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mary rosenblum
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Hello all, and happy New Year!
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mary rosenblum
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I hope you all had a great
holiday season and are looking forward to the new year...
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mary rosenblum
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with great resolutions to
write more and send your work out. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Make it a goal to get at least
one rejection slip this year.
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mary rosenblum
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Many is better.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and we’re
talking about career and writing. 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, or use the ask a question icon
in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won’t reach me! You can
also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach
me.
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cosmos
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LOL... that won't be hard to get
a rejection slip this year!
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, it's amazingly hard,
cosmos. You have to finish something and then you have to send it out.
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mary rosenblum
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That stops MANY aspiring
writers right there.
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cosmos
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I have a notebook of rejection
slips!
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mary rosenblum
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Good. You're on the right
track.
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mary rosenblum
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Part of why I chose the topic
I did for today is because I end up with a lot of students who really have
a hard time understanding...
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mary rosenblum
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what their actual goals are.
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mary rosenblum
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It's VERY hard to see beyond
'get published' when you first start writing.
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mary rosenblum
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But you can make the process
easier for yourself...or perhaps harder...by understanding what you really
want your writing to do for you.
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mary rosenblum
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Publishing options have really
expanded in the past few years.
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mary rosenblum
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If you can come to a clear
goal of what you want, you may find that your options are much more open
than you realized.
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mary rosenblum
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Or...much more limited. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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There is a vast difference,
for example, between writing to get published and writing to begin a
professional career.
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neo
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I teach my students to get their
first ten rejections just as quickly as possible. Get it over with, and get
over it!
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mary rosenblum
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That's a good goal, neo.
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mary rosenblum
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It's pretty awful at first,
but some of the sting moderates over time.
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paminnapa
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I got mine out of the
way....storyhouse rejected me although I knew they would since they were
bought out:)
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mary rosenblum
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Nice that they at least sent
you a rejection, pam.
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mary rosenblum
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A reminder for those of you
who might have stories at Storyhouse.com...they were bought out by...
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mary rosenblum
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another coffee roaster and are
no longer taking stories.
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info
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isn't writing to begin a
professionsl career along the same lines as writing what you love and
trying to sell it?
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mary rosenblum
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That's always the way to
start, info.
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mary rosenblum
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It takes a pretty well
developed degree of technical proficiency to write something you don't read
and love well...
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mary rosenblum
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and even then it's usually not
as strong as what you love.
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mary rosenblum
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It's more about how you handle
marketing...what markets you choose, what you DO with your words.
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neo
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So many beginners aim at, say,
the New Yorker for first credits.
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mary rosenblum
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Of course.
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mary rosenblum
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And if you're after a
professional career, that's where you should aim if you think your work
fits there.
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mary rosenblum
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Why not?
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mary rosenblum
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Non-published first timers
have been known to really wow and editor at the top houses.
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mary rosenblum
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Not often, but happens.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a matter of respecting
your work. If you think it's good, market it like it's good!
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neo
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because it's unrealistic?
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mary rosenblum
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It's only unrealistic if you
expect it to sell and are devastated when it does not.
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mary rosenblum
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If you think it fits, that's
where you should start. When you get it back, you send it to the next
market on your list.
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mary rosenblum
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Now that does not mean you
pick the top publisher and submit your work even though you KNOW they
don't...
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mary rosenblum
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publish romance or SF or
whatever it is that you have.
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mary rosenblum
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Never waste an editor's time. They
have LOOOONG memories.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and we’re
talking about career and writing. 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, or use the ask a question icon
in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won’t reach me! You can
also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach
me.
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cosmos
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My favorite rejection was a
personal letter from the New Yorker encouraging me to keep sending it out.
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mary rosenblum
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And very likely that means you
made it past the 'awful' pile into the 'decent amateur' pile, cosmos.
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mary rosenblum
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Nice job.
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neo
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It's unrealistic to expect to
begin at the top. We all have to put in our time and pay our dues.
