Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Drowned In Words. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features.

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
A Very Fundamental Introduction to Publishing
Topic Started: May 22 2009, 02:14 PM (619 Views)
MumblingSage
Member Avatar
Young Writer
[ * ]
A Very Fundamental Introduction to Publishing

What I’m Doing Here

In this guide I’ll give some basic information on how one might go about publishing short stories, poetry, nonfiction articles, and novel-length work. I will certainly not be able to give you all the information you need, but these are things to keep in mind if you do gird you loins and venture into the writers’ marketplace.

Who I Am

I am not (she says proudly) entirely without credentials to discuss publishing. I’ve been sending short stories to harried magazine editors since October 2007, mostly through the internet. I’ve had 21 acceptances, including two to pro-paying markets (over 5 cents/word). Most importantly for the purposes of this guide, I’ve looked at submission guidelines until my eyes have bled. I have experience and not a little knowledge of how to go about this thing.

1. Short Stories and Poetry

These often go to the same markets, thus their being discussed together.

First, the most valuable two websites for short story writers and poets are Ralan.com and Duotrope. Ralan is a market listing, Duotrope is a search engine (there’s another search engine, StoryPilot, but it’s often out-of-date). Use these to find markets that might accept a piece the length and genre of yours. For speculative fiction writers, there is also a LiveJournal community, specficmarkets, that announces upcoming submissions periods.

Duotrope also offers a submissions tracking system, where you can keep track of where you’ve sent your stories and how long they’ve been out. For the disorganized (*cough*yourstruly*cough*), this is a godsend.

The second most valuable website is your chosen email provider. Email submissions avoid the consumption of paper, ink, and postage; they also turn around more quickly and provide a way to save your correspondence automatically. Some markets still accept only hard copy submissions, but they’re getting rarer and most of them are beyond a new writer’s payrate, anyway (in the 6-9 cents/word range, or more).

The process: Type up your story and save it as an .rtf file (they’re preferred over Word documents, which may carry viruses). Use Duotrope or Ralan to find a promising market. Go to that market, find its submission guidelines, and follow them exactly. Use Standard Manuscript Format (http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html) unless directed otherwise. In the body of your email (sometimes you submit your story here; it’s generally a simple matter of copy-and-paste), type a cover letter. A cover letter says basically: ‘Dear [Editor’s Name, found on Ralan.com], please consider this [word count] [genre] story, titled “Title,” for [Name of Magazine].’ A second paragraph might contain your biography, namely important writing credits. Be sure to thank the editor for their time and consideration before closing.

If the editor rejects the story or poem (and this will happen many times over your career), don’t feel down. Heck, you’re on a critique site, having your work dissected and otherwise mistreated should be routine to you. And it’s highly unlikely that any editor would be as hard as, say, myself—they lack the time or inclination to tear a piece they’re rejecting apart. On a happier note, if your story is accepted, you will probably have to sign a contract granting the magazine permission to publish your work. If you are a minor, a parent or guardian may need to cosign. The contract isn’t something to sweat, as it really only becomes an issue if you go against its conditions, which would be a kiss of death for your budding career—word gets around; editors talk to each other. The third option between acceptance or rejection—yes, there is one—is a rewrite request, where the editor liked the story enough to give it a second chance. Don’t waste this opportunity. Read the editor’s comments closely and revise accordingly (most of my rewrites have been accepted).

A final note: do not submit any previously published work unless the market accepts such and you mention the piece’s previous publication history in your cover letter. Posting a story or poem on Livejournal, DeviantArt, MySpace, Fictionpress, or any non-password protected section on a forum counts as publication. You have given away first world rights and can now only sell the story as a reprint (and explain in your cover letter that the story you’re trying to sell can be found for free on your blog, which is a bit embarrassing).

2. Nonfiction

Selling nonfiction requires, ironically enough, a good deal of research. I don’t know of any databases listing nonfiction markets—but I suppose it would be difficult, since nonfiction doesn’t have genres so much as areas of interest. If I were to start writing nonfiction articles, I would personally start by browsing Duotrope again, however, because in their submission guidelines some markets announce they are also accepting articles, mostly on pop culture topics.

Articles can be written “on spec” before they are accepted by a market, or you could instead send the magazine a query letter briefly explaining your proposal for the nonfiction piece. Query letters have some advantages, like the opportunity to tailor your article to the editor’s preferences, and some markets accept only letters, no unsolicited complete articles.

Nonfiction can be “bought” for free (some markets pay for fiction but not for articles) or as much as $1/word for top markets—the most pay I’ve seen offered for fiction is 25 cents/word, and that was for invited writers. Speaking of invited writers, my sister, a haiku artist, has been invited to write articles about haiku in some magazines—unpaid, but good for establishing credibility and gaining exposure. But I wouldn’t count on being invited to write articles unless you are very good and what you do and/or belong to a small community of specialists.

Some markets count book reviews as different from other nonfiction and offer different pay rates and submission policies, while others treat them the same. If you find the thought on sharing your opinion on Nicholas Sparks’ latest diabetes-inducing brainsnack less daunting than exploring the effects of falling wheat prices on sub-Saharan Africa for World Wheat Economics Quarterly, first, you’re not alone. Second, go for it.

