Mary Curran Hackett is a debut author.
She teaches literature and writing at the University of Cincinnati. Not such a rookie in the field, is she?
Her novel, Proof Of Heaven, is due for release later this year. Her publisher, William Morrow, believes they can turn a profit on it. Chances are, the manuscript required little editing given Ms. Hackett's profession. They saved money there. What are you bringing to the table?
Ariel Djanikian earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Michigan. She won a Fulbright Fellowship which allowed her to travel to the Yukon to research her novel, which is due out soon from Viking. What are you bringing to the table?
Debut authors don't seem to be ordinary, creative people who are not teaching others how to write or following the formulas they've been taught by those who teach writing.
It makes getting noticed that much more difficult, in an area that is already crowded.
Rather than spend our days attracting the attention of a literary agent, we've moved on. As publishers, it will be our task to attract the attention of the reading public.
They aren't swooning over MFAs or prestigious awards. They're looking for something to entertain and/or enlighten them. It's the road less taken, and we're heading off in that direction.
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