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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 had a good week and
are enjoying the fall!
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mary rosenblum
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I'm feeling very sorry for
myself tonight...my new large screen monitor died last night..
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mary rosenblum
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so I'm using my VEEERRRY small
old one.
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mary rosenblum
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Sigh.
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mary rosenblum
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Running the stage requires
several screens, you see.
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mary rosenblum
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So if I'm a bit slower than
usual, I'm switching from overlapped screen to overlapped screen!
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owlybear
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Mary..it's closer to winter up
here..fall happened a month ago..we're not in the banana belt like you
people...
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mary rosenblum
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owly, I love Canada and would
love to live there...except for one thing.
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mary rosenblum
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Your weather!
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tkat_2
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not good :( bet you miss the
large monitor huh?
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mary rosenblum
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Oooh...I really really really
appreciate it now! LOL
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owlybear
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ya..but we have great medical
coverage...
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mary rosenblum
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good for treating frostbite!
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coway
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how large is your large monitor?
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mary rosenblum
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BIG. I don't remember the
measure.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, let's get to the topic
here!
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mary rosenblum
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I wanted to talk about the
whole editing/publishing process...what goes on AFTER you sell your story
or article.
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mary rosenblum
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Because a lot of people have
questions, concerns, and incorrect assumptions about the whole process.
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mary rosenblum
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Essentially...to answer the
question I get asked all the time and usually in tones of hushed horror...
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, and editor IS going to
change your words. That's what editors DO.
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mary rosenblum
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They are not there just to cut
you a check. And the accounting department does that anyway.
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mary rosenblum
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Their first task is to choose
a strong story or an article that will be worth their readers' dollars.
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mary rosenblum
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Their next task is to make
that article or story as powerful as possible.
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mary rosenblum
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And editors are people who
spend THEIR 40 hour work week working with words.
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mary rosenblum
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Most of them are rather good
at it. ;-)
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mary rosenblum
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There are writers out there
who will rage and storm about editors and how they RUINED their perfect
prose..
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mary rosenblum
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but most of those that I know
personally...and there aren't that many...
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mary rosenblum
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are the touch-me-not type who
blow up if you mention that they used translate three times in the same
sentence and don't want a single article changed.
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wolf122
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What type of revisions do you
ask authors to make the most of? Grammer, spelling, word choice, etc. . .
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mary rosenblum
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Generally, editing is in two
stages, wolf.
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mary rosenblum
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Your editor will read your ms
and line edit as he goes...fixing grammar, punctuation, tightening your
prose by dropping excess words, fixing passive voice...
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mary rosenblum
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and so forth. Then he will
make a list of content problems he wants you to address.
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mary rosenblum
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Your hero drives a green
pickup on page34 and a blue pickup on page 235.
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mary rosenblum
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When he walks away from the
bar fight, it's not clear that it's because he knows his brother is
watching...the reader will be confused, fix it..
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mary rosenblum
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Those kind of problems.
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mary rosenblum
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You get the line edited ms and
the list of 'fix it please' questions back via Fed Ex usually.
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mary rosenblum
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Now you fix the content
problems or call the editor back (or email) to argue...and you either
approve or change the line edits.
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mary rosenblum
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Then you send the whole thing
back.
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mary rosenblum
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NOW the editor turns it over
to the copy editor if you're with a traditional publisher. Many small press
don't use copy editors, alas.
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mary rosenblum
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This is a nitpicky grammar
person who finds any tiny grammer and logic errors your editor (who was
editing for content, too) might have missed.
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mary rosenblum
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The copy editor sends you a
list of logic errors (that pesky pickup is yellow on page 78 and you and
your editor missed it)...
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mary rosenblum
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and line edits for grammar.
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mary rosenblum
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You fix the final logic
errors, check the copy editing, and send it back.
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mary rosenblum
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Now it goes into production
and you get the other half of your advance.
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mary rosenblum
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Half on acceptance, half on
completion of the final edit.
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mary rosenblum
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You will only see the ms one
more time and that is when you get page proofs or galleys.
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mary rosenblum
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That is your LAST chance to
check for missed lines, typos, and the like.
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barbg
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If the editor likes your book,
do they just send a contract?
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mary rosenblum
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Normally they will send you an
acceptance letter first, barb. The contracts department can be slow...
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mary rosenblum
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and if you have an agent, the
contract may go back and forth a half dozen times. I turned in my final
edit to my publilsher for one book before I had actually signed the
contract.
