New author needing help

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   kbowlingtigerposted 14 years ago

   Hello,
   
   I would like to know about your successful publishing stories. I spent many months trying to get one book published and was very unsuccessful.
   
   If you have any tips or advice, I would greatly appreciate them.
   
   Thanks,
   
   ~Kim

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      NewYorkerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      You're obviously not supposed to write, if a publisher refused to publish your book. That's the first hint.

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         kbowlingtigerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         excuse me?! i don't need such negativity from you. who are you to say that I am not supposed to write. Plenty of striving authors get refused and it can be for various reasons. i.e. query is not strong, not accepting new authors.

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            NewYorkerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Would you calm down.
            
            Didn't mean it like that. I'm saying, we all have a calling in this life. I mean, I can't write worth a damn, but still I convince myself I belong here.
            
            Maybe you think you can write, but really you can't write worth a dime.
            
            Just something to think about..

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               kbowlingtigerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               well thank you for your opinion, but I am very aware of the fact that I can write. Sorry to hear that you can't.

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                  NewYorkerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  Of course YOU think you can write.
                  
                  And by the looks of your profile, your spelling isn't the strongest.

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                     PrettyPantherposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                     Geez, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?  I just read your hub on being a psychiatrist and there is a typo in the very first paragraph.
                     
                     Lighten up!  :-)

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                     kbowlingtigerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                     Thanks everyone for backing me up. Honestly, we are not perfect in all of our grammar. Writers do make mistakes. So as for NewYorker, you could really do without the rude criticism.

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                        NewYorkerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                        It was supposed to be constructive criticism. I have never seen your work, I can't judge. It was a theory.

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                           Pani Midnyte Odinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                           Her profile doesn't have a single misspelled word...

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                              NewYorkerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                              It had.
                              
                              "It is a passion of mine to succeed in writing and to become a successful business woman." woman was women.. Apparently, she's becoming plural.

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                                 Pani Midnyte Odinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                                 So one spelling error means she can't write? I've seen quite a few spelling errors by very accomplished authors. Stephen King, V.C. Andrews, and even J.K. Rolling have made spelling errors in their books. Yet, they are all authors whom sell millions of books and are quite popular authors.

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                                    Pani Midnyte Odinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                                    Oh, by the way, in YOUR profile, you have made 1 grammatical error. The very first sentence should have the quotation mark BEHIND the comma after the word man.
                                    
                                    If YOU, NewYorker, are unable to spell or write 100% properly, you don't have the right to judge others by one simple misspelling.

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                                       Ken R. Abellposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                                       Pani Midnyte Odin - Remind me not to cross you or get on your wrong side. :>)
                                       
                                       NewYorker needs to learn what Thumper's father taught him in the Disney movie Bambi: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

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            tobey100posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            You go Kbow.  My first book I got 112 rejection letters.  Gotta believe in yourself.

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               kbowlingtigerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               exactly! :-) I've received many rejections but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up. Hawthorne received over 100 rejections and today he is well-known for his works.

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         rebel12posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         no it isn't  the answer persistence is the answer

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      classicalgeekposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Getting a publisher is SO twentieth-century. I guess that is what my next hub will be about!

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         rebel12posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         what is the 21st entury. please start your next hub

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      Sufidreamerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I have a schoolfriend who is now a successful fantasy author. He wrote his first book and, after a year, he reread it and realised that it was no good.
      
      He rewrote it and soon secured a deal.
      
      I don't know what your book is like, but maybe you could leave it aside for a few months and look with fresh eyes. You may notice a few things that you could have done better. In addition, it is always a good idea to have somebody else look at it from a neutral perspective - it is difficult to criticise your own work.
      
      Best of luck - as the others have said, you have to keep plugging away

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         kbowlingtigerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you,
         
         I really do like your advice. I haven't read the book in a while and looking at it with fresh eyes will definitely allow me to see the mistakes that I overlooked before. :-)

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            Sufidreamerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            No problem - glad to help.
            
            If you really want to go for it, you could hire an editor to tighten things up (even the best authors have editors!)
            
            However, a good editor will be blunt - if the book is no good, they will tell you, straightaway.
            
            Hopefully, that will not be the case

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      Ken R. Abellposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Kim - Getting published by traditional publishers is difficult.
      
