I know this is a thing that usually is more organic or is more difficult to pull off, but more and more I'm becoming interested in being a hybrid writer. While I enjoy the Splatter Elf stuff I'm working on and still plan to publish one a month to the best of my ability, I've decided to take a more concerted effort towards traditional publishing. Meaning I'm going to submit to more markets, contests, and the like while also working on longer work that can be hopefully submitted to agents. I know this is not an easy path to take because it involves all the time it takes to be a self-published writer plus all the time it takes to be traditionally published. But in my heart of hearts, I guess this is what I want most as a writer. I want the freedom and flexibility of self-publishing, but I also want to be able to have a group of people that can stand behind me (or in front of me?) with my work.
So I have to figure out how to balance out this new way of progressing forward.
Maybe this is better served for a blog entry,but I'd just like to highlight some things I'd like to do and see what everyone thinks about it.
So these are just some ideas. My hope is to build my Splatter Elf brand from the ground up and experiment with different styles as my self-publishing venture and to write more mainstream fantasy fiction to submit to publishers, agents, and the like. I hope to also have an established group of critique partners that I can go to for help with various projects. I already have a few people I trust and enjoy working with, but I may join a site like Scribophile since I've heard good things about it.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
So I have to figure out how to balance out this new way of progressing forward.
Maybe this is better served for a blog entry,but I'd just like to highlight some things I'd like to do and see what everyone thinks about it.
- Continue to self-publish my Splatter Elf fiction on a monthly basis
- Use my blog/website to release Splatter Elf flash fiction or exclusive fiction to the blog
- Work on longer non-Splatter Elf fiction (novellas or novels) that I can submit to agents; try to submit to at least 10-20 agents a month
- Send out feelers to small presses; submit work to at least 5 small presses a month
- Make a plan to do paid promotions each month for my self-published work
- Become more active on sites like Goodreads, Reddit, and Twitter while continuing to build the Splatter Elf brand on Facebook; continue to join groups with like-minded people on Facebook
- Spend some money to get my longer work in front of an editor to better prepare it for agents
So these are just some ideas. My hope is to build my Splatter Elf brand from the ground up and experiment with different styles as my self-publishing venture and to write more mainstream fantasy fiction to submit to publishers, agents, and the like. I hope to also have an established group of critique partners that I can go to for help with various projects. I already have a few people I trust and enjoy working with, but I may join a site like Scribophile since I've heard good things about it.
Any thoughts or suggestions?