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mary rosenblum
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My agent was fighting for e
rights with Random House and it took six months!
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ashton
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So if I make punctuation errors,
that's okay...they fix it?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, but if you make a TON and
your ms is sloppy the editor will assume you can't write either!
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mary rosenblum
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The occasional misspelling,
grammar mistake, misplaced comma is fine. A real mess is not.
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coway
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do magazins ilke Talebnes, do
this too? IF they decide to publish mine ..hey they can change it some :)
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mary rosenblum
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Some magazines show you
galleys some do not. Asimov's sends out galleys to authors. Ellery Queen
does not.
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mary rosenblum
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Every editor WILL make changes
to your ms.
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mary rosenblum
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That is his or her job.
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mary rosenblum
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Believe me, we are never
perfect. We may think we are, but perfect is a subjective state in writing.
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mary rosenblum
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They do not have to ask you
about content changes, but generally, the editor will ask you to change the
content before he or she agrees to buy the story.
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wolf122
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What percent passive sentences
is considered ok in a novel (250ish pages)?
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mary rosenblum
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As few as you can possibly get
away with wolf.
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mary rosenblum
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Hey, if you put your car up
for sale are you going to get more money for it...
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mary rosenblum
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if it's clean, shiny, waxed to
a gleam or covered in mud, rust spots and dog vomit on the carpet?
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mary rosenblum
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Don't forget. Your words are
in the slush pile with maybe 300 others.
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mary rosenblum
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Work at learning to write
tight.
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mary rosenblum
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Editors are word people.
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mary rosenblum
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they love good craft and will
read longer if your prose really impresses them as to quality.
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. 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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Tonight we're talking about
the editing process..after the sale!
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writermom
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where can I get one of those I
could use them befor I submit
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mary rosenblum
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I'm laughing, writermom. You
mean a copy editor?
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mary rosenblum
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Actually, I have a few
students who are not native English speakers but who tell great stories...
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mary rosenblum
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and I have suggested that they
contact their local community college..
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mary rosenblum
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and hire an English major to
edit their stuff for grammar and language.
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realityczech
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Could you expand on the
statement "they do not have to ask you about content changes"
please? Small content, such as words and phrases--or large content, such as
the male protagonist is now female, or the African love story is now taking
place in Canada?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, reality, ethical editors
will ask you before they make a change that alters your story.
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mary rosenblum
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Tightening your prose is not changing
your story.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT if it is not specified in
your contract that you get to approve changes...they don't have to.
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mary rosenblum
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And I have never seen a
contract where approval is guaranteed.
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mary rosenblum
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So yes, they could alter your
ending and change your story.
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mary rosenblum
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Would he/she do it?
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mary rosenblum
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Probably not. The pro writers
would start boycotting the magazine instantly.
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mary rosenblum
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But I have heard of small
press editors doing that now and again.
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mary rosenblum
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An editor some years
ago...small press...added a beat of violence to a story I sent her that I
didn't think really belonged there..
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mary rosenblum
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but it didn't harm the story
and it was minor enough I didn't get bent out of shape over it.
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mary rosenblum
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But I didn't send her any more
work, either.
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wolf122
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Aret there any approaches in how
an agent brings a script to you that an author wouldn't know/do?
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mary rosenblum
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I'm not sure what you're
asking, wolf. Unless this is a hollywood thing, agents don't bring scripts
to you.
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speckledorf
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As an editor of Futures, we were
told to NEVER make changes to a story. We could remove small excess words
to make it read tighter but anything major had to be approved by the
author.
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mary rosenblum
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That's pretty standard for the
magazine market. If an editor wants a change in a short story, I'll get it
back with a request for the change but the editor..
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mary rosenblum
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hasn't bought it or even
promised to buy it.
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info
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if you decide to do so, could
you go back on a contract if the editor does alter your story in any way? Or
is it a once signed, done deal type of thing?
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mary rosenblum
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Weeellll...if you didn't
specify approval in the contract, you don't have a real strong legal leg to
stand on...
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mary rosenblum
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and it wouldn't be worth the
court cost. But if you threw a fit, I'm sure they'd let you out of the
contract. Long as you're not Stephen King.
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wolf122
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Sorry, not scripts--novels from
clients they are representing. Will you look at a novel brought to you from
an agent different than an author?
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mary rosenblum
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I'm still not quite sure what
you're asking? I don't edit actually, but novel editors mostly look at
novels brought by agents, only in SF will major publihsers look at
unagented books.
