Publisher help?

brenda c · Aug 6, 2007

MY gawd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After reading 95% of the info posted I don't know If I should Say Hello first or just let all of the newbies to follow me, and the old members to not forget me in the room for hopeless, helpless and loss! just on my reading of a couple of chapters i have request from 1500 and was given permission to have a book signing at my daughter's high school today! but
i don't know if i should go stand in my backyard in the pouring rain or just stop now and not go through with my book! I WASSSS considering self publishing, because after getting all geeked up, begging on wounded,crippled knee to my husband,and finally threating to send him to the moon(just kidding!) if i couldn't go the the big BEA Writers Conference
he caved in probably because he knows how bad i want this,I spent more on the flight,and conference then we could afford, got 6 request for my
manuscript, later rejections from 5 and 1 stating if i got a professional editor to assist with the editing just 2 tweak it! MEMBERS! I AM TOTALLY LOST AND CONFUSED! handouts will be graciously accepted.
boy! i feel better.

James D. Macdonald · Aug 6, 2007

BEA Writer's Conference?

Okay, which publisher asked you to get a "professional editor"?

JerseyGirl1962 · Aug 7, 2007

brenda c said:
if i couldn't go the the big BEA Writers Conference
he caved in probably because he knows how bad i want this,I spent more on the flight,and conference then we could afford, got 6 request for my
manuscript, later rejections from 5 and 1 stating if i got a professional editor to assist with the editing just 2 tweak it! MEMBERS! I AM TOTALLY LOST AND CONFUSED! handouts will be graciously accepted.
boy! i feel better.

Brenda,

Who's the publisher? And did that publisher steer you to any specific editors?

~Nancy

veinglory · Aug 7, 2007

Take a deep breath. There is always a next thing to try, a way to move forward. Start by working out if the recommendation was a good idea or a bum steer.

CheshireCat · Aug 7, 2007

James D. Macdonald said:
BEA Writer's Conference?

Yeah, that baffled me a little bit.

Birol · Aug 7, 2007

brenda c said:
MY gawd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After reading 95% of the info posted I don't know If I should Say Hello first or just let all of the newbies to follow me, and the old members to not forget me in the room for hopeless, helpless and loss!

Deep breath. Slow down.

Hello is always a great place to start. My name's Lori. I'm known as Birol around here and I moderate the Roundtable forum, which is just one very small section of the AbsoluteWrite Water Cooler. We're a diverse community united by our love of the written word. We're happy to have you as one of us.

If you're ever not certain where to go, just click on the View Forum Leaders link near the bottom of the main page. It will show you a list of moderators, sages, and administrators, and who's responsible for what room. You can click on the Send PM button next to any of their names and send them a private message asking where the best place to post your question or experiences would be. We do our best not to lose anyone.

just on my reading of a couple of chapters i have request from 1500

I'm not quite certain what you're saying here. Is 1500 an agency or a publisher?

and was given permission to have a book signing at my daughter's high school today! but
i don't know if i should go stand in my backyard in the pouring rain or just stop now and not go through with my book!

Are you saying you have permission for a signing before you've even finished writing your book and before it's been published? That's great!

But, again, let's take a deep breath and slow down. One thing at a time.

I WASSSS considering self publishing,

What about self-publishing appeals to you? Why were you considering it?

because after getting all geeked up, begging on wounded,crippled knee to my husband,and finally threating to send him to the moon(just kidding!) if i couldn't go the the big BEA Writers Conference
he caved in probably because he knows how bad i want this,I spent more on the flight,and conference then we could afford,

Given this, you may want to very carefully consider whether or not to self-publish. It can be very expensive to do and the majority of individuals do not earn their investment back.

Uncle Jim has a slogan that he's taught to all of us, it's "Money flows toward the writer."

Remember it. Repeat it often.

got 6 request for my manuscript, later rejections from 5

Six requests and five rejections is not bad at all. Congratulations!

and 1 stating if i got a professional editor to assist with the editing just 2 tweak it!

This is raising some red flags with many members here. Who is the editor? Did they recommend a specific editing service? We need a few more details if we're going to be able to help you out to the best of our abilities.

MEMBERS! I AM TOTALLY LOST AND CONFUSED! handouts will be graciously accepted.

It's okay. You're among like-minded individuals here who want you to succeed and are willing to help you. We just need a little more information before we can do so.

boy! i feel better.

Good, but remember to keep breathing. Breathing is very important.

brenda c · Aug 7, 2007

James D. Macdonald said:
BEA Writer's Conference?

Okay, which publisher asked you to get a "professional editor"?

