How many of you..?

[SpicyPepper]

How many of you write for a living?
How many of you have been published in a book (not online?)
How many of you have had a book published?
How many of you are aspiring to be published? (I AM!)
How many of you who are published, can give us some recommendations/helpful tips?

Just curious, thanks!

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I worked for the state many years, and wrote 1000s of psychological-legal papers. The writing was comparable to newspaper writing.

Yes I've been published. I write tons of essays that get published.

Writing is like anything else. Every editor has her kink that she prefers. You discover what makes her wet and write it.

 

[GoddessHathor]

I'm trying for all of the above....but just may have to face the fact that I'm not talented enough to make a living out of it. Such is life...

But I wish prosperity to any and all that make it...and continued good luck for those still trying!

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

GODDESS

Lotsa awful writing gets published. Nine books outta ten are crap.

Have something to say and send it to someone who agrees with you. Thats the ticket.

 

[GoddessHathor]

GODDESS

Lotsa awful writing gets published. Nine books outta ten are crap.

Have something to say and send it to someone who agrees with you. Thats the ticket.

Thanks James! I will definitely keep that advice in mind. I haven't given up yet....and who knows what will happen. For now though, I just enjoy writing...good or not...so I keep doing it.

 

[FeatherNails]

I was taking a writing class once and one very interesting tidbit came up.
Most people write their novel or story or whatever and then look for the market that fits their work (assuming they even do that).
If you want to break in, you have to pick a market and then write for that.

This isn't completely true, I suppose, but it seemed like good advice when getting started.
just a random two cents.

 

[sethp]

How many of you write for a living?
How many of you have been published in a book (not online?)
How many of you have had a book published?
How many of you are aspiring to be published? (I AM!)
How many of you who are published, can give us some recommendations/helpful tips?

Just curious, thanks!

How many of you write for a living? No but I will one day
How many of you have been published in a book (not online?) no but I'm currently putting one together to shop around
How many of you have had a book published? not yet but I personally know a publisher that will at least read anything I give to her
How many of you are aspiring to be published? (I AM!) I AM
How many of you who are published, can give us some recommendations/helpful tips It seems the best advice that I've been reading is make some connections in the industry. although I haven't published anything yet so . my advice doesn't count! lol

 

[neonlyte]

750,000 titles published in 2005. Ya kinda think ya stand a chance but that's less than 1% of submitted manuscripts.

I'll go for all of the above regardless.

I'm published in Polish and Italian, a slightly different version of Dead Fish Swim with the Stream... which is published on Lit.

 

[sr71plt]

I don't write for a living--the base for my living is already banked. I write for travel money. But, yes, I'm published in the mainstream. And I edit books in the mainstream too--and have both a mainstream book out and a Web-based consultancy on the process of getting published--none of which I identify here because this world doesn't match my public world.

If you have any specific questions about publishing and are happy about getting opinions and references to where you can check it out for yourself, feel free to PM or e-mail me or ask them on the open board.

 

[rgraham666]

How many of you write for a living?

Nope. But very few people make a living writing so I don't mind.

How many of you have been published in a book (not online?)

One so far. None if you only regard print books as published,

How many of you have had a book published?

Four so far. None if you only regard print books as published.

How many of you are aspiring to be published? (I AM!)

Not any more.

How many of you who are published, can give us some recommendations/helpful tips?

Worry about the genre after you've written the story. Keep plugging away. Don't expect too much.

Just curious, thanks!

You're welcome.

 

[CopyCarver]

How many of you write for a living?
How many of you have been published in a book (not online?)
How many of you have had a book published?
How many of you are aspiring to be published? (I AM!)
How many of you who are published, can give us some recommendations/helpful tips?

Just curious, thanks!

Write for a living? √

Been published in a book (not online?) √

Had a book published? √



Give us some recommendations/helpful tips?

The best advice I could offer is not to take too much writing advice from anyone—including me. Formulas work much better in chemistry labs than in literature. Slavishly adhering to rules and theories may get you published, but the odds are 100:1 the book won’t be worth reading. Develop your own voice, find your own path, and walk it yourself.

