Be Honest: Why are you Really Not Published Yet?

[Kit]

As soon as I can find the beginning of my WIP, I will start posting the story online. It's emerging all out of order. I already have a Blogspot site set up and ready for it, though.

I have little interest in being traditionally published- nor in finishing, for that matter. I'd like to just keep writing as long as the story stays absorbing. Writing is mostly a masturbatory (is that a word?) activity in my viewpoint as opposed to a revenue-generating or product-producing venture.

 

[The Dark One]

I was published in 2010 and again this year, so I guess I'm not a pledge, but you might be interested in my tale nevertheless.

It took me about 18 years to get published. Actually, I'll amend that down to 13, because I didn't start trying until I'd finished my first novel which took 5 years to write. When I finished that first book I thought I'd created a masterpiece...and yet, if I open it up now I can't read two sentences without vomiting blood.

It takes a long time to become a good writer, or at least it took me a long time. You need to relax into your natural voice and discover a way of crafting stories that suits you. But on top of that you need to be able to tell a story that people actually want to read. Anyone can learn to write, but there aren't that many natural storytellers (in my opinion).

At the beginning of this thread, someone seemed to think that once they got their story done it would be just a matter of getting it read. This is far easier said than done. In Australia (where I am) there are about 100,000 unsolicited manuscripts floating around the various slush piles at any one time. Less than one in a thousand of these actually gets published and bugger all of them make any money. I've no idea what the numbers are in the US or the UK, but substantially worse I'd imagine.

You can't just write a good book and expect to get it published (unless your dad owns a publishing company). You've got to be spectacularly good, or spectacularly different, or spectacularly lucky.

The thing that kept me going was that I never stopped believing that I was good and deserved to be published. Maybe some people would have given up after so many rejections over the years, but if you keep writing long enough to find your natural voice then you will dramatically improve your chances of being published in the mainstream.

Treat it as a hobby. Don't start out believing you will quickly find fame or fortune.

That way madness lies.

 

[Jess A]

...because I've never finished a novel.

I have had journalism stuff published, but no novels yet. I will get there! I will keep writing.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Thanks for the reality check, Dark One. In addition, I don't think Bob "R.A." Salvatore would mind me telling you this. His son got published. His nephew did not, even with that connection! (And, yes, Uncle Bob did give his stamp of approval before his nephew submitted queries and such.)

His advice to me was submit my finished story and write the next one.

I'm still trying to figure out what pledge I'm going to commit to...

 

[Philip Overby]

I was published in 2010 and again this year, so I guess I'm not a pledge, but you might be interested in my tale nevertheless.

It took me about 18 years to get published. Actually, I'll amend that down to 13, because I didn't start trying until I'd finished my first novel which took 5 years to write. When I finished that first book I thought I'd created a masterpiece...and yet, if I open it up now I can't read two sentences without vomiting blood.

It takes a long time to become a good writer, or at least it took me a long time. You need to relax into your natural voice and discover a way of crafting stories that suits you. But on top of that you need to be able to tell a story that people actually want to read. Anyone can learn to write, but there aren't that many natural storytellers (in my opinion).

At the beginning of this thread, someone seemed to think that once they got their story done it would be just a matter of getting it read. This is far easier said than done. In Australia (where I am) there are about 100,000 unsolicited manuscripts floating around the various slush piles at any one time. Less than one in a thousand of these actually gets published and bugger all of them make any money. I've no idea what the numbers are in the US or the UK, but substantially worse I'd imagine.

You can't just write a good book and expect to get it published (unless your dad owns a publishing company). You've got to be spectacularly good, or spectacularly different, or spectacularly lucky.

The thing that kept me going was that I never stopped believing that I was good and deserved to be published. Maybe some people would have given up after so many rejections over the years, but if you keep writing long enough to find your natural voice then you will dramatically improve your chances of being published in the mainstream.

Treat it as a hobby. Don't start out believing you will quickly find fame or fortune.

That way madness lies.

Thanks for the insight.

There's a part in the pledge that reads "even if this isn't realistic." I put that in there for a reason. Because realistically, sure, most of us may not get published by 2014. Maybe none of us will. But for anything to succeed you have to have faith in yourself and at least give it a try.

Time and time again on this site I'm reading about people not finishing. That is the main goal that needs to be accomplished so that we can at least finally submit.

The failure isn't really not getting published. It's not making the leap to even try to get published. The pledge, to me anyway, is less about failure and more about fear.

For those of you who are hobbyists or don't really want to do this pledge because it's not realistic, then that's fine. Do your own thing. But for those of us who need the motivation (like I do) I'm glad this has sparked some interest. I think self-publishing is a viable option for most these days. But I think a lot of us want to go to the traditional route, even if it's a path riddled with rejection.

But almost no writer has ever been published their first time out. Each rejection will make you stronger. And with that, maybe, just maybe, you'll be published by 2014.

And then you can share you success with us here.

 

[Kelise]

Well said, Phil.

Realistic or not, whatever gets us to a finished MS is a step ahead for most people.

 

[Penpilot]

I remember a certain I Should Be Writing podcaster saying something to the effect her persistence will outlast many authors more talented than her, and that's why she believes she'll succeed.

