Purgatory's Pit of Doom

Go, Ink! Keep swinging -- I think that butterfly is flittering around here somewhere.

ETA: Haupe, the Pit is a state of mind. No worries. We all have happy thoughts occasionally but keep them in Purgatory or reps so that we don't anger the hellhounds.

Hi Haupe, glad/sad to see you down here. Pull up a fake naughahyde beanbag chair (sorry --- most of the beans have leaked out of them) and have a glass of green flavoured punch. Unless you prefer red flavour.

You're right; it is all about the Pit state of mind, and the general quantity of suck in your life. I'm repped, but I'm down here with everyone else. Here in the Pit we believe that life is difficult because it is difficult, and sometimes you just need to wallow. If we hear positive thinking, we chase it out with a stick. The hellhounds take cre of the hopeful and optimistic.

Hey all -- I was just on the Sourcebooks site and they are closing to unagented submissions March 1! If you had any thought of submitting anything, get your books in ... query, synopsis, full manuscript.

Thanks Kellion though I don’t know if I’m brave or stupid
{{Ink}} I’d still use the referral, though. Maybe this time the agent would do more than just glance in your general direction
‘All the good news seems to go to the same people -- good news is never sprinkled around evenly. I just read someone's getting-an-agent story, and she had seven offers of representation. I just want ONE.’ <- this. These stories just further convince me that I don’t have what it takes
Welcome Haupe! You certainly do qualify to hang down here with us, but we TOTALLY WILL smack you down if you come around wielding idealism/optimism or any other such tripe We’ve had people here before who were published, we dont’ mind so long as they don’t try forcing sunshine down our gullets ­

Thanks Kellion, I didn’t even know Sourcebooks took unagented peeps

Just popping in to say thanks to Kellion. It looks like Sourcebooks Children's is closing to unsolicited subs as of March 1, BUT Sourcebooks Fire, the YA imprint is still open *breathes sigh of relief*

Still, this is sad to me. FLux (YA) is closed as of the same date, and Marshall Cavendish Children's just closed, too.

An alarming trend. While I intend to keep trying to get another agent, I don't like the lack of choice for authors. We shouldn't HAVE to have one.

Pit-worthy news indeed.

Oh no! MC too? I was planning to sub my old book to them -- I thought it was a good fit and my agent never went there. I know they've bought stuff from slush too -- no fair.

ETA: This is totally Pit-ish news. On the one hand, agents are only taking "big" books and kind of shunting midlist and literary (in adult too) off on small press, so I thought small- and mid-size press might be the way to go for me. But soon only micros will be left.

Well, I start sending out queries tomorrow. Huzzah.

Partial R with a referral to another agent. I guess it could be worse -- the agent didn't think it was totally appalling and reprehensible.

(((Kellion))) But a referral is great.

What's with all of these pubs closing? Bleh.

I'm going to be stuck in meetings all day and will have to commute home in freezing rain. I feel like that's quite Pit-worthy for so early in the day.

I'm trying to get something moving by subbing two projects while I query my new one.

It seems like the houses closing to unagented subs all take print manuscripts. I know they're trying to cut down subs by attaching author expense, but it would be easier and cheaper for publishers to handle electronic queries/submissions. It's tremendously costly and labor-intensive to manage paper submission, much less store them and ship them around to readers.

ETA: Good luck, Princess! Our Pitizen Mario C is a screenwriter too so he knows what a peculiar beast that is.

Just saw in the YA forum that Carolrhoda is opening to YA subs, specifically looking for unlikable MCs. I really don't think the MC of my romance/contemp is unlikable, but a few agents have said she's kind of bitchy. Might give this a go. No query letters required!

Also, read through the first 1/3 of my new contemp (S) yesterday and thought it was a snoozefest. Since I've never read through any of it before, it can't be because I'm too familiar with it. So it must actually be boring. Ugh.

Definitely sub to Carolrhoda! They only open periodically looking for specific books. I like your MC, Ink. I am shaking my head that people would think of her that way -- she's a no-nonsense realist who has suffered losses and humiliations. How else is she supposed to act?

I am liking the Vandal-inspired tactic of having a lot of fires going. Mid and small presses give you a chance at publication while not burning a big house should you get an agent. Plus they're slow with unagented subs, so why wait? If you happen to get an offer while still querying, that will light a fire under any agent subs.

Ink, I think you thought the same about your romance/contemp? And that's awesome and (don't hit me) been praised so much by agents.

Fingers are crossed for you, Princess!

{{Kellion}} But like Ink said, a referral is good news. I think that agent saw potential in your work, or else there'd be no 'golden ticket' given to you

Ink, even if you haven't read through it before, give that sucker to a beta and get their honest humble O. We 'parents' of these mss are not good judges of them, for better or worse. And yes, DEFINITELY sub to that house!

Mornin', Pit

{{{Haupe}}}

{{{Kellion}}}

Oh, Haupe, everyone who's down is welcome in the Pit. I'm nowhere near being on sub or querying. Because that would require me to first get up the gumption to finish revisions. Is it too early for a hit on the maggot bong?

Red it's never too early to hit the maggot bong *passes Red bong in question*

Hey...has anyone realized that Haupe (if I'm pronouncing it correctly) sounds an awful lot like 'hope' *eyes Haupe suspiciously and checks for butterfly wings*

Never too early for the maggot bong, Red.

Assuming no requests come in today, at midnight tonight February will officially be requestless for me. I started querying in October and got requests every month, until good ol' Emo February. Damn, this book is going through a slow, painful death.

Well but February is a short month. If you get a request in the first 2 days of March, does Feb get credit for that?

{{Steve}} I hate the slow, painful ones. If only news could be mercifully brief, whether or not it was good.

(((Steve)))

(((Steve)))

Soul, S is so not ready for a beta. This read-through was supposed to help me figure out where to start editing. But I'm not sure I can finish.

Oh...ack {{Ink}} Trunk it and look at it again in a few months?

ink wench said:

(((Steve)))

Soul, S is so not ready for a beta. This read-through was supposed to help me figure out where to start editing. But I'm not sure I can finish.

Click to expand...

((((Ink))))

Actually...

(((PIT)))

Ugh >.< I hate moving. I really, really do! Stupid fucking love clouding my decisions! And, I make so little money that I'm literally freaking out about not having anything.
Also agents
Also, also school
Also, also, also, leaving my animals until we can take them

{{{Leigh}}} Moving is stressful by itself let alone with all that other stuff piled on top of it

Thanks, guys.

{{{Ink}}}

{{{Leigh}}}