Pre-internet
Christi Anne said:
I was wondering if someone could give me an idea of what it was like in the literary/publishing world before the Internet? I guess I am showing my age (22) but I can't imagine how people communicated about scams and such without the Internet. Was Writer's Market around then? Everyone subscribe to Writer's Digest? What sources did you use to research agents? I would imagine the process was even LONGER without email queries. Did people use fax machines instead?
My, you are young! Primarily communication about scams was done through the various writing magazines. But then and now, scams are a matter of money. If anyone, editor or agent, asks teh writer for money, it's a scam. If a publisher offers less than the standard rate, it's a scam.
Yes, Writer's Digest was around. So was The Writer. Then, as now, teh wise writer subscribes to both.
Research on agents was alos done through teh writing magazines, through books about agents, and through word of mouth. Then, as now, it worked.
Very few used the fax. E-mail queries are highly overrated, even today. Snail mail is still most often the best route to take. Time isn't everything, and faster often means worse, not better. And, in fact, snail mail queries and letters are often a good deal faster than e-mail letters and queries.
Research on everything else was usually done at the library, and then, as now, the information you got was great. The internet is a wonderful thing, but researchers who only use the internet are at a severe disadvantage. The library should still be a writer's second home.
And instead of e-mails, people actually wrote snail mail letters to each other. This, too, is still a good idea.