Guest Post: So What’s the Secret to Getting Published? by Author Steven Max Russo

Today I’m pleased to introduce you to Steven Max Russo, a debut author from New Jersey who has recently signed a two-book deal with Down and Out Books, a small publisher in Florida that specializes primarily in crime thrillers. His first book, Thieves, is now available on Amazon. I asked Steve if he had any insights to share on his publishing experiences, and I hope you enjoy the result as much as I did!

So, what’s the secret to getting published?
by Steven Russo

Now that I have my first novel published and my second coming out in the fall, I have found that people often ask me how I did it.

My first novel, Thieves, debuted on Nov. 12 of 2018 from Down and Out Books, a small publisher in Florida. They are also publishing my second stand alone novel, The Dead Don’t Sleep, slated for the fall of 2019. I’ve completed a third novel titled The Debt Collector, which is currently being shopped by my brand new agent, Peter Rubie, of FinePrint Literary in NYC.

I am constantly amazed by how many people I meet who are closet short story writers, or who have always wanted to try their hand at writing a novel.

They almost always ask me, what’s the secret, Steve? How did you do it?

Well, let me tell you, writing a novel is hard work. But what is harder still is getting one published.

Since every writer’s journey is unique, I can only speak as to how it happened for me. So let me share what I went through.

I’ve been thinking about it and I believe there are three essential attributes needed for the average person to get a book published. First is talent. There are many good writers out there, so you’ve got to be pretty good just to even be considered. Of course talent is subjective, but I think that good writing stands out, even if the story or subject matter is not universally accepted. Second is an unwavering belief in yourself, in your skills, and in your integrity. And lastly is perseverance. Chances are you are going to get rejected. A lot. And then get rejected some more. Actually, it never ends. Even after you’ve finally published your first book!

After I finished writing the first draft of my manuscript, I read if over several times and quite honestly thought it was pretty good. Then I gave it to my wife, Susan, and she thought it was pretty good too. Then I gave it to my brother and a few friends.

Do you see a pattern here?

After a bunch of glowing reviews, I decided I needed an unbiased expert to take a look. No easy task. I mean where do you find an unbiased expert willing to read an unpublished manuscript by a novice writer? I only had to go as far as one of the bookshelves in my home. My wife and I own a small library of books. Sue had just finished a book titled Devil in Hole by Charles Salzberg and she gave it to me. I read it and found it very interesting. So I looked up the author and lo and behold, Mr. Salzberg is a NYC author (I live across the river in NJ) and a teacher of creative writing.
Author? Teacher? Just the expert I was looking for!

So I took a chance, contacted him, told him my dilemma and asked him if he would take a look.

Amazingly, he agreed to read the first fifty pages. Charles later confided that he was planning on just reading maybe ten or so pages as he simply didn’t have the time nor did he believe a total stranger and a novice at that would be talented enough to hold his interest. But he read the first ten pages – then the first fifty.

Then he asked me to send him the entire novel.

Then he asked if it would be okay to share the novel with his literary agent.

Charles’ agent read the manuscript and agreed to take me on as a client.

Wow, I thought, that’s a pretty good start! Getting published was going to be a piece of cake!

So, talent – check.

Then other people started reading my book and commenting on it. The agent sent it to a freelance developmental editor who wrote a five page report telling me the book was only about forty percent there. He had a long list of suggestions that I should follow to improve the story line and the characters and the setting and the pacing and to ratchet up the suspense and a whole bunch of other stuff that needed improving.

Only I didn’t agree with what he suggested.

I didn’t agree with any of it.

Then my brand new agent decided to leave the literary agency that he was working for and strike off on his own. He dropped me, and several of his other clients because of legal issues.

So I started searching for a new agent.

It took me about a year to secure a new agent. She spent another year shopping the book with no takers and then she sort of gave up on it. At the time, Gone Girl was all the rage and all these other “Girl” themed books started coming out. She suggested I try to write one of those. You know, “Something” Girl. I explained that I didn’t write anything like Gillian Flynn, so she suggested I re-write my book to fit more with a women’s perspective. Maybe change the psycho killer from a man to woman, perhaps have her involved with the other female protagonist in a lesbian relationship.

What!!??!

I’ve learned that everybody in the publishing business is an expert. Everybody. And each and every person has his or her own expert opinion. And nobody is shy about giving you their opinion. The only problem is that everybody’s opinion is different. Oftentimes expert opinions are diametrically opposed – complete opposites of one another.

Hmmm.

I knew that the story was good and the writing was good, I felt the novel just needed to find the right home.

An unwavering belief in yourself – check.

So I fired my second agent and started contacting publishers directly.

Some editors were very kind and would offer to take a look. Others simply wouldn’t respond. Some would nicely let me know that they only accept material from literary agents. So making contacts and getting editors to take a look was no easy task.

Almost everybody who read the manuscript had nice to things to say about the writing and the story and then they would end their response with “but…”

But your writing is too noir for our list. Or the story is too violent or nobody is interested in psycho killers anymore or there’s not enough back-story or I really liked the characters but I want to love the characters. Always the same end line – “You’re a talented writer, Steve, and I’m sure you’ll find a home for this novel, only it won’t be with us. Good luck.”

Perseverance – check.

Oh yes, there is one other attribute that, at least in my case, proved essential.

Luck.

About four years after I first contacted Charles Salzberg, we touched base again. He wanted to know how I was doing and whatever happened to the novel I was working on.

So I told him how I’d spent the four years since we first got acquainted, scratching and clawing and pleading with agents and trying to woo publishers and being rejected and feeling neglected, really at my wits end and thinking that perhaps this was just a crazy dream and that I was never meant to be a writer and maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have the talent to ever get a book published.

And he said, “I wonder if the guys at my publisher, Down and Out Books, would be willing to take a look.”

Sometimes, I guess, you just need to be lucky.

About Steven Max Russo
Steven Max Russo has spent most of his professional career as an advertising copywriter and agency owner.

He got interested in writing fiction after one of his short stories was accepted by an online literary journal in 2013.

Then he caught the bug and began writing seriously.

The publication of his first novel, THIEVES, has garnered praise from renowned crime and thriller authors from around the globe. With a gritty writing style and unique voice, he is quickly winning a legion of new fans.

Steve is proud to call New Jersey his home.

For more information, please visit Steven Max Russo Books.