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mary rosenblum
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Hello all!
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mary rosenblum
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I hope you've had a good week!
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. Tonight we're talking about
submission and rights. I've published seven novels and more than 60 short
stories and will do my best to answer any questions you have. If you're new
here, remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the
'word bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen in
order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me! Or you can
use /ask and type your question into the regular send bar if that works
better for you..
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mary rosenblum
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I wanted to talk about
submitting and rights again.
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mary rosenblum
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I know we've discussed this
topic before, but I get a lot of questions from LR students and novice
writers alike...
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mary rosenblum
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about what they should submit,
what guidelines actually mean...
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mary rosenblum
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and what they should or should
not sell.
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mary rosenblum
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There is an increasing trend
in online magazines that are just starting up...
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mary rosenblum
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to ask for 'all rights' for
example.
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mary rosenblum
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I think it's simple ignorance
on the part of the newbie publisher...
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mary rosenblum
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but it's a dangerous thing to
say 'yes' to.
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wolf122
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If you enter a writing contest,
and submit a short story with one-year rights, is it hard to resell that
story to a bigger publisher after the year is up?
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mary rosenblum
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Wolf, you can WIN a contest
and not compromise your first rights at all...
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mary rosenblum
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as long as the contest does
not publish the winners.
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mary rosenblum
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Many do not. Some do.
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mary rosenblum
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IF the contest publishes your
winning entry, those ARE your first rights...
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mary rosenblum
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and no you cannot sell them
again.
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mary rosenblum
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This is a caveat about
contests...
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mary rosenblum
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if they do not publish
winners, enter at will!
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mary rosenblum
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If they DO publish winners, do
you want to publish with them?
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sweett
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Do first electronic rights and
first world electronic rights negate a sale to a paper mag?
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mary rosenblum
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That is going to depend
entirely on the magazine, sweett...
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mary rosenblum
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and yes, it probably will.
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mary rosenblum
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I know Gordon Van Gelder,
editor of Fantasy and SF Magazine addressed the issue of electronic...
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mary rosenblum
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publication and first rights
at a panel we shared.
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mary rosenblum
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He said that if the electronic
publication was a small one...a website that wasn't well known...he'd buy
Second Rights for that story and use it.
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mary rosenblum
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If the website was well known,
he would not buy the story.
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mary rosenblum
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Electronic rights are
increasingly overlapping print rights.
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mary rosenblum
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But you DO need to tell an
editor when and where a piece was electronically published before you sign
that contract saying you're selling First Rights!
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wingedwarrior24
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does it ever happen that a mag
pusbishes your story again and get paid again?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh GOODNESS yes, winged! How
DO you think we short story writers make money? LOL.
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mary rosenblum
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Do realize that you own that
story until you die.
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mary rosenblum
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And then your heirs own it.
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mary rosenblum
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I have published some stories
three or four times, getting paid each time.
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mary rosenblum
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Most of the time, you'll sell
to anthologies, but sometimes to other magazines.
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mary rosenblum
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You sell reprint (or
second)rights, or anthology rights.
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ashton
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Hi Mary! Would you consider
Flashquake a small electronic publication? Or is it well known?
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mary rosenblum
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Quite well known, ashton. If
you sell to them, mention it in your cover letters for sure.
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wolf122
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What constitues publishing? If
they post the story online, does that count as published? Or only published
if it goes into a paperback, mag, anthology, etc.?
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mary rosenblum
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To be 'published' is to make
your prose available to the public.
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mary rosenblum
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If that is on a website or in
a magazine, it is published.
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mary rosenblum
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Now if your work appeared on a
critique group website where you have to be a member with a password...
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mary rosenblum
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to read the posted stories
that is NOT published.
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mary rosenblum
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But if YOU post it on YOUR
website, it is published, if your website is open to anyone who googles it.
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geezer
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I received a
"pointers" from LR yesterday on proparing manuscripts. It said to
include your SS#. That is troubling to me.
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mary rosenblum
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Hmmm. Geezer, I think I'll
talk to LR about that. I didn't realize it was still included in that
Pointer.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't do it.
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mary rosenblum
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That used to be ...years
ago...the rule..
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mary rosenblum
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but in this day and age of
identity theft, NEVER expose your SS# to the public...
