Aspirations vs. Reality

[Tileus]

Hello everyone. I'm a new member, just joined this morning. I want to be an author, as writing is quite honestly the one real skill I possess. Of course, "skill" is a relative term at this point, but my work is improving, and I'm currently tackling my first novel length story. The problem is, I see no hope of ever being published. Examining the latest Writers Market, all I see are places that won't accept unsolicited manuscripts, the only conceivable way I see for me as a young unknown, is a place like Vantage Press, where you pay the publication costs. Then, I have to hope that the review copies they send out get enough of a positive response for someone to notice when my next story is ready. Anyone have any thoughts, jibes, words of encouragement, macaroni and cheese?


John

[brinkett]

Examining the latest Writers Market, all I see are places that won't accept unsolicited manuscripts, the only conceivable way I see for me as a young unknown, is a place like Vantage Press, where you pay the publication costs.
Don't do that. Work on finding an agent instead. An agent can submit to all those places that don't accept unsolicited manuscripts.

[maestrowork]

Why pay to get published?

By the way, when they say "no unsolicited manuscript," all they mean is that you have to query them first. Once they request your material, it's solicited.

You can write and submit query letters, can't you?

I am an unknown, and I sold my ms. And I know a few others who have done the same. It'd be a sad day if all unknown authors have to go vanity. As Uncle Jim said (and I paraphrase): all known and best-selling authors were unknown and new at one point.

[Liam Jackson]

Okay, I'm sure several people are going to see this post (mine, not yours) and groan, only because it's been posted so many times...But, everytime I see a post like yours, I'm compelled to reply, and hopefully dispell part of the myth associated with first-time publishing. For novelists, vanities aren't the only way. They're not even a good way.

The message: Being a young and unpublished novelist only means you could probably benefit a great deal from finding an agent. Agents are busy people and they're playing the numbers game, too. Can't take every client that submits because there's only so many hours in a day. Can't do justice to every submission if you overload your client list.

The agent will hurry through (although it seems like it takes a decade for a reply) the submissions, maybe solicit feedback from others in the office, then take on the best prospects. They have to. They don't get paid unless they sell your work.

I submitted my first book at age 47. Signed with the second agent I came into contact with, and he sold the novel (supernatural epic) a few months later. My only prior writing experience was in the technical field. Moral of the story? Hell, if I can play the system, anyone can. Of course, it doesn't guarantee success. However, following the template sure raises your chances.

Don't fall into the vanity trap unless your only goal is to see your name on the cover of a book, you have a non-fiction niche subject, or you want to publish a volume of poetry. Vanity offers little or no future for novelists.

You may hear "one or two" stories of how someone self-pubbed and caught the attention of a traditional house. People hear this and think "OH WOW. A way in through the backdoor." The reason those examples are so often mentioned is because of the rarity with which this happens.

The reality is this...those "one or two, or even 10" vanity success stories pale in comparison to the numbers of first time authors who published the old fashioned way, through traditional houses. By the way, none of the vanity houses I know of send out review copies. You'll get perhaps a half dozen "author copies" that YOU order on an author-discount), then you're responsible for sending out those copies to reviewers. Talk about a long shot approach!

[Christine N.]

What he said. And if you're like me, and can't seem to find an agent, well, then there's lots of small legitmate presses out there. And the reason I had trouble with agents is that there's only a small number who represent children's authors, and an even smaller amount who rep children's fantasy.

And who am I? I'm nobody special. If you have a well written story someone wants to read, you'll find a home for it.

[aka eraser]

Welcome Tileus and take the above posts to heart. They speak the truth.

[mdmkay]

Here ya go a virtual bowl of mac and cheese. Stick around here and you'll learn ALOT. I have. You'll also find out that aspirations vs. reality mainly involves alot of patience and alot more hard work. Everything looks easy when you see the guy accepting the gold ribbon....but you haven't haven't seen the tears, fears, and just pure hard work that it took to get there. Winners aren't there because they're lucky......winners are there because they decided to make their own luck.

[William Haskins]

write first. publish later.

[victoriastrauss]

I'll join my voice to others: don't go with a pay-to-publish operation. Print vanities like Vantage are hugely expensive; there are many less expensive options, such as POD vanity iUniverse, but except for cost, these carry the same disadvantages: No distribution, no readership, no respect. Inexpensive vanity publishing or true self-publishing (where you do it all yourself) can work for certain types of projects (mostly specialized nonfiction)--but for novelists, it's not a good idea. For most people, apart from having a book to hold in your hands and give to friends, vanity publishing is pretty much equivalent to not publishing at all.

