HELP--Another Question by crowlett

crowlett · Jul 11, 2007

Help,

Ok soon I am going to become known as the question guy, but I do have another one. I have a story that I think is good, but I have received fifty rejections stating it is just not what they are looking for. When does one give up and move on. A friend of mine wants to by the story as is for $100, but I would hate to see it in print by KC Miller knowing it was a crowlett original. So here is my question: hold out for a traditional publisher, self publish or sale it for lunch money?

crowlett

WordGypsy · Jul 11, 2007

Don't sell your story!

that makes me sad! Keep tweeking it until it's even better and send it out again. REWRITE! I've heard of people sending out 100-150 queries before getting their break. Keep trying!

BlueTexas · Jul 11, 2007

Have you tried letting someone crit it, help you see why you're getting rejected? Sometimes we're blind when it comes to our own writing.

JoNightshade · Jul 11, 2007

I'm confused, someone wants to buy the story from you so that they can sayTHEY wrote it? No, no, no, no, no. Please, have some integrity!

On the other hand if someone is offering to buy a short story for $100 but still under your name, I'd totally go for it... most of the time you wouldn't make that much on a short anyway!

And don't worry about rejections on short stories, it's not always a reflection on the quality... it's super hard to place shorts and often it's a matter of chance... what the magazine needs and when. Write another story and keep going. I used to write stories for magazines and literary journals and I had about 10 stories out at once, on a kind of mailing rotation. It takes a long time.

stormie · Jul 11, 2007

Ach! No! Run! Don't sell that ms. to someone else to use!

(Are those enough exclamation points?)

crowlett · Jul 11, 2007

So the consensus is no sale to my fellow writer. Should I hold on for a traditional publisher for my novel or go look at a self publishing firm? What do you guys think of self publishing?

crowlett

sassandgroove · Jul 11, 2007

traditional publisher.

Good Luck.

crowlett · Jul 11, 2007

BlueTexas,

Part of this story is posted here at AW and I am learning from the replies.

crowlett

Dave.C.Robinson · Jul 11, 2007

crowlett said:
So the consensus is no sale to my fellow writer. Should I hold on for a traditional publisher for my novel or go look at a self publishing firm? What do you guys think of self publishing?

crowlett

Go for a commercial publisher. All you need to spend money on is ink, paper and postage.

JJ Cooper · Jul 11, 2007

crowlett said:
BlueTexas,

Part of this story is posted here at AW and I am learning from the replies.

crowlett

Is that the death row one you are talking about? I thought that was the beginning of a novel.

JJ

crowlett · Jul 11, 2007

Yes it is the death row one. CCA1 The Project

JJ,

I classify my story as a novel, but it is not finished yet. I told the story to a him in detail and he said I’ll give you $100 for it, but I want all rights. The pitches to agents have been rejected so far. I’m just wondering what I should do form here. I guess some would call it a short story, but I think when it is done it will be a novel.

crowlett

job · Jul 11, 2007

Somebody wants to buy a story somebody else wrote and publish it under his own name?

And this is a friend of yours?

EEeeeeeeww

JoNightshade · Jul 11, 2007

Oh man, I thought you were talking about a short story! A novel? For $100??? If you're going to sacrifice your integrity, set the price a little higher, man.

crowlett · Jul 11, 2007

job

I know him through a local writing group and we sure work now and then. I consider my AW people as friends. I don’t think he is trying to upstage me or anything, I just said I can’t make this story work and he said sell it to me and I’ll rewrite it as my own. He is all business and I knew this when I pitched selling it to him.

crowlett

EriRae · Jul 11, 2007

Crowlett, don't do it!! If he thinks he can rewrite it better, have him crit for you and tell you his ideas. That way, you can take them or leave them, and the story will still be yours. If he doesn't want to do that, I would steer clear; it's possible the only reason he's in the writer's group is because he can't come up with ideas on his own.

Dave.C.Robinson · Jul 11, 2007

My advice, finish the novel. Then decide what to do with it.

