Just for giggles, before I continue on with different series chapters, I figured it would be a good time to be clear on how I stand on some areas we are talking about here in the comments. There seemed to be some confusion and since my opinions are changing with the events in publishing, as every writer should, I figured it was time to update.
Agents:
Up until not so long ago, I went on and on about writers not handling agents correctly and letting agents control a writer’s career. At that time I had no problem with a writer hiring an agent, if they went into the relationship with their eyes open. I talked about all this in many chapters of Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing.
That was then.
Now, May, 2011, I think all writers should avoid agents at all costs.
Agents do not fit into this new world at all and are quickly becoming the foremen of a buggy whip factory. The agents, especially in the large agencies, have brought in horrid agency contracts that actually take writer’s book rights. Agents can’t sell a book any better than a writer can going directly to editors, and they are not needed to negotiate contracts with the rise of IP Lawyers who charge reasonably instead of taking 15%. (Not even counting the question of non-lawyer agents giving legal advice.)
A myth is growing that indie writers need agents to do overseas contracts or Hollywood contracts and that’s a complete myth. Agents, as they have a want to do these days, will stop most of those deal by sheer incompetence or stupidity. Indie writers who do their own Hollywood contracts with IP Lawyers or overseas contracts on their own make more deals and better deals.
Also, the agents who are moving to being publishers (which are quite a few) are taking more and more rights from writers and charging more and more. And they know less about the process than the writers they pretend to help. Avoid them at all costs no matter what Joe Konrath says about “estributor” or whatever he calls the new agent hybrid. I agree with Joe about most things these days except this one topic. He’s wrong and giving dangerous advice on that aspect. And not even doing it himself.
How I believe now: Avoid Agents At All Costs. ALL OF THEM.
—–
Indie Publishing vs Traditional (Legacy) Publishing
I have said from moment one that a writer should do both. I still think that, but my method of how to do both has now changed.
This is only for novels!!!! (Short fiction you must mail to a magazine before publishing yourself.)
Now: I believe that the moment a writer finishes a new book, (a writer of any level) the writer should get the book up electronically and then get the book into POD. Get the book earning for you as quickly as possible. Just good business.
Second, if you feel the book fits into traditional publishing and you are afraid to try some of the aspects I talked about in “Thinking Like a Publisher” to get your book into bookstores, then take your POD book, add a cover letter, a three or four page synopsis, and a #10 SASE and mail it flat rate priority mail to a traditional editor. (Or better yet, five of them at a time.)
That’s right, mail your POD book, a synopsis of your book, a cover letter with your credits and what you are offering in terms, and a #10 SASE for their response. That is your submission package.
And for heaven’s sake, if your book is making decent indie sales, calculate the amount you might make over ten years as an indie publisher and then don’t take less than that amount in an offer from a traditional publisher. (And you don’t need an agent to do any of this. Get an IP Lawyer to help you with the contract.)
How I Believe Now: Indie Publish First, Then Send POD to Traditional (legacy) Publishers
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Traditional (Legacy) Publishing Vanishing
I think the idea that traditional publishing will vanish just silly. Period. However, I have no doubt that traditional publishing will have problems, and so much has to change. And some companies will collapse and fail along the way. And new ones will rise up. But if you are banking on the multi-billion dollar business of traditional publishing going away, you are going to be sadly mistaken I’m afraid. However, it will change and in some areas change dramatically over the next ten years.
Indie publishing is here to stay and will keep growing. Writers will never release the control they have attained in the last two years and that aspect will also change many practices in traditional publishing. I now believe every writer needs to be indie publishing. Learn it now, folks. Don’t trust others to do it for you.
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My Challenge
Nope, not given up, just been crazy the last two months and have done very little on the challenge, even though still writing just fine. However, after this workshop in May is done, I’ll be firing on the challenge all the way to July 1st since my other writing deadlines are done for the moment. I want to see how many stories I can have up by July 1st to see how far behind I am going into the second half of the year.
Stay turned. I also have a Poker Boy novel to serialize.