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mary rosenblum
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Not true, neo!
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mary rosenblum
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That is one of the myths I
want to deal with here.
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mary rosenblum
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You will...you WILL..
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mary rosenblum
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put in your time, but not by
STARTING at the bottom and working up.
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mary rosenblum
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If you believe in your work
start at the top.
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mary rosenblum
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I sent my very first ever
short story to Analog magazine...
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mary rosenblum
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and got a full page rant from
Stan Schmidt...who was going to buy it until he got to the ending.
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mary rosenblum
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I sold my very next short
story to Asimovs.
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mary rosenblum
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If I had started at the bottom
I probably would have sold both those stories...
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mary rosenblum
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to some minor small press mag.
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marina
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Please say more about the
diffeence between writing to get published and writing to begin a
professional career, Mary
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kungfumama
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Mary can you please go into
detail between the difference between getting published vs a professional
career?
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mary rosenblum
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The difference is where you
send out your work and how you publish.
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mary rosenblum
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If you just want to hold that
book in your hands...
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mary rosenblum
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if you have a comfortable day
job and yeah, would love to be the next blockbuster...
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mary rosenblum
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and become a millionaire,
don't we all...
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mary rosenblum
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but mostly you want that book
OUT there...
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mary rosenblum
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then publish with something
like iUniverse.
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mary rosenblum
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You won't make a lot of money
on your book unless it really prolierates on the internet, for example...
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mary rosenblum
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but you will get it onto the
shelf a WHOLE lot sooner than if you try all the NY publishers...
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mary rosenblum
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or have to find an agent and
end up taking five years to work...
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mary rosenblum
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your way through the potential
NY houses.
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mary rosenblum
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If you want a career as a
writer...you want to do this for the rest of your life...
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mary rosenblum
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and are willing to give up
other things to do it...
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mary rosenblum
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you do NOT go that route.
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mary rosenblum
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You tough out the long, slow,
discouraging process of courting the top markets.
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kungfumama
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part of what I'm encountering is
determining what market my writing style was good for. And then finding the
appropriate market.
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mary rosenblum
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Taht's hard, kung, especially
if you fall 'between the cracks' of various market labels.
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mary rosenblum
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There are publishers to suit
everybody but not all of them are well distributed and well known.
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mary rosenblum
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Read as widely as you can and
see who seems to publish stuff similar to what you write.
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mary rosenblum
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What DO you write, by the way?
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and we’re
talking about career and writing. 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, or use the ask a question icon
in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won’t reach me! You can
also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach
me.
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ling630
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Is it better to apply for
articles or stories first and get rejected or is it better to send stories
away to contests?
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, this is another career
issue.
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mary rosenblum
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If you are seriously looking
for a career as a name-known writer, stay away from contests.
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mary rosenblum
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Even the really big ones like
Writers Digest are not respected much by editors.
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mary rosenblum
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Contests are decided by a
judge and that judge picks what he/she likes...
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mary rosenblum
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They're very whimsical.
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mary rosenblum
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If you can't sell a piece, if
it has a limited market and you've exhausted it...do a contest.
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mary rosenblum
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Otherwise, don't.
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wolf122
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Do you loose first rights
sending stories to contests or winning them?
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mary rosenblum
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Only if they publish the
winners, which many do, wolf.
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mary rosenblum
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THere is nothing wrong with
sending a story to a contest that does not...
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mary rosenblum
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compromise your rights...it
simply ties up your story for some time.
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mary rosenblum
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And if you win it, you can
mention it in your cover letter...
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mary rosenblum
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won't help you a LOT, but it
won't hurt you much either.
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mary rosenblum
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But if you submit to a contest
that publishes, you do lose your First Rights.
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kungfumama
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oh, it borders between YA and
regular fantasy. Cozy mysteries too.
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mary rosenblum
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Oh you have a huge market,
kung! You have both the YA market AND the fantasy and mystery market. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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See if you can do a mystery or
SF convention at some point and ask authors about publishers.
