alg | (no subject)

I was going over the question post earlier, and I realized that a lot of your questions are about specific situations -- my book is unique, my book is 250,000 words but it's really good!, how do I figure out what the genre is of my book if it's a romantic literary mystery with science fiction elements?, if field X is my background, how do I get into publishing? ....

These are really good questions, but they are hard to answer specifically without more detail -- and I've already answered them all in general. I mean, just because you don't like the answer doesn't mean that if you ask the question phrased a bit differently, the answer is going to change. Sure, once we get down to specifics, those specifics are going to be different from the generalities based on lots of different factors -- like the quality of your writing. Who your friends are. Who is going to give you blurbs, where you want to live, what your skills would bring to the publishing industry, how focused you are on writing to make money vs. writing as an art...

So I'm not sure how to answer a lot of them. I'm going to keep thinking. For now, y'all should feel free to start a new question thread in this entry. Specific questions? General questions? Stupid questions? Sure. Stupid questions usually get answered first, then general questions, then situation-specific questions, fyi.

Hm.... So today is a Monday, huh? It's been very Mondayish so far, although

erratic0101 had his assistant bring me a cup of coffee -- grande soy no foam no whip pumpkin spice latte. Hell yeah! While drinking said coffee, I am entertaining myself by reading the responses over here. Submissions just cannot compare to the stuff over there!

The most important part of this entry: This past weekend I saw the full-length version of D.E.B.S. and. Whoa. Whoa. What else can I say? If you like spies, girls kissing, movies that are funny, and wacky sidekicks, I recommend finding yourself a copy. I think it's my new favorite movie.

Questions answered in the below comments:

- One thing I've not heard mentioned before in the publishing business, until now, is the "where you want to live". Could you explain this in a little more detail?

- If you have a trilogy you are interested in marketing, is it preferable to wait until all 3 books are written, or can you finish the first, and start marketing it while writing the 2nd?

- What's the ideal way to impress a Tor (or similar book publisher) art director?

- The book is unique, and as far as I know I am the only writer to put something together like this...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

One thing I've not heard mentioned before in the publishing business, until now, is the "where you want to live". Could you explain this in a little more detail? I mean, I know writers who aren't in driving distance of NYC can be at a disadvantage because all of the important people live in and around NYC, and therefore, connections can be hard to make, but what else is involved?

Thanks! :)

My comment about "where you want to live" has more to do with working as a publishing professional than working as a writer. You can live anywhere if you are a writer, and if you want to make connections, you can join professional writing organizations and attend professional conference and stuff.

Working in publishing as a publishing professional (editor, publicist, whatever) is a little harder. There's an entry with advice and stories of other people's beginnings here (http://alg.livejournal.com/83635.html).

Whew, okay, thanks. :) You had me worried, for a moment. :) And thanks for the link!

From my vantage (not an author, know a lot of authors), the great thing about fiction writing is you can live *anywhere*. Which means you can find a place with low cost of living and high quality of life, and make just as much money there as anywhere else. (So two good friends got to move *to* Minnesota, but three have since moved *away*, so it's a net loss for me, grump.)

You'll just get fewer editorial lunches, since you'll visit your editor a lot less often. But with email, and telephones, the in-person visit isn't that common anyway. And besides not all publishers are in New York (see for example Baen Books, a major player in the SF/fantasy market).

Thanks!