I'm not proud of everything I've done in my fiction writing career.

When I first started submitting after I finished my first book, I was astonished at how easy it was to get an agent. I must just be that good, I thought. I happily wrote a check out for a couple of hundred bucks (that I really couldn't afford) for all the copying and postage that the guy was going to have to use to send my book out to the best publishing houses. After all, the book would be a hit and I'd more than make up for it, right? Every so often, the guy would send me a list of places he'd sent my manuscript. When I stopped hearing from him, I started calling. I never could reach him and finally it sank in that I'd been taken.

Fast forward a year or two. I'd been accepted and published in a few magazines and e-zines. A couple of them were okay, one of them never paid me what they were supposed to, and another one put my work in the midst of some of the most vile garbage I've ever read. I didn't pay attention to what I was doing. I was simply happy to be accepted by someone, anyone, that I pretty much soiled my name.

After all that, I learned my lesson and paid attention to what I was getting myself into. This is why I am diligent in my research. I do preliminary research to see if the listing is a right fit. If it is, I submit. Then, if someone bites, I research further. I even try to gather information on how happy other authors are working with those who I might have the opportunity to sign a contract with. And I definitely read other work put out by them.

Scam? Maybe not.

Not everything I've had a bad experience with, though, is a scam. Sometimes, it's more of a situation where the entity isn't a right fit due to different opinions about business practices. This is my most recent situation.

I'd been accepted into a couple of anthology series. The prize was upfront money plus royalties based on sales. The first sign that something was wrong was no communication for a very long time. So I started asking around and discovered that royalties wasn't guaranteed as the publisher is fairly new. There was a stipulation that costs had to be covered first before royalties were paid. But I found it odd the company couldn't afford to pay royalties but was footing a majority of the bill for two representatives to fly across country to attend a conference. Even still, I was willing to give this publisher the benefit of the doubt until I read something else: the publisher, who still doesn't have enough money to pay royalties, was also donating money from sales to some charity. I'm all for charity but I have to wonder if the publisher asked the writers who were owed royalties if that was okay with them. Writers are a starving breed. In essence, a lot of us ARE charity cases and need money for our work. I just don't agree with that business practice.

I don't think this publisher is intentionally being deceptive (which is why I'm not listing their name). I also think the person who runs this company is a good person. It's just that the whole operation gives me a chaotic vibe.  That in itself, plus the lack of royalty payments to writers published with them, made me decide to pull my submissions. I hadn't yet signed a contract so I was well within my right to do so. I fault no one for sticking with them. That's their choice. It's a simple fact that just as some written work isn't a right fit for certain publishers, the same can be said vise versa. Just because a publisher might want your work, it doesn't mean you would be a right fit for the publisher. You shouldn't feel bad for wanting to do what's right for you and your work and you shouldn't let others make you feel bad, too.

And don't allow yourself to be so desperate for publication that you shake your misgivings off. Is today's high worth the frustration and heartache down the road? I didn't think so.

I'm not trying to be picky. It's just that I've had my fair share of writing faux pas. I'm more careful these days as well as we should all be.

To catch up new readers (or those who care not to peek at my blog that often *gasp!*), I've been asked to rework my latest novel for possible resubmission to a publisher I queried. My concept, grammar, and style was great but the writing itself needed some work, the editor told me. Now that I'm into the rewrite, I want to share something I've learned.

When I would hear editors say, "Trim the fat," I never really understood what that was all about. Did that mean I would have to cut out part of the story? Would the world and characters I created be compromised? I admit before I started the rewrite, I was terrified of over-thinking it. I stressed myself by worrying about what I might have to cut.

Now, though, as I continue to work on the novel according to the advice of the editor, my eyes have really been opened. I'm only 1/3 of the way in and I have already cut out about 3,000 words. That's a LOT of fat trimming. I can see now where I was repetitious and how I used words that didn't have to be used. And now that I'm getting the hang of it, I'm so much more pleased with the novel than I was before and I didn't think that was possible given that I was already in love with it to begin with.