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mary rosenblum
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and the mail room at a
publisher's is the public.
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mary rosenblum
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No publisher should ever ask
you to put your SS# on a ms.
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sweett
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How would you know if a website
is well known? How do you find out?
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mary rosenblum
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Sweett, just assume that if
you publish something on a website, it is published.
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mary rosenblum
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Now use some common sense
here.
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mary rosenblum
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Let's use the LR website as an
example.
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mary rosenblum
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If you sell me an article and
LR cuts you a check...I have published your article..
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mary rosenblum
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and you cannot claim
otherwise.
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mary rosenblum
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If you send me a review, I
don't pay you for it, and it's up on the website...
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mary rosenblum
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and you sell it to Writers
Digest...
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mary rosenblum
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you can email me, say please
take it down, and I will..
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mary rosenblum
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no need to say a word to WD!
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mary rosenblum
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As long as it's not UP on the
site when the WD version comes out, no one is likely to notice or complain.
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wingedwarrior24
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I've seen websites that publish
but don't pay, any out there that pay?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure. Quite a few, warrior.
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mary rosenblum
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You just have to look for
them.
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butch
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What about a site like
Writing.com? Are you published?
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mary rosenblum
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If it's available to anyone
with Google, you're published.
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mary rosenblum
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Even if the readers have to
pay to subscribe to the site...
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mary rosenblum
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it's the same as being
published in a mag where you have to pay to read.
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wingedwarrior24
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whats the big idea with google
and writing?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, sorry, winged!
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mary rosenblum
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I admit to falling in the
cyber-habit of using 'google' as a generic verb meaning ' to search'.
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mary rosenblum
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I mean that if a website is
open to anyone who stumbles over it with a search engine...
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mary rosenblum
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then the site is public.
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barbg
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if you received a rejection from
a book publisher, and then the editor changes, can you resubmit to the new
editor?
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mary rosenblum
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well, I'd sure try, Barb, and
if they slapped my wrist, I only lost the postage! LOL
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mary rosenblum
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Many houses have a 'once to
the house' policy, but hey, if you don't get caught, who cares?
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mary rosenblum
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Just do NOT say, 'well the
previous editor didn't like this...'
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mary rosenblum
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BAD move.
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wingedwarrior24
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what is genearaly made on a
short story?
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mary rosenblum
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Money you mean, winged?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, WW pays 1000 for a story
under 1000 words, as I recall...
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mary rosenblum
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that's about a buck a word and
about the top of the market for fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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Five cents a word is good pay
for most publishers of short fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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Free or 1 cent a word is quite
common.
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mary rosenblum
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WW is Women's World, by the
way.
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mary rosenblum
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SciFiction, the online
magazine, pays something like 10 cents a word.
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mary rosenblum
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You will not make your living
writing short fiction. Believe me, I have tried! :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Nonfiction pays a lot more.
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mary rosenblum
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Once you have really entered
the pro freelance world...
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mary rosenblum
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you generally get a buck a
word and up.
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. Tonight we're talking about
submission and rights. I've published seven novels and more than 60 short
stories and will do my best to answer any questions you have. If you're new
here, remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the
'word bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen in
order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me! Or you can
use /ask and type your question into the regular send bar if that works
better for you..
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ashton
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Could you explain the whole
anthology thing for me?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure.
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mary rosenblum
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This is how you make decent
money when you sell your story for five cents a word.
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mary rosenblum
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Once you start selling fiction
regularly, you will often be asked by anthology editors...
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mary rosenblum
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if you'd like to include a
particular story in an anthology.
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mary rosenblum
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The pay is a few hundred
bucks, generally...
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mary rosenblum
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but you can do this again and
again.
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mary rosenblum
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I've had two stories that
eventually brought me several thousand dollars that way.
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mary rosenblum
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Remember, this is why you only
sell specific rights...and not your words themselves. (all rights)...
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mary rosenblum
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for the rest of your life, you
can sell the right to publish that story. Again. And again. And again.
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wingedwarrior24
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will publishers who like your
work be able to contact you if you never sold to them?
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mary rosenblum
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Easily, winged. They'll
contact the person who originally published the story, and that editor will
give the person your contact info.
