Any writers?

[AmateisGal]

Hey Undertow, have you been obsessively checking your email today?

[Senator Jack]

While after nine months of queries I'm inured to most rejections, some still hurt. Sent an email query to Max Lit on Sat morning and by the afternoon, we already had several exchanges. I knew it could go either way as he explained that reading my query was a roller coaster of 'yeses and noes', and even though I prepared myself for a 'no', and got it the next day, there was a lot of stomping and slamming around the house, a bottle of Tabasco sauce somehow becoming a casualty in the mayhem.

Reading through their site, I had been thinking 'this guy's going to get it, understand what I'm doing,' and he did, telling me I shouldn't change a comma of my work, but then he went on to say my style just isn't something he's keen on, which i completely understand. The fact is that the simple telling of a story in a literary manner, a la Graham Greene or Anthony Burgess, is out. Having any sort of personal literary style is out. Anything that reeks of a writer actually thinking about the words he's using is out. And though I'm not the type to drop in $10 words for the sake of using a $10 word, the use of ANY word no longer in general use (meaning one you won't hear on 'The Bachelor or American Idol') is thought to be haughty and unprofessional, and that's even if it happens to the absolute right word for the period. (Of course, Anthony Burgess would have NEVER been published today as most of his books read like the 20 volume OED.)

Well, I sent a reply to request reconsideration, but I fear that's not going to happen. I guess it's back to sending queries to the twenty-something blondes who now run the publishing biz.

Regards,

Jack

[Diamondback]

Actually, a buddy of mine has a 1930s-setting urban-fantasy novel coming out next year, and as soon as he mentioned it I told him to check this joint out as a research resource.

If anyone's interested, the book is Hard Magic, the first of Larry Correia's "Grimnoir Chronicles". I don't even like fantasy-ish stuff, but if it blends the same grade of action and quirky humor as his last book with my favorite slice of history I'm game...

[AmateisGal]

Incredible...just incredible. What is wrong with these agents? Why are they not actively looking for stuff that is good, and not just "in"? No wonder the self-publishing biz is exploding.

I'm tired of it, too. At last count, 55 rejections.

So sorry about this, Jack.

[Senator Jack]

That's just it. That's why I thought he'd get me, because they're definitely not looking for 'in' over there. He even gave me credit for not mentioning 'Mad Men' in my letter, which, now that I think about it, I should have been doing in all my previous queries. (Even though Mixing Girls is set in '53 rather than the 60s.)

It was just a matter of the style not being right for him. He thought it distant, which is, of course, what I had been going for: the invisible author. So, in a sense, he understood my angle but it just isn't one he likes.

Regards,

Jack

[Diamondback]

IIRC, Correia used period language in Grimnoir and sold it, you might give his editor (Toni Weiskopf at Baen) a try.

My condolences as well, Jack.

[AmateisGal]

If anything, he should show it to the other agents because if that's what they're all about - not going for the "in" stuff - and your stuff simply didn't float his boat, it might be the perfect fit for someone else at the agency.

[Feraud]

No wonder the self-publishing biz is exploding.

Speaking of which.. does anyone self-publish?
This seems the perfect option for those looking to publish after getting the run around from traditional publishing houses.

[AmateisGal]

I used to work for one of the major self-publishers (and now I freelance for them), so I know the ins and outs of it.

It is a great thing for those who just want to see their book in print. But for those who really want to build a following and make some major sales, you are in for a very difficult road. You have to do 100% of the marketing yourself, unless you hire the marketing services offered by the self-publisher (and that is NOT cheap) and then, they will only do a small portion of it.

Plus, the overall quality of a lot of these self-published books is nowhere near those of traditionally-published books. I know this first-hand because I used to write back cover copy for these books and had to look through the manuscripts themselves. I've done well over 1,000 titles and of those, maybe 5% were written well and didn't require a ton of editing. They also are not the same quality with cover design, etc., except for a precious few.

The only way I would ever consider self-publishing is if I just wanted to see my book in print and had no desire to make a career out of it. It's a great alternative for family histories or memoirs or if you don't have to make money at it.

That all being said, there are exceptions to this rule. Some of our authors did fairly well - but I could count on one hand those that were considered "bestsellers" by the bestseller standards.

[Diamondback]

Feraud, that sometimes works--when MHI was self-published, Larry spread the word to a bunch of his gunboard buddies, and we in turn spread it far and wide, and after a few months of shocking sales Toni at Baen bought it and went mass-market.

So, if you SP, spread the word on every vintage/retro/period-oriented board you're a part of...