MAJOR PUBLISHERS

And I you, Alice my dear. Been very busy with the move, trying to make the transition from our own house to living with our daughter. (At least for now.) And of course I've been working on the novel that I'm writing with Phil, as well as the script that I've been (asked, chosen, commissioned) to write.

This is our second week here, and I'm beginning to adjust, so perhaps I'll get my time back to where I can use it wisely.

Thanks for keeping me on your mind.

Kdu's piece is spot-on, IMO, just unfortunate that he tried to pass off a rock star's photo as his own.

kdu, you are a half-truth. Your words would have more credence if you didn't use all these pseudonyms.

Of course, you know an award winning editor who can keep you up to date with all the modern trends.

Shelagh, do all those names come from the same IP?

Oh, yes.

LC,

Writers have fingerprints. When you hear the same old, same old, you can tell where it is coming from.


He can never tell us what he wrote --just let us know it was better than what we did.

Shelagh wrote:

Oh, yes.

Well, that's just weird.

Kdu/cturkel/etc., what's your problem?

He ended the Author's Society.

We got so sick of his printing and publishing diatribes, we all ran away.

Ignore him --he has a vacant mind -- obsessive , compulsive in the exterme.

He hasn't had a new idea for years. When he does I will be glad to hear it.

Alice wrote:

He ended the Author's Society.

We got so sick of his printing and publishing diatribes, we ran away.

Oh, ok, the infamous Author's Society. Sounds like it was quite a place, lol.

It was until he got going and would not quit.

If anyone is looking for more insights into the publishing business, you might want to check out this blog:

The woman who writes it currently works in the industry, and I have found many useful bits of information. For example, she recently posted about why writers should make their delivery dates for manuscripts because of what has to happen to them after that.

A lot of her posts are just for fun (she calls herself Moonrat and her mother Momrat), but mixed in are some serious posts.

Sorry! I don't know why my cut and paste didn't show up, but here is the URL:

This is really not working! One more time.

editorialass.blogspot

just put the dot com on the end

I enjoyed kdu's post, as I did on AS. I didn't see where he said his writing was better than anyone's here. He simply disagreed with the article and gave the reasons why.

I'm certainly glad that in the beginning, when I was first learning to write, I was in the company of writers who knew publishing with the majors could be achieved rather than listen to some of you here.

Of course publishing with the majors can be achieved. How else would they survive without any authors? Dick knows some major-published authors; so do you, Brenda. I don't -- apart from my husband being published by Elsevier (a New York publisher, I believe, plus a few other locations:
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/contact.cws_home/locations ).

"As the world’s leading publisher of science and health information,
Elsevier serves more than 30 million scientists, students, and health
and information professionals worldwide."

But, then again, what do I know?

Shelagh wrote:

Of course publishing with the majors can be achieved. How else would they survive without any authors? Dick knows some major-published authors; so do you, Brenda. I don't -- apart from my husband being published by Elsevier (a New York publisher, I believe, plus a few other locations:
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/contact.cws_home/ ).

"As the world’s leading publisher of science and health information,
Elsevier serves more than 30 million scientists, students, and health
and information professionals worldwide.

But, then again, what do I know?

The sycophant in me says, Everything!

Shelagh wrote:

Of course publishing with the majors can be achieved. How else would they survive without any authors? Dick knows some major-published authors; so do you, Brenda. I don't -- apart from my husband being published by Elsevier (a New York publisher, I believe, plus a few other locations:

That's because I made it my business to know. I wanted to to become a published author, and at that time, there were only the majors and the vanity presses, so I sought authors with the majors, traveled to join their groups, took lessons, went to conferences and listened to agents and publishers, and learned everything I could about the business. When friends took vacations, I spent time in classes learning my chosen craft.

As in anything meaningful in life, it takes time and effort. But to those of you who have the dream, yes, it can be done. Never let anyone else's discouragement discourage you.

Brenda, I hope and pray that you do get published by a major house at some point in time. The odds are not in your favor, but then you know that.

We've (you and I and a few others here) have been batting this topic around on various boards for the past couple of years, and it doesn't seem as if any of us are any closer to that big deal than we were in the beginning. Not me, not you.

I'm sorry, Brenda, but I have to think that if the major deal doesn't happen in the next year or two for you that you will be in a much worse mental state over your writing than those of us who have already accepted that the reality doesn't look all that good for it to ever happen.

At what point in time will you re-evaluate your situation and decide to go with something that works? How old will you have to be, and at what stage of your off track career path will you move on? Not give up, nobody is suggesting that you do that, but at what point in time will you decide that your books are actually good enough to be read by at least a handful of readers and just go ahead and put them out there?

How long will you be satisfied to write an article here and there, a short story now and then, and leave your true works on some computer drive somewhere, never to see the light of day?

I seriously do hope you get that major deal, and it is a complete downer to say that I doubt that it will ever happen, but that is the truth. Just as much as I doubt that my work will ever attract anyone other than those that know it now.