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janecj333
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the learning curve for writers,
even those who have excellent vocabularies and grammar/spelling skills, is
very steep. Publishers in I don't know how many how-to articles complain of
receiving work from beginners that is not publishable
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, what you all need to
realize is that if you're a LR student or simply work at getting
better...you workshop, you analyze other writers...
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mary rosenblum
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your prose is engaging and
your story readable...you are ahead of say 80% of the slush already.
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mary rosenblum
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I am not kidding. ANYONE can
send off a story and ANYONE does.
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redwagonmaster
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what are the boundaries of
writing a thousand word summary of a 1000 word story. i dont get it?
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mary rosenblum
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If you're talking a LR
assignment five, red, you're not. :-) The summary assignments are for
longer pieces.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and we’re
talking about career and writing. 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, or use the ask a question icon
in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won’t reach me! You can
also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach
me.
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janecj333
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if it's that 'awful pile' that
must be remedied, the question is how
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mary rosenblum
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Well the awful pile isn't your
worry, and I doubt that many if any of you are in it. It's pretty bad.
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mary rosenblum
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But how each person gets
better is to push the envelope.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't set your goal at
emulating someone...set it as writing something BETTER.
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redwagonmaster
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should a writer get an agent?
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mary rosenblum
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Youi only need an agent, red,
if you have a contract to a NY publishing house or you plan to submit...
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mary rosenblum
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a novel to a publishing house
that does not take unagented submissions. (Most of them).
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mary rosenblum
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You don't need one for short
fiction and short nonfiction.
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marina
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What is the YA market?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, sorry, marina. Young
Adult.
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redwagonmaster
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where is a good place to find an
agent ?
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mary rosenblum
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http://www.aar-online.org/index.html
Association of Authors’ Representative homepage
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mary rosenblum
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They have a very educational
FAQ page that tells you exactly how to go about it...
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mary rosenblum
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and they have contact info for
agent members who are taking on new clients.
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paminnapa
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seems like getting started is a
catch 22. Most reputable places want clips, you cant get clips unless you
get published.
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mary rosenblum
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It is, but pam, you have to
realize that every single editor out there wants new, outstanding writers...
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mary rosenblum
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in his/her 'stable'.
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mary rosenblum
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What that 'no clips' thing
means is that you have to give the editor something that editor REALLY
wants.
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mary rosenblum
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Then, the lack of clips means
nothing.
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mary rosenblum
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They will not hand you a run
of the mill assignment that they could...
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mary rosenblum
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give to a freelancer they've
worked with before. That's the perk YOU earn as you...
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mary rosenblum
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amass clips. But they sure
will take something new and creative from you.
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mary rosenblum
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They WANT new hot writers.
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mary rosenblum
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All of them.
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mary rosenblum
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It is NOT a closed shop, but
certainly editors are business people...
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mary rosenblum
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and they will not do you any
favors. If your story or article proposal...
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mary rosenblum
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is no better than one from a
professional who has paid his/her dues...they'll take the pro's.
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mary rosenblum
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They KNOW the pro will follow
through. You are an untested quantity.
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janecj333
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Mary, can I be honest? The awful
pile changes editors. It sours them towards writers in general and makes
them inaccessible to the many good beginners. You have only to read an
arrogant editor in the pages of The Writer magazine to know what I'm
talking abt
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, Jane, but I bet I know
many more editors than you do, and while you get a sour editor who writes a
snotty...
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mary rosenblum
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piece in the Writer...that
does not mean that it's the rule.
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mary rosenblum
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I don't know a single
editor....and I'm talking multiple genres...who is not willing to snap
up...
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mary rosenblum
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a promising beginner. BUT...
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mary rosenblum
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what it DOES mean is that they
no longer off you a helping hand.
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mary rosenblum
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They do get bit.
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mary rosenblum
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And they stop.
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mary rosenblum
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They put in a very long work
week, and quite a bit of unpaid time...
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neo
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Don't editors want reliable,
dependable writers in stables? A NEW writer is neither of those.