—
Pen Names
So many people are confused by pen names, so let me be clear on my opinion on pen names here. None of this has changed.
— Use a pen name to keep your readers clear on which genre you are writing in. Erotica vs sweet romance vs horror. Might want to have pen names on all three.
— No issue in cross promoting your pen names. Trust your readers. If they have read one of your sweet romances and wonder what your erotic stories would be like, they will try them. Just be clear.
— Copyright is set under your real identity no matter what name you write it under. Go pick up the Copyright Handbook and learn what you are licensing.
—
Series Posts
Do I have more chapters to write in “Think Like a Publisher,” “The New World of Publishing,” and “Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing?” Yes, as topics come up. I have a number of “Think Like a Publisher” chapters planned, but always interested in topics.
—
Workshops
Kris and I have decided we will be doing a few workshops next spring again. Why? Because we still feel a few are needed, plus the Denise Little workshop is just far too much fun. So if interested in the workshops we do here, watch for my announcement in July for next spring. And if you want to learn how to write blurbs, pitches, and tags, there is still room in that workshop in July. Check the workshop page for details.
—
And that’s it for now.
Thanks for all the great comments and support. It sure keeps this place lively.
“That’s right, mail your POD book, a synopsis of your book, a cover letter with your credits and what you are offering in terms, and a #10 SASE for their response.”
Thanks Dean. It’s interesting to see how peoples’ views change. Could you expand on what you mean by “what you are offering in terms?” I imagine it wouldn’t be like “print rights only” or something…
So foreign rights seems kind of like a pain in the rear. As far as I’ve gleaned so far, it seems like while it’s possible to sell foreign rights yourself by querying publishers, it’s troublesome enough so that most authors don’t find it worth the time. Most unagented writers I know who sell their foreign rights do it because foreign publishers approach them (like Kris), or because their traditional publisher sells foreign rights for them. Am I correct in that assumption?
Livia, offering terms… Well, that will depend on how your POD and electronic sales are. Most traditional (legacy) publishers will not buy a book without taking electronic rights. That said, I have heard of a couple making plans to only be a “partner” with writers in doing only paper books. (That might be a change coming in the near future, but not here yet.)
So the writer must be aware clearly what their sales are, what their future income could be on the book. Clearly. If they are high enough, you could state that sales number in units, not money, in a cover letter as part of the sales pitch.
Terms… I would offer the editor “the package” of the book, meaning the cover design and interior files to save the traditional publisher on costs. Say something like “the package” is available.
What would that be??? Oh, yeah, another income source for the writer. Say the publisher wants the book and likes the “package” so you sell them the typesetting, layout both interior and exterior, for an extra $1,000. In the cover letter you wouldn’t state the amount, but you would say the “overall typesetting and cover package is available to save costs.” You would not restrict them to using it exactly, just taking what they like and changing it as they want.
Terms… I would not limit the terms offered to only paper. I would say something like “rights available are World English in both paper and electronic.” But again, no money quoted, but you as the writer would need to know what kind of money you are making. And will make in over ten years.
In essence, the terms in a cover letter are to help you sell the book. Make it clear to the editor you are not an idiot who thinks they can hold onto electronic rights, and that you also can help them save money on the production of your book by offering the package to the book, including electronic files. Money amounts are negotiated later, after an offer.
Great run down, now I have one easy post to point people to instead of saying “start with the first Sacred Cows post and read everything!” (which is still what they should really do).
