Want to write a book? Seven Irish authors share their top tips for aspiring writers

Essayist Anaïs Nin said 'we write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect'. 

But whatever your motivations, it can be daunting to get those first sentences down.

Where to start? That is the very question that I posed to my good friend and successful author, Andrea Mara as she dropped my son home from football practice one day. 

The boys were in the same class at our local national school and through a shared love of journalism, blogging and reading, we’d become fast friends.

Her answer was to "just start writing."

I stared back at her blankly. Starting was the main issue. What genre? What point of view? What setting? The truth was that my problem wasn’t coming up with something to write, it was having the confidence to just spill my words onto that first virgin page. 

Andrea suggested I write a bad book.

This resonated. Maybe I could just get going with some terrible words and then fix them at some stage? 

Her words were the nudge I needed and now, three crime novels later (none bad, I hope!) I continue to enjoy sharing my path to publication across my own social media. 

Here's the advice from brilliant Irish authors who share their top tips for starting down the publishing journey...

Karen Perry

“A piece of advice that I was once given is that publishers don’t buy books, they buy authors. In other words, they are not looking for a one-hit-wonder but an opportunity to build a relationship with an author over (hopefully) many years and many books. This is brand-building of a sort, so it is really important that the book you are pitching is one that is a true representation of your own original writing voice. Authenticity is key here.

When you are ready to send your book out into the world, try and distil it down to three sentences that neatly summarise the story in a way that is compelling.

Be patient. It can take time to find an agent and a publisher but use this time wisely by getting to work on your second book.

Set yourself writing goals – whether it’s a daily word-count or the task of getting your next draft finished by Easter. And protect your writing time – it is precious.

Karen Perry’s latest book is The Worst Thing You Ever Did. Her novel The Boy That Never Was is being adapted for television and will be broadcast by RTÉ later this year.

Liz Nugent

"You've just finished your first novel. You might even have written the words THE END on the last page. Now you must must find an agent immediately. STOP right there. What you have written is a first draft. Go back to the beginning and start again. Refine your words. Is this sentence necessary? Does it advance the story? No? Get rid of it. When they say writers should kill their babies, this is what they mean. The sentences that are the most precious to you may be beautiful but if they are not relevant, you have to cut them. 

Now is it time to go out to agents? Nope. 

Now you give it to a reader you trust and ask for their feedback. This cannot be your mum or your partner. They love you and will tell you it's wonderful because they think you are wonderful. 

Then after you are happy with hit. Let it sit on your hard drive for a minimum of three weeks. Then agents? Nope

Open the document and read it from start to finish with your most critical eye. Then send it to agents and good luck!  

Liz Nugent's most recent book Strange Sally Diamond spent 29 weeks in the bestsellers list and won Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards in Nov 2023.

Catherine Kirwan

“If you want to publish a book, concentrate on writing it because writing is the most important thing. That said, keep the thought of who your potential reader is at the back of your mind: a Regency romance fan, or are you hoping to see your novel on a Booker shortlist? In other words, what’s your genre?

To get to a good sentence or paragraph, you must start with a bad one. When your book is as polished as you can make it, move on to thinking about publishing. Don’t worry - there are plenty of resources out there: The Irish Writers Handbook (Wordwell Books), the writing.ie website, the Irish Writers Centre website irishwriterscentre.ie and, my personal favourite because it helped me so much, the annual Cork World Book Festival publishing industry event at the City Library corkcitylibraries.ie corkworldbookfestival.com” 

Catherine Kirwan’s latest novel ‘A Lesson in Malice’, a twisty mystery set in UCC, is out now (Hachette Ireland) 

Michelle Dunne

"If you have a brutally honest friend, that will be the time to bring them onboard. Publishing is so competitive that your manuscript needs to be in the best shape possible before you think about sending it off to an agent or publisher. Also be aware of how subjective the industry is. You may face rejection along the way, but even these can be opportunities to learn and hone your skills, especially if an agent or publisher takes the time to tell you why your work isn’t for them. Stick like glue to submission guidelines and of course, READ lots of books in the genre that you’re trying to get published in!"

Michelle Dunne’s new psychological thriller, The Good Girl will be published on March 7th with Bloodhound Books

Jane Casey

“Whatever you're writing, make sure to finish it, whether it's a novel or an epic saga or an essay or a poem. Halfway through writing a book I always want to give up and start on a different story which I tell myself will be so much better and easier to write . . . but if I listened to that voice in my head, I'd never have published anything, and I'd have a drawer full of half-finished work. Make yourself a promise that you'll see your work through to the end. 

Often it's when you get to the end of the first draft that you realise what the story should really be about. 

And no editor ever wanted half a book. 

I started working this way with my first book back in 2010, and now A Stranger in the Family, my thirteenth novel for adults, is being published by HarperCollins in March.'  

Jane Casey, award-winning and bestselling author of thirteen books including the Maeve Kerrigan series.

Gill Perdue

“It’s really difficult to get your book into the right hands without an agent. Make a spreadsheet with a long list of agents working in this genre. Check out their submitting guidelines and start submitting.

The world of books moves slowly, and people are very busy so don’t be disheartened. I’d recommend submitting in batches of at least five, every few months. If someone ‘passes,’ just mark that on the spreadsheet and move on to the next.

But mostly, write because you love it."

Gill Perdue is the author of If I Tell and Where They See Me, the Shaw and Darmody Garda detective series set in Dublin.

Claire Coughlan

"First give yourself a big thump on the back and enjoy the satisfaction of seeing all your words filling the pages/Word document. Now, the next thing you have to ask yourself is: which shelf do you think your book would sit on at a bookshop or library? 

This is worth thinking about, when it comes to the business of trying to get published, and you start considering submitting your work to literary agents and publishers. In publishing, unlike in life, labels are your friend. 

Is it cosy crime, or women’s fiction, romantasy, or narrative non-fiction (and yes, even literary fiction is a genre)? Have a look at what else is out there and pick a couple of titles you’d feel comfortable saying you could see your work being shelved beside. 

These are what’s called ‘comp’ titles, and knowing where your book fits makes it more likely to sell. Genre is important, if you want writing to be more than a hobby.

Claire Coughlan’s debut crime novel Where They Lie (Simon & Schuster) is out now.