 

[Leif GS Notae]

Because the novel as we know it is dying and the readers are getting older with little or no replenishing for customers.

Much like looking at writing as a hobby, you must look at the publishing arm as a business built on a hobby industry these days. You should also look at the self published venture as the "minor leagues", the new way for publishing houses to verify you have an audience and can sell your NEXT greatest book through them.

Book stores are dying. Amazon/B&N/Apple might have a large library of books, but it's their right to remove it from your device if they so choose. There are so many reasons NOT to get published, it'd make your head spin.

That is, if you are looking at this realistically.

 

[Philip Overby]

Because the novel as we know it is dying and the readers are getting older with little or no replenishing for customers.

Much like looking at writing as a hobby, you must look at the publishing arm as a business built on a hobby industry these days. You should also look at the self published venture as the "minor leagues", the new way for publishing houses to verify you have an audience and can sell your NEXT greatest book through them.

Book stores are dying. Amazon/B&N/Apple might have a large library of books, but it's their right to remove it from your device if they so choose. There are so many reasons NOT to get published, it'd make your head spin.

That is, if you are looking at this realistically.

How many threads are there already that talk about the doom and gloom of the publishing industry? This thread is not one.

We're not looking at it realistically. If you go back to my original statement it says "even if this isn't realistic." Let people dream. Let people get motivated.

This isn't about becoming a superstar or giving people some kind of lofty ambition to live up to. It's about finishing. Finishing. From what I understand most of the people haven't finished anything in this thread because of fear. Fear of the publishing industry collapsing. Fear of rejection. Fear of doing anything.

I hope people can at least take from this thread that fear makes you become nothing.

Everyone can argue their philosophies about "it's better to finish something even if it sucks" vs. "why bother finishing something if it sucks." Let those of us that want to finish at least have a goal set.

However, if some of you are fearful for whatever reason (my writing sucks, people hate me, no one buys books), then don't do the pledge. But those of us that do, I swear you will become better for it in some way if you go through with it.

 

[Feo Takahari]

I'm not sure precisely why I'm not published yet. My stories are regularly rejected, so it can be assumed that my writing in some way fails to meet publishers' expectations, but since I usually get form letters, I don't know exactly how it fails.

(Interestingly, though I always get form rejections from science fiction and fantasy publishers, I got a tentative acceptance from the very first romance publisher I ever sent to. I'm currently waiting for it to become a definite acceptance.)

 

[The Dark One]

I had an article published recently in the NSW Writers Centre Magazine called The Importance of Being Rejected: The Destiny Police and the Digital Future. In a nutshell, my concern is that rejection is what hones the raw writer into the finished product. Without rejection, there is no incentive to improve, and if everyone starts self-publishing unrefined drafts, they'll never learn from their mistakes and evolve into the writers they might have become.

I'm not saying I'm a great writer, but I do know I'm infinitely better than I was 13 years ago. Over a hundred rejections later I have had two books published and people take me seriously now.

Everyone is crap when they start. You just have to keep writing long enough to become good.

 

[Jess A]

Because the novel as we know it is dying and the readers are getting older with little or no replenishing for customers.

Much like looking at writing as a hobby, you must look at the publishing arm as a business built on a hobby industry these days. You should also look at the self published venture as the "minor leagues", the new way for publishing houses to verify you have an audience and can sell your NEXT greatest book through them.

Book stores are dying. Amazon/B&N/Apple might have a large library of books, but it's their right to remove it from your device if they so choose. There are so many reasons NOT to get published, it'd make your head spin.

That is, if you are looking at this realistically.

I believe second-hand bookstores still have a purpose. Recycle, re-use, and face-to-face customer service and recommendations.

I do not believe Rupert Murdoch when he says newspapers will ultimately die (I think it was Murdoch who said that). I do not believe anybody who comes to me and brags about their new kindle and how it will take over real, solid books. Books have been around for a very long time. Books will prevail. Technology is a fleeting, evolving thing.

That said, perhaps I am an optimist...or perhaps I refuse to let go of my solid newspaper and my books.

I will certainly look at self-publishing and even as an e-book if need be. I don't care to make money or riches. I just want to share my story with some people, even if it's just a few people. I want to make it the very best that I can and I will try until I get what I bloody well want. If that means a thousand rejections, then so be it - at least I will have learned where to improve.

 

[Leif GS Notae]

How many threads are there already that talk about the doom and gloom of the publishing industry? This thread is not one.

We're not looking at it realistically. If you go back to my original statement it says "even if this isn't realistic." Let people dream. Let people get motivated.

This isn't about becoming a superstar or giving people some kind of lofty ambition to live up to. It's about finishing. Finishing. From what I understand most of the people haven't finished anything in this thread because of fear. Fear of the publishing industry collapsing. Fear of rejection. Fear of doing anything.

I hope people can at least take from this thread that fear makes you become nothing.

Everyone can argue their philosophies about "it's better to finish something even if it sucks" vs. "why bother finishing something if it sucks." Let those of us that want to finish at least have a goal set.

