​Short of the grave, we are all still on the journey, trying to figure out the world and our place in it. In regard to writing, we all – or most of us anyway – have hopes, plans and dreams. We have places we want to go. Things we want to achieve. Accomplishments we want to grasp before we leave the planet. There is no aspect of my music career that has gone according to my plans. I’ve determined that I may not be smart enough to come up with a plan for life or a career and that, perhaps, I do my best work when I just take each day for what it is.

Our pitch to publisher webinar recently reminded me of several points that I think bear bringing up every now and then. Almost everyone involved in the song submitting process behaved professionally. One or two did not. One of those people e-mailed me after the event claiming that I must not have listened to their songs because they submitted two songs that were better than anything that was played. They went on to say that they would hate to have my job because they could not stomach passing over great songs and playing weak songs that were more commercial instead. I am pretty forgiving, and I have very thick skin, but I want to remind everyone that doing something like that with a publisher or other industry professional will mean the end of your relationship with that person. I have seen it happen. 
My first publisher was the most kind, generous person. He would spend time with anyone off the street that came in my office. And he would bend over backwards to help them. ​

​One of the biggest mistakes I see aspiring writers make is that of overlooking their peers. When we are trying to get things going with our writing, too many of us are so busy looking up that we forget to look around. There are people at your level right now that are easily accessible to you who will be the biggest writers in town someday. If you spend all of your time trying to set up co-write with writers higher up the ladder from you, you will walk right by these people. And, in walking right by them, you will seal your fate. When they do become successful, they will remember that you didn’t have time for them when they had nothing going on. 

​​My first publisher was a writer as well. He had written with a young artist who was working days selling boots down on Broadway and writing at night. This artist had been turned down by every label in town. He had nothing going on. Still, my publisher believed in him and wrote with him when no one else would.

Some time ago I was enjoying a mentoring session and was offering tips to help a young songwriter understand what producers and publishers often listen for in song demos. One of the demos had an extremely long guitar solo after the first chorus. I offered that:

#1. Guitar solos typically are after the 2nd chorus and not the first.
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#2. The solo was so long it pushed the song to over 4 and half minutes. And that hurt the chances of getting the song recorded. The songwriter I was mentoring shot back this question. Why can’t a publisher or producer who knows what they are doing, hear the song with all the changes and record the song anyway?