A poll on 'It's not what you know but who'

ldhoyt

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I don't know if I'm posting this in the right place but...
Here's the thing, if you know a friend who knows a publisher and can hook you up, would you jump for the sure thing or would you hold out and try and get your foot in the door on your own merits, especially if you haven't been trying on your own for very long?
 

Fenika

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And here I thought you were a Polish lecturer.

And the answer is, a hook up is only a more open door. Your bum can still get kicked to the curb for lousy writing, being unprofessional, or any number of newbie mistakes.
 

MacAllister

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Exactly what Fenika said.

Doesn't matter, if your work isn't up to snuff. It's really NOT who you know -- although that certainly doesn't hurt. It's whether you can deliver the story.
 

ldhoyt

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So you're saying that I should go for it?
 

MacAllister

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You really want a brutally honest opinion from someone who has paid money for fiction on a regular basis?
 

MacAllister

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LOL, it seems like it ought to be, but it's NOT why everyone is on AW.

So here we go. Looking at your post history? Your prose isn't there yet. You're making some really basic word and sentence level errors. Having an in with a friend-of-a-friend is NOT a sure thing, as you mentioned in your original post. It might get you a look, but if the writing isn't there, you're still going to get a "no thanks."

Why not take your time, work on your skills, revise your book as many times as it takes -- or hell, write the next book, or the one after that, even. Work your way through the Uncle Jim thread, and DO THE EXERCISES. It's the best commercial-novel writing class I've ever seen, on the internet or off. Full stop.

Then, when you finally DO spend the friend-of-a-friend connection, you're going to have a lot better chance. *shrug*

So that's the best and most honest advice I have to give.
 

ldhoyt

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Thank you;
That was what I was looking for.
 

regdog

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Mystic Blossom

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My father, who is a dentist and knows absolutely NOTHING about the publishing industry, gives me lectures all the time on how having a good manuscript is not as important as knowing people. And I tell him he's very, very wrong. Knowing people can, of course, be a gigantic help. But what he wants me to do is put myself out there, contact agents, editors and other authors before I even have a manuscript done. What I firmly believe is that if you happen to know someone in the publishing industry without writing a manuscript, great. But no one who doesn't know you isn't going to be interested merely in the fact that you're a writer. The best connections come out of hard work, and 99% of that work is writing, while the extra 1% is contacting people when the writing is over.

Rant about my father over now...
 

Wayne K

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LOL, it seems like it ought to be, but it's NOT why everyone is on AW.

So here we go. Looking at your post history? Your prose isn't there yet. You're making some really basic word and sentence level errors. Having an in with a friend-of-a-friend is NOT a sure thing, as you mentioned in your original post. It might get you a look, but if the writing isn't there, you're still going to get a "no thanks."

Why not take your time, work on your skills, revise your book as many times as it takes -- or hell, write the next book, or the one after that, even. Work your way through the Uncle Jim thread, and DO THE EXERCISES. It's the best commercial-novel writing class I've ever seen, on the internet or off. Full stop.

Then, when you finally DO spend the friend-of-a-friend connection, you're going to have a lot better chance. *shrug*

So that's the best and most honest advice I have to give.

After blowing a few opportunities, I agree with this 100%

ETA: I'm a big Uncle Jim fan too.
 
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Fenika

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I would like to note that the title of this thread has kindly been edited.

That is all :)
 

bettielee

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Who else wants to know what Mac thinks of their posts?

...and I hope it isn't who you know... I don't know anybody and most of the people I know are luke-warm towards me.

I shall throw in my two cents: these things can also lead to hurt feelings and broken friendships.