Writing Life after PA

VGrossack said:

This thread is dedicating to helping move on after their PA experience. I pose, therefore, a number of questions:

(1) Is your book still with PA? If yes, are you trying to get it back?

(2) What have you done to improve your writing since PA?

(3) What are your writing accomplishments since after PA?

(4) Any publishing accomplishments since then?

(5) What else have you learned with respect to writing?

(6) What are your updated writing goals?

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1, My rights were returned March 06 after several colorul correspondences

2, I started sumbitting short articles on writers boards for feedback and continued reading books on writing and grammar.

3, PA book accepted by real Publisher, PA book sequel accepted by real publisher, 3 shorts published in Writers Post Journal.

4, See #3

5, That I'm no where as good as I beleived I was when I signed with PA and that no matter how much I think I've learned I still have much to learn and that my spelling and typing skills really need improvement.

6, Finish my third book 'Lost Sons of Atlantis' before the summer ends.

(1) Is your book still with PA? If yes, are you trying to get it back?
Books. Yes, and with the arbitration I have asked to have my contracts rescinded.

(2) What have you done to improve your writing since PA?
I changed my major in college to focus on writing.

(3) What are your writing accomplishments since after PA?
I am ghostwriting my second book, have done some resumes on a freelance basis, and some other freelance work, and have written questions for an online trivia game.

(4) Any publishing accomplishments since then?
I have had several personal essays published; with more pending,

(5) What else have you learned with respect to writing?
That I have more to learn.

(6) What are your updated writing goals?
I have one book completed; and a cookbook, and two other fiction books in progress, and hope to see one and all accepted by a major publishing house at some point. In addition I will continue to write my personal essays.

I received my book back from PA and it is now being published by Highland Press. I have gone on to write a short story that is being published by Midnight Showcase and am writing a series of Harley romance short stories.
so see, there is life after PA.


www.freewebs.com/ccomer

(1) Is your book still with PA? If yes, are you trying to get it back?

Yes. I've requested my rights back twice and been loudly ignored.

(2) What have you done to improve your writing since PA?

I've read several mechanics-related writing books, followed along in Uncle Jim's thread, critted and been critted.

(3) What are your writing accomplishments since after PA?

Depends on one's definition of 'accomplishments' - by my own, none.

(4) Any publishing accomplishments since then?

Ad copy, press releases, other business related brochures.

(5) What else have you learned with respect to writing?

No one's words are all golden and all darlings are vulnerable to murder.

(6) What are your updated writing goals?

To get 'This Lesser Earth' out of my head and on to my hard-drive.

I needed 'em for my patio.

just me

(1) Is your book still with PA?

No. Both were released.

(2) What have you done to improve your writing since PA?

I never stop learning. I read. I write. I spend hours pouring over the classics trying to take a small bit of their magic with me. Learning With Unc Jim is a great place to learn the business as well as writing.

(3) What are your writing accomplishments since after PA?

Resold both PA books. Sold over 20 articles under three different pen names. Sold Nudist Guy and Yankee Gal.

(4) Any publishing accomplishments since then?

see above.

(5) What else have you learned with respect to writing?

Niche markets are complicated.

(6) What are your updated writing goals?

Sit naked in my futon and write while eating peeled grapes. Oh wait! Those were my old goals. Sit naked in my new futon and write while eating grapes someone else peeled. My wife deserves a break.

I have had two books released from PA a little over a year ago. I wrote another novel that ended up with a new publisher who went belly up before it got to printing then I sent it to another small press in Canada who failed to put a time frame in the contract for publishing and after eight months of not much being done, I asked for the third time, when it would come out only to end up in a fight about it so I am now released from that company as well. I re wrote one of my PA books and put it through iUniverse. I know it's a vanity but they have another book of mine it has not been too bad. I am sending my work out to agents and publisher on a daily bases and writing another novel. I have two other novels finished and ready to go. Not only PA is a scam, and there is no way of telling about some of these small presses and to get into the big ones you have to have an agent. so on we go............

Jennifer Robins
www.jenniferrobins.com

(1) Is your book still with PA? If yes, are you trying to get it back?

Yes, all three are still with PA. Not that I enjoy it but I figure my world won't collapse and the contracts will soon expire. I don't cry over spilled milk. I mop it up and learn not to spill it again. I certainly won't let them spoil my future works. Besides, PA was just a speed bump in the grand scheme of things. I hit the bump, slowed down, didn't have a flat tire and watched as they faded in my rear view mirror. A ghost of the past...don'tch'a know?

(2) What have you done to improve your writing since PA?

