Be Scrappy

scrappy (comparative scrappier, superlative scrappiest)

1. Consisting of scraps; fragmentary; lacking unity or consistency.That was a scrappy lecture.
2. (informal) Having an aggressive spirit; inclined to fight or strive. quotations ▼He’s a scrappy dog and will charge at you if you taunt him.

The world is full of big dogs: Amazon, Walmart, Apple, etc. The publishing world is full of big dogs too, like the “Big 5” traditional publishers, Amazon, and James Patterson.

What are little dogs like us to do? My answer is to be scrappy!

Get all your scraps together–your talent, your expertise, your determination, and go for it. But what if….

• Your family doesn’t support you? Edgar Allan Poe’s was orphaned as a child, and fought with his foster father over his choice of career.
• You’re broke? Jami Albright, author of the best selling Brides on the Run series, traded services and even sold blood(!) to get her first book published!
• You don’t have a place to write? In “On Writing,” Stephen King” tells about writing in the back of a double wide trailer on a borrowed typewriter.

If you just want to write for fun, that’s okay! In fact, that’s great! It’s a wonderful creative outlet, and creative people often express themselves in many different ways: music, painting, textiles, baking… the list goes on and on.

But if you want to be a published author, if you want to have readers and fans who email you to tell you that your book lifted their spirits or got them through a tough time, BE SCRAPPY!