Have you ever had anything published?

Yes. Books and articles.

I've had two books published by small presses (one of which I've found people discussing in the "What's everyone reading?" threads which I was extremely flattered by). Both of them received *starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews. I toiled in obscurity for many years until I got my big break. Never give up.

i think publishing independently or thru amazon and other venues even kindle "books", might be easier and better for any new writers of any genre... i too have a number of stories quote "books" in my head.. just think it would be easier then the traditional publishing brick and mortar houses and companies.. 99% of the stuff they don't look at and/or toss away because they are all flooded with manuscripts and so on from around the world i'm sure daily..

I write fiction for a living. Sci fi, fantasy and the occasional smutty romance novel.

Everyone’s experience is different, of course.

Rather than clang on, I recommend looking up a series of videos on YT of a lecture series given by Brandon Sanderson. There are episodes that specifically cover traditional publishing, agents, editors, pitfalls, odds, contract negotiations, and he does a good job, I think, from what I have seen.

He is a genre writer, however, and lacking some insight into publishing literary works.

The other side of the story is self-publishing. Absolutely verboten and scorned until maybe 2010, still looked down upon by the publishing establishment, but more and more writers are breaking out by simply publishing on Amazon or Smashwords themselves, and engaging in a bit of basic marketing. It is absolutely a valid way to get your work out there and make some money, but is a very different, and very new, game that is evolving rapidly.

A good guy online to get some info about this would be Dean Wesley Smith, he has a site, don’t know the address off hand.

FYI, I do both, many authors do. I publish with a trad publisher, and I self-publish the more risqué material myself on Smashwords. I make much more from traditional, for now, but my self-pub income is creeping up as I add more. It’s a much longer term game but pays out incredibly well for an increasing number of authors. It is also riskier and lacks the security that a decent contract with a publisher offers.

OP - No, I haven't published, but I have great ideas for an e-book series. However, I am not a professional writer. Just someone who has been around for 60 yrs and knows a thing or two. And has some great ideas that would be very, very helpful to my specific audience. I am skilled with MS Word but my job didn't call for writing so I never really developed my writing skills over my 35 yr career. My writing skills are average; not bad, but they are not professional level quality.

I love creating and can write the books and clean them up for the editor but getting the books out and putting an e-book together for e-publishing is not something I am sure of. I heard Jutoh is a good editor for creating e-books.

My friends tell me to put everything in writing and have an editor comb through the text for errors (but not to change/alter the text) and that no one will care that it's not authored by a professional writer because it will be very helpful to my audience. They claim that if the information is helpful to them they aren't going to care that it was authored by someone with average writing skills who is not a professional writer.

I have no idea how to import the Word doc and format an e-book, although I could learn how on YT. The thing is I love to create but hate doing tedious tasks such as formatting, uploading the book, separating it out into chapters, preparing a catchy book cover, etc., it's all so tedious and boring. And I am not artistic so the book cover surely will be a challenge.

I just can't stand tedious tasks where my creativity is not being used and don't know anyone *personally* whom I can hire to do the final work for me after I have the manuscripts completed, edited and finalized. I will not turn it over to a stranger. So, once the books are completed then what do I do? I fear that after all my hard work and effort they will sit in my Word files and collect dust, so to speak.

Yes.

[quote]A good guy online to get some info about this would be Dean Wesley Smith, he has a site, don’t know the address off hand.

You don’t have Google?

r7 uhh... Everyone does. That’s kinda the point, ppl can look it up themselves.

[quote]It is also riskier and lacks the security that a decent contract with a publisher offers.

Can you say more about this? What is risky about it? I’m not really looking to make any money from this...if I did, that would be great.

I've published five books with a traditional publisher. I've recently switched genres where many people self-publish. I have no idea what the numbers are like for this. Anyone want to share or point to a blog that does?

No I haven't but it sounds intriguing.

A poem in a magazine!

One of my papers was published as a course pack for one of my college classes. I was proud of that.

^ Wow! That is an accomplishment.

Three friends over the years have been writers. Ink in their veins. A passion for writing in their hearts. All three write daily. It is who they are and how they see the world.

Two of them have never gotten a god-damned thing out of it, except a short story included in an anthology or printed in a magazine. The third got her novel picked up and published by a major publisher. It produced a beautiful edition of her book and gave it a big push. The book sold a handful of copies and that was the end of her relationship with the publisher. Don't call us. We'll call you. (Or not.)

Really, better to be an actor.

But good luck!

r9 I see, then it's not risky for you at all, only for those intrepid souls that set out to make a living publishing that way.

It's risky (for those people) because:

1. Amazon has strict and constantly shifting content standards and bans. There are stories out there of people doing fine selling their work on Amazon, then out of the blue getting banned with minimal explanation, only that some content restriction had been violated. This appears to be most common among the erotica crowd, for reasons I'm sure people can guess.

2. While the self-publishing game appears to be working for many, and that's great, it also means that more and more people will be piling in, making it harder and harder to get noticed and forcing the people who do to spend more and more on marketing to achieve that. While it's true that most self-pub writers on Amazon fail after one book and give up, it's still quite a mess.

3. Content restrictions aside, you are making a living off a vast monolithic structure that does not care about you, will not help you in any way, will arbitrarily change the rules overnight, perhaps without even really informing you -- not something for the faint of heart. This is why the contracts offered by traditional publishers remain so coveted (the good contracts, anyway) -- they offer a measure of security, an advance, agents and publishers can help you move into foreign markets, sell film or other rights, etc. (That said, there are a lot of sharks in traditional publishing and you need to be very careful who you deal with and if you are in a contract situation, you NEED a decent IP lawyer to vet it and negotiate for you, or you WILL get screwed. It's tough out there.)

A few comments about self-pub -- use a pen name, even if you don't publish with a traditional publisher as well. I make sure my trad pub work and self-pub work are strictly compartmentalized, not least because it would be a very weird experience for my scifi readers to find out I also like writing raunchy gay smut/romance novels that are 100% self-indulgent wank material.

Make sure to follow Amazon's rules to the letter, though they can be vague. People have been banned for using the word "boy" in smut novels and stories to refer to characters who have been very clearly shown to be of legal age. The slightest whiff of incest or many other kinks will also bring the ban hammer. Smashwords is much more forgiving and actually has a pipeline to Amazon to sell their more successful publications there without you having to worry about it.

Create a "publishing house" of your own to publish under (for those that take it more seriously, that is, if you're just putting a few things out for fun, don't worry about this). Just call it like FireSale Books or whatever, it doesn't have to be a founded and registered company, just a simple sole proprietorship. In Canada here, you can just conjure one up and start using it without a name hunt or aything like that. I don't know about the US or anywhere else.

Have fun. This is especially for writers like yourself who just want to do it for kicks, rather than making it a job.

Hmm if I think of others I'll post again, all the best.

seems (what do i know?!) it would be 'easier" if one wanted to make writing just a side gig for extra money by going the kindle/amazon/self publishing route? and this goes for a book, a article, a essay, a poem or whatever... i guess if one wanted to make writing books a living, then the old standard publishing houses brick and mortar companies are the way to go?..