Thanks for inquiring,
The Krista Goering Literary Agency LLC.
Lawerence Kansas

brenda c · Aug 7, 2007

JerseyGirl1962 said:
Brenda,

Who's the publisher? And did that publisher steer you to any specific editors?

~Nancy

Hi Thanks,
No and thank gawd i didn't learn about their antics until after i'd read writers beware. The Krista Goering Literary agency

brenda c · Aug 7, 2007

veinglory said:
Take a deep breath. There is always a next thing to try, a way to move forward. Start by working out if the recommendation was a good idea or a bum steer.

Thanks at this point i'll try anything.. Its just that i completed this after re-writing it 10 times and i have soooo many people who wanted to buy it.
now only to find out that if i do self publish , the odds r sooo much against me

brenda c · Aug 7, 2007

Birol said:
Deep breath. Slow down.

Hello is always a great place to start. My name's Lori. I'm known as Birol around here and I moderate the Roundtable forum, which is just one very small section of the AbsoluteWrite Water Cooler. We're a diverse community united by our love of the written word. We're happy to have you as one of us.

If you're ever not certain where to go, just click on the View Forum Leaders link near the bottom of the main page. It will show you a list of moderators, sages, and administrators, and who's responsible for what room. You can click on the Send PM button next to any of their names and send them a private message asking where the best place to post your question or experiences would be. We do our best not to lose anyone.

I'm not quite certain what you're saying here. Is 1500 an agency or a publisher?

Are you saying you have permission for a signing before you've even finished writing your book and before it's been published? That's great!

But, again, let's take a deep breath and slow down. One thing at a time.

What about self-publishing appeals to you? Why were you considering it?

Given this, you may want to very carefully consider whether or not to self-publish. It can be very expensive to do and the majority of individuals do not earn their investment back.

Uncle Jim has a slogan that he's taught to all of us, it's "Money flows toward the writer."

Remember it. Repeat it often.

Six requests and five rejections is not bad at all. Congratulations!

This is raising some red flags with many members here. Who is the editor? Did they recommend a specific editing service? We need a few more details if we're going to be able to help you out to the best of our abilities.

It's okay. You're among like-minded individuals here who want you to succeed and are willing to help you. We just need a little more information before we can do so.

Good, but remember to keep breathing. Breathing is very important.

Thank you for your response. i went to bed in tears, which was 1 reason that i was intimidated in sending my manuscript out in the first place.The rejection.
they say if u can't take it then ur not cut out 2b a writer. maybe so my story is real. its what happened 2 me, i know every detail, from that time and evry page by heart. the 1500 is the number of people who want a copy of the book which i call the witness. some wanted to put a payment to hold it,i didn't accept, i figured with sooo many people it had to be ok. these r not family, these r total strangers and people that i have talked 2 about the book.why self publish? because of the rejections, annnndddd, i don't know how to edit or tweak my book any more than i have already, and i'm tooo chicken to let a group pick me apart. other than that....

brenda c · Aug 7, 2007

brenda c said:
Thank you for your response. i went to bed in tears, which was 1 reason that i was intimidated in sending my manuscript out in the first place.The rejection.
they say if u can't take it then ur not cut out 2b a writer. maybe so my story is real. its what happened 2 me, i know every detail, from that time and evry page by heart. the 1500 is the number of people who want a copy of the book which i call the witness. some wanted to put a payment to hold it,i didn't accept, i figured with sooo many people it had to be ok. these r not family, these r total strangers and people that i have talked 2 about the book.why self publish? because of the rejections, annnndddd, i don't know how to edit or tweak my book any more than i have already, and i'm tooo chicken to let a group pick me apart. other than that....

ps. the book signing is for 2 clinics the second is 21,216 sq ft. i am a nurse and a patient and know mostly all of the staff. we're talking alot of people. i have been a nurse for 29 years i know alot of doctors,nurses,cna,lab people does it mean that they wouldn't buy the book? theres always that possibility not it wasn't a strong probability. as far as the literary agent she didn't specify when she said tweak /and whip into shape, she also said it was very compelling but needed help 2b written more stylistically, and that then she would be willing 2 take another look at it.

brenda c · Aug 7, 2007

Birol said:
Deep breath. Slow down.

Hello is always a great place to start. My name's Lori. I'm known as Birol around here and I moderate the Roundtable forum, which is just one very small section of the AbsoluteWrite Water Cooler. We're a diverse community united by our love of the written word. We're happy to have you as one of us.