3. Novels

Get an agent. Really. Agents know how to sell books, they know how to get more money for the books they sell, and they can guide you through the harrowing process of negotiating a contract with a publishing house. It takes a very strong personality to argue on your own behalf in this sort of thing, as a new writer, you are at a disadvantage if you attempt it. Agents generally get you more money (or reserve more rights, which you can then sell for money) than you would get on your own, which makes them more than worth their 15% cut of the resulting revenue.

To get an agent, you need a query letter, and sometimes a synopsis. A query letter explains the main points of your novel, including genre and length, and includes a short biography of yourself, especially a list of relevant publishing credits if you have them. A synopsis is a brief (one page is usual, with a longer three-page version for more in-depth representation) summary of your story, including the end. Read the agent’s guidelines (you can find agents representing your genre through a search engine like AgentQuery) and follow them exactly, sending a query letter, synopsis, and/or the first few pages or chapters of your novel as required. If the agent likes what they see, they’ll ask for more of the manuscript. If they like that enough, they may offer you representation. Congratulations, you’re one step closer to seeing your novel in print.

Now I bow out and leave it to your agent to guide you through the rest of the novel publishing process—that’s what you’re paying them for, anyway (for the record, the process of representation by agent to editor seems similar, for what I’ve heard, to your representation to the agent, only on a far ascended level). More information, first-hand at that, for publishing a novel can be found on the Teenage Writer’s Writing Classes subforum, titled “So You Want to Be Published—Imelda's Guide To The Publishing Industry.” Yes, I’m offering lots of outside resources in this Guide—mostly because, as I said, I can’t cover everything in here.

What You Need to Succeed in this Business

Most importantly, you need persistence. I myself procrastinate like heck and often forget to send out submissions for weeks at a time (not good, given the lengthy reply times of some markets), but I hate to see a job unfinished. That dogged work ethic is how I’ve achieved any success I have (that and, of course, a manageable grasp of grammar and some experience in composition). Patience is a virtue as well, but one enforced here by necessity—you do not tell the editorial team of the New Yorker to “hurry up.” You will need to be able to endure rejection of your work and keep submitting. It helps, also, to be reasonably prolific, so you have a body of work to sell.

This is a business for optimists, preferably stubborn ones. It’s also, as you might imagine, a business for fluent, insightful, original thinkers who have a talent for expressing themselves in writing.

Don’t be intimidated by that.

I close by wishing you the best of luck and encouraging you to try your hand at selling a story, poem, or article. It’s a worthwhile experience with many rewards. And if you want to find out more, take the initiative and research, ask questions. That includes asking questions of me—if I know the answers, I’ll be glad to give them; if not, I’ll try to point you to where you can find them.

May your pencils never go blunt, your inkwell never run dry, and your keyboards never jam. And may you never, ever give up.

Hearts, stars, peace out, and all that,
Sage

Feel free to leave some feedback on your way out, y’all.



Nothing I say is entirely false, nothing I say is entirely serious.

"More matter, with less art." -Hamelt II.ii.95
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Amlesh
Member Avatar
UBER MOD OF PROSE
[ * ]
Great, great guide. I fixed a couple of spelling errors I saw. Excellent content, though; very helpful.
THOU SHALT NOT SPAM
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
MumblingSage
Member Avatar
Young Writer
[ * ]
Thanks for the corrections :D.
Nothing I say is entirely false, nothing I say is entirely serious.

"More matter, with less art." -Hamelt II.ii.95
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Lucianus
No Avatar
Dabbler
[ * ]
Whenever I look at anything concerning agents, I have only seen material that says they work only with published novelists. How would I find an agent that would do otherwise?
"A man who does not think for himself does not think at all." - Oscar Wilde
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Avery_Rayne
Member Avatar
CONVERSATION COP
[ * ]
Just curious - how many short stories have you published, Mumbling?

Fantastic guide, by the way.
MODERATOR I AM. FEEL THE RIVULETS OF MY MODLY POWER COLLECT ON YOUR VIRTUAL SKIN. (Don't it feel good?)

The colors of insanity are upon us.


Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Amlesh
Member Avatar
UBER MOD OF PROSE
[ * ]
Avery_Rayne
May 22 2009, 08:38 PM
Just curious - how many short stories have you published, Mumbling?

I just PM'ed her that. Apparently great minds do think alike.
THOU SHALT NOT SPAM
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
MumblingSage
Member Avatar
Young Writer
[ * ]
Sorry for not replying to the PMs, friends--I've been out all weekend.

Of those 21 acceptances, 1 was for a poem; so that's 20 short stories accepted, 13 published so far. Links to all of them can be found here.

Lucianus: Where are you looking? You'll find a bunch of available agents on AgentQuery. The ones who have the little bullet point saying 'This agent accepts queries' are open to hearing from you.

Nothing I say is entirely false, nothing I say is entirely serious.

"More matter, with less art." -Hamelt II.ii.95
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Amlesh
Member Avatar
UBER MOD OF PROSE
[ * ]
I never have to worry about publishing. I can't even focus on finishing a novel, much less throwing it out to the world.
THOU SHALT NOT SPAM
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Writing Classes · Next Topic »
Add Reply

Theme created by Tue. Find more great ZB themes and IF skins at Self Concept