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Author Topic: Writer Discussion Table  (Read 317763 times)

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Offline Tornade

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #525 on: September 26, 2013, 05:01:23 PM »
random thoughts are random ~

Hm... I really want to make it big now. I want my name on a bestsellers list and win some sort of tangible reward. I want to be able to pay for my food with my writing.

That's the thought that just occurs to me. Where exactly does one start from though? There's so many directions i could take but i'm not sure how to start. I think i really don't want to publish in my own country though.

In the United States alone, around 800,000 manuscripts are sent to publishers to be read. Most publishers don't even read much of the work that is sent to them. Although it seems bleak, all you have to remember is that persistence and patience will pay off. Remember that even some of the best and most famous writers were rejected many times before finding a publisher. It may not even come down to whether your work is good or not but rather what the company is looking for. Research publishers and see what type of genres they tend to publish.

When you inquire publishers you have to do so through an agent if you want to be taken seriously. You should read into that because it can be too complicated to post here in a short response. Another option is to self publish, which writers like Tom Clancy did long ago. You can do this through Amazon and other companies dedicated to such services that will help in the process of design and blah, blah, etc. It can be a crap shoot, but if you choose the right company to assist you and are willing to put in the money it takes to get noticed then it all comes down to general interest and luck. Note that when it comes down to self publishing help, around 90% of the time it will come down to "you get what you pay for."

Offline legomaestro

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #526 on: September 26, 2013, 05:05:09 PM »
Even Tom Clancy selfi-published?! Huh. I also recently read and finished The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. Apparently he self-marketed himself into popularity. I really enjoyed his books.

Question; Do you believe that every good story gets published or is it every well marketed story gets published?

Offline 50 Words for Paipis

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #527 on: September 26, 2013, 05:15:07 PM »
^Every? No. More the latter than the former, but it really depends on the publisher. If you want to write a novel, I would really recommend "Writing Fiction," which I believe I mentioned earlier in this very thread. It's very thorough and very helpful. It doesn't touch on publishing, but I guarantee your stories will be 100% more publishable by the advice given in the book.

Offline legomaestro

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #528 on: September 26, 2013, 05:29:21 PM »
Gaaah! I keep on saying 'i'll get to it. I'll put it on the list.' but end up forgetting. Okay. I'm putting it in my google search right now 'writing fiction'. There. Done

Offline Tornade

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #529 on: September 26, 2013, 05:36:33 PM »
Even Tom Clancy selfi-published?! Huh. I also recently read and finished The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. Apparently he self-marketed himself into popularity. I really enjoyed his books.

Question; Do you believe that every good story gets published or is it every well marketed story gets published?

There are a lot of bad novels out there. Many novels are published because they either fall in line with a genre the publisher wants or that just really stood out. Reality is that most manuscripts aren't even read entirely when they're actually read at all. Many just have the first chapter or so read. It seems crappy, but think of how many manuscripts are sent in. That's why you need an agent to get through to publishers.

When you self publish you have full control of all rights and make a ton more money if it gets big. You do the work getting it out. If you choose Amazon to self publish, it is likely you won't find your book outside of Amazon.com. If you choose something like Author House, they will help you with the process of design, marketing, etc, but it will cost you a lot of your own money, I can't emphasize that enough. But they will get it onto more sites digitally and onto shelves if you pay for the books (each copy around $5 or $6, so do the math, that's a lot of money). But if it sells, which is what those self publishing sites want, then you'll have no issue making back what you poured into your efforts.
« Last Edit: September 26, 2013, 05:40:32 PM by Tornade »

Offline legomaestro

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #530 on: September 26, 2013, 05:39:00 PM »
So it's a risk huh. I'm not sure how much money i can raise on my own but if that's the case i guess i'll try. How much would YOU like to have if you ever thought of self-publishing? 500 bucks? 1000?

Offline Tornade

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #531 on: September 26, 2013, 05:47:18 PM »
So it's a risk huh. I'm not sure how much money i can raise on my own but if that's the case i guess i'll try. How much would YOU like to have if you ever thought of self-publishing? 500 bucks? 1000?