If you're ever not certain where to go, just click on the View Forum Leaders link near the bottom of the main page. It will show you a list of moderators, sages, and administrators, and who's responsible for what room. You can click on the Send PM button next to any of their names and send them a private message asking where the best place to post your question or experiences would be. We do our best not to lose anyone.

I'm not quite certain what you're saying here. Is 1500 an agency or a publisher?

Are you saying you have permission for a signing before you've even finished writing your book and before it's been published? That's great!

But, again, let's take a deep breath and slow down. One thing at a time.

What about self-publishing appeals to you? Why were you considering it?

Given this, you may want to very carefully consider whether or not to self-publish. It can be very expensive to do and the majority of individuals do not earn their investment back.

Uncle Jim has a slogan that he's taught to all of us, it's "Money flows toward the writer."

Remember it. Repeat it often.

Six requests and five rejections is not bad at all. Congratulations!

This is raising some red flags with many members here. Who is the editor? Did they recommend a specific editing service? We need a few more details if we're going to be able to help you out to the best of our abilities.

It's okay. You're among like-minded individuals here who want you to succeed and are willing to help you. We just need a little more information before we can do so.

Good, but remember to keep breathing. Breathing is very important.

i looked up coyote wild.. they do fiction and a little poetry...
my story is a true story.

DeadlyAccurate · Aug 7, 2007

Welcome to the boards.

Please understand that my intent is not to offend but as this is a writers' board, using proper spelling and grammar, rather than chat speak, is very much appreciated. It's a great way for us to keep our skills in top form since it's to our betterment to become the best communicators we can.

Birol · Aug 7, 2007

brenda c said:
Thank you for your response. i went to bed in tears, which was 1 reason that i was intimidated in sending my manuscript out in the first place.The rejection. they say if u can't take it then ur not cut out 2b a writer.

I don't think there's a writer on this board who will tell you that rejection doesn't sometimes get to them. It's hard for it not to. You work really hard at something only to be stymied by forces beyond your control. Some days, some weeks, some months, are just like that. But you keep going because the alternative is not to grow, not to develop, not to publish.

Even if you go the self-publishing route, there will still be rejection. It will just from different sources.

maybe so my story is real. its what happened 2 me, i know every detail, from that time and evry page by heart. the 1500 is the number of people who want a copy of the book which i call the witness. some wanted to put a payment to hold it,i didn't accept, i figured with sooo many people it had to be ok. these r not family, these r total strangers and people that i have talked 2 about the book.

You're saying the book is a memoir? It's about your life, your personal experiences? Then, yes, I know it will be very personal to you, very much about who and what you are and what you went through, but one thing you're going to have to understand is no one is going to feel your pain like you do. The individuals who read your book, the strangers, they will not see you as a person, but as a story, regardless of what you went through, regardless of what you lived. It won't be personal to them, not like it is to you. You must be prepared for that.

why self publish? because of the rejections,

Again, there will still be rejections even if you self-publish. There will be bookstores that won't host signings or allow your books to be shelved because you're self-published. There will be individuals who will consider the book "not real" if it's self-published. There will be people who are less likely to buy or read your book if they learn it's self-published. That's not to say those people are right. It's just one of those things that self-published authors must contend with. Even though it's not coming from editors or agents, it is still a form of rejection and it's something you must be prepared to face if you choose to self-publish.

annnndddd, i don't know how to edit or tweak my book any more than i have already,

This is actually a strong argument against self-publishing. Everyone needs a second set of eyes, someone who can tell you whether the images in your brain have actually made it to the page. Not having a book that is mechanically well-written book is one of the problems that will deter readers and bookstores.

and i'm tooo chicken to let a group pick me apart. other than that....

This is something that you're going to have to find a way to get over. If you publish, regardless of whether you are published by a commercial press or choose to self-publish, there will be people who pick the book apart. In a commercial press, your editor will be the first to do so in order to help make the book the best it can possibly be. Whether you are commercially published or self-published, reviewers will have a go at it. All reviews are not 100% favorable. Good reviews point out the books flaws as well as its strengths. And readers, yeah, readers, even readers who already know you, can be brutal.

DeadlyAccurate · Aug 7, 2007

I did a search of the agency and haven't found any particularly reassuring information. The Publishers Marketplace listing is here, but none of the leading clients seem to have sales for those listed books. Could be that the agency is new.

Strangely, I know I've seen that agent's website before, but I didn't find a listing in the B&BC Index.

Birol · Aug 7, 2007

brenda c said:
i looked up coyote wild.. they do fiction and a little poetry...
my story is a true story.