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mary rosenblum
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And once you have published,
you'll probably join the appropriate professional organization...
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mary rosenblum
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SF writers of America, Mystery
Writers, Romance Writers...whatever...
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mary rosenblum
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and the publisher will have
the membership directory of that organization and will contact you.
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mary rosenblum
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I just sold two stories to
anthologies that way in the past two months...you just get contracts and a
request letter in the mail. couple of months ago..
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rosegvr
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I wonder if WW's ever uses the
same author's twice?
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mary rosenblum
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I'm sure they do, rose. Name
recogniztion is a good thing. :-)
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ashton
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How many times can you resell a
story?
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mary rosenblum
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there's no real limit, ashton.
Each contract will have some kind of time limit...
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mary rosenblum
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well, not EVERY contract...but
many.
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mary rosenblum
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They may say that you can't
republish within 6 months of the anthology's release date..
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mary rosenblum
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others will have a
'nonexclusive' contract with no restrictions.
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mary rosenblum
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Theoretically you could sell a
story hundreds of times.
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wingedwarrior24
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about an hour a day wrtiting,
any estimate on how long till you sell regulary?
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mary rosenblum
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It has nothing to do with
time, winged.
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mary rosenblum
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You could write fifteen
minutes a day and sell everything you write.
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mary rosenblum
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You could write six hours a
day and take ten years to make your first sale.
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mary rosenblum
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It has to do with what you
write, not how long you sit in front of your computer.
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rosegvr
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do you tend to sell over and
over to the same publications?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh you bet, rose!
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mary rosenblum
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And that is what you all are
looking for right now...and what I was looking for when I was aspiring
rather than published!
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mary rosenblum
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You are looking for the editor
who reads your story and says...
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mary rosenblum
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I like the way this person
tells a story.
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mary rosenblum
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And buys it, or the next one
you send, or the next...
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mary rosenblum
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Once THAT editor has given you
the break in, your name begins to have value...
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mary rosenblum
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and editors who think your
stories are 'ok', but not super...
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mary rosenblum
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will publish you because their
readers like you, and their readers matter more than their personal taste.
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mary rosenblum
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But right now...you are going
to please one editor's personal taste.
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rosegvr
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Mary is there an 'average' if
one is working hard (for sale)
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mary rosenblum
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what kind of average, rose?
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rosegvr
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time it takes... for sale
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mary rosenblum
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No, and that's a wonderful
question, rose.
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mary rosenblum
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Why IS there no average? Why
IS it so hard?
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mary rosenblum
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There is a reason and it's a
good one to know, because most of us, when we're starting out...
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mary rosenblum
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assume that the reason we get
rejected is that the story wasn't good enough.
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mary rosenblum
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But the reason editors publish
you is that you sell issues of the magazine so that they get to keep their
jobs.
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mary rosenblum
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When you are a nobody, unpublished,
you will sell ONLY to your mom.
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mary rosenblum
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The editor has NO reason to
publish you.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...the editor wants to buy
the first story from the next Stephen King.
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mary rosenblum
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Because most of us are very
loyal to the editor who gave us our first break.
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mary rosenblum
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I sent all my SF to Gardner
Dozois at Asimov's first, and he bought most of it, and I sold a lot of
magazines for him. He bought my first story.
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mary rosenblum
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So when you are a newbie with
nothing to sell the magazine, you have to please THAT editor.
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mary rosenblum
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An editor will buy my work
even if he doesn't particularly like it because I'll sell magazines for
him.
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mary rosenblum
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But if you can't sell
magazines for him, he must really like THIS story.
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mary rosenblum
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So you have to connect to the
editor who LOVES your style and storytelling.
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mary rosenblum
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Which is why you must keep
sending your work out even if it is rejected.
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mary rosenblum
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This editor didn't love it but
the next one might.
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mary rosenblum
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And once you start selling,
this is less of an issue.
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mary rosenblum
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NOW your name has value,
especially if you get good reviews. :-)
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wingedwarrior24
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whe you say editors buying
stories, do they work for the mag or anthology?
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mary rosenblum
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Depends on what they're editor
of, winged.
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mary rosenblum
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Editors work for publishers
and the rules for them are the same...