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mary rosenblum
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And magazine editors will look
at material from agents, but why bother?
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ashton
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They can't add cussing without
permission, Right?
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mary rosenblum
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They should not add something
like that, ashton, without asking you.
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mary rosenblum
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That is something that almost
never happens in major magazines or publishing houses.
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mary rosenblum
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It can happen with small
presses, but again, not very often.
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mary rosenblum
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Usually, the editor asks you
to review their changes.
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mary rosenblum
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I just got my edited story
back from storyhouse, the coffee label publisher. They wanted me to initial
every page! Talk about overkill! LOL
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mary rosenblum
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All they did was line edit
stuff and not much of that.
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mary rosenblum
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Email is making that much more
doable than it used to be.
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tory
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Is it aslikely in a book that
they would make changes that alter the story w/l telling you?
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mary rosenblum
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Much less likely, tory.
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mary rosenblum
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Editing a novel is a BIG
project that takes weeks.
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mary rosenblum
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More money and risk is
involved and you the author play a much greater role in it.
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tory
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Mary--after they send a list of
"fix its" and corrected ms, do you send back a clean copy
w/revisions and do they recheck it again?
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mary rosenblum
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I usually send back a clean
copy with the editorial changes addes. That saves my editor time later and it
keeps the page numbering intact as I do the content changes.
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mary rosenblum
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I have always been friends
with my various editors, we have always worked as a team.
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ashton
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Would getting an agent be better
than doing things yourself?
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mary rosenblum
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If you are publishing in the
book market with traditional publislhers, you will have to get an agent,
ashton.
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mary rosenblum
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If you are e-publishing or
going with a small press house or a POD like iUniverse, you don't
necessarily need an agent...
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mary rosenblum
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and most agents don't really
want to handle those because there is not enough money in it.
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ashton
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How does a cover get made? Do
YOU design it or them?
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, you WISH, ashton. LOL.
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mary rosenblum
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Covers are the biggest 'horror
story' topic of conversation at any writers conference!
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mary rosenblum
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You have NO, ZERO input on
your cover.
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mary rosenblum
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And lord help your sales if it
is awful!
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ashton
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How do you go about finding an
agent and do you pay them up front or once the book deal has been
established?
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mary rosenblum
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You go the Association of
Authors Representatives Homepage and read their FAQ page...which is a basic
education in how to find the right agent...
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mary rosenblum
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and how NOT to get a scam
artist. An agent should belong to the AAR. They have to sign a code of
ethics to join.
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mary rosenblum
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AAR Homepage
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mary rosenblum
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And you pay nothing up front
ever ever EVER.
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mary rosenblum
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That is the sure sign of a con
artist.
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mary rosenblum
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When my publisher pays me...
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mary rosenblum
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Tor, or Del Rey, or Putnam
writes the check to my agent.
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mary rosenblum
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I never even see it.
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mary rosenblum
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She deducts her 15% fee and
sends me a check from her business account.
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mary rosenblum
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I get a tax form from her at
the end of the year detailing my income.
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mary rosenblum
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This is why you want an honest
agent, LOL.
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mary rosenblum
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One of the reasons!
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor, talking about the editing process
after you sell. 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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tory
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Do you get any documentation
from the publishing company re: sales stats, etc.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes. Every four or six months,
depending on the publisher, you get a statement of sales, listing your
advance, the sales, the royalties charged against the advance...
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mary rosenblum
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and when you 'sell through', or
pay off your advance...
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mary rosenblum
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you will get a royalty check
about three weeks later.
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ashton
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How did Stephen King get a great
cover for The Dreamcatcher? Who designs them and do they try and make the
covers sutiable for the content?
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mary rosenblum
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I have heard that Stephen King
can okay his covers, but you won't get to.
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mary rosenblum
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Not with a traditional house. That
is the art department's job and they simply ask the editor for a good scene
and pass that to the artist to use.
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mary rosenblum
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A good artist will read the
book, but many do not.
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mary rosenblum
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Now artists do tend to care
about their work. I've had artists contact me with questions about details.
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mary rosenblum
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But some don't.
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mary rosenblum
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Now in small press markets,
you can often become personally involved iwiht the cover art.
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mary rosenblum
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Do listen to experienced
people though.
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mary rosenblum
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The cover sells the book first
and there are a lot of things that influence a browser's reaction to your
cover.
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ashton
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Why do I see some books with
covers that change periodically?
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mary rosenblum
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Those are re-issues, ashton.