I feel like agents are going to really clean up in this new world when they become agent-publishers. I know of at least one agent who has approached a client (whom she’s ‘represented’ for years and not managed to sell anything for) with an exciting new opportunity to let her be her client’s ebook publisher. This writer friend of mine is a sharp guy (in other ways) but he’s almost certainly going to go along with it. This is not a major or well-known agent, but I suspect what she’s doing is no different than what a lot of other agents are trying to talk their so-selling or non-selling clients into. This might work especially well with writers who want to be taken care — you know, the same writers who would would keep the same agent for a decade even though neither one of them has made a nickle out of the deal anyway. And I doubt she’s proposing any measly 15% for her side of the split either. 50/50 is more like it, and of course the KDP and Pubit! accounts with all be under the agent’s password naturally (the Smashwords too if the agent even knows about SW and its premium distribution channels). And the “costs” of formatting, editing, and cover design, will probably be put on the author’s tab as well. I feel writers are so conditioned to seek outside validation they almost CAN’T stop themselves from wanting an agent or some similar layer of gatekeeper. Like thinking of every individual reader as the new gatekeeper is almost too emotionally risky. Too naked. And it *is* risky. Because if you fail at legacy you always can tell yourself it was the editor, or the house, or the marketing or the agent. With indie its harder to pretend that it isn’t all on your writing (which it is even in legacy — but just easier to hide from that fact), but that’s also the thing that makes doing it yourself so rewarding — and exhilarating.
Great post!
It’s no substitute for actually going back and reading the things you’ve written over the last couple of years, but it’s great to have a summary to bring us up to date with recent developments.
I hate to come off as a fanboy, but you’re really doing a great thing here, dispelling myths, giving practical advice, and just generally making our lives (“us” being aspiring writers) much easier.
You know, for years I’ve been having this strange black and white image in my head whenever I hear people talk about agents (and managers).
I keep thinking about 1940′s boxing movies. The big dumb lummox of a boxer, and the fast talking manager taking 50 percent for himself, and selling off the other 50 percent, a piece at a time, to every gangster in town, and the poor boxer in debt up to his ears because of all the “training costs” the manager is running up getting him ready for the big fight….
Livia wrote: “Am I correct in that assumption?”
No. I know various writers for whom foreign sales comprise about ONE-THIRD of their annual income. That is a percentage of one’s living which is certainly NOT more trouble than it’s worth.
A writer once took me out for a very expensive dinner after unexpectedly getting a check in the mail for $7K from a German deal. Last year, my German advances paid for car repairs (including replacing my car’s a/c during a heat wave!), a new computer, and other necessities. I know three writers who’ve had years in which money from France wound up being the lion’s share of their income. And so on.
No, one $500 sale of a book to Bulgaria isn’t a living. Nor is one $500 sale to the Czech Republic a living. Nor is one $1,000 sale of a book to Italy a living. Nor is on $3K sale to Germany a living…
But if you add those 4 sales up in one year, that’s $5,000 additional income gained that year (some of it due on signing, some on publication). =Just= for submitting a book that’s ALREADY WRITTEN. It’s “found” money.
Livia, what Laura said. I have never figured exactly, but foreign sales are a large part of our income. And these days the publishers are coming to us. Why? Because thanks to indie publishing, we have more stuff out and secondly, they can find it. Easily.
And even more scary is that when this started happening, and we kicked the agents to the curb, we discovered a lot of deals that the agents had been stopping, for logical agent reasons, but not logical writer reasons. For just one example, many foreign publishers like to pay a set amount for a SET PRESS RUN. For example, $1,000 for a 1200 copy press run in Italy. And if they want to sell more than that press run, they have to come back with a new offer, new contract, for another 1,200 copies. Horrid for an agent, fantastic for a writer. So agents had been blocking those kinds of deals. Now they are becoming norm for us in many countries. Just one example.
And even more interesting, overseas contracts are usually fantastically simple in nature compared to US contracts. Easily understood. And on the few we get royalties, without a couple of layers of agents in the middle, SHOCK, we get both royalty statements and money. Go ahead, trying getting royalty statements from an overseas deal through your US and Foreign agency.
It may not be a lot per country, as Laura said, BUT WOW DOES IT ADD UP. And it’s easy.
Okay, Dean, I can usually follow your logic, but how is a set press run (like the Italy deal you mention) bad for an agent? Sure it’s good for the author, and if an agent’s getting 15% (or 20% for foreign deals) how is that bad?
Except, of course, for those writers who see how simple it is and just bypass the agent.
And thanks as always for the info. Interesting to see how your approach to a novel package has changed just since I took the class last summer.