I should note that I am undecided on which path to definitely take. I will likely send in a summary of my novel to reputable agents and see where that takes me. So really, I want to try the publishers first. I also have Author House waiting in the wings for my finished work. They will be following up with me in January to see how everything is going. Note that they won't hound you, if you don't work with them or avoid them, they move on.

As for the money, it depends. The e-book market in reality only accounts for 22% of the world's sales in books, so you'll want physical copies too. I suppose that (and I could be wrong about this one) one may want a small number of physical copies to start. If that is the case, I would want around $1,000 to $2,000.

Richard Adams did this with Watership Down long ago with a local publisher, little did they know it would explode in popularity right off. This netted him a big publisher, but he ended up losing the rights in how it was marketed and sold, so be careful. Again, an agent is important.
« Last Edit: September 26, 2013, 05:48:50 PM by Tornade »

Offline legomaestro

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #532 on: September 26, 2013, 05:49:43 PM »
So... find an agent first i guess. I think i'll look into getting some short story competition wins at some reputable sites and then building up from that contact an agent when i write a novel.

Offline Tornade

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #533 on: September 26, 2013, 05:53:59 PM »
So... find an agent first i guess. I think i'll look into getting some short story competition wins at some reputable sites and then building up from that contact an agent when i write a novel.

That's an idea, but contact Author House for more details too. How far are you into your novel?

Offline legomaestro

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #534 on: September 26, 2013, 05:58:04 PM »
I've already written one but it's nowhere near anything that i want to see in print. I still need to work on a better piece or improve upon that novel.

Offline Tornade

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #535 on: September 26, 2013, 06:01:41 PM »
I've already written one but it's nowhere near anything that i want to see in print. I still need to work on a better piece or improve upon that novel.

How many pages? What is your target reader? What age-range? What genre? Why do YOU believe it is nowhere near anything you want to see in print? As a writer, we have to be our harshest critics, but sometimes, we allow ourselves to be too harsh without other opinions to look at. Have you let anyone read your novel?

Offline legomaestro

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #536 on: September 26, 2013, 06:22:09 PM »
134 pages (though to be honest i find page count unreliable in terms of counting size), not sure about target readers, i just wrotie it. Young adult fiction age range i guess, whichever that is. Science fantasy, I believe it isn't good enough because everything feels flimsy and rushed over. I could put more effort into it and add more scenes.

I let a friend read it and he said he enjoyed it, but I don't trust that he enjoyed it objectively. I'd rather someone else i don't know read it and told me what they thought.

My father read it and said that it should be revised somehow, but i haven't asked him more than that.

Offline Tornade

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #537 on: September 26, 2013, 06:52:18 PM »
134 pages (though to be honest i find page count unreliable in terms of counting size), not sure about target readers, i just wrotie it. Young adult fiction age range i guess, whichever that is. Science fantasy, I believe it isn't good enough because everything feels flimsy and rushed over. I could put more effort into it and add more scenes.

I let a friend read it and he said he enjoyed it, but I don't trust that he enjoyed it objectively. I'd rather someone else i don't know read it and told me what they thought.

My father read it and said that it should be revised somehow, but i haven't asked him more than that.

How long ago did your father read it? If it was recently, then ask him everything you can while it is fresh. If a friend reads a lot, you may be able to trust their opinion. You must make it clear before they read it though that you want an honest opinion, no matter how harsh it may be. Also, remember that if someone doesn't like the story, that doesn't mean that the story is bad. Ask about your writing style, if it stands out. That's the most important thing.

If you're unsure about details, remember that every small detail in a story is solid. Go back and revise if you believe the story is done. if not, keep going until you finish. Editing should always be done last. I'm paying the price for that now because I ended up delaying the finish time I had for my work by a year by going back to edit.

Offline legomaestro

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #538 on: September 26, 2013, 06:56:09 PM »
I'll take that advice. Thanks

Offline 50 Words for Paipis

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Re: Writer Discussion Table
« Reply #539 on: September 26, 2013, 07:21:26 PM »
I've been too afraid to write a novel. So much work. How long did it take you guys to finish the first draft?