By the way - I've been wondering, Rebecca, if you're related to author Kate Gallison?
Hi, I'm new here and I'm dabbling in fantasy and have tried to write general fiction as well in the past. I submitted some undisciplined and foolish bad poetry to Red Hen in the past, but they don't take submissions right now. <snip>
btw, I have a friend in New York who works at Penguin. I'll write her about the pitch thing.
I have friends working at Penguin too, as it happens. Care to PM me a name? I'd love to verify this independently.
One last question. Should I enlist the services of Ice Cream Empress to help edit my ms before I attempt to go to Viable Paradise or take Absolute Write classes?
I note that you've not actually answered my post about AW not offering classes. I can only infer, then, that you prefer to leave it hanging as a snide and disingenuous potshot, pretending that AW somehow stands to somehow gain something monetary from this thread?
Or by making some sideways implication that somehow the individuals posting in this thread are doing so out of some sort of professional competitive jealousy? By misrepresenting what ICE actually said? Because that's completely uncalled for.
Actually, it's still on you from my viewpoint because I cannot verify the claim. Thanks, Stacia, again could you provide me link to the "secret" claim on Algonkian? This is my second request?
Since the links and the parsing of the Algonkian website have been posted again and again and again right here on this very thread, I'm wondering why you'd go on pretending this hasn't been answered?
I am sensitive to false claims since I had a business once and suffered a customer posting false claims about myself and my business (which btw was marketing small businesses with an email newsletter).
I can understand that. On the other hand, I'm a tough old bitch made of crocodile hide, so your snide sideways implication that I've got a conflict of interest or some monetary stake in this thread mostly just strikes me as both funny and clumsy in its transparency.
And as I stated, I checked into this with my friend at Penguin and no cars pick anyone up, and no one is paid to look the other way while nefarious conference organizers scam the writers. This was clearly the implication or no?
I'll repeat: I have friends working at Penguin too, as it happens. Care to PM me a name? I'd
love to verify this independently. I'll even come back to this thread and say "I can independently verify what Rebecca said about her friend at Penguin as being true and not at all misrepresented or twisted out of context."
And besides, if Neff is even half the devious tyrannosaurus you paint him to be, there are still 15 other professionals in New York that are working with writers, including Ginjer Buchanan?
Good golly! Who said that? Who said ANYthing about Mr. Neff, besides Stacia confirming that he's probably a very smart and talented guy, operating with good will? Link, please!
I will say Mr. Neff contacted me after this thread took hold, attempting to buy advertising on the forums -- and bad-mouthing the Backspace conference, when I turned him down. I kept the emails, of course - I keep all that stuff. I can produce them, if challenged to do so. I don't generally publish correspondence without permission, so I'm not posting them here.
Over the years, a handful of people have attempted to buy AW off that way, by introducing a conflict of interest, when there's a thread they don't like on the boards. I won't belabor the point, other than to say Mr. Neff isn't in particularly stalwart company, with regard to that attempt.
I'll also say I turn down FAR more ads than I accept, for a wide variety of reasons. It shouldn't be read as a reflection of anything, that AW refused to advertise for Algonkian, other than that I prefer to avoid the appearance of such a conflict of interest.
But here I am being somewhat contrary? Is this why Medievalist made this insulting statement to me? I thought writers were given respect here?
This person has never read my word and she is jumping to huge conclusions as if I were a child needing freshman comp? I've been writing for many years, in different capacities, and a comment like this feels right out of high school, catty, petty. Rowrrrrr! What other conclusions are you jumping to?
You've badly misread. That wasn't about insulting you. It was an offhand but honest and matter-of-fact professional evaluation of your syntax and demonstrated skills, offered in response to your solicitation of advice.
It was also
good advice, no matter how much you want to reject it. As with all advice, of course, it's yours to reject out-of-hand. I'd be willing to bet real money that Medievalist hasn't really given it another thought.
So SFWA does note positive reasons to hire the right kind of editor once you've taken things as far as you can take them. Like many others, it appears they recognize the value in an editor when the board members here insist that isn't necessary. Course, given the rep of Absolute Write, any fantasy writer would be lucky to get free editorial services here.
It's been pointed out already that you're willfully twisting what SFWA actually says.
And again, I wonder what on earth you mean by "given the rep of Absolute Write"? Certainly I'm not out trying to drum up business. I don't advertise anywhere. I don't currently edit, write, or acquire fiction for any publishing house. What "rep" are you talking about?
Also, I have seen much energy devoted to negating the concept of pitching, and in general, however when Diane Holmes, the Pitch University person, posted a transparent marketing "pitch" for her business on this very thread a few pages ago, that caused hardly a ripple.
Is she an advertiser at AW that she gets special treatment?
You know what? You can go right on making snotty insinuations about me, since I AM AbsoluteWrite, and mostly I think it's kind of funny in that eye-rolling, deep-sigh way.
But you owe Diane a humble and sincere apology, since that was just plain uncalled-for and more than a little bitchy. I'll also point out that Diane contacted me before she even registered here, to make sure I knew who she was and felt okay about her talking about her website and services. Her
FREE website and services, that she offers with both humility and enthusiasm, as her own way of contributing to this community. You go right ahead making bitchy insinuations about me. I don't really care. But I'm just about done with your bitchy disingenuous crap aimed at other members of this community, like Stacia, ICE, or Diane.
My friend at Penguin bought projects from writers she received pitches from in New York, at the Algonkian event. Yes, really. Was it a waste of time for her? For the one who got published?
Terrific! Titles and authors, please? And she bought these projects based on pitch alone, without reading the actual manuscripts? Wowzers. Do her bosses know that?
Actually, I'm inclined to doubt that. I think you really believe deep down that you're the smartest writer in the room.