      Difficult, not impossible. That is what I tell myself because I am actively trying to interest a publisher in a book I wrote. I have been doing so for a year.
      
      The rejection can be for a zillion reasons that have nothing to do with your ability to write. For example, you may have penned the greatest potboiler ever, but if it is not formatted correctly, it likely will get rejected.
      
      And seriously, a zillion may be hyperbole, but there are a lot of reasons why publishers reject a manuscript.
      
      My best advice is exactly what I tell myself. Keep writing & honing your skills. Writing is a craft that needs to be respected by those who call themselves writers.  And remember this, no matter what, writers write.
      
      Research publishers. Learn what their expectations for submissions are & then do your best to make your manuscript appealing within their guidelines.
      
      Best wishes to you. If writing is your dream then pursue it for all you're worth. Be encouraged.

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      dgreenspanposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It's always been difficult to publish with traditional publishers, and now, with the economy the way it is, few publishers are going out on a limb with new authors.  However, they are looking at books that have been self-published.  If you can establish a track record with a self published book, traditional publishers are watching the numbers. It's hard work, but I've seen it happen.  With several books.

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   PrettyPantherposted 14 years ago

   Kim, I don't have any advice other than just keep trying and keep writing.  You are still young and have many years to pursue your dream.

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   IzzyMposted 14 years ago

   Neither do I Kim, except to say sometimes it's worth finding an agent who can do all the contacting publishers for you. Plus an agent will give you honest feedback, and are best qualified to say whether your work will sell or not.

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      rebel12posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      izzym is right kim. an agent would take around 10% commission but 10% of  something is better than nothing. but only get an agent who works for final copmmission only. not one who ask for fees upfront

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   Has_aWayWithWordsposted 14 years ago

   Kim, I don't know enough about what exactly you are writing and what you ultimate goal is to know if this suggestion will work for you but it may be worth a shot. I have heard a lot lately about different writers getting their work published on Amazon or places that specialize in ebooks. It may be worth the effort to break through there and use that as recognition to get other works published later. Just a thought

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      kbowlingtigerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks,
      
      I did publish one on Amazon, but I removed it. I just didn't feel right publishing it that way. I'm more into the traditional process. I will look into your advice though. It's well appreciated. :-)

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   rebel12posted 14 years ago

   hi kim
   i too have posted on this subject aasking for help but i hope i don't get a reply like your first one. just take that one on the chin! (ouch) i have a friend called peter hoththeston who is a published author and at the time was the worlds leading authority on motor racing. he had 3 books published on this subject but he told me that he had on file 452 rejection slips from after submitting his book to publishers. then he was advised that he may be submitting his book to the wrong publishing houses because apperently each publishing house deals in niches so he did research found the right niche and his book was published so don't loose heart keep submitting if you can afford too
   good luck Anne

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      rebel12posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      please excuse my typing error in above post aasking1 i should have edited before posting

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      kbowlingtigerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Wow, thanks for the confidence boost. Through out my rejections (that I do keep in a folder), I have heard lots of feedback from agents stating that my work is not what they are looking for. So you are right, I need to find the right genre and publishing house. That requires a lot of research, and of course I'm willing to take the time to do so. That's what our desire is about. We want to succeed.
      
      I wish you all the success in your future. Hope you also do one day find the solution to getting published.
      
      ~Kim

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   Sherbet Pennyposted 14 years ago

   Just keep at it or put it on hold, and start a new project. Jack Kerouac's " On The Road" suffered 7 years of rejection, and look what became of that book, so keep the chin up and be persistent, as for the unnecessary reaction by NewYorker, if you have no sound advice to give, you should not comment and keep your trap shut. Good luck.

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   wrenfrost56posted 14 years ago

   Hi kim, do not be discouraged, many great authers have been turned down many a time by publishers, (Stephen King, JK Rowling, Terry Pratchet to name a few) but then went on to great success!
   I am working on a couple of books at the moment and am hoping to start getting some work in print. (Although my spelling really could inhibit my chances!) Any way I brought the writers handbook, it's a great tool! I hope this helps and good luck!

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   Tubbs Merougeposted 14 years ago

   Wow! That person really gave you a hard time!!  But just keep trying and you will succeed!!

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