Gone on to better things! I write everyday. Finished another novel and working on two more. I read manuscripts for Chicken Soup for the Soul. Exceptional authors!

(3) What are your writing accomplishments since after PA?

Latest book, Full Circle is with Champage Books and is doing nicely. Will submit others.

(4) Any publishing accomplishments since then?

Yes! Chicken Soup for the Soul. Some might say writing for them is merely securing them but actually, when you get down to the nitty gritty, pay is very good considering how much you get per word.

(5) What else have you learned with respect to writing?

Not to expect anything. If you expect something, you get nothing in return. If, on the otherhand, you expect nothing, things have a way of falling into your lap. Kid you not!

(6) What are your updated writing goals?

Updated? My writing goals are so high that if I get to one plane, it expands and I soar higher. My mountain is so high, I never reach the top but where I am right now, the view is clear, bright and limitless.


Joyce Rapier
aka BeeBomb

You are so right Victoria,
The publishing world out there is not what some may think it is.
I am very focused and determined to succeed and I feel good about that. Part of it is because I promised my daughter on her death bed that I would continue to write and pursue getting my books out there and so I move on with that in mind and a love for writing. Kathy died of cancer two years ago.

Jennifer Robins
www.jenniferrobins.com

(1) Is your book still with PA? If yes, are you trying to get it back?

No, I recieved my rights back over two years ago, nearly three now, but I just recently got the one out of print because PA failed to submit that it was indeed out of print and continued to sell it.

(2) What have you done to improve your writing since PA?

Since recieving my rights back I've been stumbling in the novel writing field to be honest. I can't focus, I can't stick to it. Part of it is my medication and part of it is that experience always resurfaces. After bottoming out on five sequential novels before even hitting page two hundred, I switched gears and headed for script writing. My writing has improved quite a bit and I intend on trying my hand at novel writing again soon.

(3) What are your writing accomplishments since after PA?

Nothing big, a couple shorts published, a serial published in an e-zine. A few scripts optioned. But nothing exciting yet.

(4) Any publishing accomplishments since then?

Not novel wise.

(5) What else have you learned with respect to writing?

I've learned how to write a competent script and my dialog has greatly improved. Who knows where it will go from here, but I will always hope up.

(6) What are your updated writing goals?

Get a couple of scripts produced for at least credit, then try for some money. Get my name out there and going. Write and finish a novel and get over my fear of submission for publication.

You'd think after PA I could do anything, I mean they are just about the worst thing out there, but nooo. Was never afraid of submitting in the publishing world until them.

(1) Is your book still with PA? If yes, are you trying to get it back? Yes, I have two still with PA. I am not actively trying to get them back, however,t hat situation may change within the next year.

(2) What have you done to improve your writing since PA? - took a couple of courses, continue to write and study the craft.

(3) What are your writing accomplishments since after PA? - I've finished several novels and am working on two more.

(4) Any publishing accomplishments since then? - Nom de Plume, 2006, Chippewa Publishing LLC; Bound by Blood, January 2007, Whiskey Creek Press; EBONY, June 2007, Whiskey Creek Press (until a week ago was #2 bestseller in horror at Fictionwise). Due out in 2009: Witches Pawn, Echelon Press, LLC

(5) What else have you learned with respect to writing? - just keep plugging away. and if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck guess what???

(6) What are your updated writing goals?[/quote] - Have two ms currently out with agents, outlines for two new novels, and plan on revising three more. AND NEVER TO SUBMIT TO PUBLISH AMERICA AGAIN.

I have written two screen scripts, listed them with Ink Tip after registering them with WGA and now a producer has asked for one of my scripts and I am waiting to hear back from them.
I liked writing script, it's much different than writing a novel but I still like that too. Just to keep busy and keep going is very important. I put my experience with PA behind me a long time ago.

Jennifer Robins
www.jenniferrobins.com

VGrossack said:

Icerose - it probably makes sense to write scripts - or have you thought about doing non fiction? There's a much bigger market out there for facts.

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Scripts are even a longer shot than novels, so I'm not sure how much sense it makes to be trying to break in there, I just needed a different medium for a while. Non-fiction? Not my thing. I can't stand to read most of them, writing them would kill me. I'm an escapist, always have been. I like to get far away from reality as possible, to write up new worlds and have them dance from the tip of my pen.

I do plan on returning to the novel writing world, but first drafts are going to look a lot different than they used to. I've lost the discipline and desire to write them all out the long way, so I plan on streamlining them a bit, then when I'm ready to start querying I'll turn them into the traditional format. We'll see if it works or not, but at least it's a game plan.