You ask, though, isn't your story being redirected into something different? Not at all! The story is being built on the same foundation just minus the sticks and hay that can cause a collapse of the entire structure. I'm so excited to learn what trimming the fat really means in writing and I'm excited to share it with all of you.

On a side note, it's important to take an editor's feedback to heart. If an editor takes precious time to provide feedback and do some sample editing, embrace it. Their intentions are only to help. If I hadn't been open to learning, I might not have learned this important element of my writing and I might have continued to be in a rut.

Now, on with writing!

I've had a rather interesting week. I did a submission spree for my latest fantasy novel, Future Past over the course of a few days last week. While I haven't heard back from most of them at this point, I was asked for a full manuscript on a couple of them. And one of them, Hadley Rille Books, came back with a request for a full in order to get a feel for the book. They then followed that with a request for the synopsis. Ultimately, though, they decided to pass this go around but the editor was full of kind words and constructive criticism. She even did a comprehensive edit to a few pages of my novel as an illustration of her advice. It's been a long time since an editor took the time to provide such feedback and it was something I very much needed to learn.

What I have learned is that my protagonist's tone betrayed what her background suggested of her. I've learned that I often bog down my dialogue with unnecessary (and often repetitive) descriptions. Something else I learned that the editor didn't say was that I'm not giving my prospective audience enough credit. Subconsciously, I suppose since I struggle in real life to get my own points across to people, I tend to over inflate information.

I have the opportunity now to rework the novel to reflect a standard of work that I know I'm capable of. It will be a challenge but it's one that I'm willing to take on if not for anything but my love of writing itself and the love I have for this story and its characters.

And for other news -

My recently released novelette The Hand has caught some local attention. I'll be doing a live radio interview on the Danny Lee Show on Newstalk Fort Payne WFPA on Friday, June 17, 2011 at 7:35am.  You can listen online at www.1400wfpa.com.

I also want to share some blogs that I've recently become a part of through an indie author's group. First, notice the cute frog in the sidebar to the right. This blog has become part of an indie author's blogring. Every time I post here, it feeds to Indie Author Blog Hop. I've also become part of I Love Smashwords, a blog dedicated to the authors of Smashwords.com, a site that I love to use for my work for many reasons, the main one being distribution to some of the top online book sellers.  If you care to take a look at either of these sites, please do. My fellow colleagues would appreciate it.

Thank you for your continued support. If you don't hear from me for awhile, it only means I'm deep into my rewrite.

Love, happiness, and new challenges,

Pamela

I've written before on the subject of self publishing and the reasons you shouldn't self publish. Today, I'm going to touch on something similar. We all know that one of the reasons authors decide to self publish is because of rejection from traditional publishers. That's fine. There's nothing that says just because your novel was rejected by a traditional publisher that it's bad. I believe there are many fine self published authors out there. But there's something I want to make clear to those who haven't done it yet but are considering it.

 If you are self publishing because you just can't handle the rejection, then you need to reconsider. Why? Because any rejection you can possibly get is not going to be near as bad as some of the reviews you'll get once you're published out there. And trust me. If you write long enough, there will be that one person (or more!) who like to pound nails into your heart by writing how horrible your work is. And they will not hold back. AT. ALL.


So how do you differentiate between just being tired of rejections to not being able to handle rejections? First, what is your reaction to a rejection? If your primary response is anger, then it's probably a sign that you aren't equipped to handle a rejection yet. That's not to say that you will never be but just imagine that rejection coupled with a detailed look at everything that is wrong with your novel. If you are getting angry at a single rejection, what would you do with a negative review? And if you retaliate with either, you end up looking like an unprofessional fool; the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish.

So really take stock of why you're self publishing before you actually do it. It's a heavy commitment and if you aren't doing it for the right reasons, you will fail. If you take every rejection personally, then you will likely take negative reviews personally, too.

I understand that it's hard not to take it personally, even for those of us who have been doing this a long time. How you react to it is the key here.