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, of course, but if you show
promise, neo, they're willing to give you a chance.
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mary rosenblum
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If you blow it...you don't
turn in the piece on time, it's poorly done...
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mary rosenblum
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don't send that editor
anything else any time soon.
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mary rosenblum
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We had a LR student recently
who sold his Assignment Three, I believe it was, to Newsweek.
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mary rosenblum
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Unpublished.
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mary rosenblum
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No, it doesn't happen very
often, but he offered the editor a story that editor REALLY wanted.
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redwagonmaster
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what is the hottest genre right
now?
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mary rosenblum
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Write what you read, red...you
won't do a really good job in any other genre.
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marina
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Can I send a first manuscript
without clips even though the writer's guidelines aske for query letters
only and clips?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, Marina. It's harder to
get a postive response, but if you send in a professional quality query...
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mary rosenblum
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and it's apropos to what the
editor publishes, you can include a 'writing sample'.
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mary rosenblum
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I had a student that used the
article itself as the writing sample.
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mary rosenblum
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It was often accepted and she
did sell a couple of articles that way before she had clips.
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mary rosenblum
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Sometimes they'll reject it,
but so? Remember...
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mary rosenblum
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a rejection doesn't mean
'never darken my door again' unless...
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mary rosenblum
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you are submitting soemthing
that this magazine simply does not publish.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and we’re
talking about career and writing. 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, or use the ask a question icon
in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won’t reach me! You can
also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach
me.
|
|
curseofthe44
|
Mary, do you have any
suggestions as to how to balance work (not in writing) and attempts at
beginning a writing career? After a full day of work, typically my brain is
ready to shut down by the time I get home.
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mary rosenblum
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Curse that has troubled many
many aspiring writers in this universe, believe me.
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mary rosenblum
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Often it boils down to tough
career choices...especially if you have a high paying job...
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mary rosenblum
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a family, you're getting nice
health benefits and you are working a 50 hour week.
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mary rosenblum
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The lucky ones have a spouse
that supports you and has healthcare!
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mary rosenblum
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Some of us ended up VERY poor
for a long time...I went that route.
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mary rosenblum
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You really DO need a day job
forever or at least for a considerable period of time...
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mary rosenblum
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and if you want writing to be
your primary career, the day job needs to add to the well, not take from
it.
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mary rosenblum
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And that is hard.
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mary rosenblum
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and doens't usually pay well.
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mary rosenblum
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Hi, all.
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mary rosenblum
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The LR website went down for a
bit...
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mary rosenblum
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at least the chat room part.
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mary rosenblum
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Hopefully I'll get the whole
thing in the transcript afterward.
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snapdragon
|
I want to write F, but I read
NF, should I write NF?
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mary rosenblum
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If you want to write fiction,
by all means work on writing it...
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mary rosenblum
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and realize you'll probably
need to learn to do it well, just like everybody else.
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mary rosenblum
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If you never read it, that
will be harder for you is all.
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mary rosenblum
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I would not expect to sit
down, write one story, and sell it to a top market.
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mary rosenblum
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Might happen. But not real
likely.
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geezer
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Experienced writers retire, etc.
and must be replaced. The replacements might as well be us.
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mary rosenblum
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Exactly, geeze...and
remember...editors are looking for the next hot new writer.
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mary rosenblum
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they leave room for those
stories.
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neo
|
Developing a writing career
entails much more than the writing, doesn't it? Professional writers need
to know about elements like agents, taxes, inspiration, research, etc.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, it does, and you'll come
to that as you do more.
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mary rosenblum
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The best shortcut there is
networking.
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mary rosenblum
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Join whatever professional
organization you are entitled to join.
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mary rosenblum
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Many of them while they
require a degree of publication for admittance...
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mary rosenblum
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will accept unpublished
writers as 'associate members'...
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mary rosenblum
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and you often get access to
the newsletter.
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mary rosenblum
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Once you are publishing, you
face different choices and different dilemmas...
