Now to get Published - Page 4 - Writers Forum

OtherWorlds · 07-22-2008, 07:50 PM

A guy with six self published books for sale on Amazon, honey, hasn't proved anything unless his sales numbers demonstrate his books are successful. Otherwise, all he's done is anounce to the world his books were unsalable to actual publishers. If I'd known you were sensitive on the subject, however, I might have pointed that out a bit more tactfully.

As for backing up my comments, I invite you to look over the guidelines of just about any publisher or literary agency in the business. Google them if you want. When you get to the part where they're asking you to list any past publishing experience, note how they ask for information on full length books and often specifically throw in the instruction not to list your self published works. There is a reason for that.

S-wo · 07-29-2008, 05:00 PM

I've been recently submitting some email queries to agents after receiving no reply from the ones I sent by email. Two days ago I received one rejection, I was okay with that, but yesterday afternoon after I submitted another one, I got a rejection in only after thirty minutes that I sent it. The agency site says your letter probably won't be read in a week and then I get a rejection thirty min. later. I was wondering if they even read it. I looked back at my letter and saw that when I submitted the sample pages requested, it changed the some of the formatting at the bottom. Could someone give me some advice here?

OtherWorlds · 07-29-2008, 05:52 PM

S-wo, response times vary with different agencies, and when they give a response time of one week, that usually means its their typical time. Occasionally they may get back to you more quickly.

As for the formatting problem, I can't help you there. In my experience, copying and pasting things from Word into an email frequently does crazy stuff to the formatting. Probably someone who knows diddly about computers could tell you why, but that wouldn't be me.

lin · 07-29-2008, 11:44 PM

Quote:

In my experience, copying and pasting things from Word into an email frequently does crazy stuff to the formatting.

Only if you are an inexperienced and clueless word user. This, like so much else, gets learned with a little actual use.

BTW, I don't have 6 books on amazon and the ones there are not self-published (books have publisher information listed under the details, you can check it) All sell well enough to dominate their niche.

But the one pimped in the banner below... which IS self-published (and I mean SELF-published, like I do EVERYTHING) outsells them and any other book in this narrow niche) the combined books have sold between 60-100,000 copies.

I have also had books published by other presses, including an award-winning book of poetry, some travel books, and a novel, but none are currently in print. I will have three new books in print by Christmas and about 7 by next July...not self-published.
Before you start gnawing on that, best wait and see, no?

I am far from sensitive on the subject (I do find scamsters like yourself, trying to sell ignorance to newbies to be a sore point, though) I'm an accomplished writer, a publisher of several periodicals and a line of books, an award-winning journalist... and author of books that have not only been accepted by publishers but even STOLEN by them and re-printed by others in the US and other countries.

So does that make it OK to say that you are pretending to be an expert (and attempting to be a wiseass) with no credentials?

Mike C · 07-30-2008, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by S-wo

I got a rejection in only after thirty minutes that I sent it. The agency site says your letter probably won't be read in a week and then I get a rejection thirty min. later. I was wondering if they even read it.

Could be a number of reasons. It could be they didn't like your query, or you're submitting something the agent doesn't like. Basically anything from "Jesus, that's the 27th Elves in Space query this week!" to "Jesus, he's sending me Literary Fiction when it says quite clearly on the website that I only deal in Elves in Space!" It could be something as simple as a couple of spelling mistakes in the first couple of lines, or starting the letter "Yo, dude!" instead of "Dear (name of agent)".

Take a long hard look at your query, and who you're pitching it to, before you send it out again.

lin · 07-30-2008, 12:29 PM

Or even...hate to tell you aspirants... they are swamped and have just switched on an auto-reply to cut the slush flow for awhile.