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mary rosenblum
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Your book can be reprinted
many times if the sales are steady.
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mary rosenblum
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Sometimes the marketing
department will pay to put a new cover on a printing hoping to stimulate
new sales.
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mary rosenblum
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A fresh eyecatching cover will
often boost sales.
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coway
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ouch, if they don't read the
book how can they make a cover that looks like the subject matter inside?
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mary rosenblum
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This is why you hope they read
the book and why you hear all the horror stories at conferences, coway! LOL
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info
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not sure if you would know the
answer to this but if you are working on something that illustration would
fit, do the editors insist upon using their illustrators or can I as the
writer insist upon finding my own?
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mary rosenblum
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You can SUGGEST someone, but
you have no control in a traditional house. In small press, they'd probably
be delighted to have you help out!
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mary rosenblum
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Now I did get the art contract
for my hardcover collection awarded to my artist friend, Elizabeth Bourne.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...she had to submit her
portfolio to the art director and he had to hire her first.
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mary rosenblum
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I've suggested illustrations
to magazine editors at times and once or twice they have listened to me.
;-)
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realityczech
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There are still a number of book
publishers that accept unagented manuscripts. Do you still advise getting an
agent when submitting to these houses?
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mary rosenblum
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Not at all, reality.
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mary rosenblum
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Most agents will handle a very
limited number of unpublished writers...if any.
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mary rosenblum
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You will have a much greater
selection of GOOD agents if you have a contract in hand.
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mary rosenblum
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All an agent can do for you as
an unpublished writer...
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mary rosenblum
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is to get you an answer sooner
than it will come if you send it in over the transom (ie unagented).
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coway
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If a magazine's takig longer
this time to respond back, is that usually bad? For instance, if editor
sent note and didn't accept story but asked you to please send another one?
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mary rosenblum
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That can mean that it got lost
or it can mean that the editor is holding it, waiting for a slot where she
can fit a new writer...in a strong issue.
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mary rosenblum
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Slower than normal is often
good.
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mary rosenblum
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AND...if you submit to an
anthology market...
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mary rosenblum
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they will reject you quickly
if they don't want you...
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mary rosenblum
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but if you have a chance,
they'll hold you and the other candidates until after the anthology closes.
So no news there is good news.
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ashton
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What about copyright laws...what
do you have to do about that, if anything?
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mary rosenblum
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That should be spelled out in
your contract, ashton. Big publishers may register the copyright, or you
can do it, or not.
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mary rosenblum
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You OWN the copyright.
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mary rosenblum
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Registering it is only useful
if you anticipate a law suit.
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mary rosenblum
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Go read my interview with
Daniel Stevens, the publishing lawyer in Surviving and Thriving: Intervew
Transcripts.
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mary rosenblum
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He talked about that a lot.
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realityczech
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Could you give us a quick
rundown of editing jobs and what they entail (i.e. copy editing, line
editing, etc.)?
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mary rosenblum
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Editing is content and
language. Copy Editing is grammar and logic errors.
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mary rosenblum
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Line editing simply means
tightening prose without changing content. Everybody does that!
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mary rosenblum
|
This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor, talking about the editing process
after you sell. 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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catydorr
|
Mary, I have a contractual
question. Can I publish a piece which has been published online with
awards/non-monetary prizes received but no contract signed with any form of
rights given or does that exclude First Rights for publishing?
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mary rosenblum
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You have to tell your editor
where the piece was published online. Notice the word you used? PUBLISHED?
That means published, with or without contract or cash.
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mary rosenblum
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This is one problem with
contests....
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mary rosenblum
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The editor may not care, but I
bet you'll get the second rights rate.
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mary rosenblum
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You are offering second
rights, not first.
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ashton
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I'm working on a book about the
life of an Ozark Mountain couple. I wanted the cover to be actual photo's
of them with an actual picture of the Ozarks I took in the background. How
would or could I have what I want done up?
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mary rosenblum
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Depends on where you publish
it, ashton. If you publish with something big like Knopf or Random House,
you're probably out of luck...
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mary rosenblum
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although your editor can
suggest it to the art director.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT if you end up publishing
with a small or regional press, go for it. You can probably do just that.
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realityczech
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An Editor Etiquette question: I
recently had a great experience in an Editor Workshop at a Writer's
Conference. Is it appropriate to send a personal thank you to her for her
time and advice, or would that be seen as sucking up?
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mary rosenblum
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Sweetheart, sucking up
gracefully is how business gets done!
