Staying in the Game by Donna Hill

I would like to welcome National Best-selling Author Donna Hill to my blog. She’s not only a prolific writer, but she’s a role model to many of us.

Staying in the Game
By Guest Blogger Donna Hill

I am sitting here writing this article amazed at how long it has been since I officially became a writer. It was eighteen years ago this past June. In this age of merging publishing houses, cut backs, new genres, new voices and the explosion of self-publishing, I consider myself blessed to still be around to tell my story. I guess on the street I would be considered an O.G. (original gangsta LOL). Well, not quite, but you get my point. And because of my O.G. status, so many people have asked me what the secret is to being around for so long when there are many authors who have disappeared off the literary playing field.
 

These are the things that come to mind:

· You have to be in this business for the right reasons. If you got in just to make money, or to get your name on some list, your time in the game is limited.
· You must build relationships within the publishing industry, i.e., with editors, agents, publishers.
· You have to keep your finger on the pulse of the industry, be willing to expand your horizons, stretch your writing skills, i.e., teaching a class, hosting workshops, joining an anthology, presenting an out-of-the box proposal to your editor that includes other writers, take classes and read to enhance your skills.
· Stay out of the fray. Don’t get dragged down by the crab-in-the barrel mentality.
· Be willing to do for others even if you aren’t getting something out of it. Share your information.
· Build friendships with other writers. Only another writer can understand your craziness.
· Most of all respect your fans/readers. Respect their intelligence. Give them the best you can every time and always give them thanks for supporting you. They could be supporting someone else.

All those things are so important to longevity. In the long run, it’s about writing a damned good story, writing with integrity and be willing to stick it out when the going gets tough. That’s what a writer does. They write!

Check out some of Donna Hill’s latest books: Chances Are and Seduction & Lies (Book 2 of TLC series) http://www.donnahill.com

Donna Hill has more than fifty published titles to her credit, three of which were adapted for television. She has been featured in Essence, The Daily News, USA Today, Today’s Black Woman, and Black Enterprise magazine, among many others. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York, where she writes full-time.

Donna Hill began her career in 1987. Since that time she has more than fifty published titles to her credit. Three of her novels have been adapted for television. She has been featured in Essence, the New York Daily News, USA Today, Today’s Black Woman, and Black Enterprise among many others.  She has appeared on numerous radio and television stations across the country and her work has appeared on several bestseller lists, including Essence, Emerge and The Dallas Morning News among others. She has received numerous awards for her body of work including The Career Achievement Award, the first recipient of The Trailblazer Award among others, as well as commendations for her community service.

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