Author (and More) Megan Silianoff Shares the Secrets of Getting a Book Published

Do you have any of those friends who basically can’t help but say hilarious things? The type who are are genuinely good with words and just know how to entertain? Because for me, Greetings from Texas blogger Megan Silianoff is one of those friends. In fact, another mutual blogger friend of ours, Candace Thomas of Luxe… With Kids, and I were discussing this week how everything out of her mouth makes us spit our drinks out from laughing. Not everyone can or should be an author. And some people, well, it would be a shame for them not to share their words with the world, and Megan is one of those people.

At the Creative Collective Houston promotional shoot. From L to R: Megan, me, Ashley from Sugar & Cloth

On top of being a blogger, she’s a mom, a small business owner, and a pretty incredible author, her first book being “99 Problems but a Baby Ain’t One.” Her firm, Mad Meg, specializes in PR and digital marketing for creative entrepreneurs. So it’s a natural next step for her to have written yet another book, this time about how to actually get a book published. “Everything I Know About Writing and Publishing a Book” marries her gift for writing, her humor, and her business savvy, and it’s definitely worth a read if you’re interested in taking your writing career to the next level. I sat down with Megan to talk about why she decided to write her latest book.

EF: What inspired you to write your latest book?

MS: Friends, colleagues, acquaintances, etc. kept asking me to coffee so they could pick my brain about the writing and publishing world. So I knew there was a need. Because digital publishing is so approachable, I knew I could crank out the project in a timely fashion but hopefully receive revenue from it for a long time to come.

You’re already a successful, published author and you’ve obviously navigated a difficult industry well. What made you want to give away your secrets?!

I don’t know if they’re secrets per se but more my “experience” and many people have helped me with my career. I’m happy to and believe in paying it forward. (Plus, don’t give me too much credit. I’m getting paid to “share these secrets.”) Also, like blogging, I don’t view being an author as a competitive profession. There’s room for everyone as no two people have the same voice. Both you and I could write a book on parenting, Esther. But yours would be helpful and insightful. Mine would likely be silly and more entertaining than anything – because we each have our own style and point of view. So I’m not threatened by anyone else’s success. I know what my lane is and I stay in it.

Why is it so challenging to get the attention of book publishers today?

I think its always been challenging. If anything, I think its easier today to get in front of a publisher or literary agent today because of the internet. If you want it bad enough, you can find someone’s email address fairly easily and pitch them accordingly. That said, I think publishers and agents are taking less risks these days. This brave new era of publishing might be exciting for us but its got to be terrifying for them. Their industry is becoming less powerful so I think everyone is watching their steps quite closely.That’d be my guess but I don’t know for sure.

Many bloggers want to turn their blogs into books. What do you think is the first step?

The first step is to answer the question, “why would someone buy my book when they can read my blog for free.” Blog to books projects only work if you can answer this question and its the first thing a literary agent will ask you. I talk about this at length in the book.

What’s one quick bit of advice you’d give to someone who’s interested in writing her own book?

Sit down and write it. Publishing a book is the easy part. Sitting down and writing something that you’re proud of is not. Everyone wants to write a book but to actually do it takes incredible discipline. To crank it out, day after day, when your not getting the instant feedback and accolades that blogging provides is tough and not glamourous. It’s boring. Mark Manson talks about this in his The Most Important Question of your Life essay; that you better love the idea of writing, editing, getting rejected, more writing, rewriting etc. as much as you love the idea of having a fancy book signing.

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Make sure to follow Megan on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more “silly & entertaining” bits from Megan, which will, I promise, prove to be quite helpful and insightful.