The Erotic Adventures of Heidi and Grandfather

No, but I do have two writing credits on IMDB for haikus that I wrote for a short film contest.

Do not expect to make a lot of money. If you can swing it, get outside editorial help before you self-publish, if you want to be taken seriously. An objective read from someone with editorial experience can improve any work. If you self-publish, as noted above, you've got to be entrepreneurial and have a marketing strategy to get any notice,

Bump

OP, I've published several books. It's a hard way to make a living, because there's a good deal of luck and timing involved.

The one thing that's certain is that you have to have a manuscript before you do anything else. So many people want to know details about agents and publishers before they need the information. But you have to have a product to sell first.

Best advice is to do it because you enjoy it and it fulfills you. Anything more (money, fame, etc.) is just gravy.

[quote]I have no idea how to import the Word doc and format an e-book, although I could learn how on YT. The thing is I love to create but hate doing tedious tasks such as formatting, uploading the book, separating it out into chapters, preparing a catchy book cover, etc., it's all so tedious and boring. And I am not artistic so the book cover surely will be a challenge.

r5, I recommend Scrivener, a word-processing program for writers. It can export text in all formats, from "Courier 12" and "Times New Roman 12" (standard publisher formats) to various forms of e-books. It's very easy to use. As far as covers, you'd do well to pay a graphic designer to do it for you.

I’ve had a random assortment of short articles published. A few were in professional journals. Others, including interviews, reviews, news analysis and such, were in a now-defunct gay magazine (which never had much of a readership anyway - in both senses!). For that same magazine, I also ghostwrote* many of its editorials.

My more interesting writing has never been published. I’ve written a number of short stories and personal essays but never took steps to try and have them published. No clue if they’re of publishable quality; I love to write but suspect I lack the motivation to take the next step. Oh, sure enough I’d love to see them published. But maybe I just don’t want to find out how awful they are.

*Why is spellcheck telling me it’s ghostwrited and not ghostwrote?

I published a how to book on art 10 years ago. There's no way it would be published now as YouTube and its mass of how to videos have eliminated the market. Glad I got in before the door closed. As other people have said it is borderline impossible to make a lot of money in publishing - that only happens to celebrities or authors who score multiple book deals. People expect so much for free now. The industry has changed.

Thank you R22. I will follow up with your suggestions.

^ from R5

Great feedback in this thread.

I wrote a novel and published it on KDP. I sold a total of about 50 copies, but mostly to people who know me. It is really hard to get reviews because Amazon deletes them if they are written by anyone in your Contact list.

I also published some hard copies through Kindle. It was fun to see my book in print. I think you have to do a lot of promotion to really generate sales.

Kindle Unlimited is the new writer's best friend. They approve all kinds of trashy, badly written stuff as long as you're prepared to offer it to their service. Once people who have signed up to Kindle Unlimited start downloading your book, you start getting paid.

To add to r22, maybe look into Vellum, too, it’s fantastic for formatting the final product for publication.

The downside of Kindle Unlimited is you have to remain exclusive to them, you can’t publish “wide” (through other services like Smashwords or such). But, yeah, it’s great for a lot of self-published writers.

^ That "downside" is a *major* drawback. I would think that alone would turn off a lot of authors. How could the pros outweigh such a major drawback? Especially considering an author can get banned and never know why they were banned. It's like suddenly without warning getting fired from your job by a robot. You can't argue with a robot.

KDP is only has exclusive rights for 6 months.

^ Ooops. Maybe I was thinking of Kindle Unlimited.

This thread has been very helpful to me.

Good thread.

I’ve had poems short & longlistes for prizes and put in anthologies, but once it happened for me it felt kind of hollow compared to the experience of writing them. I wonder if it’s because the readership for poetry is so minuscule, academic & insular.

Now I dream of writing lyrics/libretto that are heard by a wider cult audience, and maybe an original drama script of some kind (stage or radio would be my ideal, but I’ll happily take a deal for a YT series or a cartoon). Does anyone have any advice for someone wanting to get their lyrics or scripts recorded and then broadcast? Do you have to intern at a studio and/or move to the city with someone in the biz, or are there other methods more ‘pirate’? And how does one go about copyrighting work intended for spoken recording anyway?

Bump

I'm an artist, and wrote a children's picture book that featured a character I created. The book made its way to one of the editors at Harper Collins, who sent me the nicest rejection letter. Two things of interest from her letter: one, she said they almost never take on unknown writers now because of the lack of brick and mortar stores to help break a new writer and/or book. And, two, she said that most publishers will not even look at a book unless the manuscript comes from a reputable agent. She was kind enough to give me the names of her favorite agents -- she must have really liked the book, which is nice -- and, despite calling and emailing them several times, I never heard from any of them. I am not in NYC, and, I suspect, that it is a lot easier to network if you live there.

I keep busy with painting and other things now, and, although I would love to get the book published -- and there are a lot of tie-in opportunities with movies and stuffed animals, etc -- I realize that the effort it would take to get published far outweighs my desire to get it published. Maybe my priorities might change at some point, though. I know it would be almost impossible to do, though.

I've got a question for anyone who has had romance novels published---I submitted a manuscript to Harlequin and they rejected it but they gave me a page full of feedback, basically saying that they liked my writing style but the story didn't work for them. So I worked on more manuscripts and I thought my writing had improved. The word count for these new manuscripts was too long for Harlequin, so I submitted them to other publishers but all I received from them was a standard rejection letter.

Do certain publishers just not offer feedback or is it more likely that even though I thought my writing had improved, it really hadn't? It's kind of depressing to get feedback from my very first submission and nothing else for the rest of them.

[quote]Do certain publishers just not offer feedback or is it more likely that even though I thought my writing had improved, it really hadn't? It's kind of depressing to get feedback from my very first submission and nothing else for the rest of them.

You should take Harlequin's feedback to heart. Romance novels are very regimented in terms of word length, specific scenes/emotions happening at specific moments, etc.

And there are many subgenres of romance novel that have their own regimented rules. Some are aimed at women with kids, some appeal to those who want to read PG-13 or R descriptions of premarital sex. There are gay and lesbian romances, of course, but I don't know if those publishers are as specific as to what must happen where.

Not long ago I met a guy who had quit his job and was writing African-American "urban romances" with his best female friend. He asked me (a white guy) what I thought the tropes would be, and I said it was probably women who couldn't find professional men who loved them. He said I was 100% wrong -- that the standard in that genre involved a woman falling for a guy who either was on the wrong side of the law and "misunderstood," or had gotten his act together but the world wouldn't give him a chance.

He also said that the minute they made their books more sexually explicit, they took off. (He lets his female writing partner do those scenes.)

Anyway, r41, I'd look at those Harlequin guidelines and see if you can tell a story within them. Romance publishers need a ton of content and don't have time to edit much, if at all. If they like your writing style and you can write to their format, you may have a new avocation, if not a vocation.

R42- Thanks! I wasn't sure what the problem was so I guess I'll read the guidelines a little more closely and see if I can't come up with something that fits better.

R40, good post. thank you

I've been published extensively when DataLounge used to have Wit & Wisdom on the front page

I wish we still had a Wit and Wisdom column.

