i've been amazon'd

[nostatic]

Hope no one is too disappointed, but it is a book of poetry/free verse. Mostly about divorce and subsequent dating but fairly abstract. No stories from Nantucket though

Thanks for the props.

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by 911Rob

Ditto!

You guys should start a thread on "how to" write/publish a book?
Very impressive to me!

Good idea.

That will be a very long thread. I am in the thick end of it at the moment. Hope to join this august crowd shortly.

[911Rob]

Cool Dott;
I'd love a thread like that. I've always wanted to write a book, I read so many.
Challenge is, who would read it?

It'll come to me one day.
Teaching the high school kids has been really good for feedback.

What's your book going to be about?

Let's get that thread started............

[dd74]

Originally Posted by 911Rob

Let's get that thread started............

I'm game. For instance, I'd like to know what others think in re. to the future of publishing.

1) Will publishing evolve in the same way as newspapers seem to have been going? That is, electronically, and no longer in traditional paper/book form?

2) How does one make money to sustain their writing when the work is down-loadable?

[CJFusco]

^ NO. Some people like the Kindle, etc., but there's something tangible and symbolic to most people about holding, owning, reading a paper-and-cardboard-and-glue BOOK. Same thing with magazines: most magazines are available for free online, but the magazine industry is booming. You can read online almost any issue of the New Yorker that's ever been published - including the new issue - and yet millions of people still buy it on the newsstand. There's something comforting about a book or a magazine - something decidedly lo-tech and unassuming, and I think that alone sparks something within most people.

A dodgy, obtuse answer, I know, but I think you get what I mean.

[HardDrive]

Can you guys offer up some advice on how to get published? I have some short fiction stories I have written, and I was going to send them off to some monthly magazines. Any thoughts/advice?

[nostatic]

I went the self-publish route. These days it is pretty easy - I used lulu.com. You have a couple of options. The "free" way is to just make it available there. Write, upload, tweak, finished. If you want it to be available more widely, you can either have lulu serve as the publisher or you can become your own publisher (I went that route). For $100 you get an ISBN number and you're then placed in the various distributor channels. Viola - you're published.

As for download vs. hard copy I agree with what CJ said. A significant percentage of the population prefers to hold something other than a computer. Plus screen resolutions still aren't up to snuff for long-term reading. Paper will continue for some time.

[artplumber]

Todd, how about a preview? Not sure if I want to buy it yet. jk.

The renaissance thing is really going on over there. Just not sure it usually includes shootin' and racin'.

[nostatic]

The preview is easy -

http://nostatic.com/blog/free_verse/

The book is a subset of stuff there (the most recent stuff isn't in the book). Something more permanent and "real" about going through the process of editing, formatting and publishing.

Another part of the renaissance thing is here:

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=perilousRelish&view=videos

Well, and here too - I need to edit a book out of these

http://nostatic.com/blog/light/

But right now I gotta quick dicking around and work on a script - for work.

[CJFusco]

As far as getting published goes, I could offer tons of tips. If you have a good idea that will make publishers money, you can get published. To get a contract with a publisher, there is a long-standing, bureaucratic process one must go through: 1) write a one-page query letter to the publisher explaining your idea, how it's unique/profitable, and why you're qualified to write it. If they like that, they may ask to see:2) a proposal package, which is a 30-50 page document that goes into detail with what the book will be, why it will be different than its competitors (which will be analyzed and named specifically), why you're qualified to write this book, and a sample chapter or two. If they like what they see, they will offer you a contract, often with a cash advance. You then: 3) start writing, almost always with a deadline.

There are many books out there that can help you along this process. Believe it or not, the "Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published" was really helpful. The indispensable book, however is "Writer's Market," which comes out in a new edition every year; it is a reference book listing every English-language publisher (and many foreign-language publishers) in the world, organized by genre. This is important, because when one is seeking a contract, one sends MANY query letters. Sure, I got two book contracts, but I sent DOZENS of letters out. My first book earned me a contract on try #15 or 16, my 2nd book earned me a contract on try #1, so you never can tell how long it will take. The best thing to do is to create a letter template and send out a bunch of letters simultaneously. The respondent time varies wildly - I got some rejections within a week... and some rejections and letters showing interest even AFTER the book-in-question was already in stores!