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mary rosenblum
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this publication needs to make
us money.
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rosegvr
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If you get good, is it poss to
sell one story a month?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh Goodness yes, I did much
better than that when I was writing a LOT of short fiction!
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christylle
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what if you dont want to write
for a magazine but only books
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mary rosenblum
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It's a bit different,
chrisylle, but not much.
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mary rosenblum
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Pretty much the same rules
apply...
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mary rosenblum
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if you are a new writer, the
editor your book ms to must LOVE the book and be SURE that it will sell
well.
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mary rosenblum
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And that editor has more on
the line than a magazine editor...
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mary rosenblum
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who will put your new story
into an issue with others most likely, or will be dealing with only one
story out of twelve or so in a year.
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mary rosenblum
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If your book loses money, the
editor's reputation will suffer...
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mary rosenblum
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so here, it's even more of a
'you must connect with the right editor' rule.
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mary rosenblum
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Which again, is why you want
to keep your book circulating.
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rosegvr
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Is it easier to get a book pub.
if youve sold stories 1st?
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mary rosenblum
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It helps. A little name
recognition makes the editor happier...
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mary rosenblum
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but short story readers are
not always book readers, so it's not a big deal if you haven't published
short fiction first.
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wolf122
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At what pace of producing
stories (either short stories or novels) would you have to meet to not work
a second job and live (relatively) comfortably?
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mary rosenblum
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Again, it's not numbers
produced, wolf, it's entirely a matter of sales.
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mary rosenblum
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If you write the next Harry
Potter and you're happy living a modest life and good at saving, you can
retire after two books...for life!
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mary rosenblum
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How much do you need to live
on?
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mary rosenblum
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Your advance can range from
2000
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mary rosenblum
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to 200,000 or more.
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mary rosenblum
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King and Nora Roberts, folk
like that, get seven figure contracts...
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mary rosenblum
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and the majority of fiction
writers get four or five figure advances!
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rosegvr
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Is it okay to send out even if
you aren't great yet?
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mary rosenblum
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If you mean, is it okay to
send your work out if you think it still has problems...
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mary rosenblum
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well, think of your submission
as a job interview.
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mary rosenblum
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If you show up in dirty jeans
a ripped t shirt and ratty sneakers for a sales job, will you get it?
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mary rosenblum
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If you send poorly written ms
to editors, pretty soon they KNOW your work is lousy and don't bother to
read it.
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mary rosenblum
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If you send something YOU are
proud of, and it's not quite up to the standard the editor wants...
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mary rosenblum
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she thinks, hmmm, close, I'll
watch this one.
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mary rosenblum
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And if the next one is even
closer, Ms Editor thinks, gee, I don't want this one to get away, she'll
sell pretty soon...
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mary rosenblum
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and when the next one is
really ALMOST perfect...she buys it.
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. Tonight we're talking about
submission and rights. I've published seven novels and more than 60 short
stories and will do my best to answer any questions you have. If you're new
here, remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the
'word bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen in
order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me! Or you can
use /ask and type your question into the regular send bar if that works
better for you..
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Your work does not have to be
perfect...
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mary rosenblum
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but it needs to be good enough
that you REALLY think it could sell there.
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wingedwarrior24
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when rejeted, do you rewrite the
same story and send again?
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mary rosenblum
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well, I don't rewrite the
story, winged, I just send it somewhere else.
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mary rosenblum
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You have no idea why your
story was rejected.
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mary rosenblum
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The editor won't tell you that
your story was GREAt, but he just bought the identical story idea from
another writer and can't use two.
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mary rosenblum
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If you rewrite it, you might
ruin that perfect story.
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mary rosenblum
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If the editor tells you...'the
ending was stupid'...
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mary rosenblum
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then look at the ending!
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mary rosenblum
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But a generic rejection tells
you NOTHING.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't rewrite unless YOU think
the story needs it.
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mary rosenblum
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Now any time an editor takes
the time to tell you what he/she thinks is wrong...or say ANYTHING to you
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mary rosenblum
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on that rejection slip...
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mary rosenblum
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that editor is saying to
you...'I think I'm going to be buying from you, so keep working'.
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mary rosenblum
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Nearly every editor uses the
generic 'not right for us at this time' rejection.