Check out Romancing the Beat for a good overview of the most common romance form.

R33, people go with KU because the market is so much larger than anywhere else.

You start with some publishers by sending a proposal and sample chapters. That's what I did and I have been lucky to have been published for 10 years and also get paid a small royalty depending on how well I sell. It's not always a satisfying relationship because sometimes they edit things and you just have to accept it or otherwise not get the book published by them. There is compromise, but sometimes I am happy with the result.

^ Me again. As far as writing, I do a page a day which is both a lot and not very much, and it builds up the word count easily. I also overwrite and know it so I can go back and edit when the draft is done, before I submit my draft to the publisher.

R38 absolutely, go that route! If you are writing poetry and want a wider audience, song lyrics or a libretto are the way to go. I have zero advice because I don't know the industry, but once it's out there I look forward to singing your stuff!

Very interesting comment on experience R40. Yes I do believe she really liked your book, but couldn't help any more than she did. It's a tough market out there and my guess is that the authors who succeed are also excellent marketers (perhaps even more so than excellent writers, they are good hustlers).

[r43] Have you considered joining RWA? Romance Writers of America. They have a ton of resources and are at least for the most part, very inclusive. And "Romancing the Beat" is a great book. Maybe we need a romance writer's thread??

I've had many articles and humorous essays published in major newspapers and magazines, and recordings of me reading my own monologues on major radio. A few of them did so well it lead to multiple opportunities to work with these venues again. I had great success in these realms but could never get anyone interested in publishing a book I've written. I've had major publishers look at it, and also agents (two really big ones I luckily knew through connections). They all said more or less the same thing: it's well written and very funny but you're just not famous enough for us to have a guarantee your work will sell.

I'd point to my work in multiple major publications, and its success, and they'd say, "It's not enough" or "that was three years ago." I'd worked like hell to reach those accomplishments, felt like I'd fought several wars just to claw my way to the top of those ladders, it was disheartening to hear no one would touch my book because I wasn't a Kardashian.

This is something you'll run up against, again and again, in the major publishing world.

R41 Have you thought of starting your own small publishing press, if you have enough titles by now (you can get different pen names)? Or sending the one that got the feedback from Harlequin, to other romance presses?

I don't read romance, but I imagine there are series? Have you considered writing a (short) episode for one of their series, and see where that goes?

For some reason I sort of see romance writing as the same as writing for TV. TV writers usually get hired for a show on the strength of an episode they wrote for another, similar show.

Also, sometimes the name on the cover is one writer but it's actually a pool of writers writing the series. I know this is the case for a Black-Stallion-type teenage series whose title I forget. The name on the cover is female but they're actually a pool of 4 male and female writers, the "name writer" is fictitious. So it is similar to TV writing. I would imagine Harlequin works that way.

Second reading the Harlequin guidelines very closely if you want to publish with them. For them to have written you a detailed feedback means they read your stuff and there was something there. You need to develop a relationship, it isn't over. Obvs. it takes time and work. You have to love writing, personally I'm too lazy.

R50 Thank you for saying you write a page a day. That is truthful and doable by a human.

I recently got to reading some Maigret (French-Belgian police mysteries 1930s-1950s), and apart from the unbelievable misogyny it is actually well-written (the books are known for the quality of their writing). Last week I found out Simenon, the author, wrote one episode a week! Seriously! Each Maigret has 8 chapters and was written in 8 days. A chapter a day. To me that's insane. Now I wonder if he "wrote" them or telephoned the lines to his secretary over a 2-hour conversation.

One of my uni friends set out to run her own publishing press with her partner when she was just 26 or 27. They worked like dogs for the first 4 years at least. This was 15 years ago. Now they make literal millions. They publish 120 books a year. They are in a very niche market that was expanding when they started out. They went for authors that were unknown and made them known. The partner had a degree in advertising/marketing, she's a translator with a keen sense of language.

They invested 30K to begin with and didn't make any money the first few years, living together in a small room that was also their office.

I have boundless admiration for their achievements, even though I don't see my friend much anymore - that's not really on her, she sends invites at least once a year - but I also know they publish books that sell. They are imaginative and innovative within the genre. They market all the time. Their bigger series have YT trailers, like a movie. They're not out to save the world or publish books that matter, what they provide is entertainment for people who love the genre they know really well and grew up on.

When I had to write a novel I set myself the challenge of writing 5 pages a day. I did it but sometimes it was very hard and I had to have breaks. I can't imagine someone writing all day. That would be so boring.

Most publishers want electronic and digital rights in all forms. How does one deal with that?

I write books for a living (non-fiction), lots of bestsellers and, well, some not-so-bestselling...

Happy to answer any questions about non-fiction. (Writing fiction for a living is a different skill set than non-fiction, can't really help there.)

[quote]Most publishers want electronic and digital rights in all forms. How does one deal with that?

With an agent or an attorney. After the Internet and e-books, the contract clause about rights in all forms began to include language about "all current and future," which gives the publisher the right to future formats we probably can't imagine.

You likely won't have luck getting that changed, but a good agent can keep things like foreign rights, which can be lucrative.

For R61: Do you know before it's finished that your book is going to sell, or not? Or do sales (or lack thereof) come as a complete surprise?

"I have ideas for several books."

I have ideas for several superhero hung Brazilian sex movies, but that ain't happenin', either.

"I’d like to bring at least one of them to fruition and at least try to get something published"

These are the words of a piddling dreamer. Great or even good writing requires passion, an obsession, not a mere fancy clacking around in your head while waiting for an elevator.

"Great or even good writing requires passion, an obsession, not a mere fancy clacking around in your head while waiting for an elevator."

You don't have to be a great writer to get published. Look at Twilight.

Yes, but at least she actually finished something, even though it was shit, it made millions.

OP's still got 'ideas' rattling around in his head.

Even if it's shite, you still have to type out those words. The sheer physical act of typing out an entire novel is not something to be trifled with.

Stephen King has noted that if you write 1,000 words a day, five days a week, for three months, you'll have completed a novel.

That doesn't count rewrites, of course, and is no indicator of quality, but at least it's done.

"OP's still got 'ideas' rattling around in his head."

Well, all books started as ideas first.

R63 -- Some books are pretty much guaranteed bestsellers so there's no surprise (ie: a famous person is involved), but there are other times when it's a shock -- my book that sold the most was a meager $10K advance... and the book that sold the least had an advance more than 50 times that. And, of course, there are a number of books that you write because you want to write, knowing full well you'll be lucky to sell 10,000 copies.

The fact is that publishers really don't know what will sell -- I worked on a book as a ghost that got a million dollar advance from a very overly excited publisher (I received only a fraction of the advance) that probably lost the company almost all their money. It's a shot in the dark for most non-fiction unless there's a great publicity angle, a famous person (ie: Obama), or a terrific track record (but even that doesn't always play, many best-selling writers turn out a total dud).

One person I know was part of a team that translated a book about Obama. That was a huge coup for her, she was still young but very talented.

[quote]Some books are pretty much guaranteed bestsellers so there's no surprise (ie: a famous person is involved), but there are other times when it's a shock -- my book that sold the most was a meager $10K advance... and the book that sold the least had an advance more than 50 times that.