Alastair, first off, agents get no royalty statements or payments. Biggest area of scams there alone. But that aside, they might not be included on a second contract, or a third contract if the book keeps selling well. They hate that, since their income is based on what comes off a contract. So they always try to force the publisher into putting it into an advance against royalties so the press run can be unlimited. Bad for the author, but good for the agent. A pain for the publisher, so most publishers just say never mind and the agent never tells the client they missed an overseas deal.
It has been stunning, and I do mean stunning, how many more overseas and Hollywood options we have gotten without agents than with agents. Stunning. In this new world, the publishers just contact us directly if interested in a book. It is very simple for both us and the publisher. And just as with traditional publishers in New York, many overseas publishers won’t work with some agencies in their own country. So say you are with US Agent X and they have French agency XX. And publisher discovers you are being represented by French Agency XX and they won’t deal with those people, you lose the deal. They won’t even bother to contact you.
Again, I can’t begin to explain how many more deals and offers we are getting now that we don’t use any agent at all. In fact, I wager Kris and I both would get even more if we just put on the top of our web sites: “Contact us directly for any overseas or movie interest on any of our properties.”
That was a great post, as is always the case. I am quite interested in that blurbs workshop. Maybe I am just backwards here, but I find it somewhat more difficult to right a blurb and synopsis for the back of the book than writing the book itself! Am I just weird or does anyone else have this issue?
Ramon, blurb and pitch and tag writing is very, very difficult and most writers can’t do it well. It’s why we teach a four day workshop on the aspects of how to do it. So you aren’t the only one by a long ways. And it’s a critical skill for selling indie books.
I’m glad to know this. Now I don’t feel so bad. I’ve found it incredibly difficult, so what I’ve been doing is reading the synopsis and blurbs from the bestsellers and trying to write them like that. Until I can hopefully get in your July workshop, that’s what I’ve been doing.
Ramon, same workshop in October as well. But how you are doing it will help. Study always helps.
A key: Passive Voice. Remove it. (grin)
*feeling like a REAL rookie with this coming question* What is Passive Voice? *Grins sheepishly*
Ramon…
Any “to be” verb. She is walking.” Passive construction.
“She walked.” Or “She walks.” Active construction.
But it is more than just choice of verbs. Clause choice can also lead to energy draining from a blurb.
“There are too many clauses at the end of sentences.” ( Passive construction, plus clauses “at the end” and clause “of sentences.” drain energy.” How about simply… “Too many clauses.” Energy. My original sentence, read it aloud and watch the energy drain.
Again, this takes a four day workshop with a ton of practice during those four days to even give you an idea of how to begin to do this. But great fun.
Ramon,
No you’re definitely not alone in that. It’s a tough specialized skill. I took a version of the pitches and blurbs workshop that Dean runs. I recommend it highly, a great value. And, btw, you’ll find a great source of examples in the smashwords page for WMG Publishing — the small press that publishes Kris and Dean.
Alastair -
In addition to the scam latitude that Dean spoke of, there’s another reason why agents wouldn’t be interested in limited-press runs: they don’t get much money for their time.
There’s a section in the book Freakanomics that deals with the incentive structure for Real Estate agents, and how it affects their willingness to put in work on a given property. Read that chapter, and substitute “literary” for “real estate” and you begin to see the issue. Agenting–when it’s done RIGHT–is a high-turnover business. If a property takes more than a few hours worth of work in total, and it’s not going to bring in a LOT of money, then it’s just not worth the agent’s time.
As Dean said, limited press run means there’s a finite payout for the deal, which is (from the agent’s POV, bad enough), but it also means that–assuming the author stays with them for reprintings–they’re going to have to spend more hours every time the contract comes up for renewal. Since it’s fairly easy to find writers who aren’t adamant about limited-duration contracts, it is not in the agent’s interest to deal with writers who want an arrangement like that (in fact, it’s in their interest to screw up any deals like that, so that the writer has a disincentive to search out such deals).