JJ Cooper · Jul 11, 2007

crowlett said:
Yes it is the death row one. CCA1 The Project

JJ,

I classify my story as a novel, but it is not finished yet. I told the story to a him in detail and he said I’ll give you $100 for it, but I want all rights. The pitches to agents have been rejected so far. I’m just wondering what I should do form here. I guess some would call it a short story, but I think when it is done it will be a novel.

crowlett

Hi crowlett,

I'm not quite understanding the full picture here. CCA1 (in SYW) is a WIP (unfinished novel). You still haven't finished it and your pitching it to agents? If this is the case it does not surprise me that they aren't picking you up. It would be very rare indeed to do it this way.

If I'm right then I advise you to finish your story, edit it, grab some BETA readers, re-edit and then worry about getting an agent. If you are finding it difficult finishing why not seek out a co-author or a mentor. There is a few over on the other boards looking for one. I didn't mind what you had written per se and you know what my comments were all about, and I would be happy to help out if you want to explore these options more.

Whatever you do don't sell out before you finish it - you will regret it.

JJ

Dancre · Jul 11, 2007

crowlett said:
So the consensus is no sale to my fellow writer. Should I hold on for a traditional publisher for my novel or go look at a self publishing firm? What do you guys think of self publishing?

crowlett

There is a reason why the publishers are giving you the rejections. It could be that there is no hooks, lots of telling, poor grammar, etc. What did the publishers who rejected you say in their letters? Sometimes you have to read between the lines in order to figure out what they are saying.

kim

Dancre · Jul 11, 2007

JJ Cooper said:
Hi crowlett,

I'm not quite understanding the full picture here. CCA1 (in SYW) is a WIP (unfinished novel). You still haven't finished it and your pitching it to agents? If this is the case it does not surprise me that they aren't picking you up. It would be very rare indeed to do it this way.

If I'm right then I advise you to finish your story, edit it, grab some BETA readers, re-edit and then worry about getting an agent. If you are finding it difficult finishing why not seek out a co-author or a mentor. There is a few over on the other boards looking for one. I didn't mind what you had written per se and you know what my comments were all about, and I would be happy to help out if you want to explore these options more.

Whatever you do don't sell out before you finish it - you will regret it.

JJ

JJ is right. No wonder the publishers/agents are rejecting your story. You don't HAVE a story. Follow JJ's advice, get the blasted thing done first, then look for a publisher.

kim

JJ Cooper · Jul 11, 2007

See that crowlett, Kim is agreeing with me. She knows I rock.

JJ

Dave.C.Robinson · Jul 11, 2007

Finish it. No one will accept it unfinished. Just work on the writing then move on to the selling.

stormie · Jul 12, 2007

First, finish the book.

Second, polish your query. Think of a great hook.

Third, send it out to carefully selected agents or publishers (not both. Agents don't appreciate it if they take you on and find that the novel has already been shopped around considerably).

Fourth, never pay anyone to publish your work. If it's great, you won't have to go the self-publish route.

Fifth, never, ever, sell your work--even unfinished--to another writer to use as he/she wishes. Think about it: He's using your work, but his name. What if the book took off and became a best seller? You'd be miserable, he'd be happy.

Okay, I'm done lecturing. I stayed calm, didn't I?

crowlett · Jul 12, 2007

Thank you all. I know I have spelling issues and I try hard to fix them, but I need to succeed not try. I love this group.

crowlett

JoniBGoode · Jul 12, 2007

crowlett said:
I told the story to a him in detail and he said I’ll give you $100 for it, but I want all rights. The pitches to agents have been rejected so far. I’m just wondering what I should do form here. I guess some would call it a short story, but I think when it is done it will be a novel.
crowlett

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I think technically he doesn't have to pay you anything for it. It sounds like you simply told him your idea. And, since ideas can't be copyrighted, he could simply use it.

I will say, I belong to two writer's groups, and neither of them work this way. A) We critique words on paper, not "ideas" or verbal stories and B) they would help me with my WIP, not offer to buy it from me.

I think the biggest problem here is the lack of a manuscript. As someone else has eloquently said on AW, if you have a story "in your head", you don't have squat.

stormie · Jul 12, 2007

Joni, I was under the impression Crowlett already wrote part of it and was going to sell that. Hmmm....

HELP--Another Question by crowlett

Back from self-exile land.

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