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mary rosenblum
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about where to submit your
work, what projects to spend your time on, and the like.
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mary rosenblum
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If your primary career is
writer, you do need an accountant who is familiar...w
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mary rosenblum
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with what the IRS will and
will not accept in terms of deductions.
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mary rosenblum
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And of course, if you write
novels, you'll end up getting an agent at some point unless you publish
only in small press.
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geezer
|
What do the associations
consider a published writer?
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mary rosenblum
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depends on the professional
organization, geeze.
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mary rosenblum
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As I recall, SFWA still wants
three publications by a major paying market of any length.
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mary rosenblum
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MWA used to require a novel
publication, but I think they're accepting short fiction publications
now...can't recall.
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mary rosenblum
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RWA...Romance Writers of
America takes unpublished members.
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mary rosenblum
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(MWA = Mystery Writers of
America)
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mary rosenblum
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I think the Horror Writers
require publication of some sort, but I'm not sure.
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papercut
|
what is a great YA forum for
shorts NF
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mary rosenblum
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You'll have to research that,
paper.
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mary rosenblum
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There are lots of market
guides out there.
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mary rosenblum
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LR publishes a couple for
childrens' markets. They should help.
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redwagonmaster
|
is there a website where the
markets are listed as they are in the book form
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mary rosenblum
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Tons. Google market list
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mary rosenblum
|
or rather writers market lists
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mary rosenblum
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word combinations like that.
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kungfumama
|
regarding day jobs - I found
that getting up even a 1/2 hour earlier just to write helped loads.
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mary rosenblum
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Good for you, Kung.
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mary rosenblum
|
The best thing you can do is
make writing occupy an habitual space.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
Might be early in the AM. Late
at night.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
Lunch break.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Weekends.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Whatever you can make work
with your day job.
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|
kater
|
if you cant get into a writing
class is it possible to learn well on your own?
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mary rosenblum
|
Sure kater.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
come here, for one thing. :-)
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|
mary rosenblum
|
Read what others write and
analyze HOW they made it work.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you can swap critiques with
another aspiring writer that will really help.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
courses and professional
workshops only shortcut the process...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
you can get there on your
own...they just help it happen faster.
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|
marina
|
Is there a personal essay WA?
;-)
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|
mary rosenblum
|
There's a professional
association for freelance nonfiction people, marina...
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|
mary rosenblum
|
but you have to prove that you
make something like 70% of your ...
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|
mary rosenblum
|
income from freelancing to
belong.
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|
snapdragon
|
my F writing?
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mary rosenblum
|
It'll help you if you get
input, snap, since you're not a fiction reader.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
What seems 'right' to you from
reading nonfiction may not work in a fiction story.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
I have had quite a few
nonfiction writer students.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Generally their early work is
very stilted...they are writing in a different form.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
But once they master some of
the techniques of fiction writing, they proceed very quickly.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and we’re
talking about career and writing. 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, or use the ask a question icon
in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won’t reach me! You can
also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach
me.
|
|
ling630
|
For a epilepsy story for young
adults or children is it better to have pictures with the story in order
for it to be accepted and published or can I get away with a story for
young adult or children with just words and a couple of pictures? What is
the best approach when submitting?
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mary rosenblum
|
If it's a nonfiction piece,
you can offer photos to the editor with your query...that editor may or may
not want 'em.
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mary rosenblum
|
YOu don't submit art or photos
with fiction.
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mary rosenblum
|
You can offer, but that's up
to the art department...not much fiction is illustrated.
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tolkienlvr
|
Mary, any tips for writers
interested in writing in 2 genres as you have done? Do editors seem wary of
such folk? Do they prefer writers to pick a genre and stick with it?
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mary rosenblum
|
That's a good point, tolkien.
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mary rosenblum
|
It's a very good idea to write
in more than one genre if you want to ...e
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
earn a significant portion of
your income from writing. :-)
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|
mary rosenblum
|
If you have a well established
name in one genre, that will count in your favor with the editor of the
other genre...