The most money I ever made on a book (very low six figures) was an advance on a book that was canceled when the publishing company contracted and dropped about 40 percent of its planned titles.

I got to keep the money as long as I didn't sell the book elsewhere.

Lots of scientific articles that no one reads.

I need to write a book with more popular appeal before I die

I have four friends who wrote books. One was a minor best seller and excellently written.

The other three were just awful. I couldn't finish any of them, but I told them their stories were great.

If you want popular, you need to write smut R73

This is the venue to push your excellent friend's book, R74.

[quote] After the Internet and e-books, the contract clause about rights in all forms began to include language about "all current and future," which gives the publisher the right to future formats we probably can't imagine.

Thanks r62 I am a part time writer. I got a very reputable publisher for my next book. Is it ok to give them the rights to formats I really don't see developing myself? Like ebooks. And translations. They do have a global reach.

I did keep the film and TV rights though as the company doesn't publish books.

[quote] I got a very reputable publisher for my next book. Is it ok to give them the rights to formats I really don't see developing myself? Like ebooks. And translations. They do have a global reach.

E-books, yes.

Your agent/attorney should advise you on translations -- those can be quite lucrative. For one book, my agent sold foreign rights to a Japanese publisher for the same amount I got in America, doubling my money with no extra work. I never saw a copy of it but the check cleared just fine.

Yes. Several books.

I've self published two books, one fiction and one non-fiction. The fiction is the first of an action/adventure series, and I'm starting a second, non-related non-fiction series. It gives me a great outlet for creativity. So if you think you've got it, go for it. Just don't get discouraged that A) the process takes a while and B) you don't make a lot of money. For the first point, it took 2 years for me to get the non-fiction book ready for publication, and 3 years for the fiction. Now that I know what I'm doing, the process is easier. But as for not making a lot of money, it's just part of the landscape that is littered with millions of more books now than just a decade ago.

An idea for a book is not a book or even real evidence that you want to write in the way that the idea of love or desire to love is not a reliationship.

Bump

Write the book, OP. Then ask people how to get it published.

I self-pub on DL.

People who write books are a dime a dozen, OP. What does yours have to offer? Now write it.

But don't expect R85, aka Dimestore Diva, to buy it.

That's not untrue, R86.

Does DL count?

For anyone who has been traditionally published, do full rights ever revert back to the author? For instance, if I were to write a book, and ended up with a traditional publishing deal, but the book didn't really sell well. Would that book go back to the author where they could self-publish if they wanted to?

Yes, rights will revert to you when the book goes out of print. Then you can do whatever you want with it, as in, rewrite, republish, re-anything.

You can also negotiate with the publisher to get your rights back if they don't want them, even if the book is in print.

^^Thanks. Have heard several stories about people getting published, that being a huge triumph in and of itself, but never really going anywhere after that. In a lot of ways, that would be more frustrating than never being accepted by an agent or published at all.

OP, ideas are a dime a dozen, but write well and tell me a good story, and I'll follow you anywhere.

It happens a lot, R91. You have to pick a publisher that will sell the hell out of your book. And sometimes (most times?) even that doesn't work.

They can't predict what will sell. I have had 10 books published and I don't know why the one that is my biggest seller is my biggest seller.

Right time R94?

I'm happy whatever the reason.

Yes, two poems published in two compilation books.

You all don't seem to understand what a publisher does.

A publisher does not "sell the hell" out of a book. These days a publisher is basically a distributor. Unless you are a proven bestseller with a terrific track record, or, you're a celebrity with proven media power, all the publisher does is publish. They don't edit much, they don't sell sub rights much, and the only publicity they do is the standard throwing out review copies to possible reviews. That's it. What they do is get the book into bookstores, which is becoming less and less of an important function as Amazon ramps its way past 50 percent of sales.

This is why self-publishing can make a lot more sense than standard publishing which these days is more for the prestige of a fancy name than it is for actual results.

A caveat about rights reverting back to the author: Yes, rights can revert once it's out of print, but the publisher determines when it's out of print. Your book can be technically in print but unavailable. This is a shitty space to occupy because the publisher can claim it's in print even when it's unobtainable. A fucked up, common practice. You can ask for a definition of what constitutes in print: available through specific channels, for example. Get a lawyer.

But isn't there a problem with self-publishing--you would basically have to set it up as a full time career. Not only do you have to write the book, you have to format it, design the cover, do all the publicity, proofread it - or else, pay someone to do all that for you. Then how do people find your book amongst all those other self-publishers?

The only way I can see it work is if you're already a published author. A Harlequin writer - I think her name was Alison Kent- started writing for Harlequin and then decided to self-publish. But she had a good set up for it because she had been a Harlequin writer so she already had a ready-made fan base to pitch books to. She didn't have to search for readers because they already knew her name from Harlequin books.

I would think that if you already have a job and you're not an established writer who is known by readers, it would be incredibly difficult - and expensive- to start out by self-publishing your own books.

Regarding distributing in places like airports and major train stations: how does that work? I've noticed only certified bestsellers get sold there. I buy about a dozen books a year, a third of those while waiting for a train or a plane. So I believe it makes A LOT of sense to be selling there, but how do you get your book there?

Not to mention the amount of shelf space they have is minuscule. So it has to be a recent book (6 months) or, if it's a paperback, a major bestseller.

Any thoughts from insiders? From a distribution point of view.

Published and anthologized, but only short pieces.

I bow to those who can write whole books -- it is such a grind, albeit a wonderful accomplishment.

Publishing has changed so much since the 70s, and Magazines are pretty much dead. It is pretty depressing.

I used to love magazines, but wouldn't even buy one myself now.

Fuck magazines.

The writer (equestrian teen fiction) who is in fact a pool of writers might be Susan Valentine, I don't remember the name TBH.

I used to love fanzines. For a long time I thought I'd publish my own, but I never did. I also thought I'd start a blog (about what??), but I never did. Thank you DL! It's a lot of work to stay consistent. I just like to chat at the bar.

It wouldn't really appeal to me now as it once did. The disappearance of proper bookstores is a lot to do with it.

Same with being an actor or a pop singer. It's all been debased.

Theatre is still as exciting as ever, R107. Of course there's no money but theatre doesn't cost much to set up.

Yeah. An article on a travel blog!😆

[quote]Theatre is still as exciting as ever, [R107]. Of course there's no money but theatre doesn't cost much to set up.

How can it be "exciting" if there's no money?

(and most people never ever go near a theatre)

R101 -- publishers pay a great deal of money for placement at airports, etc. Nothing comes cheap. That's prime retail space.

Exciting because of the content R110? Have you ever been to see a play?? And the point is not about "most" people, we're not talking about mass success here... We're talking about making a living doing something you love and sharing it with people who love it too. That's what art is.

What you're talking about is entertainment, and commercial success. Art may be involved, but not always.

[quote]Exciting because of the content [R110]? Have you ever been to see a play?? And the point is not about "most" people, we're not talking about mass success here... We're talking about making a living doing something you love and sharing it with people who love it too. That's what art is.

no. That's called masturbation.

Oh, the classic anti-intellectual stance. Artists are boring, etc.