That said, effective marketing is every bit as important to success as good writing. That doesn’t mean you have to be a professional hypocrite or “slant” your work toward what will play best in Peoria. It simply means submitting your work to the right publishers instead of shotgunning it all over the landscape.

*switching into editorial mode for a moment* Half the manuscripts I reject in the average week have been submitted to the wrong place, and every editor I’ve ever known has seen that phenomenon almost daily. There is no point in wasting time and postage sending erotica to a publisher who wants only biographies or history or mythology. There is no point in sending anything at all to those venues that accept only agented submissions. Doing your homework and finding the right home for your manuscript is about 90% of success.

Also, pay attention to print submission conventions-archaic and arbitrary tho they are. Sending a manuscript that is perfect for e-publishing will hoist red flags at a print house, as will sending a complete ms. to a house that wants to review only proposal packets. So do single spaced mss. skinny margins, bound manuscripts, and forty-eleven other beginners’ mistakes. They scream “amateur” at acquisitions editors; even if they like your work, they won’t have time to guide a neophyte through the maze. Make your submission look professional because, like it or not, first impressions count a great deal in a process that may result in rejection before an editor reads even two pages.

This is, by necessity, a quick and dirty answer that barely scratches the surface. If anyone has questions or wants to flesh out the bare bones, feel free to PM me. I don't pretend to have all the answers but a quarter century ads a working pro has taught me many of them.

 

[Liar]

How many of you write for a living?
Me. But not stories and novels. Journalist stuff.

How many of you have been published in a book (not online?)
Me. Poetry in anthologies, and some non-fiction essays. Never seen any money from it though.

How many of you have had a book published?
One with just me in it, you mean? Not yet. I have a non-fiction book commissioned, if I ever get around to finish it.

How many of you are aspiring to be published? (I AM!)
As in my own novels? Nah.

How many of you who are published, can give us some recommendations/helpful tips?
Find a backdoor. Not many authors with a script and a hope ever gets the chance no matter how good they are. It happens, but if you have another way, don't be too shy to explore it.

IF I wanted to get a novel published, here's how I'd do it, from my current starting point.

1. Keep working as a journalist. And make career as one (going from small magazines to big zines and newspapers, maybe do radio and tv work if possible).

2. Use my name recognition from there to try and get non-fiction books published in the same field that I write in. (For me, that is 50% tech/science, and 50% economy/politics). I got one deal like that. But it's lots of work for very little pay, and I can't quite afford to spend the time on it that I want right now. Maybe some time in the future.

3. If those books do well, use name recognition from that as an argument to get a deal with my publisher on a novel.

That's my way "in". I don't know what your starting point is and what possible connections you might have.

 

[sr71plt]

Think both Copy Carver and Liar have given good tips.

 

[R. Richard]

How many of you write for a living? Not me.
How many of you have been published in a book (not online?) All on-line
How many of you have had a book published? Five. The latest is The Secret Life of Wanda Wilson in A1AdultEbooks.
How many of you are aspiring to be published? I have two more submitted.
How many of you who are published, can give us some recommendations/helpful tips? Keep trying, I did.

 

[NALA CAYENNE]

The best advice I could offer is not to take too much writing advice from anyone—including me. Formulas work much better in chemistry labs than in literature. Slavishly adhering to rules and theories may get you published, but the odds are 100:1 the book won’t be worth reading. Develop your own voice, find your own path, and walk it yourself.

Definitely the best advice, CopyCarver. I have so many people walk through my workshops wanting to be the next______,or send me writing that they want so bad to sound like someone else. Be you. As a publisher, I can tell you that's what gets your work noticed with me. Not Joe Blow writing like Stephen King. If I want Stephen King, then I'm going to work at getting him.


How many of you write for a living?
I freelance ghost write for a few clients. Nothing that will get me rich or noticed but I love to write. On occasion, I also write poems for people.

How many of you have been published in a book (not online?)
I've been published in several anthologies.

How many of you have had a book published?
I'd rather publish other people and help them get noticed than publish my own stuff.

How many of you are aspiring to be published?
Nope. I'd rather teach others to follow their dreams of being published, help keep them motivated to write and help them get there.