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mary rosenblum
|
but if you don't, you want to
do two genres from the get-go...
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mary rosenblum
|
I wouldn't mention it. :-)
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snapdragon
|
listening instead of reading F,
will this help my F writing?
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mary rosenblum
|
Should, snap.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
The main difference between
ficiton and nf is how you handle dramatic arc, characterization, dialogue
and so forth.
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kems
|
Do you use the same author name
when writing in 2 genres?
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mary rosenblum
|
I didn't, but I could have.
It's hardly a secret and most of my fans..
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
know that if it's freeman it's
mystery and if it's rosenblum it's SF and I"m the both people.
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|
trainer
|
If your work gets accepted by an
editor and they publish your work but don't credit your name in print. Can
you still use those publications as clips, or is it best not to?
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|
mary rosenblum
|
Sure if you really did that
piece, trainer! :-)
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|
mary rosenblum
|
If the editor wants to make
sure, he'll call the editor of that publication and ask.
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|
redwagonmaster
|
If its not requested, should you
send a SASE with queries, stories, etc? Sorry, but Im so new at this.
|
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mary rosenblum
|
REd you must ALWAYS send a
SASE with any by mail publication unless...
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mary rosenblum
|
they tell you NOT to.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
The usual practice is to dump
any submission without a SASE into the trash can unread.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and we’re
talking about career and writing. 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, or use the ask a question icon
in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won’t reach me! You can
also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach
me.
|
|
redwagonmaster
|
I only find one LR course for
writing, are there more? NF adult courses...that is.
|
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mary rosenblum
|
There are two adult fiction
and/or nonfiction courses, red.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Breaking into Print is 12
assignments and you work on ending up with two submittable pieces.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
There's a shorter version,
too. You don't end up doing nearly as much.
|
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snapdragon
|
inputting dialogue is my
struggle and i'm working on it.
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mary rosenblum
|
It's hard, snap.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
You'll find a couple of good
articles on it on the website.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Try Craft and Characterization
in Writing Craft.
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ling630
|
What about contests without
sase? Do they dump them too?
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|
mary rosenblum
|
depends on the contest, ling.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
Many of them don't return the
submissions.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Of course you ALL read the
submission instructions carefully before you submit to ANY publisher or
contest, right?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
RIGHT????
|
|
ling630
|
So they will read the story if
it doesn't ask for sase?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If they TELL you not to
include a SASE they'll read it.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
They should make it clear if
they want one or not.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
Many do not return ms...it's a
lot of work.
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|
kungfumama
|
okay, dumb question of the day. What
will an association do for you?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It's hardly a dumb questions,
kung. Those associations are not cheap!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
They're often over 100 bucks
in dues!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
What they can do for you,
depending on the organization, is give you opportunities to network...
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|
mary rosenblum
|
offer inside information on
publishing changes within that genre (the edtior you were going to send
your novel to...
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|
mary rosenblum
|
has just left to work for
another publishing house)...
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|
mary rosenblum
|
and can offer markets that
don''t show up in the regular lists...anthology openings, for example...and
dates/locations...
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|
mary rosenblum
|
of conferences or conventions.
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|
geezer
|
Don't some offer benifit
packages?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Yes, MWA offers health
insurance. Some of the others, do, too.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
They often offer financial aid
to members in crisis or legal assistance when needed.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
And they often have a policing
organization for copyright disputes.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
SFWA has shut down several
websites that were selling fiction without having acquired rights from the
authors.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
SFWA maintains a 'writers
beware' list of bad publishers/agents/packagers.
|
|
redwagonmaster
|
First Rights, can you explain
that a bit, okay 2nd dumb question of the day.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Ah, that's hardly a dumb
question either, red...rights are VERY confusing...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
and you can get bit very
easily.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You OWN your copyright unless
you sell it entirely...ie sell 'all rights'.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
What you sell to a publisher
is the right to publish your story in a very limited and particular way.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I've made quite a bit of money
this year in reprints...stories that have been republished...