It’s easy to think that an agent–who is, after all, your employee–works for you and represents your interests. Truth is, in *any* area of business, an agent’s interests and incentives will only line up with yours under certain circumstances, and if you want to employ one you have to be very aware of where your interests will diverge, or you’re gonna get screwed. And I’m talking screwed by an honest agent–not a crook looking for embezzlement opportunities. For Pete’s sake, don’t give them the incentive or opportunity to do that. Music, real estate, fine art, literary, theater, film, they all have the same weakness: their incentives will not always align with your interests. Handle agents with care and awareness, and only use them when your interests align with theirs–and then only when you absolutely need one.
-Dan
Spot on, Dan. As Laura and you both said, writers have to get very lucky to have an agents interests line up exactly with a writer’s interests. And that seldom, if ever happens with overseas stuff.
Dean
Excellent post as always. I’ve been catching up on all of your series of posts over the last month or so and have been glued to them and the comments.
I want to thank you for these series as I had been bumbling along with my second novel for the last 2 and a half years and you have made me focus my attention on treating my writing and getting published as a business. Setting schedules and allocating time for writing around my day job and knowing there is a definite goal (rather than a dream) at the end of it of getting published rather than relying on someone else doing the publishing, gives me an added excitement on top of creating new story’s.
Just a quick question regarding short story’s. I am due to publish my writing within the next month which includes 5 short story’s and 1 novel. I will have another 2 novels published by the end of the year. Do you think it would be better for a new writer to publish short story’s so that their name is out there for people to find and maybe sell newer short story’s to magazines in the future?
My hunch is it would be better to have as many works published for a new writer to start with, but I would like your opinion.
Thanks again for all that you are doing and I look forward to more posts.
Paul
Paul, I think your thinking is pretty sound. Get a good solid base up indie published, then keep writing new stories and try to sell them to magazines. Remember, on short fiction, you can’t publish them first. If you are thinking of going to magazines or anthologies with a short fiction, you have to give them first shot. But novels you can have published and then send the POD. No issue.
But yes, have as many up as possible first, then just keep powering going both ways. Good plan.
If you’re looking for request topics for the “Think Like a Publisher” series, I’m interested to hear about contracts we might need to use with our sub-suppliers like copy-edits, cover designs or publishing an anthology with other authors (all at flat fees). What kind of liabilities do we create when we make those deals?
Thanks!
Tom
Thomas, can’t give legal advice, so not getting into that sort of thing. (Unlike an untrained agent. (grin)) Also, unless your plans are to be a fairly major publisher, I wouldn’t publish other people’s stuff, just your own. Way, way too many problems. Way, way, way, way too many.
Hey Dean,
What you said about passive voice isn’t quite right.
“She is walking” isn’t a passive sentence. The subject of the sentence, “she,” is doing the action, “walking.” Granted, “She walks,” or “She walked,” might be stronger, given the circumstance.
Passive voice is when the subject of the sentence is being acted upon. In other words, the subject isn’t doing the action, but, rather, is the recipient of the action.
“The ball was thrown by Harry.”
That’s passive because the sentence’s subject “the ball” isn’t doing anything. Harry is the one throwing it. Harry is the one acting, but he’s not the subject of the sentence.
To make that sentence active, you’d rewrite it as: “Harry throws (threw, is throwing, was throwing) the ball.” That puts Harry in the driver’s seat. He’s the one doing the action.
The key to seeing a passive sentence is usually this kind of construction: “was [verb] by.”
The newspaper was read by Sally.
The book was written by me.
The car was driven by Randy.
The puzzle was assembled by John.
Those are all passive constructions, and each can be made active by flipping them.
Hope this helps.
Jeff, Camille, Megs, made it worse and very confusing. Nice English teacher moment. Correct name-calling, I know, but wow did you guys all make something very simple very hard.
I was trying to say in a simple way how to write an active blurb. Go ahead, you three, be correct in name-calling all you want, but use a “to be” verb such as “is” and watch your blurbs and tags suck. Not my issue you call it the right name.
Just cut out all “to be” verbs and you’ll be fine. In all constructions and by all names.
(Sigh… I knew better than to get into English teacher country here…End of this conversation. Anyone wants to learn how to write a good blurb or tag line, come to a workshop.)