Best wishes to all of you.

I had a discussion recently with the head of Blue Crown Press about their parent company's (Novel Publishing Group) reputation for friendliness and how it might obscure a writer's perception.  Will most writers expect an acceptance just because they are friendly? 

To be honest, to those writers who don't have years of submitting experience behind them, probably.  I remember what being a newer writer felt like and if someone reached out to me about my work, I was more than eager to try to expand on that in hopes that it would get my foot through the door.  But while I was eager to please back then, I also have the more recent experience of being on the other side, too. 

For a short time in my reading/writing career, I accepted submissions for a local publication.  After the first few rejections, I realized pretty quick that I didn't want many people knowing that I was doing the actual rejecting.  If I personalized a rejection, I was rewarded with a follow-up letter begging me to take a second look.  If I showed an amount of sympathy or kindness, I got weird letters; some writers felt like they could pitch all their story ideas to me without actually writing the story.  And still other rejections seemed to provoke anger.  I bet I received at least two *eff* yous a month.

For experienced writers, no matter how friendly the editor/publisher, we (well, most of us anyway) have that separation mentality of, "it's business, not personal".  Sure, it's still disappointing but we understand what "professional" means.  For new writers, that disconnect is not easy at all and I'll tell you why.  New writers have not yet undergone the sting of rejection after rejection.  They are still under the impression that their work is the end all, be all of the publishing world.  They pin all their hopes on one thing instead of continuing to write.  They don't yet have the understanding that this is the way the writing world works and it's a very emotional thing to go through.

That's why most people in the biz aren't too chummy.  Writers expect more out of them when they are and subsequently "scold" them for it.  It isn't really fair to them.

So in my attempt to educate newer writers on the fine art of submitting, here are some tips in etiquette when dealing with editors/publishers/agents: 

-When you receive a rejection (and trust me, some time in your writing career, you WILL receive them), resist the urge to respond in haste.  Accept it and move on to the next listing.  Begging will only make you look like a fool and an *eff you* will only land your name in a shit list.

-Keep writing. There is nothing out there that says you can't write until you've exhausted all the markets for one of your pieces.  Write and write and write some more even as you submit other things.

-You are not the best writer in the world.  Having an attitude of such toward others (online or otherwise) could work to your detriment.

-Be nice and be humble.  You're not only trying to sell your work but also yourself as a writer.  It doesn't matter how great your story is, if you're a difficult person to work with and to please, that will also sabotage your career.

-Don't take a rejection personally.  Yes, it stings but learning and persistence will win out in the end.

Happy Writing!

I always get kinda depressed when I start preparing to submit another story or novel.

Writing is the fun part of it.  I'm completely aware, though, that I suck at sales but I continue to try because I don't have the money to shell out to a professional writing service that can make those pitches for me.

It's such tedious work.  First, you have to research prospective markets.  Then you have to narrow the ones you've chosen down based on their needs and wants.  Then each and every single one of those places have different submission guidelines.  You have to go through each one at a time and do it exactly how they want it done if you want a fair shot.  And even then you always second guess yourself.  Was the font right?  Did you space it correctly?  Did you catch all the typos and the grammar mistakes?

What's funny is when the story is finished, you couldn't be more excited.  But then as you dig into the submission process, it's quite defeating and mentally taxing.  I couldn't have been in more of a bad mood today as I read page after page of guidelines and requirements.  That initial excitement was killed by the ever growing realization that I might never make it.  It's just simply too much information and what I think is a great story, could be easily dismissed by query tired eyes.

It's been a year since I first started the project that I am querying.  A year of my life poured into this one story, this one world, with characters who are real to me.  It's the passion that keeps me going with it.

But that was my day today.  In the midst of it all, I still have hope.  People call me crazy and wonder why I would take so much rejection but I can't ever see myself doing anything in life but writing fiction and poetry.  Even on these defeated days, I can't imagine my life without this passion.  I just have to keep hoping that someone will bite.

"Writers are among the most psychotic of the human species."

