How One Writer (Finally) Found A Publisher for His First Novel

If you’ve read this blog from time to time, you may have seen references to the Gonks, a small group of seven writing friends whom I met at the Algonkian Author-Mentor Workshop in St. Augustine, Florida about 18 months ago, and with whom I still stay in touch. Just recently, one of our group became the first to find a traditional publisher for the manuscript he brought to that workshop.

As any aspiring writer will tell you finding a publisher is like winning the Mega Millions lottery — only better. Gregory Renz, a retired firefighter, hit that jackpot after eight years of studying the craft, taking courses, attending workshops, writing a 176,000 word- manuscript, paring it back to 100,000 words, and querying more than 90 literary agents. In Fall 2019, his first novel Beneath the Flames, will be published by HenschelHAUS Publishing, Milwaukee.

In this guest post, Gregory tells how he did it, in his own words. Next week, he answers my questions as to specific facts and figures behind his success including the best and worst advice he got along the way.

A Firefighter’s Journey to Publication by Gregory Lee Renz

When attending writing conferences and workshops, I hear so many aspiring writers and published authors say writing has been a dream from an early age. Not me. Never thought of it; not until retiring from the Milwaukee Fire Department after twenty-eight years of service.

Storytelling is ingrained in the culture of the fire service. We have an endless well of stories and colorful characters to draw from, and we spend a good portion of our time sharing war stories. I was fortunate to work with and learn from some master storytellers over the years.

Putting Words On The Page

During my career, I received a number of awards for heroism, including induction into the Fire and Police Hall of Fame. I was asked to share the miraculous story of the rescue of two little boys at several awards banquets. When I saw the emotional reaction of the crowd, I realized how powerful words and storytelling could be. And how powerful it would be to be able to put words on the page that could affect readers like this.

After retiring I began taking creative writing courses through the University of Wisconsin and realized I knew nothing about the craft of creative writing. I sucked. But I had patient instructors who loved my stories and were able to inspire me to continue writing while pushing me out of my comfort zone. What kept me working all these years were the conferences and workshops. Not only did I continue to improve my creative writing skills, I gained a supportive community. I connected with writers at all levels. I was amazed at how accessible even the most famous authors were at these conferences. It really is an inclusive community.

First Prize(s)

At the 2015 University of Wisconsin Writers’ Institute Conference, I was awarded first place in both fiction and non-fiction in their writing contest. This was the validation I needed to convince myself I could write a compelling story. For this retired Fire Captain to actually win first place in two categories was mind boggling. My hat size went up two sizes. This conference attracts over four-hundred writers and authors from all over the country. Out of the many conferences and workshops I’ve attended over the years, this is easily the most inspiring. 

But then it was back to the agonizing work of getting the right words on the page in the right order and finishing my novel. My first drafts of scenes suck. And I can’t move on until the revisions no longer make me sick to my stomach. Maybe this is a little over the top. But you get the idea.

The first draft of my novel took around five years to create and came in at a whopping 176,000 words. I was writing the novel while studying this extremely challenging craft of creative writing, so things moved along slowly. In addition to the courses, conferences, and workshops, I read every book on the craft I could get my hands on; over eighty so far and still counting.

The End — But Not Really 

It seems the more I learn about the craft, the more I realize I need to learn. And writing has actually become more challenging, as my inner critic now knows what really good writing looks like. 

I needed to cut 76,000 words from the first draft to reach the magic word count of 100,000. Most literary agents won’t look at manuscripts over this number. After eight years, more workshops and conferences than I can remember, four professional editors, and around twenty beta readers, I finally polished this story to 100,000 words and typed The End.

Then began the business side of writing; querying agents. The rejections poured in, over ninety of them. There were two offers of representation. Their vision of my story was far from mine. My writing coach advised me to go with my gut. I did. Hope my gut knew what it was doing. I turned them down.

Persistence Makes The Difference 

I gave myself a year to attract an agent. Toward the end of that year, my coach suggested I check out a small publisher in Milwaukee, HenschelHAUS Publishing. I liked what I saw, so my coach sent a recommendation to the owner, Kira Henschel. I learned she wasn’t looking to sign any more authors at this time but with my coach’s recommendation, she asked to see my manuscript. She loved it and offered to publish it. We met and connected. She’s passionate about her authors and so easy to work with. We shared the same vision for my story. She’s been in the business for years and published many award-winning books. I spoke with four of her authors who had high praise for her. Publication is scheduled for early fall of next year. 

Eight years. It’s been a long haul but worth every minute. What a great next chapter in my life. I remember reading that the difference between writing and publishing is persistence. 

Yup.

Editor’s Note: Beneath The Flames is the story of a volunteer firefighter who goes from a tragedy on a Wisconsin farm to firefighter training in Milwaukee, where he gets assigned to the busiest firehouse in the heart of the inner city.

 Next Week: Gregory gives the facts and figures behind his amazing eight-year journey including the best books he’s read about the craft of writing; the conferences and workshops which he attended — and their best advice; how much he invested in $$$ in his writing career; what he learned from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Olen Butler, and bestselling author, Hank Phillippi Ryan.