p06e3

What is the easiest way to becoming a published author or some short stories, poetry or a book? I have a poem written and I have been asked to make a payment to have my own creation in a book of somesort. To me that is a rip-off. Why should anyone have to pay anything just to have their own work published? Where can I publish my poem and/or stories?

Thanks,
P.J.

Mike C

There is no easy way.

Shorts & poetry: duotrope.com

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Mr Sci Fi

There's no short-cut to publication. It's something that depends upon three things:

A) Talent.
B) Craft.
C) Persistance.

You need to have talent from the get-go. You can't learn it. You either have it, or you don't.

Craft can be taught, learned and honed. Craft is what you need to develop in order to get published. It takes many years for some writers before they learn their craft.

Persistance is when you need to endure the rejections and just keep querying and submitting. You'll find that publishing isn't so easy, and it takes a great deal of effort and comittment to be successful at.

There's no short cut to publishing. Sorry, but as much as you'd like to have your story published, welcome to the club. We all want to get there. But we all need to work at it.

It sounds to me like you've been ensnared by Poetry.com. And yes, you are correct, they ARE a rip-off. They just want your money. Don't fall prey to it.

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valeca

Exactly who I thought of, too.

Stay very far away from them.

Oh, and there is no 'easiest way to becoming a published author'. It takes hard work--just like it does to make a credible name for yourself in any other field.

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Sam Winchester

There are no easy ways to publishing I'm afraid, PJ. Like the others said, it takes skill, craft, and a bucketful of persistance. The harsh reality is that most authors don't get published at all, and very few make a living from their work. If that is something you aspire to do, let me clear up any misapprehensions you may have - there is a chance of it happening, but it isn't a big one. All I can say is good luck to you, and all aspiring authors.

Sam.

Baron

I suggest that you start by publishing some stuff in the forums here and workshop it.

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Olly Buckle

I am with Baron on this, you will get an audience here. If you check the "whose on line" you will find that there are usually five times more guests than members, so quite a few people come here looking for something to read. If you are lucky you will also get some useful critique which will help you improve, personally I find giving considered critique almost as useful. As someone else said you are dead rightabout the vanity publishers, they only want your money.

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LawyerBoy

good post

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Mike C

LB, I removed your multiple test posts, they were making the place look messy.

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p06e3

Thanks. I'll think of something. My only concern is to try to use my own voice without sounding like someone else. I feel so scared as a writter but I HAVE to go on as one to accomplish what I feel must be done. Just education and entertainment.

lin

Talent and publication are two extremely separate variables that are only vaguely related. Same goes for craft, in the sense you mean it here, Mr SF.

Actually po63 (Jesus, why the fucked-up handle?) there IS a cheap, quick shortcut to publication and poetry/shorts is the easiest way to do it.

Prepare a layout, then run it off at Kinkos or some cheaper, non-ripoff copy shop. Bind and staple. Voila, you have a book of poetry. Sell it at your readings, get it in local indy stores and coffeehouses. Same for short fiction.

Of start smaller with a chapbook or broadside. Broadsides are generally very pretty with cool fonts, artwork and quality paper. But you'll be doing them in small runs so that's not a problem. Chapbooks can be like 8 page, a single fold book maximum or around 88-96.

If it works and you enjoy it, start publishing other poets and Boom! You're a poetry press and local literary lion.

Serious, man. I have done this and it was a piece of cake.

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Shawn

I agree with lin. I've done the same thing, but it was with essays. Basically, my whole purpose was to be read, rather than making money... but I suppose that's an admirable goal as well.

There's also a "literary" look that goes into that whole process... you know, the rough cover with elaborate pen-art on the cover, really nice paper on the inside, and the smell of vanilla from when you accidentally spilled your coffee over the stack of finished books; and, if you're really lucky, you'll stumble upon some pretentious snob like me that would buy it without reading the first page.

It's just so I can be the odd one out on the bus. It means I'm not reading Stephen King.

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Pete_C

Also remember that many publishers, agents and the like detest vanity publishing, and many will not want to touch a writer that has used such vehicles. It has a stigma that the publishing sector takes very seriously.

lin

Just not true. This is not some stench that sticks to you or any other such. LOTS of writers self publish then get contracts. ESPECIALLY true of poetry--do you think Doubleday prints broadsides and chapbooks????

Most whining about self-publishing comes not from professionals or even people with traditional publisher contacts...it comes from wannabes who can't get read and resent people they see as "cutting in line" ahead of them.

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Shawn

Vanity presses are the most important vehicle for poetry, as lin has said. And even pamphlets and fliers... anything cheap and easy, really. Poetry has become a very, very, very small niche market and not everyone is as widely appealing to a demographic as Silverstein.

The most important thing is that people are saying what they want to say and others are listening. And you never know. We may see a 60's/70's revival, where literature means a lot to American culture.

There just needs to be some better authors who know how to get out the word without resorting to lowering themselves to stuff like The Secret.

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