This was written to me in a letter a few years ago from what I discovered to be a scam agency (it came from one of the many names under the Writers Literary Agency).  The statement wasn't meant personally; it was part of a form letter meant to convey that they'd experienced some pretty crazy things from writers.  (I guess having well minded writers inquire about questionable business practices labels them as psychotic.)  

I think sometimes we are paranoid, for sure.  I mean, a lot of us have spent oodles and oodles (I really like typing the word "oodles") of time writing, prepping, submitting, wishing, and hoping that someday someone will say the three letter word we all want to hear, "YES", that when it finally does happen, we have good reason to be suspicious.  So many people try to scam us that it is in our best interest to have a healthy aura of paranoia every now and again.

In general, fiction writers are also terribly emotional creatures.  (And yes, I'm aware that I just called myself a "creature".)  When we write, we have to prepare in much the same way an actor prepares to play a part.  We have to get inside our character's heads, we have to think what they are thinking, see the world how they see the world... basically, we have to change our entire perception.  That often means that we have to feel the emotions that our characters feel and be sympathetic even to the antagonists we create, no matter how bad they are.

Psychotic, no.  Well, not most of us, at least.  And if you find an agency or publisher calling you psychotic just for trying to cover your own back, a big red flag needs to go up and you should investigate them further.

Just a small update in case y'all are wondering what's up with my submissions lately.  As of right now, the only thing I have out there is my submission to DAW which I've asked for another follow-up on.  I've almost exhausted the pool for my second novel as the genre is confusing.  Most paranormal seekers expect romance and while my protagonist is a young adult, I've been told multiple times that my subject is too mature for a young adult audience.  So I've put it aside and am focusing on my next one.  Maybe one of these days someone will pick up "Memory's Hostage".  In the meantime, I've finished the non-fiction ebook I've been working on and it's going through an edit process. 

I've let my untitled fantasy novel sit for a few months and now I'm going back over it in rewrite and edit mode.  I usually hate revisions but I'm actually enjoying going back through this novel.  One of these days I will have a suitable title but today is not that day.  It will probably take me a few weeks to complete the revisions and then I will start seeking agents.

I've written one science fiction short story lately called "The Hand" and am about to send it out to Analog next week. 

Other then that, it is all I have going on with fiction stuff.  I've had a lot of non-fiction work coming my way lately, a ton of assignments for Yahoo! that I couldn't afford to let go, so it has contributed to slower fiction progress.  But I keep on with it and I hope you are keeping on the path of your dreams as well.

While researching markets in a Writer's Digest market book, I came across Silver Leaf Books, a listing that seemed like a good fit on first glance for one of my projects.  While most listings in Writer's Digest are on the up and up, it is more than a good idea to research any listing fully.  Find out what other writers think about them; find out if all is legit.  While I can't out right say that Silver Leaf isn't a legitimate publisher, there is one aspect to their business that is questionable.  When I went to their website, here is what I found:

This is on their submission page as of this posting date:

"Is Publishing Right for You ?
By submitting to Silver Leaf Books, you are hoping to have us sign you as an author, publish your books, and provide you with a royalty for the sales of your books. Since the cost associated with the publication process is ours, there is a fairly lengthy application and review for consideration of each and every title that comes in. We look not only for good writing, a good storyline, and a marketable idea, but also for the right author (outlook and persistence).

If you are looking to just publish your book without going through the review process, to maintain 100% control over your project, receive all revenues and not just a royalty, and do it all yourself with some help, then Silver Leaf Books is not for you. However, if this is the model you desire, then we would recommend visiting our sister-company, Creative Strategists for a quote to help your book get in print. Creative Strategists provides you with quality service and a professional product.
If publishing is right for you, please select the appropriate link for submission guidelines..."

There is just something that didn't sound quite right about all that.  Is publishing right for me?  If it wasn't, I wouldn't be spending hours researching the appropriate markets. 