Hope this was helpful. Maybe this should have been the new thread you asked for. I give permission to move this text to a new thread, if anyone sees fit. Also, anyone can contact me for more info/help; I'm happy to help wherever I can.

[911Rob]

Thank-you.
I think you or Todd should cut/paste your posts and put them into a new thread with appropriate title. This is gonna be a great topic.
Thanks again.

[Joe Bob]

Just picked up the bootleg copy.....

[Dottore]

Getting published? There is a lot of good advice out there. Lots of books, websites and blogs. I think the single best book on this is the big Jeff Herman Guide that comes out annually.

Assuming you have an interesting product, the real key to getting published though (in my view) is having a good agent. Agents are now the gatekeepers of the publishing industry, and (at least in the US) it is virtually impossible to get the attention of a good publisher without one.

Finding a good agent in turn involves a lot of research. You really need to find someone with a track record in selling your genre/type of work—and someone that you trust and feel comfortable working with. There are a lot of flakes in this business. Nothing can ruin your career quicker than getting stuck with an agent who has no idea how to get the most out of your book. So hooking up with the right agent is absolutely key.

In my case I spent (lost) almost two years dealing directly with a large publishing house that had purchased a "first look" option for my first novel based on some chapters I sent them a few years ago. This turned out to be a huge mistake on my part. I ended up dealing with a junior editor (the much dreaded junior editor) determined to make his career by re-writing my book. By the time I exposed this charlatan for what he was I was completely fed up with the publishing house and decided to find a decent agent to sell my original manuscript to another house.

So that's where I now am. I have two novels completed that my agent is shopping around for a two book deal. Based on early interest we are very optimistic. A third novel is well underway—and a cookbook also nearing completion.

So I look forward to also being Amazon'd before too long.

[varmint]

Originally Posted by CJFusco

Congrats todd; what is the book about?

Dealing with Amazon.com can sometimes be frustrating. For some reason, the book description on my first book (http://www.amazon.com/Our-Orwell-Right-Left-Importance/dp/1847186025/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237648718&sr=1-1) appeared with no apostrophes at all. Who would read a book description that contained no apostrophes and decide, "hmm I really want to read what this guy has to say"? I have tried contacting Amazon as well as my publisher, but to no avail.

My 2nd book's page seems somewhat perfect, though Shameless plug: http://www.amazon.com/Old-Ghosts-New-England-Travelers/dp/0881508209/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237648821&sr=1-2.

Congrats again, todd. It looks like there are a growing number of published authors on Pelican these days.

i vaguely remember orwell writing an entire book without apostrophes, or maybe it was semi-colons. he thought they were an anachronism.

[varmint]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Hope no one is too disappointed, but it is a book of poetry/free verse. Mostly about divorce and subsequent dating but fairly abstract. No stories from Nantucket though

Thanks for the props.

how are you planning to promote it. any strategies?

i've been continuously in print for ten years in magazines and such. but have a few book ideas that can't get no love from the publishers.

[Moses]

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #136,181 Sweet.

I'm going to order a copy. I'll read it in airports and other public places. "Yeah, I know the author..."

[CJFusco]

Originally Posted by varmint

i vaguely remember orwell writing an entire book without apostrophes, or maybe it was semi-colons. he thought they were an anachronism.

Semi-colons sounds more appropriate. He was a British Modernist who praised clear, direct language - it only makes sense that he would disparage the semi-colon.

Kurt Vonnegut famously argued against semi-colons, stating that the only thing they're good for is proving you've been to college.

Personally, I love the semi-colon, because I love shades of meaning. We're in the postmodern era right now; there is no such thing as a clear, direct answer. The semi-colon provides a way to define sentence meaning that's somewhere between the directness of a period and the rambling ways of the em-dash and the comma. All hail the semi-colon!

[nostatic]

When you're 50 aren't you supposed to get your semi-colon checked?

[CJFusco]

^ Har har.

I got my copy of 8slices today. I've only been able to give it a quick perusal (I have lesson plans to make and papers to correct), but so far I like "nothing" and "breakdown." Nice work.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by varmint

i vaguely remember orwell writing an entire book without apostrophes, or maybe it was semi-colons. he thought they were an anachronism.

Hubert Selby did the same with "Last Exit to Brooklyn." No apostrophes.