Over the years, and mostly in the music business, I've seen many talented writers fail to sign on the dotted line with a company that can actually do something for them. I've seen less talented writers with songs that are not nearly as good, have hit after hit, while others just didn't make it. From what I can tell it is the same way in the book business.

I had some three or four songs published and recorded by a couple of name acts, and they all made me some money. I then chose not to let the rest of my work lay on my desk, and I had quite a lot more recorded. By less well known acts, and they didn't make the charts and they didn't make me a lot of money, but they were played on the radio, and got a lot of critically great reviews, and they did pay a few bills.

I, along with some of the others here, have chosen to do the same with my books. I want them to be on the market, even though it's a given that the market is not exactly what I'd like, but I'd rather have them there than gathering dust.

You are a talented writer. You've worked and studied, and learned the craft, and deserve to sign that major deal. But what a shame it will be if you never publish your work. How deprived some readers will be, and how sad it might make you. I hope it comes, but if not in another year or so, I think you should go ahead and make the best you can out of a bad situation.

I'm not asking that you quit, or give up, or stop chasing that dream. I'm suggesting that you start making plans for what you will do if the dream doesn't happen. Listen to me, don't listen to me, your choice. But I'm proud to be part of that group that you say you're glad you didn't listen to.

Alice wrote:

Shelagh wrote:

Of course publishing with the majors can be achieved. How else would they survive without any authors? Dick knows some major-published authors; so do you, Brenda. I don't -- apart from my husband being published by Elsevier (a New York publisher, I believe, plus a few other locations:
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/contact.cws_home/ ).

"As the world’s leading publisher of science and health information,
Elsevier serves more than 30 million scientists, students, and health
and information professionals worldwide.

But, then again, what do I know?

The sycophant in me says, Everything!

Flattery will get you everywhere.

By the way, Ann has some great advice. She knows what she is talking about, and her plan has seemed to work for her.

My advice to those of you who think you have to sign a major publishing contract in order for you writing to be validated, please ask Ann one question.

Ask her if she can absolutely, positively, 100% assure you that if you follow her advice to the letter that you will be signed to a major contract, and whether or not she can assure you that you will become a rich and famous bestselling author.

If Ann is as smart as I think she is, she will tell you that the truth is that nobody can make that statement.

Some people work hard, do all the right things, have plenty of talent, and never make it. Some, with no visible talent at all, very little hard work, and with very little effort, do make it. That is the truth of the matter, and if anyone could come up with a formula that worked every time, they'd be billionaires overnight.

How about it, Ann. Can you make Brenda that guarantee?

And if you can, can I sign up?

E. Don Harpe wrote:

Brenda, I hope and pray that you do get published by a major house at some point in time. The odds are not in your favor, but then you know that.

We've (you and I and a few others here) have been batting this topic around on various boards for the past couple of years, and it doesn't seem as if any of us are any closer to that big deal than we were in the beginning. Not me, not you.

I'm sorry, Brenda, but I have to think that if the major deal doesn't happen in the next year or two for you that you will be in a much worse mental state over your writing than those of us who have already accepted that the reality doesn't look all that good for it to ever happen.

At what point in time will you re-evaluate your situation and decide to go with something that works? How old will you have to be, and at what stage of your off track career path will you move on? Not give up, nobody is suggesting that you do that, but at what point in time will you decide that your books are actually good enough to be read by at least a handful of readers and just go ahead and put them out there?

What a post, Don, and it still doesn't change a thing.

A family member is a bookkeeper for a large corporation, yet she's back in school to learn more. Her goal is to become the controller, and the process is a hardship right now, in time, effort, and money. According to some of you here, if she doesn’t achieve it in a certain length of time, or if her application is on the bottom of fifty others, she shouldn’t even try. I believe you’d tell ask that with all the accountants in the U.S., what are the odds that one person could achieve a top position, so why try?

Well, I don’t believe that. And yes, I am in a better position that I was before. Because of the knowledge I’ve gained, I can help others. I make my living editing others who have achieved their own dreams. I supplement my income by writing for a newspaper. While those articles aren’t earth-shaking, my editor and readers like them and I get paid.

And, I’m working on another novel. I got closer to my goal with my last novel, and I believe I’ll get even closer when my wip is completed. If not, I’ll write another and another until one does fly. And it will.

Why on earth would I want to ask Ann a thing about my goals? If I want a professional guess and advice, I'll ask the professional novelists.

E.Don,

I have to agree--very wisely said.

I hate to bring up this dismal fact, but if Dick did not even bother to try a major house with his Normandy book--we are all chasing dreams.

This is a first-hand account from a participant in WWII.

I don't think any of us can touch this work. If he didn't think it would fly why would our stuff?

You need a Flying Machine. Like mine.

Good luck with that, Brenda, and please forgive me for pointing out the obvious, that your odds are not all that good. If you're content to edit and try to teach, so be it. I thought you wanted to be a rich and famous novelist.

Remember that old saying about "there are none so blind as those who refuse to see" I think perhaps you are still in the refuse to see stage, but if you think you're closer than ever to that deal, then what the hell, hang in there.