I suck at this

[amber_grosjean]

I am so bad at this. I spend all day at the computer, looking for agents and publishers. I read the book that lists publishers and their guidlines. I send them a letter, giving them the information they need, send emails to those who want emails instead, and most of them don't even respond. The ones who do, want money from me. I royaly suck at this. The only thing I am able to do is write, its all I do. I love creating characters from scratch and putting them in scenes and giving them dilemas. The bad part of it is the "business" part of it all. Is there anyone out there who can help me? I am so lost at this. I feel like I'm going in circles and this is a never ending search in getting published. The one publisher I do have is one that everyone is warning me against but I've already signed with them so I can't do anything about that.

Amber

[Ol' Fashioned Girl]

If it's any consolation, Amber, you're not alone in this boat. There aren't very many - if any - of us here (who've ever been serious about this) who haven't been right where you are this instant.

You've certainly hit the nail on the head with the 'business' part of it all. Anything you do for money, or the hope of making money, is work. Just hang in there. Cry on our shoulders and hang around so we can cry on yours. :)

And one day... one day, you'll be glad you did. We all will.

[Rolling Thunder]

And stay away from those ones asking for money. Our genial Uncle Jim says: "Money flows TO, not away from, the author.

Visit the 'Learn writing with Uncle Jim thread. You'll learn loads. Ask questions!

[amber_grosjean]

Thank you, you guys. Now I understand why so many authors went to college. I wish now that I did. I always felt I didn't need to, since I knew how to write. I wanted to learn as I went. Now I have to. Thank you!

Amber

[swvaughn]

Amber - try not to let it get you down! The good news is, the best thing you can do right now is to keep doing what you love. Write another book.

Continue to send out queries. Don't pay anyone money. I suspect I know which publisher you're talking about, and I'm so sorry. I have a good friend who got suckered in. Not his fault - not yours either. There are some so-called publishers out there who just don't care about writers or their dreams.

Write another book, and then another one. The rest will come clear in time. No one ever knows how much time, but it will come. :D

[johnzakour]

All you can do is keep plugging away. (Oh don't give anybody money to read or publisher your material.)

[Del]

The tough road is like a right of passage. Walk it and be proud.

[amber_grosjean]

Thank you. And yes, it is probably the one you are thinking about Swvaughn. I will make the best of it though. I will promote my a** off to get the sales, which will make me a better writer in the long run, I know it will. And I will keep on writing because it is my calling. I'm working on 4 books now, one is nonfiction but is being written under another name as to protect this name. As for the other three, they are totally different for different audiences. It keeps my flow going and if I get writers block, I simply turn to another book and go from there.

[underthecity]

You might consider posting your query letter in the Query Letter Critique (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=84) forum in the Share Your Work forum. Who knows, your query might not be strong enough. Couldn't hurt to try.

Oh, and welcome to AW and as always, keep writing!

allen

[icerose]

If it's with a certain publisher with the initials PA, you're better off to consider it a dead book until it's released. Because they will actively work against all your efforts so that the only way to sell anything is to buy it yourself.

I know from experience.

Good luck with learning all these things, it takes a while to get your head wrapped around things, but it does happen. There are lots of people around here that can help.

[Ol' Fashioned Girl]

If it's PA, icerose is right. I've been there, too. And I didn't even get a t-shirt. :) Don't waste your energy on promotion; use that energy to learn, grow, write more.

Or as Mac says, "Write hard. Write true. And write on!"

[janetbellinger]

Join the club, Amber. Many of us are searching for that slippery key to publishing.

[Shadow_Ferret]

Now I understand why so many authors went to college. I wish now that I did. I always felt I didn't need to, since I knew how to write. I wanted to learn as I went. Now I have to. Thank you!

Amber
College never taught me anything about the business end. It never had any classes on query letters, synopsises and how to get an agent. College was merely workshops and teachng you about the art of fiction.

So I wouldn't beat myself up over not having gone to college. It isn't at all helpful in this area.

As underthecity suggested, go to the Submit Your Work area, find the Query area and post your query letters so they can be polished up -- if that's where your trouble lies.

[thethinker42]

The only thing I am able to do is write, its all I do. I love creating characters from scratch and putting them in scenes and giving them dilemas. The bad part of it is the "business" part of it all. Is there anyone out there who can help me?

Girl, we're kindred spirits...I SUCK at marketing, especially any kind of self-promotion. Blech. I always feel like my pitch sounds like the over-dramatic voice-over on movie previews (read: CORNY).

I LOVE to write. I HATE to sell (that's why I got out of retail!!!!). Overall, I loathe the business aspect of writing (especially selling)...but it's a necessary evil.

I guess in a way, my hatred of the business aspect is a good thing: I keep writing and writing and writing, rationalizing to myself that I can't possibly spend time trying to publish YET because it's not done. ;) As long as I'm writing, that's time I can't spend writing queries, etc., so I keep writing to keep myself from that stuff. LOL (In all seriousness, I really WILL get down to business when I'm done with this draft...)

[jerrymouse]

keep looking for agents. dont pay anyone. write new stuff. send to agents.
someone told me once that it was easy, but they were talking about sleeping.

[Namatu]

[quote=amber_grosjean]I wanted to learn as I went. Now I have to./quote]

You've hit the proverbial nail on the head. The whole getting an agent, getting published thing is a learn as you go process. The first time around, there's so much to learn. You may get burned, but the knowledge you take away from that experience will only help you as you go forward. Luckily there are handy reference tools like the Absolute Write forum and all the people here who can offer advice and support!