This sounds like it is specifically targeting writers who haven't been in the submitting stage very long.  This is targeting writers who really have no clue (yet) that submitting is a marathon and takes time, care, and patience.  This is targeting writers who have the unfounded notion that by publishing traditionally, they will lose rights to their work and it will spiral away from them.  In other words, it sounds as though they are trying to discourage writers from submitting the traditional route while promoting their self publishing company.

Is it common for a traditional press to own a self-publishing company?

Common?  Maybe.  There are a number of companies out there who have both but most remain separate for good reason.  They have enough sense not to mix one with the other and they keep marketing for one another separated, too, as well it should be.  It's understandable in a time of economic downturn to expand on services in order to offset the tremendous cost of traditional publishing.  But it is simply bad business to use one to promote the other.

It's really insulting to a writer  who is seriously researching markets for their work to come across something like this.  Furthermore, it is discouraging to a newer writer, who goes ahead and submits to them, only to have a rejection come back... with an offer to publish under their self-publishing company.  If that isn't sketchy, I don't know what is.

Beware

It's my advice that you need to be aware of companies such as this.  This is no better than a vanity press taking your submission and saying "Congrats! Your story has been selected for upcoming publication! Now all you have to do is buy the anthology it will be published in!"  Um, no thanks.

Asking writers to submit while pushing these services onto them might initially seem like a good idea (to them and an inexperienced writer) but in the end, experienced writers will see the shadiness in this.

Here is the Silver Leaf site.  For additional reading, here is a thread on Absolute Write Forums about Silver Leaf.  In a related topic, I found this article on Suite 101 about the differences between self publishing, vanity, and subsidiary publishing.  I get the terms confused myself sometimes so this was a good read for me.  Maybe it will be for you, too.

Final Thought

Taking a moment to make a final thought here, I realize that I have a lot of beginners who read my advice.  So here's the ultimate advice.  If you are going the traditional publishing route, stand firm in that.  If any agent or publisher tries to get you to pay for anything, always approach with heavy caution.  And don't let these "professionals" tell you that your work isn't up to industry standards and you'd be better off self-publishing at "Insert name of company here".  Chances are, they are being paid to refer you and had no interest in ethically representing or publishing your work in the first place.  When in doubt, ask on a writer's forum or throw me an email at pamelacaves@rocketmail.com.

Peace, happiness, and determination,

Pamela

Since I've been on this journey, I've given advice and I've taken advice.  I am constantly on the lookout for tips and insider info that can help me reach my goals.  And as a content writer, I've written tons of articles on the subject of writing, submitting, and more. 

But as I learn and grow, some of those topics I've written on before I've changed my mind about.  I'll give you two examples below.

-Titles-

I used to tell beginning writers that it didn't matter what you titled your story.  Nine times out of ten, the editor will change it anyway.  While I have had a few editors change titles, I've realized from experience that deciding what to title the story is more important than what I originally made it seem.  I learned this because of a novel I wrote several years ago.  I titled it "Bella Mae" before the whole Twilight thing exploded.  By querying a novel with the name "Bella" in the title after Twilight, it made me look like I was feeding into the whole Twilight frenzy.  Since I changed the title, I've gotten a more positive response with my queries.

-Query letters-

Once upon a time, I was certain there was one particular way to write a query letter.  No other substitution was acceptable.  The more research I did on the subject, though, the more I discovered how very wrong that line of thinking was.

Read this post that I wrote a few months ago that touches on that subject slightly.  It has occurred to me over the last year or so that with every agent or editor comes their own line of thinking when it comes to what should be included in a query letter and how it should be set up.  Now I'm not even gonna dive into how terrible this is to a writer who isn't naturally a salesman (it's just one thing out of many that is unfair) because I'm afraid I might start whining.  But suffice it to say that while I still read query advice, ultimately, I have to go with what works for me and not do the 20 million things that everyone else thinks I should do.  (You can also use the previous sentence in the context of general fiction writing, too.)

I'm constantly learning and growing, as should all writers.  What things have you changed your mind about since you began writing?