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mary rosenblum
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But nearly every publisher has
another 'don't darken our door' slip, too!
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mary rosenblum
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Something like...'take a
writing course'.
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mary rosenblum
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So if you don't get that, then
they're happy to get work from you again.
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rosegvr
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Did you ever get one of those
Mary?
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mary rosenblum
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What, rose? A generic or a
don't darken the door?
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mary rosenblum
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No, I"ve never gotten the
'don't darken out door' type,..
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mary rosenblum
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but of course I got plenty of
the generics.
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mary rosenblum
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Everyone does!
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mary rosenblum
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I don't now...well, I do, but
it's handwritten by the editor. LOL
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mary rosenblum
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Professional courtesy.
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rosegvr
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How many years did it take you
to get there ?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, I probably beat the
average considerably. I started writing and sending out seriously in 88,
sold a story that year, sold a couple more...didn't actually see anything
in print until 90, talk about frustration...
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mary rosenblum
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but from then on I sold pretty
steadily...
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mary rosenblum
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I was writing short fiction
nearly full time, so I had a lot of stuff out.
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labtek2
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I got a rejection that said they
enjoyed my story but it
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mary rosenblum
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But it wasn't what they were
looking for or a variation on that theme, lab?
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mary rosenblum
|
That means it was in the
ballpark, but the editor just didn't want to buy it.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
That's a 'generic'.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Not bad, not good, just no
thanks.
|
|
labtek2
|
duplicated a story and they
tried to use it elsewhere but
|
|
labtek2
|
couldn't
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Oh WAY cool, lab!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
That's VERY different.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
That means you HAVE connected
with this editor.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
He/she DOES like what you
write.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Send appropriate stories there
first, if it's a good market. :-)
|
|
rosegvr
|
I'm guessing being a LR students
gives us a little boost
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It gives you a boost in that
you're learning a lot more faster than you would on your own.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It will give you a boost if
the editor knows about the school...there are tons of 'fake' writing
schools out there...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Most of the SF publishers know
about LR because they know that I teach for it.
|
|
rosegvr
|
But it's still a matter of luck,
talent AND hard work?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
The talent and hard work are
the necessities. The luck makes it happen faster or slower.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I was lucky in that the editor
who loved my early stories happened to be the top SF editor.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
So I got lots of reviewer
attention early.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It would have taken me longer
to become a name if I'd broken in with a small press mag.
|
|
wingedwarrior24
|
sudents of lg-- got the talent?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
YOu have to have the ability to
write publishable prose to even get in to the LR course winged...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
but the ability and DRIVE to
write seriously is more than just ability.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I have had several VERY
talented students who just stopped writing...
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|
mary rosenblum
|
wasn't what they wanted to do.
Could have banged their heads against the wall...good thing we do this by
mail! LOL
|
|
rosegvr
|
I got in 10 years ago but wasn't
ready for the rejection
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Lessee, rose, did I send you
to read that 'solicit 100 rejection slips' article?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Go do it.
|
|
madhatter
|
How many novels (I have one)
before reviewers take notice?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
That depends on who published
you, mad.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Reviewers get books from
publishers and agents and authors.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Some reviewers review only
books from traditional houses, some review only hardcover...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Booklist, Kirkus, NYTimes are
the biggies.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You REALLY want a good review
in those three.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And you WILL see a difference
in sales.
|
|
rosegvr
|
I'd love a copy of the article
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It's on the website, rose. :-)
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It's in Work Habits that Help
You...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
in Surviving and Thriving.
READ IT
|
|
madhatter
|
small independent press, Mary
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
That's a toughie, mad. I'd
send copies to big newspapers and the big three I mentioned with a VERY
catchy cover letter...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
big reviewers rarely bother
with small press unless something catches their eye.
|
|
rosegvr
|
U hv many students, how wide
does a group vary in ability?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Pretty wide, rose, but I have
had very few sudents who weren't capapble of writing a publishable ms by
the end of the course...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
like about three.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Now not all did. I can't MAKE
people do the work it takes to get better.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But if they had wanted to,
they would have done just fine.
|
|
wingedwarrior24
|
I have one story that I would
like to sell, should i wait till i write them regulary to make a name for
myself?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you want to sell that story
work on making it wonderful and sell it.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
The story will sell itself.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Your name will never sell a
bad story...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
yes big names can publish
something that you couldn't break in with...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
but an editor friend of mine
just turned down a Ray Bradbury story.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Names don't matter if the
story is bad.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. Tonight we're talking about
submission and rights. I've published seven novels and more than 60 short
stories and will do my best to answer any questions you have. If you're new
here, remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the
'word bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen in
order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me! Or you can
use /ask and type your question into the regular send bar if that works
better for you..