Thank you R111. Again I agree it is exceptional retail space. Although I buy books fairly often, context and circumstance will help, and if you're waiting for a 2-3 hours flight/train ride and there's a book you've heard about from articles or whatever, now's the perfect moment to get it.

There's a company called Four Percent for world lit translations. That named after the market share of translations.

I had a 'Career Advice' professional opinion bit published in an association mag. One of those, Dear Professional columns. The trick was I had to write the question and the answer. The highlight of my career!

I'm an painter, graphic designer, and retired marketing professional. I've written articles and content for newspapers, magazines, and websites. I've written many feature interviews, ad copy, radio and TV ads etc and covered and promoted our arts community for several years. My graphic designs have appeared in magazines, newspapers, on billboards and online. I've written and designed promotional material for various agencies, businesses, events, and organizations. When I was active exhibiting my paintings the regional newspaper would feature one from time to time.

The first few times my stories were published were absolutely thrilling. The morning I opened the newspaper to see a photo of my painting advertising a group show was super exciting. I was on a cloud all day. The first time I heard myself in a radio interview I nearly died of embarrassment. Now, I am content to be anonymous but I'm gearing up to start entering local art exhibits again, mainly because I like to get to know other artists and be part of that community. Since I've been less active and more like a hermit my circle is smaller.

There often comes a moment for me when I'm painting or writing when I think the work is truly hideous. But I keep at it until it turns into what I envisioned or into something pleasing I didn't expect. Sometimes I'll look at a piece later and think, "yuck."

Back in the day my professional writing was always proofread. It makes me blush to remember the times I'd hand it over to be proofread and some blatant errors would be revealed. Errors can be obvious yet you don't see them. I'm sure this post has a few.

I've never written a book. I tried a couple of times but it was beyond me. I really admire authors of fiction. What a gift.

I too want some practical advice for writers from writers:

What laptop to get? What software?

A legal pad and a pencil is all you need.

Are***

I had a word processing program freeze on me. What software do people use?

Also, I want to buy a laptop for my hobby and passion, writing.

[r120] Just be sure to put a number with a circle around it for the publisher, in the bottom right hand side of the page.

I really do not think this is a good idea.

What do publishers want to see: in a sample chapter, complete manuscript or something else?

Aren't advance rare now, only for well known, well selling authors?

What are some tips for approaching and discussing your work with a publisher?

I can only advise about non-fiction. Re sample chapter, a chapter doesn't have to be the real length of a chapter. I think they just want to know that you can write and that the book will have some sort of structure. For the proposal they want to know who you think will be interested in your topic and why you are. e.g. "My interest in Carol Channing began when I saw her on stage in Hello, Dolly!"

R58 What niche market are we talking about?

Is it lesbian vampire erotica?

[quote] For the proposal they want to know who you think will be interested in your topic and why you are. e.g. "My interest in Carol Channing began when I saw her on stage in Hello, Dolly!"

and they'd write back "GUUUUUURL!"

Publishing is indeed tough now. If you are a first time non-fiction writer, you'll need either an extremely commercial book idea, and along with it at least several complete chapters and an outline, and a marketing plan. If it's not an obviously commercial idea, you'll probably have to have written the whole book, or at least, a good part of it.

But few people approach publishers directly. You need to go through an agent. This is a bargain with the devil. Agents are for the most part nothing more than gatekeepers, greedy creeps who make all their money off of what they can get their writers to make. Yes, there are a few who are actually value-added -- they will help you form your proposal, they will give you good ideas, they will connect you to the right editor. But most agents are failed editors or failed anything else... there are no requirements for being an agent, no licenses, no tests, just the willingness to spend the rest of your life sponging of other people.

That said, if you want to publish a book, you probably need do an agent. The best way to find one: ask anyone you know who has an agent he/she/they recommend. Or, go to the bookstore and look in the acknowledgments for the agent who represented a book on a similar subject matter to yours. Agents are hard to get unless you are famous or have a compelling story to sell, and the odds are, you won't get a good one. You'll get some hack who has had one or two major successes and lives the rest of his/her/their life of them.

Publishing is not a happy business. Houses are losing money, editors are being fired right and left, Amazon has decimated its profits, e-books have not turned out to be the savior that some thought they would be, etc. But if you want a book published, you have to go through the gauntlet.

Don't even get me started on what happens when you actually do publish, and you realize your publishing house hasn't a clue how to sell, market, or do anything but distribute.

I wrote a novel when I was 24.

I was quite well connected so I took it all over the place to some top agents and publishers in London and NYC.

A very famous agent (famous enough that she had obituaries in all the broadsheets when she died) wanted to represent me. I remember calling the agency and there was a real sound of excitement in the voice of one of her colleagues who answered the phone...then I spoke to her about the book. She said "It reads like a film" and I said I wanted it to be a film you read.

Some time passed and then she wrote to me saying she'd inherited a country cottage from some auntie and wanted to spend time there and that as such a young writer I needed more from an agent than she felt she could give me at that time...even though she was "sorely tempted."

She re-directed me to another couple of top agents she knew. But they didn't like it.

I sent it around a bit more and then gave up. Not a nibble! By then I was fed up with the bloody thing and I stopped bothering.

I haven't thought about this in years.

But this was a pattern of mine with my creative endeavours. I'd get one foot halfway through the door and then find myself outside again.

I guess I could try again now I'm older and wiser, but I have less passion about being a writer. I have less passion about life, so why would I want to write about it?

Writing or living, one of the great dilemmas. It occurred to me I preferred living, and I didn't write very well anyway. I like to read.

I had a newspaper career a whole nother lifetime ago. I've had some poetry, photos, and web articles published more recently.

One piece of advice-never show your manuscript to friends or family for feedback.

They'll fall into two groups:

Ones who are jealous that you've accomplished something hard that they'll never be able to do, and they'll nit pick over every comma and period....before giving you a left-handed compliment like, "Oh this is so interesting....for a first attempt". Or they might follow it up with, "yes my daughter is thinking of writing a book like this one. But she'll probably do it over the summer after she finishes her thesis since that's harder to write."

Or they'll mother you to death and swoon over every sentence like you're the next Ernest Hemingway.

Neither will give you viable feedback.

I'm working on a book...although procrastinating like HELL!

I have ROKU and there is a channel called The Great Courses Plus that had a free series by Jane Friedman and it was very informative. She is an authority on the subject.

R122, Probably most people use Microsoft Word for their writing. Always back up your docs in an external hard drive.

Also, for those interested in starting to write, there are many classes offered that can get you started Classes like writing memoirs and short stories.

Which famous author said that if you are serious about writing, you need to write on a computer that doesn't have an internet connection.

What laptops and software do the writers on here use?

The specifics of the laptop or software are going to get you nowhere if you don't have the drive to do it. It's the story and drive you have to tell it.

I compare it to working out or staying in shape. You can buy or have access to all the equipment in the world, but when it comes down to it you have to not just want the success, but want to do it. I've been in marathons where the winners ran barefoot. Expensive shit doesn't get you there, training and stamina does.

Jackie Collins isn't my favorite author, but I adore her as a person, and have high respect for what she was able to create for herself.

This is a short, but good clip talking about how she wrote.