Jeff, Camille, Megs, sorry for being snippy.
As a professional writer, I know all the rules, can even diagram sentences. I know the terms, I know the constructions.
But it just annoys me something awful when “correctness” in grammar crap gets in the way of an easy way to teach something.
So let me be clear here, and again, I am sorry.
“She is walking.” F**cking passive. Call it what you want, but in a blurb, tag, or pitch it sucks.
Now, again, sorry for being snippy and no defense allowed through. I win. My site.
English teachers, go teach students who actually care. This blog is for writers who want to sell.
Note: that’s a passive verb, but it is not passive voice.
Active voice:
Jon clobbered the thief upside the head.
Passive voice:
The thief was clobbered upside the head.
See the difference?
There are a lot of good reasons to use passive verbs, but there are only a very few good reasons to use passive voice.
Dean and Dan, thanks for the explanations. Makes sense now.
Technically “She is walking” is not a passive construction. It is a wishy washy way of saying things, but not grammatically passive.
Passive is when you start with what was done and try to avoid or de-emphasize who does it. For instance:
Active: John threw the ball.
Passive: The ball was thrown (by John).
Passive voice is really common in “organization speak” and in countries with totalitarian states. People tend to avoid responsibility or blame by instinct. “It was decided to cut the coffee budget from the office expenses” as opposed to “Our idiot boss took away the coffee machine.”
However, you can make your writing have a more active feel by not only eliminating true passive voice, but also all unnecessary helping verbs (like “is”).
Plus blurbs do better when you don’t use more words than necessary. (That’s why, even though I hate Smashwords’ 400 character short description, I always do it first, because it forces me to really evaluate every single word.)
Dean,
Thank you for all of these posts. It’s because of you and Kris that I decided to take the plunge and set myself up as a small business. And I *finally* got the free business checking account set up. Talk about a wonderful step-by-step guide! (Couldn’t be simpler.)
I also want to thank all the commenters in these posts. I think I’ve already said that in the comments of another post, but I think it’s well worth saying again and again.
As to this post re Pen Names, I saw people going back and forth on that in the comments on Konrath’s blog; your reasoning makes a lot of sense to me, so if I come up with something that’s SF or women’s fiction, I’ll probably use pen names as you’ve suggested.
Thanks for the explanation, Dean. I’ve actually been practicing this, but never knew what it was called. LOL! When I go back and re read my work I find myself correcting things like this, and also the overuse of adverbs. I find fewer and fewer the more I write.
Good stuff, but one small point. While copyright is usually under your real name when you use a pseudonym, you can register the copyright using the pseudonym, and I’ve done so with several novels when I didn’t want anyone looking them up to see who really wrote them.
There are two ways of doing this, with or without your real name being in the record, and I always suggest having the real name there to avoid any legal questions down the line.
But when you go look those books up in the registry, only the pseudonym is given. I’m the only one who can change this.
Exactly, James. But still yours. I have many books registered under pen names. No issue, still mine.
Lee, yup, Terry just keeps on going.
John, sorry, no more discussion about English crap. That stuff is so anti-quality storytelling, it is scary. Sorry I even mentioned it to be honest in trying to help with active blurbs and tags.
Dean,
Are you thinking of offering the blurb workshop in 2012? I raised the possibility of going in October with my wife, but since our baby will only be 3 months old, the idea didn’t go over well.
Blurbs seems to me, at least, to be the toughest part of indie publishing. Covers and formatting are much much easier…
Big Ed, yes we are. In the spring.
Way to hold back on how you really feel Dean!
I have a silly question for you…
I am totally on board with your volume of content approach for indies (and lots of other stuff too!), but i was wondering a few things regarding short stories:
Given how small the short story markets are for genre fiction, what do you recommend for a reasonable time period/ # of submissions before a writer decides to self-pub it?
You may have mentioned this before, but aren’t the rights for shorts typically bought for a shorter period of time? It seems like it is easy to double dip for a writer here (sell it once to a magazine and sell it later on Kindle!). This seems almost too good to be true! (So that;s why I’m doubting myself..)
