t help but want to support her with getting published. Her heart and soul show up in her writing and her reason for writing it. Her insights are levels deeper than what could fit in a 1-hour show or in a 500-word blog post. Hence, her book: Chasing Zebras: The Unofficial Guide to House, M.D.

Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff write together about a topic and transformation in their thinking that they experienced personally and then decided that women everywhere could benefit from the same experience and insight. Together they lovingly and honestly share why they wrote their book, Queen of Your Own Life: The Grown-Up Woman’s Guide to Claiming Happiness and Getting the Life You Deserve. They talk about how the book came about as a result of real life situations they lived through together.

Instead of following the trends, tell your own tale – whether it’s a fiction piece, a non-fiction project or a children’s book. Open your heart and share your story with joy, passion and persistence. Allow others to plug into the electricity you bring to it and light them up with your sincere dedication to the subject matter and story.

This one distinction could make the difference between you getting published and you getting passed over.