&^%$# middlemen

[Dondilion]

Originally Posted by donquixote99

So if you want to be published by a commercial house, have the book marketed, and thus having the potential to find an audience, you most likely need an agent.

http://www.sfwa.org/real/

Well put!

That is the way of the world.

[piece-itpete]

Originally Posted by merrylander

Thoose people are leeches, I downloaded a paper from one of them and a week later I get emails and then phone calls. So I sent the lady some random chapters. Next phone call she tells me how great the novel is, but she can't tell me specifically which passages really impressed her. I mean that I know it is not all of a piece, some bits are more attention getting than others. So as a half price special they would print me six copies for a mere $695. Have you ever seen a modern offset printer? Hit start then hit stop and you have at least 100 prints admittedly not bound.

Wow, I had no idea!

Pete

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by Dondilion

Well put!

That is the way of the world.

Seemingly the way of American publishers in any case, whatever the novel was a labor of love and as such was not really laborious.

In less than a month I will be 84 and really doubt that I will be hanging around waiting to be "recognized". Whether I am that good with words has yet to be seen in any case.

I got what I wanted out of writing it and that is what really counts. Although it was Divine Providence that put us together when it did. Perhaps IT might be interested in my idea of what would have happened had we met when she was 16 and I 20.

[donquixote99]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

Wow, I had no idea!

Pete

Scam. Nothing to do with legitimate publishing. Just a way to separate would-be published authors from their money.

Capitalism, in other words.

[Oerets]

Getting a Agent might not be as bad as you think. They have contacts and been through the BS before. Know who to market it to.

Just like selling your home. Do it yourself sure, but an agent makes it easy and will get you more money on average.

If you want the book published and shared by the world and agent makes sense to me. Just get one you want, not the first to see you.

BTW the only publishers I heard will take unsolicited novels are the Romance genre.


Barney

[barbara]

Originally Posted by merrylander

Seemingly the way of American publishers in any case, whatever the novel was a labor of love and as such was not really laborious.



In less than a month I will be 84 and really doubt that I will be hanging around waiting to be "recognized". Whether I am that good with words has yet to be seen in any case.



I got what I wanted out of writing it and that is what really counts. Although it was Divine Providence that put us together when it did. Perhaps IT might be interested in my idea of what would have happened had we met when she was 16 and I 20.

You might look into electronic publishing. Lots of exposure and, if what I've heard is accurate, much less expensive.

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by barbara

You might look into electronic publishing. Lots of exposure and, if what I've heard is accurate, much less expensive.

Barbara I was told yesterday that in excess of 248,000 words is much too long for a first book. So I will just back it out onto a CD and put it away, suddenly I feel just too tired to start editing and revising down to half its size. Maybe our granddaughters will come across it and get a laugh out of it.

[donquixote99]

Originally Posted by merrylander

Barbara I was told yesterday that in excess of 248,000 words is much too long for a first book. So I will just back it out onto a CD and put it away, suddenly I feel just too tired to start editing and revising down to half its size. Maybe our granddaughters will come across it and get a laugh out of it.

All you have to do is create an 'ending' to go in the middle, and divide it into two books.

[merrylander]

DQ suddenly I find that I am tired, so very tired. Tired enough that I just want to put it away and not worry about it any more.

[donquixote99]

It feels finished. But it's just the end of a phase.

But do take a rest, of course.