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mary rosenblum
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Of COURSE you send her a note.
And if you send her a submission EVER you remind her of that conference and
thank her again and tell her...
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mary rosenblum
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which of her suggestions
guided you as you wrote this book.
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mary rosenblum
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There is nothing wrong or
slimy in this. It is much harder to reject someone we know . Networking is
worth its weight in gold!
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paja
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What might an editor mean by
"It was intriguing by didn't quite grab me."
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mary rosenblum
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Essentially paja, it
translates to 'good story, I don't want it'.
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mary rosenblum
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The fact that the editor
complimented you tells you that he/she...
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mary rosenblum
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thinks your writing is good.
The story just didn't work.
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mary rosenblum
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It's vague because he/she
doesn't want you to send it back. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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If you get specific critical
comments...'end too weak'...something like that..
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mary rosenblum
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then fix it and send it back.
Tell the editor that you fixed the problem he/she identified. :-)
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info
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just to make sure I understand
right, even if the big publishers register teh copyright, it is still your
copyright, correct?
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mary rosenblum
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As long as you do NOT sell All
Rights you own the copyright, info. You can sell permission to use
it...First Rights, Anthology RIghts..Foreign Rights...Movie Rights...Book
Club Rights...
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mary rosenblum
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But you are selling only a
limited use of YOUR words.
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wolf122
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Do editors ever look for very
specific types of stories/novels within their genre, and ask authors to
write that story/novel for them/for the publisher?
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mary rosenblum
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Yep. :-) That's one of the
things that happens as you build a name.
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mary rosenblum
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You get asked to write a story
for a themed anthology...or send in something on a particular topic...
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mary rosenblum
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I think I've said yes to three
or four anthologies this past year.
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mary rosenblum
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I won't actually write the
stories unless the editor sells the anthology, but then I'll have to.
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ashton
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What's to stop someone from
claiming portions of your writing as their own?
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mary rosenblum
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You saved it on your computer
first. ;-)
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mary rosenblum
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Why should they use your
words?
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mary rosenblum
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There is so little money in
short fiction that if you want to stop it, a letter from a lawyer with a
cease and desist message...
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mary rosenblum
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will almost surely get the
story dumped by the publisher.
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mary rosenblum
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Marion Zimmer Bradley, one of
the very top fantasy writers...
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mary rosenblum
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lost a book that way. A fan
claimed that Marion had stolen her idea at a writers workshop...
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mary rosenblum
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and threatened to sue. Even
though you really can't win a lawsuit about idea theft...
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mary rosenblum
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the publisher dropped the book
permanently.
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mary rosenblum
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Marion was VERY bitter about
that.
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wolf122
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Could an author build their own
web page to promote their own books, or would that infringe on any rights
of the publisher?
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mary rosenblum
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Your publisher would LOVE to
have you do that!
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mary rosenblum
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Anything you want to do to
promote your work makes them VERY VERY happy.
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mary rosenblum
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There is a clause in my
contracts that allows me to publish portions of my novels for publicity
purposes only...so I can post excerpts of my novel on my website.
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tory
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How would you know BEFORE it was
published?
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mary rosenblum
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well, tory, how would someone
get your words to publish? Are you posting work online? I don't think any
member of my writers group is going to use my prose.
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mary rosenblum
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If I had any doubts, I
wouldn't be in the group with that person.
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mary rosenblum
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I just sent my sf novel to
several people, but they're not going to try and send my book off to Del
Rey and claim it as theirs!
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realityczech
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At what point do we let an
editor know what we are willing to do to promote? Is the first cover letter
ans submission too early?
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mary rosenblum
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For a traditional publisher,
don't bother. You can do whatever you want. Their huge marketing department
will do what they're going to do and they do. Yoiu CAN ask the...
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mary rosenblum
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publicist to make phone calls
to set up signings at big venues for you.
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mary rosenblum
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For a small press publisher,
by all means include your promotion campagne plans with your submission!
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mary rosenblum
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If you have a good promotional
campagn, it may just make the difference if the editor is deciding between
you and someone else.
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mary rosenblum
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WEll, the fan wouldn't have
been taken seriously except that she knew Marion and had been in a workshop
with her. So she DID know what Marion was writing. Most of us read from our
work before it's on the shelf.f
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mary rosenblum
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I'll be reading from my
current novel next weekend at a conference and I don't even have a contract
yet.
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mary rosenblum
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One thing to remember...