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|
mary rosenblum
|
in various antholiogies.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I have sold 'anthology
rights'.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I had already sold 'first
rights' to various magazine or anthology publishers.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
First rights means the right
to publish a work FIRST in the US, Northamerica, or the world, or europe...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
your contract will define the
'where'.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You can sell 'first British
rights' and 'first North American rights' to different publishers on
different continents.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But once you have sold those
first rights you can't resell them...
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|
mary rosenblum
|
only one 'first NA rights'.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Only one 'first British
rights'.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Publishers do buy reprint
rights but they don't pay nearly as much.
|
|
kems
|
If a publisher has all rights,
does this mean I can't use...
|
|
kems
|
a short story as part of a novel
later?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Well, kems you'd have to check
with a publishing lawyer about that...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
but I'm inclined to say that
you could not use it in the same form.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You'd have to change it
substantially.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you sell 'all rights' you
have sold your copyright and those are not your words any more.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It is not a good thing to do
if you think you'll use that piece later on in some way.
|
|
redwagonmaster
|
is there a website explaining
these Rights?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
This one, red.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Try 'Writing Craft: Business
Side of Writing'.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you're just starting out,
you should check 'writing Craft'.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You'll find a lot of basic
articles there.
|
|
info
|
trying for dumb question 3 here,
but speaking of rights, in movie rights, you can stipulate like in novel
rights to have rights in some degree for movies of your novel can't you
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You really really need to keep
your movie rights, info.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
When you sell novel rights,
publishers will often include' movie rights' in what they purchase...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
and you just cross that out.
|
|
redwagonmaster
|
can you sell a story, then
resell same story with different pen name? after rights are expired?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
After you're regained the
right, red, why use a pen name?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Some of my stories have been
published four or five times.
|
|
curseofthe44
|
If I sign a contract for an
"on spec" piece and say a year passes and the piece still has not
been published, can I withdraw my piece from the magazine?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
YOu need to write that into
your contract, curse.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Big publishers usually have a
'kill fee' provision. If they don't use the story/article, they pay part of
the originally agreed upon fee.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But if you want an 'expiration
date' on that piece, be sure it's in your contract.
|
|
ling630
|
so each place is a different
first rights then?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You have first rights on every
piece you write, ling.
|
|
marina
|
when do first NA rights usually
expire?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
that's also in your contract. Most
of mine extend to six months after publication.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
A couple of markets I sell to
hold onto them for a year.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
A year after publication...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
and once in awhile I'm
supposed to ask for the rights back in writing...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
that's typical of book
publishers.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Usually, you regain the rights
when the book goes out of print...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
but you usually have to
request those rights in writing.
|
|
curseofthe44
|
What if there are no expiration
dates or kill fees mentioned in the contract for "on Spec?" I
don't think I have a clear understanding of what "on spec" means.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
On spec just means they pay
you when they use the piece, curse.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you didn't specify a 'kill
date' and they haven't paid you for the piece...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
you can just write to them and
tell them that you'd like to withdraw it...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
if they're not going to
publish it by a certain date.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Be polite and they'll probably
either use it or release it with no hard feelings.
|
|
redwagonmaster
|
after theyve held your piece,
and it expires, do they notify you , or are you supposed to stay on top of
that yourself?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Ah, that's YOUR job, red. :-)
|
|
kems
|
so after the 6m(ei) you can sell
them as first right again?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
No, kems...you can only sell
first rights once.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
That's why a contest that
publishes the winners is problematical.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You can sell second rights,
anthology rights...
|
|
geezer
|
Back to the kill fee. They pay
you half the price, then you are free to pedal the piece elsewhere?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Yes, but they only pay you a
kill fee if it is written into your contract. :-)
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
YOu need to read your
contract, folks.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And not all publishers offer
kill fees.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Certainly not the small
circulation publishers...or not often.
|
|
ling630
|
I mean British rights is
different than North American rights so I would have first rights to both
places for the same article?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You would for first NA rights
and first British rights.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You would not for First World Rights...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
the world includes Britain.