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Remember that whether you're
writing a short story or a novel...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
fiction is subjective. What
one editor thinks is dynamite, another thinks is so-so and they really...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
can't predict what the readers
will do.
|
|
rosegvr
|
What 3 things do most students
need to get better?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Hmm...good question,
rose...PUT me on the spot. LOL
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Okay...the three biggest
weaknesses I see in novice ms:
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
1: poor characterization
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
2; lack of 'show, don't tell'
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
3; cluttered prose.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I order of importance, by the
way.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Now that's fiction, not
nonfiction.
|
|
rosegvr
|
interesting that it's not weak
beginnings or ending
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Nah, beginings and ends are
easy to fix.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
The three things I mentioned
affect EVERYTHING.
|
|
wingedwarrior24
|
can you defien 'cluttered
prose'?
|
|
speckledorf
|
Cluttered prose?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
too many words, folks.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
That is SUCH a common problem.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Using ten words when four
would do.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
My first book editor was GREAT
at that...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
she could remove 20% of my
words and I couldn't tell what she had changed...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
that's how I learned!
|
|
speckledorf
|
Ah....I don't do clutter:-)
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
No, you don't. :-)
|
|
rosegvr
|
too many adverbs and adjectives
right?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Just too many words altgether!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Read Zinsser's On Writing
Well: Clutter and Simplicity.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And apply! :-)
|
|
labtek2
|
If you sell something that has
"all rights" what is that?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Lab that is a big no no. YOu
are selling your actual words.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You can never NEVER use them
again.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Remember my talk about
anthologies? No can do.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You no longer own those words.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You sell specific rights.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
First world electronic rights.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Now, after it has been
published on THAT website...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
you can sell it to me for LR.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And then to another
website...and another...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You just sold them the right
to publish you electronically first.
|
|
ladybug
|
What are the weaknesses in
nonfiction, Mary?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Oh, nonfiction is actually a
breeze, craft-wize, lady, compared to fiction.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
MUCH easier to break into.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
THE, THE, THE biggest weakness
in NF is 'wrong slant'!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
The writer sends the editor
something that the magazine can not use.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Second is 'too broad'...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
nonfiction requires a VERY
narrow topic.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And yes, before I did fiction,
I did NF...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I'm good at it, I just prefer
teaching to writing NF.
|
|
wingedwarrior24
|
publishing book's, does that
requir full rights?>
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Book rights are very specific
and if your agent gives away all rights you should shoot him/her! LOL
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You have (and do NOT give
away) book club rights, foreign language rights (have brought me lots of
money!), MOVIE rights...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You must use an agent if you
deal with traditional NY publishers.
|
|
madhatter
|
Is it a good idea to sell the
movie rights? or a percentage?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Don't EVER sell movie rights
to anyone but Hollywood and you get a Hollywood agent first.
|
|
ladybug
|
Targeting a specific audience is
the key!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
No kidding, lady. Read my
interview with Melanie Snyder. She is a graduated student of mine who is on
the verge of supporting...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
herself with NF writing...gets
assignments from editors etc, only 2 years after LR...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
and she had a lot to say about
her mistakes there.
|
|
labtek2
|
Can I hold you to that? lol
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Is that on NF is easier to
break into? Yep.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you get slant down you can
sell tomorrow.
|
|
wingedwarrior24
|
is an agent only for novels?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Yes, winged.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You don't need an agent for
short stories and why pay them for what you don't need? Besides, agents
won't usually do short stories...not enough money.
