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This is an open thread for general conversation and discussion about this sub-forum and related topics.
 

CaoPaux

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First! :D

For those who mightn't know, one can sort by thread title (and thus group all the topics) by either clicking "Thread" at the top of the column, or by dropping down to the Sorted By box on the bottom left of the page and selecting Thread Title (be sure to click Show Threads button after. Yes, I've twiddled my thumbs waiting for it to change on its own ...).
 

Debbie V

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Isn't Random House owned by Bertelsmann? It's not mentioned in the Big Six description.
 

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Yep; thanks for catching that.
 

rejectME

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This may be obvious to many people, but I'm curious, so when is a copy of a book actually considered sold? Is it when the publisher or distributor sells books to a store or when the store sells the book to a customer? And if it's the latter, how are those figures tallied, if at all?
Thanks!
JL
 

CaoPaux

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Books are stocked on credit, so it's when the book is sold to the customer. All stores keep sales records, but whether they participate in the various sales-tracking networks to share the data is up to them.
 

Trebor1415

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I'm specifically looking for info on how to create an e-book that is mainly text, but with some photos.

As I search I find plenty of resources for text only e-books, and some info on how to make a "photo e-book," but I'm coming up short on what I need.

My e-book will be a collection of articles I wrote for the web and each article has at least one photo and sometimes up to eight or ten photos.

Any links to resources or tips on where to look are appreciated.
 

Troyen

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I am interested in finding out about small presses and it seems like a daunting process. I see Editors and Predators is no longer up and running. Is there any other resource for finding reputable small presses?
 

Lauram6123

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I am interested in finding out about small presses and it seems like a daunting process. I see Editors and Predators is no longer up and running. Is there any other resource for finding reputable small presses?

Querytracker is a good place to start. I'd whittle down presses that look like they might be a good fit and then come back here and check out them out on AW's Bewares, Recommendations and Background checks forum.
 

Troyen

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Thank you, Lauram6123, I will look into that.
 

AW Admin

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I am interested in finding out about small presses and it seems like a daunting process. I see Editors and Predators is no longer up and running. Is there any other resource for finding reputable small presses?

Find books you like of the sort you're interested in having published that were published by small presses.

Then research those presses.

Also be sure what you mean by small; do you mean employees? Books produced per year? Sales per year? Or an independent press?
 

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Hey all! :) This is my first "proper" post on the site so I apologize if it's in the wrong place. I was wanting to ask, does the author keep the rights to make reprints/derivative works when they sell a short story to a magazine or journal? I have a book idea, a small subplot of which I think would make a good short story. If I managed to have this short story printed in a magazine, would writing the book using the same setting (and some of the same characters) then be considered plagiarism?

Thanks so much in advance for any advice!
 

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Sorry, Tuesday, we can't give you a definitive answer to your question. The answer is, it depends on the terms you agree to when you sell them the rights to the story. Most magazines take only first publication rights, but some take all rights in perpetuity (and if you're asked to sign these away, I suggest you reject their offer of publication). You have to check the contract carefully before you agree to it.
 

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Question for hopefully a not too distant future me. If you're a brand new author and a you're submitting a book and the publisher asks you to "List any previous publishing history and/or any awards or residencies you've received" how relevant to the work you are submitting does that need to be? For example, I'm submitting a Middle Grade book and I've published a highly technical research paper in a peer-reviewed scientific journal - not at all related to each other. I've also published blogs and online magazine articles. I've published writing, but nothing that's fiction let alone Children's fiction.

So, should I include those other things I've published or just write Not Applicable?




 

AW Admin

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Question for hopefully a not too distant future me. If you're a brand new author and a you're submitting a book and the publisher asks you to "List any previous publishing history and/or any awards or residencies you've received" how relevant to the work you are submitting does that need to be? For example, I'm submitting a Middle Grade book and I've published a highly technical research paper in a peer-reviewed scientific journal - not at all related to each other. I've also published blogs and online magazine articles. I've published writing, but nothing that's fiction let alone Children's fiction.

So, should I include those other things I've published or just write Not Applicable?

[/COLOR]

List 'em. Don't list minor things (letters to the editor, etc.) and don't list more than a page or so, at MOST.
 

Klope3

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Here's something I wondered about recently...suppose I publish a few short stories in literary magazines, and those stories take place in a certain fantasy world. Is it frowned upon, or in some way inadvisable, to later try to publish a novel featuring that same fantasy world? I seem to recall this was the way the Dragonriders of Pern originated, but I could be wildly wrong about that.
 

MaeZe

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Oh my word! Looks like I need to learn a whole new skill: navigating the list of agents to sub to.

Well, it's not like I'm all that busy, I just need some discipline to sit down and tackle this.
 

Fiender

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Here's something I wondered about recently...suppose I publish a few short stories in literary magazines, and those stories take place in a certain fantasy world. Is it frowned upon, or in some way inadvisable, to later try to publish a novel featuring that same fantasy world? I seem to recall this was the way the Dragonriders of Pern originated, but I could be wildly wrong about that.
I believe it would be totally fine. Unless the magazine somehow holds all rights to the IP you created (which is rare in publishing contracts, as far as I know), then you can do as you wish. I might be more hesitant about including events in those books that originally happened in the short stories, but even then, as long as it's not the exact same story, you should be fine.
 

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Make sure that the contracts have limits in terms of rights to use the story. This includes a point at which all right return to the author.

Writing a short story or novella that later becomes the foundation of a novel or series of novels is extremely common.
 
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H.L.Dyer

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At the risk of getting ahead of myself, I'm currently doing my homework on agents that may fit my book, and I have a few specifically in mind.
Though as a first time author-to-be, I don't exactly know what to expect in terms of the agent/author relationship. For clarification, I'm not sure if it's common for agents and authors to meet up with each other. I currently lack transportation, so any discussions over coffee would be an uncomfortable prospect for me. Does that hurt my chances of getting agented? Should I look to cast a smaller net?
 

Fuchsia Groan

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I don’t think it’s common to meet up with agents these days in the U.S. unless you both live in NYC or otherwise close to each other. I signed with my agent in 2014 and we’ve never met!
 
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