:-)
|
|
kems
|
can you sell 2nd rights before
1st right contract expires?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Dep[ends, kems.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If your first rights contracts
states that you can't republish the piece for six months after...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
that story comes out in print,
and it will, say, be published in the December 06 issue...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
that means you cannot
republish it until June of 07.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Now if you sell those second
rights right now...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
to an anthology that will be
out in early 07, say January...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
this could be a problem.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You could write to the editor
and ask for permission and if the issue...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
with your story in it was on
the stands say in November...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
that editor might grant you
permission to do it.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I have to really keep this in
mind.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I often sell second rights
before the story has been published!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I have to really keep an eye
on publication dates, believe me.
|
|
marina
|
Can we really, really not submit
smultaneously?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Well, it's up to you.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Editors DO take a very long
time to get back to you.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
BUT...if that editor says
'yes', he/she has probably reserved space for your story in an upcoming
issue...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
and if you tell that editor
that you sold it elsewhere, and that magazine has a no sim. submission
policy...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
you have just seriously
annoyed that editor...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
and you might have to work
REALLY hard to sell to him/her again.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Will it end your career? No.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But it might cost you
embarassment and some career damage.
|
|
curseofthe44
|
Do they have the right to keep
it as long as they want?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you haven't specified any
limits, yep, curse.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But you CAN write and ask 'em
to release it.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
usually magazines publish your
work within two years.
|
|
redwagonmaster
|
do second rights bring less
money than first rights, or is it just up to who you sell to?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Yes, they nearly always pay
less..
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
unless you sold first rights
to a small circulation mag and the anthology...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
that picks them up pays a lot.
|
|
redwagonmaster
|
so when you send a query, should
you describe the time limit you desire? or not
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
No red.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You have nothing to bargain
with.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you get a contract, you can
negotiate the details...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
but it's a bad move to start
demanding special conditions before the editor ...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
has even read yoru story
unless you have a BIG name.
|
|
marina
|
waht about if the second rights
are in a foreign language and country?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Same as any other place,
marina. I sell a lot of novels to other countries.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
They buy foreign language
rights, usually.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
That's for books.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You get a check in an
interesting currency, LOL.
|
|
ling630
|
can they say not to releasing
it? and pay only kill fee then
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Kill fee is only if it's in
the contract and if they pay, they ARE releasing it.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It's yours again.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
They can release it with no
fee if it's not specified.
|
|
curseofthe44
|
Can you write a story and sell
it, then later do a rewrite of the same story and sell it somewhere else?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Second rights, curse. Unless
it is substantially different..
|
|
kems
|
Can you list some markets other
than NA and British please?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Every country in the world,
kems.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I've sold in Poland, Finland,
Germany, France, Russia...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
WE're going to have to end.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I think the website is about
to go down again.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I think we're just about to
crash.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
We'll talk about markets and
rights in anothe Forum!
|
|
curseofthe44
|
What do you mean by
"substantially different?" What if it is changed from a
non-fiction to fiction with minor detail changes?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Nonfiction to fiction is
substantial, curse. :-)
|
|
ling630
|
have you sold in Canada?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I'm published in Canada... I
publish with big publishers who distribute to Canada...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
can't recall if I"m
published by a Canadian house...could be.
|
|
kems
|
and how long would you recommend
for the kill fee?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If a publisher doesn't offer a
kill fee, you probably shoul d not ask for one..
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
kems as an unpublished writer.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
you can specify a 'use by'
date and request the return of the piece after that if you want.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But...would you rather have
the piece back or have it published in this mag?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You need to give most
magazines a good two years, anyway.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Feel free to bring more
questions to our casual chat tomorrow.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
This 'Oregon Hour' has
realllly stretched today.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But you all had good
questions.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Hopefully the transcript
survived the gremlims.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
See you tomorrow!
|