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mary rosenblum
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we tend to think of editors as
adversaries...the gatekeeper who let's us 'in' or...
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mary rosenblum
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keeps us 'out'. BUT...the
amazing thing is that they are passionate people who care deeply about good
stories or prose.
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mary rosenblum
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And it matters to them the way
our writing matters to us.
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mary rosenblum
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They aren't trying to make you
jump through hoops to make themselves feel important...
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mary rosenblum
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THEIR ego is on the line, too.
They don't want to publish a shoddy piece of writing. They want it to
shine.
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mary rosenblum
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You are both working toward
the same goal and if you don't quite see eye to eye, you can usually reach
a compromise.
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mary rosenblum
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My beloved editor Jim (now,
alas deceased) and I argued over every change he made on my hardcover
anthology. Not because I didn't want them. Because I wanted to know WHY.
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mary rosenblum
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And sometimes he decided I was
right and more often, I decided he was right and I learned a LOT. He was
great!
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mary rosenblum
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I miss him.
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ashton
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Going back to something
mentioned earlier...if I contact an English Major to look over my work,
what would you typically pay them?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, ashton, a professional
editing job is very spendy, but community college english majors are not pros
and usually need money. :-) I'd offer at least a dollar a page.
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mary rosenblum
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But are you sure you really
need it?
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mary rosenblum
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You seem quite articulate
here.
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mary rosenblum
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Minor mistakes really aren't
going to hurt you, you know.
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info
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is there a way for us to really
know if we need an English Major?
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mary rosenblum
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If you don't KNOW you need one
you don't!
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mary rosenblum
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Yeesh!
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mary rosenblum
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It's content that matters.
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mary rosenblum
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if you write something that
will move readers and sell magazines or books...they'll fix the problems!
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mary rosenblum
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Now if you don't bother to fix
typos, you don't format, you send in single space, the ms has coffee stains
on it...
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mary rosenblum
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would YOU waste your time on
it if you have 50 nmore to read before lunch?
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mary rosenblum
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I have recommended it only
when I have a student who simply isn't going to be able to compete with
native English speakers no matter how good the story is...
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mary rosenblum
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and the editing will take too
much time for the magazine or book editor.
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mary rosenblum
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There are a couple of writers
I know (who shall remain nameless) who have terrible grammar habits.
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mary rosenblum
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Has it stopped 'em? Nah. They
sell very very well.
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mary rosenblum
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This has been a fun Oregon
Hour. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I'll try to catch the Sunday
chat, but I may be at my mom's house.
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mary rosenblum
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Happy Halloween, all. Think of
fun, spooky Halloween stories!
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ashton
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I'm a very passionate writer and
I want EVERYTHING to be perfect. My instructor says I write with a lot of
impact and I touch people with my writing. However, my editing mistakes
keep me writing at a slow pace because I agonize or every sentence. Any
advice?
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mary rosenblum
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I think speck knows of a
kennel where you can board your internal editor until you have finished the
first draft and are ready to let it out!
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mary rosenblum
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Really and truely, words are
legos, not precious stones.
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mary rosenblum
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Shut the internal editor in a
box, write with passion and then let him out to rearrange the lego bricks.
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mary rosenblum
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Think of it as a play-time
thing...a big carpet, a pile of colorful legos...build something really
fun!
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mary rosenblum
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And if it's crooked, so what?
Tear it down and build it again.
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speckledorf
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Actually, I was playing with
gala's red and black wand tonight before forum and turned editor into
frog...sigh. I'm hoping the spell wears off sometime in Dec.:-)
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mary rosenblum
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frog is good. :-) Until he
keeps you up all night croaking.
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mary rosenblum
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My internal editor wouldn't
dare raise his head until I am sitting in front of the printed out hardcopy
of the first draft.
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mary rosenblum
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My dogs would eat him.
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janp
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Thanks, Mary and BOOOOOOOOO to
all five Rosenblums
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mary rosenblum
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Thanks janp. My dogs are
dressed for the season...black and orange!
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mary rosenblum
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Natrually even! :-)
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realityczech
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Dang...it's good to be back in
Da Live Chat! Thanks for all the great info, Mary! Have a booooo-tiful All
Hallows Eve!
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mary rosenblum
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Have a good weekend, all, and
soak up those Halloween moments for later use! Nice to see you again,
reality!
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mary rosenblum
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Bye all!
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mary rosenblum
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I'll post the transcript at
Writing Craft: Forum Transcripts.
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mary rosenblum
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Good night all!
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