How many of you who are published, can give us some recommendations/helpful tips?
As a publisher and a workshop facilitator, my advice is to keep writing and to have faith in what you write. Even if you get snagged by some large publishing house like Ingram, Avon, Warner or St. Martin's Press, you still have to have faith in what you have written to get your name out there. Don't depend on the big boys for the success of your book. Depend on the fact that what you have written is worth being on someone's bookshelf, eventually to be held in someone's hands and enjoyed.

 

[john-the-author]

How many of you write for a living?
I do (non-fiction). It beats making an honest living.

How many of you have been published in a book (not online?)
I've written chunks of a couple of other books.

How many of you have had a book published?
A couple dozen now. It sounds more impressive than it really is, but it's still got a certain coolness factor to it.

How many of you are aspiring to be published? (I AM!)
I'm working on the next book right now. The contract's already signed. The ms. should be done around the end of November.

How many of you who are published, can give us some recommendations/helpful tips?
There aren't nearly as many rules as you might think. There are guidelines, but everything is negotiable. If you're thinking about writing fiction for a living, I do suggest Vonda McIntyre's advice to me years ago. She said "Is there anything else you could see yourself doing besides fiction writing?" I said "Yes." She said "Good; do that, then."

 

[dr_mabeuse]

How many of you write for a living? You hardly call it a living.
How many of you have been published in a book (not online?) Yes.
How many of you have had a book published? Yes. One so far. Other hard-copies scheduled. You make a lot more money from e-books at this level of the game.
How many of you are aspiring to be published? Duh.
How many of you who are published, can give us some recommendations/helpful tips? Stella Omega and Neonlyte have an entire site devoted to getting published. It's excellent. http://www.probablepossible.com/story/index.php

(a) Learn to write. (b) Learn to read (c) Submit early, submit often, submit your ass off, and remember this: You become a writer not because you want to, but because you have to. It's not for sissies.

 

[SpicyPepper]

Thank you so much for all your responses, I appreciate all this advice!

 

[rgraham666]

As a publisher and a workshop facilitator, my advice is to keep writing and to have faith in what you write. Even if you get snagged by some large publishing house like Ingram, Avon, Warner or St. Martin's Press, you still have to have faith in what you have written to get your name out there. Don't depend on the big boys for the success of your book. Depend on the fact that what you have written is worth being on someone's bookshelf, eventually to be held in someone's hands and enjoyed.

Here's where I fall short. I don't have much faith in myself and less in the system. It's a real roadblock.

…remember this: You become a writer not because you want to, but because you have to. It's not for sissies.

Another reason I'm thinking of stopping writing. I don't believe I'm nearly strong enough for this business.

 

[impressive]

How many of you write for a living?
How many of you have been published in a book (not online?)
How many of you have had a book published?
How many of you are aspiring to be published? (I AM!)
How many of you who are published, can give us some recommendations/helpful tips?

Just curious, thanks!

I'd like to earn a living wage from writing, but it's not happening right now. I am, however, making it on my cover art income with a not-insignificant assist from the writing/editing royalties -- so it's in the publishing industry, at least.

I don't understand the difference between questions 2 & 3. I'm published. In books -- both print and ebooks. Check Amazon for my bibliography.
Recommendations? Don't think about doing it. Just DO it. (You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.)

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

ROB

I invented failure. I often fail several times before I win. I believe everyone has something valuable to contribute...maybe a poem or a joke or a story or a novel. Dont give up.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Does anyone have fun writing?

 

[sr71plt]

I'd like to earn a living wage from writing, but it's not happening right now. I am, however, making it on my cover art income with a not-insignificant assist from the writing/editing royalties -- so it's in the publishing industry, at least.

I don't understand the difference between questions 2 & 3. I'm published. In books -- both print and ebooks. Check Amazon for my bibliography.
Recommendations? Don't think about doing it. Just DO it. (You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.)

I think 2 means in an anthology and 3 means a book completely of your own.

 

[impressive]

I think 2 means in an anthology and 3 means a book completely of your own.

In that case, yes and yes.

 

[sr71plt]

Does anyone have fun writing?

Absolutely. Of course, I find fun things to write about rather than sour complaining about a world that's passed me by.