I'm not certain what you're saying... Are you saying you'd like to submit to us? We do publish non-fiction, too, but everything we publish is related to speculative fiction... We define speculative fiction as an umbrella term for horror, fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, etc.

Or are you questioning that since I'm with Coyote Wild, my comments may not be valid or apply to your situation? If so, that's fine. It's just an opinion. You'll get lots of those here. It's up to you to determine whose opinion or experiences you should choose to follow and it's good that you're questioning people's credentials, their ability and their knowledge to answer your questions.

maestrowork · Aug 7, 2007

Like Birol said, you will have to find a way to get over your fear of rejection and get a thick skin, especially if this is a true story about yourself (memoir) because people will tear it apart, like it or not: readers, reviewers, people who are looking to buy your book. Rejections and criticism are part of being a writer. And if you think self-publishing the book is going to save you from rejections, then you may face some rude awakening in the future. Of course, there may very well be a good niche market for your book, as it's non-fiction. But you will have to do a lot of selling yourself (it's hard to get into book stores with self-pub books). It is definitely not "easier."

I'm curious, how did you get 1500 interested in buying your book? Which group did you talk to?

veinglory · Aug 7, 2007

We have a great forum for life story writers here: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=42

And a critique area for non-fiction here: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=69

brenda c · Aug 7, 2007

Birol said:
I'm not certain what you're saying... Are you saying you'd like to submit to us? We do publish non-fiction, too, but everything we publish is related to speculative fiction... We define speculative fiction as an umbrella term for horror, fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, etc.

Or are you questioning that since I'm with Coyote Wild, my comments may not be valid or apply to your situation? If so, that's fine. It's just an opinion. You'll get lots of those here. It's up to you to determine whose opinion or experiences you should choose to follow and it's good that you're questioning people's credentials, their ability and their knowledge to answer your questions.

NO,NO not at all i'm not trying to invalidate you at all... I only thought that they wouldn't want to read my work because they spoke of fantasy and science fiction, Although i don't know a whole lot, i did heed to submit to agencys that publish appropriate to what one writes. so i didn't want to try to submit my work to if the specialty was nfantasy and mine was a true story. i apologize for it being mistaken any other way. i would appreciate it if they would.

Birol · Aug 7, 2007

Oh, Coyote's not an agency or a book publisher. We're just an online magazine, an e-zine. Most of the stuff we publish is 10,000 words or less.

brenda c · Aug 7, 2007

maestrowork said:
Like Birol said, you will have to find a way to get over your fear of rejection and get a thick skin, especially if this is a true story about yourself (memoir) because people will tear it apart, like it or not: readers, reviewers, people who are looking to buy your book. Rejections and criticism are part of being a writer. And if you think self-publishing the book is going to save you from rejections, then you may face some rude awakening in the future. Of course, their may very well be a good niche market for your book, as it's non-fiction. But you will have to do a lot of selling yourself (it's hard to get into book stores with self-pub books). It is definitely not "easier."

I'm curious, how did you get 1500 interested in buying your book? Which group did you talk to?

Hi thank you for your response. And i do apologize for my mispelled and chat abbreviations reguarding deadly accurate. i have that many as i said earlier as i am a nurse, and have been for 28 years, in that time and with my skills, i have come in contact with a lot of people.you get to know doctors, other nurses,lpns, cnas, people who work in the labs.i have been around a lonnnnnnnng time.And i worked at large, well known hospitals. have had down time for a year due to a new diagnosis of diabetes and now glaucoma.

Dawno · Aug 7, 2007

brenda, you've gotten some really good advice here. I can only add that doing your research (and we've got a lot of good threads in our forums) is essential. Read the Ask the Agent threads, the Bewares and Background Checks threads. Study what other memoir writers and non-fiction writers are saying in the Life Stories and Non-fiction forums.

As for Coyote Wild, it's a fine e-zine for short speculative fiction stories and non-fiction essays about spec. fic., but they aren't the right market for you.

CaoPaux · Aug 8, 2007

DeadlyAccurate said:
I did a search of the agency and haven't found any particularly reassuring information. The Publishers Marketplace listing is here, but none of the leading clients seem to have sales for those listed books. Could be that the agency is new.

Strangely, I know I've seen that agent's website before, but I didn't find a listing in the B&BC Index.

A month or so ago, a newbie arrived to announce he finally got an agent, and would we please sign up for his "how I got an agent" ebook. Ring any bells...?

DeadlyAccurate · Aug 8, 2007

Aha! Yes, I do indeed remember that.

Birol · Aug 8, 2007

Link please?

Publisher help?

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