For more detailed info, have a look at this discussion of the pitfalls of vanity publishing (http://www.sfwa.org/Beware/subsidypublishers.html).

New writers get published all the time. Don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise. Hang around Absolute Write; there's lots of good information here to educate you on the process. It's a good idea also to buy and read a book on how to get published--there are decent ones from Writer's Digest Books, as well as the Dummies and Idiots lines. Sure, it's tough. But don't give up before you've even started!

- Victoria

[James D. Macdonald]

1. Write your book.
2. Submit it to legitimate agents and publishers (following their guidelines the letter). If they ask you for money at any time, they aren't legitimate!
3. While you're waiting to hear back, write another book.
4. And another.
5. And another.

Throughout the process improve your skills and learn the art.

[Tileus]

Thank you all so very much for your information and advice, it's appreciated wholeheartedly. :)

[LightShadow]

you definitely want an agent, but make sure you don't pick a scam. verify at preditors and editors.
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/

[Christine N.]

Here's another little tidbit...
I got an email yesterday from a Famous American Author who writes Fantasy for Young Adults. A person I hold in high esteem. She was replying to a request to read my book and perhaps give me a blurb for the cover. She agreed. I can't believe it.

No guarantees she'll like it, mind you, but she's at least going to read it. Little 'ol me.

Somedays I have to remind myself that this is really my life.

[mdmkay]

CONGRATS CHRISTINE...that deserves a celebration in itself:PartySmil

There ya go...

[maestrowork]

Congrats, Christine!!!

[arrowqueen]

Congrats and good luck, Christine.

[Tileus]

That is wonderful! Congratulations indeed! And I'd like to thank you all for your continued responses. Sounds cliche, but I've literally gained more insight and confidence from browsing and interacting here in the last two days than I can recall in recent memory, thank you all.

[Liam Jackson]

Tileus, we're glad you're here and hope you stick around for a while.

Christine, that's great news. Hope it goes well for you.

[SeanDSchaffer]

Here's another little tidbit...
I got an email yesterday from a Famous American Author who writes Fantasy for Young Adults. A person I hold in high esteem. She was replying to a request to read my book and perhaps give me a blurb for the cover. She agreed. I can't believe it.

No guarantees she'll like it, mind you, but she's at least going to read it. Little 'ol me.

Somedays I have to remind myself that this is really my life.


Right on, Christine! Congrats.
:Thumbs:

[SeanDSchaffer]

Hello everyone. I'm a new member, just joined this morning. I want to be an author, as writing is quite honestly the one real skill I possess. Of course, "skill" is a relative term at this point, but my work is improving, and I'm currently tackling my first novel length story. The problem is, I see no hope of ever being published. Examining the latest Writers Market, all I see are places that won't accept unsolicited manuscripts, the only conceivable way I see for me as a young unknown, is a place like Vantage Press, where you pay the publication costs. Then, I have to hope that the review copies they send out get enough of a positive response for someone to notice when my next story is ready. Anyone have any thoughts, jibes, words of encouragement, macaroni and cheese?


John


I have a word of encouragement for you, if I may.

I used to think much like you do about getting published, but when I read some of Uncle Jim's words concerning unknown authors--all known authors were unknown at one point--it gives me a lot more courage to take my work to real, non-vanity, commercial publishers than I used to be. It's one thing to have a scam company tell you you'll never get published. But it's quite another to have a major writer tell you that yes, you can be published if you write a good enough story. I've seen several of the major writers on these boards give such words of encouragement.

I'd suggest you listen to them. Try to imagine James D. Macdonald, as an unpublished author. It's hard, isn't it? Nevertheless, it's true that at one time, he was an aspiring author just like myself, or yourself, or a great many of the writers that visit AW all the time. When someone with the kind of experience that he--as well as a long list of published writers who frequent these boards--has had, says that ordinary you, or I, or anyone here, can be a published writer, then listen to that experience.

I've learned over the last few months, that the writing industry isn't as difficult as I had originally thought to break into. This is not to say it's easy as pie, but I had at one time thought the writing industry virtually impossible to break into. Now I know the truth: the business looks at the quality of your work, not your education or your upbringing, or any of that. If you can write a good book, and have the courage to bear rejection again and again, you can become a published writer and eventually--if you keep at it--a well-known published writer.

You can do it, but you've got to keep at it.
:box:

[Christine N.]

I can always seem to imagine Stephen King as an unpublished author, probably beceause he writes about it so much. I see him in a tiny apartment, banging away at a typewriter, cigarettee hanging out of his mouth.

[MadScientistMatt]

Christine - wasn't that actually a mobile home instead of a tiny apartment?