However, if some of you are fearful for whatever reason (my writing sucks, people hate me, no one buys books), then don't do the pledge. But those of us that do, I swear you will become better for it in some way if you go through with it.

Ah, but you are ignoring the one thing that almost everything thinks when they devote so much time to a 100K word WIP: There has to be payoff. We don't work 8 hours a day to feel accomplished, we get paid for it. Some dedicate their lives to writing, but they always expect it will take them to the next level (whatever that next level is).

While your words are pretty, and your meaning is well; we often ignore human reasoning and rationalization when we wonder why we can't finish or why we aren't published yet. If you were knew you were going to be a success, you would finish the project you are working on and move onto the next.

When you boil it all down, it is usually fear that gives you any excuse.

And while I appreciate you using the fear monger card, you have to look at this world and its measures. If one person is afraid of their work not amounting to anything, then my words might resonate with them and get them to either commit more or walk away to apply that skill to something else. Just because you can't get a novel finished doesn't mean you can't turn over a profit through other means (freelancing, article writing, information products, etc).

 

[Leif GS Notae]

I believe second-hand bookstores still have a purpose. Recycle, re-use, and face-to-face customer service and recommendations.

I do not believe Rupert Murdoch when he says newspapers will ultimately die (I think it was Murdoch who said that). I do not believe anybody who comes to me and brags about their new kindle and how it will take over real, solid books. Books have been around for a very long time. Books will prevail. Technology is a fleeting, evolving thing.

That said, perhaps I am an optimist...or perhaps I refuse to let go of my solid newspaper and my books.

I will certainly look at self-publishing and even as an e-book if need be. I don't care to make money or riches. I just want to share my story with some people, even if it's just a few people. I want to make it the very best that I can and I will try until I get what I bloody well want. If that means a thousand rejections, then so be it - at least I will have learned where to improve.

The way the used medium is going, on top of everyone wanting to take up less footprint with physical products, it will be a less viable means to keep the hobby afloat. If you take a look at how software is handling this, you'll understand that companies are going after whatever is losing them money, even if it is something they haven't touched in ten to twenty years.

Do you really think the publishing house is going to enjoy seeing ten copies of Harry Potter used on a shelf that they can't make money from? They'd rather have whomever is going to buy these books through them (digital or otherwise).

This thread, these concerns, they all relate to one thing: The Bottom Line. Payoff, feeling accomplished, getting noticed. You aren't going to throw away your life to not get some recognition for what you do. Fear is a powerful energy, but if you can harness it and push past it to write whatever it is you want to write (whether or not it is your current project or a new one), you can do some amazing things.

 

[Philip Overby]

Let's agree to disagree then. These glass half-full, glass half-empty conversations go in circles.

 

[shangrila]

I haven't finished writing my book.

 

[Leif GS Notae]

Let's agree to disagree then. These glass half-full, glass half-empty conversations go in circles.

*shrugs* Doesn't affect me. I'm about being honest with people and letting them know that they don't have to feel bad by not finishing their projects. It is a brutal world out there and there's tons of work to push your product and get noticed. And no, I have never gotten a book published, so you can take my words with a grain of salt.

 

[Jess A]

*shrugs* Doesn't affect me. I'm about being honest with people and letting them know that they don't have to feel bad by not finishing their projects. It is a brutal world out there and there's tons of work to push your product and get noticed. And no, I have never gotten a book published, so you can take my words with a grain of salt.

Then we as writers shall have to try harder. I don't believe I have anything more to add.

 

[SeverinR]

I do not believe Rupert Murdoch when he says newspapers will ultimately die (I think it was Murdoch who said that). I do not believe anybody who comes to me and brags about their new kindle and how it will take over real, solid books. Books have been around for a very long time. Books will prevail. Technology is a fleeting, evolving thing.

That said, perhaps I am an optimist...or perhaps I refuse to let go of my solid newspaper and my books.

I will certainly look at self-publishing and even as an e-book if need be. I don't care to make money or riches. I just want to share my story with some people, even if it's just a few people. I want to make it the very best that I can and I will try until I get what I bloody well want. If that means a thousand rejections, then so be it - at least I will have learned where to improve.

"Books will prevail. Technology is a fleeting, evolving thing."....I wonder if they said the same thing about scrolls when books came out?

Books will be around for a log time to come, but eventually they will go the way of film and digital cameras. When you can carry a scores of books in a reader without trouble, printed books will "slowly" fade away.
Can't new students can carry a reader with every book they need for a masters degree in it? I believe reference books will be the first to go. But eventually even the rec reader will use a reader.

I believe publishing will have to change with the times, and there will become more e-editors for the e-publishers. I am sure when the printing press came out, there were alot of people printing
horrible writings just because they could. (Kind of like blogging now.)

Printed publishing is still the industry standard and a recognized way of setting amateur writers from the professionals.

 

[Kit]

"
Can't new students can carry a reader with every book they need for a masters degree in it? I believe reference books will be the first to go. But eventually even the rec reader will use a reader.

((Remembers college, going into the University bookstore every quarter and trudging out with a bag 80lb heavier and a wallet $450 lighter))