I love having guest bloggers, because I love hearing how other writers have fared in the highly competitive world of publishing, and my next guest has an interesting tale to tell.

Being a novelist--or even a published novelist--isn't the end-all-be-all pinnacle when it comes to writing. There are other styles of writing that are just as valuable and satisfying. Whether or not your goal is to be a published novelist, don't dismiss other writing opportunities that can help you gain a reputation and a following.

Emily Weathers Kennedy is a case in point. She has taken her writing talent, observant eyes, and bravery and used them to take on controversial topics in order to establish a following as a columnist in what could be considered hostile territory. Emily is looking to get her first novel published, but she wouldn't trade this scenic route on her road to publication for nothing.

Getting Published, One Op-Ed at a Time
By Emily Weathers Kennedy
©2014

I had the fire a few years ago as well as the time. I worked feverishly to write my first novel, an ambitious 97,000-word tome based on some strange letters I found in an attic. I covered it all—scandal, mystery, love, loss—the makings of a real blockbuster, or so I thought.

Then came the editing, complimentary friend/writer readings, re-edits, re-reads, re-re-edits. I thought I had Waking Sleeping Dogs honed to perfection. I crashed a mystery conference in Nashville and pitched to 3 agents, scoring 3 readings. I dreamed of how I would spend my advance money. I thought, “This is pretty easy!”

All in all, I probably had a dozen or so rejections before getting discouraged. My husband, and other writers who were fans, encouraged me to start the second novel. I was stymied. I lost my mojo.

I worked on my blog, posting thoughtful articles on my life, my farm, my dogs, and gradually, politics. Ah, politics! That subject that friends frown upon at parties. The one area that authors discouraged me from discussing on She Writes. I thought, “Where are the dynamic people in the world who care to debate the issues of the day, as Thomas Jefferson so obligated American citizens?”

Then I wrote an opinion editorial and sent it to the local newspaper. It seemed to me that the paper catered to the Christian, far-right wing of the GOP, and any other idea scarcely appeared. That opinion piece garnered a full page of responses, both for and against. Even the publisher of the paper weighed in, speculating on my background since we shared the same last name.

My next op-ed didn’t spark as much outrage and praise, but it did get some interest, prompting the editor to persuade the publisher to have me publish a monthly piece. It is not named yet; we are tossing around an idea from my blog. I like “A View from My Front Porch” (since I live on a farm and write from my front porch); my editor likes “A View from the Left Side of My Front Porch.” She has even offered me occasional space in the Sunday Lifestyles section.

I have not given up on my book, but I know that in this day and time, having a platform--any platform--is necessary to catch the eye of agents, much less publishers. So, week by week, I am getting published. Oh, I am not famous and may never be, but I can guarantee that people in this county are hearing my name, debating my points of view, loving me, or hating me. At best, I am respected as an intellectual mind. I hope my readers also appreciate my careful approach to my subjects, with rhetoric and disparaging tones avoided. My next goal is to query syndicates, and after that, I will creep back into the deep, dark abyss that is a new author’s path into the book publishing world.

For now, I smile as I imagine myself as Steve Martin’s character Navin R. Johnson in The Jerk:

Emily Weathers Kennedy is a freelance writer, blogger, artist, photo stylist, and decorator. Her work is online and in product catalogs. Her award-winning kitchen design was featured in the September 2008 issue of Better Homes & Gardens. She lives with her husband, 3 dogs and 2 cats, and writes from their farm in Loretto, where she was born and raised. She is a member of The Alabama Writers’ Forum and the Tennessee Writers’ Alliance, and participates in several online groups of writers, editors, and publishers. Her controversial article, “Who Is Wearing No Clothes?” can be found in Politics on her blog:  http://emilykennedyauthor.com/?p=715. Her Lifestyles article “Cooking with Quaffs” is featured in the Food section of her blog: http://emilykennedyauthor.com/?p=753. 

Got a [REALITY CHECK] about the publishing life to share? If you would like to be a guest on my blog, please friend me on She Writes with a message! :)

©2014. Zetta Brown is editor-in-chief of LL-Publications and Logical-Lust Publications. She is the author of several published short stories and the erotic romance novel Messalina: Devourer of Men. If you like this post, then stop by Zetta’s Desk or Zetta’s House of Random Thoughts.