Practical recommendations to writers who are writing will beat lofty dreams and ideas. Books do not write themselves. Dreams and Ideas do not write. A person typing on a computer is actually achieving more. This is more practical. Just tell me the laptop and software you use? Or publishers are recommending?

This is a practical tip, actually advice to share.

Some of you are cray. Just buy any fucking computer and type, they all have the same word processor.

No. Why do you ask?

I had my manifesto published at stormfront

Well, this thread was interesting and practical at first. How did this go off the rails?

R134 I also email drafts to myself as backup and easy get-to on the go.

I do that too.

Y'all, do you have a say in the cover design? Or the book design? I'm the PT writer upthread so I have little experience in this.

Published playwright here. (And magazine and newspaper articles. And one screenplay.)

Just write, write, write. And write some more. When finished with something, start rewriting!

Ideas are easy. Executing those ideas is not.

I never took a writing class. I just sat down and started writing. That first draft of that first play wasn't very good, but it was something from which I could get notes from trusted readers (that's a different topic), and everyone has to start somewhere. (And my first play actually ended up getting a major regional premiere, but that's unusual, and I wouldn't recommend it. I wasn't ready.)

One thing I wish I'd done earlier: There are lots of great professional and artistic writing conferences held around the country and the globe. GO! Now, not later. You'll meet fellow writers at all levels, and you'll get more amazing insight in a few days than you can in months looking online.

Also, be prepared for rejection. Lots of it. In fact, I got three big rejections on Friday, and a bad review for a show that just opened. Friday sucked major arse, but rejection comes with the territory. As does criticism. This ain't for wimps!

About rejection. It's a given that a new writer will get lots of rejection slips.....but at what point do rejections indicate that a person really doesn't have enough talent to be a writer?

I've heard of writers who get a ton of rejections but then finally get an acceptance and go on to become successful writers.

So how can you tell the difference between getting rejections even though you're a good writer and getting rejections because you have no talent?

r147 You can't.

R136, the computer doesn't really matter, as long as it runs well. Anything that's comfortable to type on will do. For software, I'd suggest LibreOffice. It's free and works like pre-ribbon MS office.

If you're not observant, empathetic and expressive, no computer or software can help you.

There is a HUGE market for explicit m/m romances on Kindle Unlimited. Anyone fancying that should have a go. They always sell well.

There is a software program that help organize large text manuscripts, like novels or dissertations. They even have feature that keep footnotes for sources, and your own person notes. Also, notes from the editor. But, I forgot the name. I want to check this software out to see if it is of use to me. Anyone know?

I once wrote a 100k novel in around three months, six weeks of which were vacation. It was all consuming and towards the end I felt it was writing me, rather than the other way round. The characters took on a life of their own.

[R153] awesome. I want this for me too. I need some things for the set up and to get me into writing again. I think it is going to be a enjoyable experience for me to purge some of my creative stories.

R136 If you are going to be doing a lot of writing, such as authoring a book, I suggest getting a PC/Windows Desktop. It comes with the latest version of MS Word which is easy to learn. HP is a good brand, I think. Invest in a decent sized monitor as you're better off with a larger screen. When you are typing your book in a word document the larger desktop screen beats a laptop. You may be more comfortable with a laptop, but either way stay away from Apple/Mac computers. Get a PC unless you are going to write when away from home and then you'll need a laptop. Or get both.

I need to get a laptop now, this month. This is for a small business and my hobby, writing. I need a great laptop. I will probably get this software program that handles large manuscripts too. I need MS OFFICE.

What should i get?

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, January 1991

Just noticed this thread, and it's timely for me, as my 100th article was accepted for publication on Friday! In my field, books are not common, so articles in refereed journals are the path to publication. One hundred articles in my field is a big get, especially since I have never served on an editorial board of the journals to which I submit papers.

I turned my dissertation into a book, because that is what one did back then. It sold about 1500 copies, mostly to academic libraries, I suspect. It's been back-listed for a decade.

My 100th review article was published in 2007 and I stopped doing them. It was time to give younger people that opportunity to get reviews published.

I'm biding my time waiting for retirement age and, hopefully, in the interim, a fat Festschrift.

And yet, you chose to use the word 'get' as a noun.

Bump

Re coverr design. I always make an image recommendation and sometimes they use it. Sometimes not. Sometimes theirs is a better choice, like the one that is coming out this year.

cover.

[quote]What laptops and software do the writers on here use?

I agree with those who say "just write it, dammit, and don't worry about it," but I write articles (newspaper and magazine) in Microsoft Word or Pages (if I'm on a Mac) and use Scrivener for long-form projects like books.

Where you you get scrivener? What are the features? I have had word freeze on me and had weird problems with the save draft feature. Because of this, I would love better software for longer manuscripts. All there a lot of feature that allow your to organize bib and footnotes for technical docments? Is there a writer and editor notes functions?

Also, is scrivener recommended by publishers and writers? What other software is recommended?

[quote]Where you you get scrivener? What are the features? I have had word freeze on me and had weird problems with the save draft feature. Because of this, I would love better software for longer manuscripts. All there a lot of feature that allow your to organize bib and footnotes for technical docments? Is there a writer and editor notes functions?

Here; there are too many features to describe here; Scrivener auto-saves every two seconds and keeps backups of all your drafts.

Yes, yes and yes.

Interesting, R132. My sister was like the first group, my brother like the second. Eventually I gave up on writing, that was easier. My sister ended up publishing a book of her own and pestering me and my partner to go see the show she'd written as a complement to the book (or vice-versa). I keep little contact with my siblings.

Actually, that makes sense about the Internet connection R135.

Super cool clip from Jackie Collins R137, and she's not an author I'd ever consider reading (maybe now I would). Sometimes you get the best advice from the unlikeliest people. I'm not a writer, but I'd recommend keeping an eye and an ear open for everything. You never know where the good idea/tip/etc is going to come from.

Playwright @ R146, great post

I was an editor at major houses for years and I second what was said above. Do not ever take the advice of your relatives or your friends as to whether or not your book is any good. They will tell you it's genius. It's terrific. It's publishable. This has nothing whatsoever to do with reality.

The only people who matter are your agent (assuming you can get one) and then your editor.

Then, of course, the public. But never, ever your friends or relatives.

I wrote a novel and published it on KDP. As someone else said above, the characters took on lives of their own and dictated their stories to me. A friend helped me design a cover from a stock photo. I really loved doing it, and I started to write a sequel but I never finished it. My greatest disappointment was the lack of enthusiasm from family and friends. Although they were generally positive, they were “too busy to read” and did not really help me with promoting it. Probably the reason I didn’t finish the sequel, though I still might. It was a thrill to see it in print and I was proud of myself for doing it, even though I had no expectation of becoming famous.

As said above, friends and family - no. My sister published a book, I'm a big reader but never got past the first page. Thankfully there was a show to go with the book, so I went to that.

I have a friend who's a publisher, I bought one of her books because I was interested in the story, and loved it. She later sent me two other books that weren't my thing because she wanted my input - I couldn't tell her I just wasn't into them.

It's not people's job to support creative work from their friends or relatives. It's very nagging to "have" to do it. It doesn't work like that.

