[OT] Writing and publishing...
Keith Jones
chapter or two of a book I am intending to get published. Two people have
now read what I have and both are very eager to find out what happens next
etc. If anyone (including Terry himself) has any hints, contacts, etc. to
help me along, it would be greatly appreciated.
P.S. I am not posting here as an OT for no reason...hehe, I love Terry
Pratchett's books, and since my work in progress is pretty much the same
genre, I was hoping the man himself could give me some advice.
Thanks to all and many.
Richard Eney
Erm. I've attended some discussions of that topic, at conventions. What I
can recall off the top of my head: There are specialty magazines
and other sources devoted to advising aspiring writers. There are classes
to take in writing, and writer's workshops to attend, advertised in those
magazines. There are books about how to get started, both in writing and
in getting published. Go to the library and find some of those sources,
and read them. They will tell you more than I can begin to recall.
If you have any idea what market you want to sell in (that is, is the book
science fiction? fantasy? historical?), write to the publishers who
publish that material and ask for their style guides. They will be happy
to send them to you. They may also tell you whether or not they ever
consider material they didn't commission, which can save you postage
later.
Study the style guides. Believe, and obey, their rules when submitting to
those publishers. The MLA Style Sheet is a very good source, too, and you
should be able to get a copy from the library, or better, buy one from a
bookstore.
The other major advice that I can recall:
1. Finish the book.
2. Use a spell checker. if you write in longhand in a notebook sitting in
a diner, you can still use a dictionary.
3. Type the manuscript in dark ink, black on white paper, double spaced,
leaving a full inch or inch and a half of clear margin around all sides.
Number the pages, and at the top, put the title (or at least a key word of
the title), a slash /, and your name on every single page. Readers do
drop pages occasionally.
4. When you mail out a manuscript, do not mail your only copy. Do
include a very brief cover letter, and return postage if you want it back.
5. _Never_ email a manuscript. One publisher I listened to at the
convention this weekend said that after reading 10,000 emailed
manuscripts, he realized he had never bought a single one of them. So he
stopped accepting them. If the writer has the qualities necessary to
print it out properly, package it, and mail it, that's one sign of
Cluefulness. It seems to weed out a lot of wannabes.
Good luck.
=Tamar, who is not an author
Spooky
"Richard Eney" <dic...@Radix.Net> wrote in message
news:9panrj$r6u$1...@saltmine.radix.net...
> In article <LY3u7.14868$6Z1.1...@nntp3.onemain.com>,
> Keith Jones <kj_s...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > I am trying to get into the writing business. I have already written
a
> >chapter or two of a book I am intending to get published. Two people
have
> >now read what I have and both are very eager to find out what happens
next
> >etc. If anyone (including Terry himself) has any hints, contacts, etc.
to
> >help me along, it would be greatly appreciated.
<snip>
> The other major advice that I can recall:
> 1. Finish the book.
> 2. Use a spell checker. if you write in longhand in a notebook sitting in
> a diner, you can still use a dictionary.
> 3. Type the manuscript in dark ink, black on white paper, double spaced,
> leaving a full inch or inch and a half of clear margin around all sides.
> Number the pages, and at the top, put the title (or at least a key word of
> the title), a slash /, and your name on every single page. Readers do
> drop pages occasionally.
> 4. When you mail out a manuscript, do not mail your only copy. Do
> include a very brief cover letter, and return postage if you want it back.
> 5. _Never_ email a manuscript. One publisher I listened to at the
> convention this weekend said that after reading 10,000 emailed
> manuscripts, he realized he had never bought a single one of them. So he
> stopped accepting them. If the writer has the qualities necessary to
> print it out properly, package it, and mail it, that's one sign of
> Cluefulness. It seems to weed out a lot of wannabes.
Alternatively, you could submit to a reputable 'e.book' publisher
on the Net. Quite a few published authors do (i.e. Anita Shreve and
Dean Koontz).
--
Spooky :o)
You cannot value friends as pennies - nor can you replace
them as easily.
Star Catcher
> 4. When you mail out a manuscript, do not mail your only copy. Do
> include a very brief cover letter, and return postage if you want it back.
<snip>
Also, don't include just a 'very brief cover letter'. There are certain
types of letter that you send at certain times, with other documentation,
and you should look at, or ask about, these in places such as misc.writing;
or find a good book, such as the latest edition of the Writers' and Artists'
Yearbook, which is a useful source (as it should be). You'll want to revise
your information when you are actually ready to submit your typescript,
because the times change.
And, yes, good luck! Or good writing!
------------------------------
Star Catcher
Star Catcher
or ask about, these in places such as misc.writing;
<snip>
I forgot to mention: let these people know the country in which you live,
because, as far as I can recall, there are different 'rules' for different
countries.
CCA
> I am trying to get into the writing business.
> If anyonehas any hints, contacts, etc. to
>help me along, it would be greatly appreciated.
1) If you've got a good library near you, it should have several books giving
you advice as to what to do next. If you're writing Sci-Fi and/or Fantasy, try
Brian Stableford's 'Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy' which has hints on
getting published too.
2) Get a copy of either The Writer's and Artist's Yearbook, or The Writer's
Handbook. Warning - both of these are very expensive, so get them both from
the library first to see which you find fits your needs best.
3) Finish your book before even thinking of sending it off to anyone.
4) Research which publishers are interested in the genre you're writing in, eg,
science fiction, fantasy, horror, etc. If you're planning to try and get an
agent first (which helps, I'm told) then do the same with them.
5) Check which publishers will i)accept work other than through an agent,
ii)accept unsolicited work at all. Most of them don't want full manuscripts
sending in, they prefer a synopsis plus one or two sample chapters.
6) If you're trying to get an agent, phone said agent first (list of them can
be found in The Writer's and Artist's Yearbook, and The Writer's Handbook) and
check that they're currently taking on new clients. This'll save you postage
in sending off sample chapters to ones who aren't.
Good luck!
CCA:)
Wonko The Sane
Weigh up whether you prefer to definitely be published at the expense
of being conventional, or if you prefer to be original at the expense
of not being as easily publishable. If you prefer the former, read the
books on writing, follow the style guides, think about what the
publishers want.
If you prefer the latter, then just sit down at a computer or
typewriter or whatever and write your story.
Good luck and happy writing :)
- Mr Sane -
For the cutting edge of the online electronic music scene, visit www.electronicscene.com
Keith Jones
probably put my story online sometime for you all to read if I never get it
published. Thanks again.
KJ
Tom Saul
news:LY3u7.14868$6Z1.1...@nntp3.onemain.com...
> I am trying to get into the writing business. I have already written
a
> chapter or two of a book I am intending to get published. Two people have
> now read what I have and both are very eager to find out what happens next
> etc. If anyone (including Terry himself) has any hints, contacts, etc. to
> help me along, it would be greatly appreciated.
Well, to write anything, the best advice I can give is to write like
buggery.
Once you've got something written, editing and rewriting is comparatively
easy. Whatever you've written, you can always rewrite, refine and improve
on.
One other thing - don't think in terms of chapters, write the story first.
You can
always separate it into chapters later.
Oh, and don't submit unfinished works to anyone - you know the story and the
characters, if you give something unfinished to someone to read, you'll be
deluged with questions like; "And then what", "What happens next?"
You don;t want to have to write a quick ending under pressure.
Having read the other posts, I'd agree publishing on a website is a good
idea, but don't publish an entire book you want to have in print, otherwise
it'll just be downloaded, just publish a bit, preferably with a cliff-hanger
so people want to buy the book to find out what happens next.
HTH and good luck.
Tom.