|
|
rosegvr
|
Mary LR inst. tell us when we
are ready to submit?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Well, I can't speak for any
instructor but myself.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
As soon as I think a student's
work could sell, I lean on that student to send it out...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
and I usually have a specific
market suggestion,
|
|
wingedwarrior24
|
if you have a bestseller on your
hands and dont know it and go through small press, what happens?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
A best seller is a book that
is a best seller, winged. :-)
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
There are many EXCELLENT books
that SHOULD be bestsellers that never were. Why?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If anybody can figure that one
out, they can write their own paycheck for selling that info!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
The market is utterly
whimsical.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Why did HP do so well when
other 'wizard school' books publisher in previous years did not?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And yes, they were just as
well written...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
there is a 'brass ring' factor
in publishing.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Will YOU be the one to grab
that brass ring and make BIG bucks?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Maybe.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Maybe not.
|
|
rosegvr
|
How many ask for all rights
(percentage)?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Many small publishers do,
mostly website publishers, I think because it's so easy....no legal
problems later.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Just offer them first world
rights.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Say no to all rights.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You CAN change contracts you
know.
|
|
rosegvr
|
what is most 1 student of yours
sold while at LR (2, 3?)
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Gosh, rose, I don't keep that
kind of record, but I know Melanie had sold four or five things by the time
she graduated, and another student of mine is on seven and just sold three
NF articles...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
and lots sell AFTER they
graduate.
|
|
wingedwarrior24
|
I was wondering if a bigger
publisher picks it up
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
almost never.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
YOu rarely make the sales
numbers in small press or print on demand to tempt a NY publisher.
|
|
ashton
|
How would you go about changing
the contract?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Simple. You take a pen, cross
out 'all rights' and write above it 'first world rights'. I initial the
margin, too, just to make it even more legal.
|
|
ashton
|
Off topic here: Have you ever
met Stephen King?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
NO, he doesn't do writers
conferences.
|
|
rosegvr
|
You say sell '1st World' instead
of '1st N American?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
No, rose. First world instead
of 'all rights'.
|
|
labtek2
|
Did I hear you say LR publishes
articles from students?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I didn't say that. I have
published a couple of articles by studnets on the LR website...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
in fact I have one I just
bought from a student...his Assignment Three...on how to publish an e book
for free.
|
|
rosegvr
|
So not 1st N American instead of
'all" - first World..okay
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
The reason I suggest first
world instead of all..
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
is that many website
publishers are asking for 'all' to cover electronic rights...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
and some of 'em don't realize
what they're asking for.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
First world rights should do
it...and you can always write; first world prose and electronic rights...
|
|
rosegvr
|
How many LR S's pub. something
before graduation? (Est.)
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
The ones who WANT to rose,
nearly always publish either before or soon after graduation.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Many students don't WANT to.
|
|
rosegvr
|
Really? Why is that Mary?
Intimidated?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Some find out it's too much
work. Others just can't deal with the idea of rejection slips. Others are
just donig family memoirs..I steer them to iUniverse.
|
|
wingedwarrior24
|
defiene, electronic rights
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
publication online.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
or in electronic form...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
ie ebook.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
on CD rom, for example.
|
|
rosegvr
|
It IS a lot of work.. have to
love it.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It is a LOT of work...too much
for most people, to be honest, and not enough money.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You really have to be one of
those nutcases who just can DO anything else.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I'm guilty. LOL
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Well this has been a fun
Oregon hour.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I'm in scene two of a new
mystery story, so I'm going to get back to work! LOL
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I'll post the transcript in
the usual place...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Writing Craft: Forum
Transcript
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Do join us on Sunday for our
open chat...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
and we can talk more about
writing life and publishing!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I'll be there this Sunday...no
dog show!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Didn't make it last week.
|
|
owlybear
|
Smaller weekly newspapers are a
good place to start getting published...It' s worked for me so far...Now
I'm more confindent in my writing to submit to magazines... :-)
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I hope you're more confidant,
owly, I've been kicking your backside for what...two years????
|
|
owlybear
|
LOL...at least that long...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
No kidding!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
This man has been publishing
just about everything he writes in the papers..
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
can I get him to try the mags?
Noooo.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And you're GOOD you know. The
papers are NOT buying your work out of charity, ahem.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Having chastized owly
sufficiently, :-), I had better go post this.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Have a good weekend, all. See
you on Sunday!
|