* I meant she sent me the books because she wanted my input, and they weren't my thing

Anyone take Margaret Atwood Master Class? Once I just my area set up in my home, I am thinking about taking it. It's on-line, it's Atwood.

Isn't it like 200 as well??

Ummm...Google Docs?

I typed my first novel using Google Docs on an IPad. It’s not a great word processor but it was convenient. I would typically type a few hundred words at a time. The entire thing was about 75,000 words divided into approximately 75 chapters. It took me about 3.5 months to do it. The reception was fairly positive from people I know. I admit though that I still find typos occasionally. It’s very hard to proofread your own work, and pretty hard to find anyone else to do a good job of it.

One small tip, R178: see where you can connect chapters as linked scenes. 75 chapters is a bit much, unless it's a Dickensian epic.

There are many freelance proofreaders who will check your MS for about $1 a page, probably a few near you whom you can meet in-person.

[quote]Anyone take Margaret Atwood Master Class? Once I just my area set up in my home, I am thinking about taking it. It's on-line, it's Atwood.

May I suggest a basic grammar course first, r175?

R178 Congrats, that is a stellar effort.

I had a blog post I wrote republished with my permission by Huffington Post. I wish I had asked them at least to throw. $50 my way. It got thousands of replies.

Yes. Articles and book reviews for academic journals. The editing...going back and forth...is a bit of a headache. My biggest thrill was the first time I saw me referenced in a footnote. I screamed, "I'm a footnote!!" I'm such a Queen!

Yes.

I can't say too much because people might ID me, but in a few different formats under my name.

And one under a nom de plume of, shall we say, an erotic nature.

[quote] There is a HUGE market for explicit m/m romances on Kindle Unlimited. Anyone fancying that should have a go. They always sell well.

Hmm. I could do that.

JK Rowling writes erotic novels?

[quote]I typed my first novel using Google Docs on an IPad. It’s not a great word processor but it was convenient. I would typically type a few hundred words at a time. The entire thing was about 75,000 words divided into approximately 75 chapters. It took me about 3.5 months to do it. The reception was fairly positive from people I know. I admit though that I still find typos occasionally.

Did you make any MONEY?

Who can be fucked if you don't make any money.

[quote]The only people who matter are your agent (assuming you can get one) and then your editor. Then, of course, the public. But never, ever your friends or relatives.

For most "writers" they're the only people who'll ever fucking read it.

My experience was that the publishing world was very frau dominated.

I hardly met another man when I was trying to sell my book.

I had a book published by an independent press and have since published through an even tinier press. The big publisher is distributed by Random. Even though the first book hit #25 on Amazon (total, not subject specific), I didn't get much from the publisher. Since then I"ve made about $30-600/ mo through the smaller press. Some months I sell many copies (the book is often assigned by professors), other months I sell maybe ten copies. In all, I prefer this current scenario. I get sales reports whenever I want and I loved my editor.

Good luck and I wish there were a way to promote DL authors. I'd buy your books. I suspect a few authors are DLs, but obviously I don't want to blow anyone's anonymity by guessing outright.

I believe there are quite a few writers on DL. If only because the format itself will appeal to anyone who enjoys communicating in writing.

There's definitely a DL style of writing and communicating that you pick up. You have to pick it up if you want people to listen to you and communicate with you.

You see this when people write these great big paragraphs - people ignore them mostly.

Short, punchy and to the point is what is required.

But on other forums it can seem very aggressive and people take offense.

It has been mentioned here to always hire an editor to review your work. And, of course, I agree with that common sense advice. But most self-pub authors don't personally know an editor, which means handing your manuscript over to a complete stranger. I am not a professional writer and have never authored anything but now that I am retired I am exploring the possibility of self-pub. But I am curious as to how self-pub authors handle that part, turning their manuscript over to an editor whom they do not personally know.

[quote] But I am curious as to how self-pub authors handle that part, turning their manuscript over to an editor whom they do not personally know

Read other books they've edited.

[quote] I suspect a few authors are DLs, but obviously I don't want to blow anyone's anonymity by guessing outright.

You wouldn't be if it's just a guess.

You can learn a fair amount of writing skills, but at the end of the day, you either have "it" or you don't.

Anne Rice, is that you at R184?

R196- But sometimes the "it" has nothing to do with actual writing and more to do with figuring out an angle in marketing - ie EL James. If you've read her books you know she's no writer, but she was clever enough to piggy back onto the Twilight fans and use them to get enough people interested in her quasi-Twilight series.

[quote] JK Rowling writes erotic novels?

I don't know about that, but I'm totally up for some Dumbeldore/Grindelwald fanfic.

Two novels, a movie, and a bunch of TV shows - though not a one has gone to series.

"I suspect a few authors are DLs, but obviously I don't want to blow anyone's anonymity by guessing outright."

I know an author who posts here. He's not a HUGE name but he has had at least one bestseller and one of his books was made into a movie

R182 HuffPost is a joke not paying most of its contributors nothing. People shouldn't let them use their content for free. Mrs Huffington has enough money as it is, surely she could pay for the content.

My story is that I’m living in a small town, not making much as a teacher and I needed a side income. I went looking for work at home opportunities and started working for a content mill. I churned out 4 articles most evenings for $5 each. I was writing a lot of travel articles and when I saw that an airline had started a new route I emailed them and asked who writes for their in flight magazine and how would I go about submitting something. Long story short, they bought my article and pictures and published it.

Next, I bought “The Artist’s Way” and started doing that. I discovered the television archive interviews here on DL and started watching the interviews with writers. All of them said the same, you just have to sit down and write. So I bought the Syd Fields screenwriting book and started writing. I wrote a few spec scripts and a sitcom pilot. I’m living in Ireland so there’s not many opportunities but I sent them to every production company I could find and I got a meeting. My spec was bought but not produced. I also got a meeting with the BBC in London which was sort of terrifying! They were very complimentary but I think I was too green for them. They told me to get an agent but the only agent in Ireland who reps screenwriters rejected me and I’m not in a position to move to London. Still, I continue writing. I write for the content mill still and resent doing it but I haven’ t been able to find a way to sell my articles. I’m currently writing a mini- series. In Ireland and the U.K. TV shows tend to be 6-8 episodes per season, there’s no writers room and they want all 8 episodes written in advance. I sent my spec to a few American companies for shits and giggles and I got one bite. I don’t have work visas or anything so I knew I wasn’t going to sell it, I just wanted feedback really. They sent me a long email full of helpful feedback and he said if I was able to work in the US he would have brought me in as a writers assistant on his show. He recommend I look into a few programmes and competitions but when I did they are all for US citizens only. Oh well.

I write on legal pads. I’m a millenial but an older one (34) so I went through school handwriting everything and my brain doesn’t work as well in front of a laptop, I write it out longhand and then go to the laptop.

One of the best books I’ve read on what it takes to have a bestselling novel is the Jackie Susann bio “Lovely Me”. The world has changed a lot but the amount of hustle required hasn’t I think. It’s hard because many of us who love to write are probably introspective types so that drive and hustle and ability to sell yourself doesn’t come naturally to us.