I have written short stories in genres from horror to sci-fi to fantasy to thriller/crime, would you recommend pen names to categorize them a bit or just lay it all out there?
Will you be my agent??? (ok that was a joke, don’t hire a hitman….)
Thanks for all you do!!!
joemontana,
Yup, double-dipping in short fiction is wonderful. Sell it to a magazine, wait a year after it comes out, then get the story up and earning for you. And the publication in the magazine will drive more readers to your other work online as well. Paid advertising for your indie publishing. Paid, meaning they pay you to advertise your work. Nifty.
How long to wait? Until you have gone through the top few markets you want to sell the story to.
Don’t forget about non-exclusive reprint markets, either. Reprint anthologies, secondary specialty magazines, some of the paying audio markets, etc. I’ve got one story in my short career so far that I’ve sold four times this way, and I’ll probably sell it a few more times over the years–and it’s also selling a few every month in ebook format.
-Dan
Daniel, me too. I have a story that has been reprinted five or six times and it is now up electronically alone. And just last night I put it into a collection for WMG. And I have another reprint collection thinking about including it and paying me another $100 for the use. Nonexclusive use.
The top genre short story markets have gotten a lot more submission friendly this past year. Analog, Asimov’s and EQMM all take electronic subs now. Sheila Williams has cut Asimov’s average response time (in my experience) from over three months before she took over, to around 21 days now for electronic submissions. Weird Tales now pays pro rates, and their response times have dropped dramatically too since they went to a online submission form (rather that email) system. Strange Horizons, now pays 7cents a word up from five. John Joseph Adams responds to submissions for Lightspeed, and Fantasy Magazine in well under a week and pay the minimum sfwa pro rate which if 5cents a word. And since for these markets you don’t even have to incur the small charges of printing, evelopes, and stamps any more, it’s a fantastic way to market yourself at no cost except the time of a couple or few months it would take to submit to some or all of these one by one.
Hmm. Dean, my intention was not to put up more English crap but to reiterate why all that stuff isn’t necessary. I guess I didn’t express myself very well. It won’t be the first time in my life that’s happened. I agree with you that obsession with such details is counterproductive. I even turned off the grammar check on my Word program a long time ago. Talk about annoying…
Side note – thank God for submission software like Hey Publisher. Managing email slush is a heartbreak of lost stories.
Thanks for noting the reprint markets can still be hit up after you’ve published as an ebook; I haven’t been published enough that I automatically check for reprints!
In the future it may be true that writers should avoid agents, but at the moment In Australia there are quite a few publishers who won’t accept submissions from anyone without an agent, so the statement that an author can submit to publishers in the same way as an agent isn’t true.
Also, to say that as soon as a book is finsihed it should be self published is only good advice if the book is properly edited. Otherwise it will kill your career. Even if it sells copies, a trad publisher will still recognise the faults. Also why would a publisher be more inclined to read a POD copy than an unplublished ms – only if it’s already sold masses of copies.
Hence it has to be a good book for this to work. People thinking that they should just self publish and see how it goes are sometimes just lowering the standard of self published books and turning more people off risking purchasing on self pubbed books.
Tahlia, I let your post through simply to show people how many myths can be spouted in one post. Stunning. Just stunning.
Regarding pen names, I’m having an issue with this. I’m getting pretty heavy into the indie publishing now, but my most recent novel is quite a bit different than the other two I have up. The new one is a paranormal thriller with vampires and the like. The first two are crime novels, one the first in a detective series, the other a stand-alone.
So here I am trying to build a name and get virtual “shelf space” under my Rob Cornell name. Is the paranormal thriller different enough that I should start a pen name. It’s also the start of a series. Promotion is a pain enough as it is–I’m twittered and Facebooked out. I’d rather not have to start a new name to promote my work. At the same time, I don’t want to confuse readers and turn them off. But it’s not like the differences are as huge as YA vs. Erotica.
Rob, no rule. Completely up to you, and I see no reason to start a new name since readers can be trusted to tell the difference on things like you describe if your blurbs and tags are clear. But again, no rule, up to you.