[jodiodi]

I certainly sympathize with you. And like Shadow_Ferret said, a college degree isn't that helpful in your quest. Believe me, I have 3 of them and since none of them are in marketing/ad/PR, publishing law, or an MBA they're useless for the business end of writing. You'll find plenety of helpful resources here.

Good luck.

[PeeDee]

Someone once said that with a college degree, and fifty cents, you can buy yourself a cup of coffee. :)

Buck up, it's not too bad. Make sure you're sending exactly what the publisher wants to them, or to agents. Remember that not all of them respond, and some of them do take quite a while TO respond. It's a waiting game, which is nice, because it gives you more time to write.

Be VERY VERY careful about the publishers you look at. Have you heard of them? Why not? Do they get books on store shelves? Why not? Do they have any books or authors you know? Why not?

[Carmy]

Marketing is the hardest part of writing. I hate it and I'm no good at it. Still, I keep on plugging away and writing new stuff. Hope springs eternal.

Writing without selling is like acting without applause.

[Summonere]

The one publisher I do have is one that everyone is warning me against but I've already signed with them so I can't do anything about that.
Ah, jeepers. But the good news is that you can write something else and sell it elsewhere, and for more money, than the sham outfit you're with.
I will promote my a** off to get the sales, which will make me a better writer...
Actually, writing and reading will do more to improve your writing than promoting your a** off. All you'll end up with there is maybe some money and no a**, not necessarily improved writing skill.

For instance: know a woman, I do, who is a very successful author with some eighty or ninety books to her credit (at last count). Know how she learned to write? By reading. By reading her favorite kinds of books. By taking them apart to see what made them tick. By figuring out what happened when and why. And by writing ... a lot. She wrote with the aforementioned market in mind. When she finally produced a work that she liked, it was a spot-on match for the market in which she had so extensively read, enjoyed, and studied.

Do the same -- study the market, read, write -- and you should be able to get your foot in the door somewhere ... somewhere that will pay you. That's important. If a publisher pays you, you profit. If you pay a publisher, they profit.
Is there anyone out there who can help me?
Many of them are on this board, which has "Ask the Agent" and "Ask the Editor" forums wherein you can ask as them as many questions as you want. Same goes for "Ask Uncle Jim", a very long thread in which many of your questions regarding the business side of the work may be answered.

[Soccer Mom]

My degrees help pay the bills with my day job, but they don't do squat for my writing. ALthough I will say I was exposed to lots of authors and things I would have never known existed without college. Then again, this was in days of yore before the web. Things are so much more accessible now.

And if you feel a yearning to try college, it's never too late.

[jodiodi]

My degrees help pay the bills with my day job, but they don't do squat for my writing. ALthough I will say I was exposed to lots of authors and things I would have never known existed without college. Then again, this was in days of yore before the web. Things are so much more accessible now.

And if you feel a yearning to try college, it's never too late.

Amen to that! I would stay in school forever if I could, just going back for one degree after another. It's only too late when you're dead.

[Maprilynne]

All you can do is keep plugging away. (Oh don't give anybody money to read or publisher your material.)

What are you talking about John? You paid me like twenty zillion dollars to read your book . . . Uh, I mean. Yeah, what he said.;)

Maprilynne

[MightyScribbler]

I could be wrong, you should ask some other AW folks, but you may be able to get out of that contract. I think it depends on when you signed it and what has been done sense you signed it. And, if they're real sketchy (I don't know who it is) the contract may be worth toilet paper. I believe most contracts have a termination clause too. Again, I personally don't know, but just because you signed something doesn't necessarily mean you're stuck-I think. Ask around and see what your options are, you may find a way out.

[IrishScribbler]

After hearing so many bad stories about agents and publishers, I've decided that, when it comes time to deal with the business side of things, I'll be happily dumping paperwork onto the lap of my fiance, who has a degree in business management.

Poof.

[PeeDee]

After hearing so many bad stories about agents and publishers, I've decided that, when it comes time to deal with the business side of things, I'll be happily dumping paperwork onto the lap of my fiance, who has a degree in business management.

Poof.

I don't know. That can help, but a publisher contract isn't the same as a regular contract in any other field (it's why there are literary lawyers who deal specifically with this stuff).

Plus, if they are familiar with businesses, are they going to know the difference between a scam publisher with a very well maintained front, and a real publisher with a lousy web-site? Baen has a fairly crummy web-site, whereas PublishAmerica has a nice one. Guess which one's legit... :)

[IrishScribbler]

I don't know. That can help, but a publisher contract isn't the same as a regular contract in any other field (it's why there are literary lawyers who deal specifically with this stuff).

Plus, if they are familiar with businesses, are they going to know the difference between a scam publisher with a very well maintained front, and a real publisher with a lousy web-site? Baen has a fairly crummy web-site, whereas PublishAmerica has a nice one. Guess which one's legit... :)

Mostly I was joking, but I understand the concern. I'm just not very business savvy (he says I'm not ruthless enough for business)....

[PeeDee]

Mostly I was joking, but I understand the concern. I'm just not very business savvy (he says I'm not ruthless enough for business)....

Fair enough. I just wanted to make sure you're careful. Mostly, it doesn't involve too much business savvy (I have none) and ruthlessness. It just involves being careful, reading everything you can, and making wise decisions.

[amber_grosjean]

Again, I wold like to thank everyone for your information. I appreciate all of it and will work harder and keep writing which is something I do anyways.

[CheshireCat]

Everybody sucks in the beginning.

I'm just sayin'.

[amber_grosjean]

Oh I know what you mean. There is only one direction to go from there and that is up (getting better I mean). It takes time, I know. I'm young. I'm going to enjoy the art while I still can and hopefully be able to reap the rewards someday.