"But I am curious as to how self-pub authors handle that part, turning their manuscript over to an editor whom they do not personally know."

Search for independent editors on Twitter, then start clicking on them and checking them out. How many followers do they have? How do they interact? What do clients say about them?

No. I have never had anything published, yet everyone in my community is acutely aware of my very, very extensive writing. Figure that one out.

I wrote a m/m story and posted it to a gay story group on UseNet. The publisher of a gay-oriented adult website saw it and contacted me. I agreed to let him publish that story for $100. He also asked if I could produce more. While I had enough memories to write more, I never did.

R203, believe I am impressed. You are living what I dreamed (yes, I realise you are only very marginally successful, it is very hard) but never had the guts, energy, whatever else I don't have to actually do it. I wish I could say that this is what I'm doing everyday, but it's not. I post on DL, I read a lot, I listen to music - but I'm way too lazy and unfocussed to actually sit down and write something from start to finish.

I'd like to figure out how to self publish

r203

[quote] I sent my spec to a few American companies for shits and giggles and I got one bite. I don’t have work visas or anything so I knew I wasn’t going to sell it, I just wanted feedback really. They sent me a long email full of helpful feedback and he said if I was able to work in the US he would have brought me in as a writers assistant on his show. He recommend I look into a few programmes and competitions but when I did they are all for US citizens only. Oh well.

I think you can get an artist's VISA (not sure of the official name) if you sell a script in the USA &/or they can sponsor you.

There was a quite well known English actor who got into the USA that way. He wrote a script that was bought by a TV company over there and they sponsored him.

R203 Can you apply for a US Greencard. Or at any age, you can get a one year visa if you are a graduate (you could chip away at a part-time course online) to get a qualification to get the graduate visa.

Or Dahlink you can be gettink Einstein Visa like me. You are havink to be very speshal talent and then they givink you that Visa. Okay, yes.

Thanks R209 and R210. No the graduate visa is only good for brick and mortar universities and then you can only work for a company in the field of study and the job has to be preapprovrd by UCIS so that’s not an option. I did look into the O1 artist visa but it’s for people who have achieved great acclaim and even then there’s lots of restrictions, the most annoying being that lots of companies won’t hire anyone on that visa type. NBC won’t for example. I did enter the green card lottery last year but no luck. I’ve been trying to find any Irish screenwriters who have made the move but haven’t come across any yet. I did a workshop with a woman who wrote a show that was bought by Netflix (she’s written 2 books too) and she’s been to LA for meetings with lots of studios and she’s repped by the agency that turned me down. Anyway, she’s not able to get a visa either but they are obviously open to working with her so that’s promising.

I’ll just keep plugging away here and see if I can become a big fish in a small pond first.

R211 LMFAO! Brilliant!

I hope it works out r203.

Didn't Paul Ryan open up a bunch of visa slots for Irish people as one of his last acts while he was in power?

No r215. That bill was not passed in the Senate. That Bill was also for college educated professionals and would be very hard to use for a freelance writing job or even a staff writing job as the job itself must require an advanced degree, not just the employee having an advanced degree. Anyway, it was not voted through so it’s still just for Australians at this time.

I would like write a graphic novel but no idea how to monetise it.

I wonder if anyone still uses Writer's Marketplace.

To the published and publishers, should I use ClipArt in my manuscript?

I've written one book and had a few short pieces published in anthologies or journals. I received a flat fee for the book and a small, token fee for the short pieces. I've made far more money as an online ghostwriter or marketing copywriter, bylines tend to earn less unless you're already a big name.

R220 How do you get copywriting or ghost writing gigs?

I had a book that cracked the top 20 on Amazon (briefly). This was through a traditional, independent publisher. They have not paid me royalties. They're notorious for dicking their authors. Then I published a few titles through an even smaller press and I get checks for ~$500/month for those. I'm way happier with the latter.

Write, find a small press you like, buy their books, approach them and see if it's a good fit.

If you want to create your own press name and publish on Amazon, go to Bowker, buy a batch of ISBNs, come up with a name, get the domain, and that's enough for Amazon to list your new pub name instead of the ridiculous CreateSpace or whatever the default is for self-published titles. It's a difference of maybe $150.

Hire an editor and copy editor. Hire a book cover designer.

Which publisher screwed you?

r175, the master class fee is $200 for all access. Just get that and you can watch a bunch of classes by writers and other areas.

R221, some of them I applied to through ads, others are through friends or friends of friends. You can start getting online clips by submitting to sites that don't pay or pay a token fee or by self-publishing on a personal blog or a site like Medium.

R225 Thanks. I've had some work published but have yet to wade into any of that stuff.

Bump.

Just got my manuscript back from my editor. I have very little to fix in it and will be publishing pretty soon.

any tips on how to write griping dialogue in fiction? Are there good books or resources on this?

No, but my experience on DataLounge has taught me that it’s really hard to create a character that is unique and doesn’t merge with another character over time.

[r228] that exciting. Any updates for us?

[quote]This is why self-publishing can make a lot more sense than standard publishing which these days is more for the prestige of a fancy name than it is for actual results.

One advantage is that the few remaining "prestige" book review sections and publications don't consider self-published books.

[quote]There is a software program that help organize large text manuscripts, like novels or dissertations. They even have feature that keep footnotes for sources, and your own person notes. Also, notes from the editor. But, I forgot the name. I want to check this software out to see if it is of use to me.

As mentioned above: Scrivener.

[quote]Always back up your docs in an external hard drive.

I use both an external hard drive and a cloud backup. It's so much work to lose if you have a fire or something and lose both your computer and your external hard drive.

[quote]I can only advise about non-fiction. Re sample chapter, a chapter doesn't have to be the real length of a chapter. I think they just want to know that you can write and that the book will have some sort of structure. For the proposal they want to know who you think will be interested in your topic and why you are. e.g. "My interest in Carol Channing began when I saw her on stage in Hello, Dolly!"

I agree and disagree -- editors have told me they want you to articulate why you are the only person in the world who can write this particular story. A lot of people saw Channing in "Hello, Dolly!," but only Randy Tarraborelli (sp?) could say "I traveled with the Supremes, have access to these Motown stars and am the only person who can write this Diana Ross biography."

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that publishers now expect you to have a strong social media presence; "I have 150,000 followers on Instagram and am a verified Twitter user with 40,000 followers" would have seemed bizarre in a pitch just a few years ago. Now it instills confidence in you with a potential publisher.

[r228] Who is your publisher? Is it a major book publisher?

R38 dear, how are you getting on? You type young, and if you are then I must say it's lovely to hear someone of this new generation seriously interested in contributing to the stage.

I'm particularly curious to hear of the challenges adapting poetry to libretti. Not too many poets or authors have attempted it, to my knowledge (only Toni Morrison springs to mind as a recent example). Surely it's a pain and a bit of a heartbreak to adapt words to operatic music, which demands primacy in a production?

R228 that's great news! What role will you play in its marketing?

I have a translation coming out from a major publisher soon. It is in the design and copy edit phase now.

I've been wondering whether there are any promotional and marketing avenues I could propose. I'm just the translator and therefore unknown. So no book tours for me I guess. But I'd like to land a book deal next.