Anyone Else Has Wrote an Unpublished Novel (Maybe part of NaNoWriMo)

1. 89

   spartucusjonesposted 8 years ago

   Back in November I wrote a novel has part of NaNoWriMo. Is there anyone else in the same boat? If so, what do you plan on doing with your unpublished novel?
   
   Also I am possibly interested in either Beta readers or novel swaps and thought that the HubPages community could be possibly a good place to get assistance.
   
   Here is the general synopsis of my novel:
   "Endless Nameless is lying on a hospital deathbed and his wife is expecting. He will most likely die before she gives birth. Despite this fact he desires that his child be given an opportunity to get to know his dad. With this objective in mind he sets to write his thoughts and life lessons so that he can make connections with his soon to be born child.
   
   Part of Endless Nameless' dilemma is that he is not very eloquent and his memory of facts can be a bit hazy. That being said, he does have the ability to associate major life events and memories with music. With that in mind he decides to use songs as the backdrop to tell his story. It is like a memoir told through a literary mix tape. It is an epic soundtrack to a mundane existence."
   
   If anyone else wants to share their synopsis to their unpublished novel, this could be a possible means to assist with finding beta readers and/or novel swaps.

   replyreport
   1. 72

      galleryofgraceposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Put it in Amazon Kindle.

      replyreport
      1. 86

         Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         GofG, if anyone writes a novel during NaNoWriMo and puts it on Kindle two months later, they should be shot!   There is absolutely NO WAY that novel would be ready for publication.
         
         The aim of NaNoWriMo is to get the story down on paper - a first draft.  All novels need editing - even J K Rowling and Stephen King work with an editor for months after they've finished their novels - and I was told (by a professional editor) that it will often take longer to edit a novel than it did to write it.

         replyreport
   2. 60

      TessSchlesingerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Self publish. If it does well, the publishers will come after you.

      replyreport
      1. 84

         psycheskinnerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         If you want to publish with a traditional house, just submitting to them is several orders of magnitude more likely to work out than hoping they will come to you.
         
         I say that as someone who has pursued (and succeeded, albeity modestly in) both arenas and has no prejudices either way.

         replyreport
         1. 60

            TessSchlesingerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            You cannot submit directly to publishers these days (unless a small publishing house is actually asking for submissions.) You first have to submit to an agent. Virtually all mainstream publishers these days only accept submissions through agents. That way they know the book has been read and it's okay. The slush pile of yesteryear is a thing of the past.

            replyreport
            1. 84

               psycheskinnerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

               Um, yes, you can directly submit to a great many publishers.  You send a query letter, then they solicit the manuscript (sometimes they also requre a marketing plan and proposal, bio etc), and then you submit it.  I did it then, and I do it now.  Some publishers do not even accept query letters, but a great many do.  That is why I have two published textbooks and a three novels--and no agent. 
               
               Many people misinterpet the term "no unsolicited submissions", or are not willing to wait for submission periods or go to pitch sessions at conventions.  But if you spend a year or more writing a book, spending a bit of time working out how to submit it is really no big deal. 
               
               And if your dream publisher only works with agents, well, I guess you would apply to agents.  I am working on a proposal for a non-fiction agent right now for just that reason.  Whatever it takes, right?

               replyreport
               1. 60

                  TessSchlesingerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                  I guess I couldn't be bothered. I write books because I enjoy it and because I feel good doing it. Having to market it, search for an agent, pitch at conventions, etc. is so stressful and so time consuming that I guess I'll just go on writing forever and leave it at that.
                  
                  I have always found the idea of pitching anything to be the most repulsive thing on earth. Why on earth one should be forced to say good things about one's own work is beyond me.
                  
                  That said, I've read many times that mainstream publishers (I didn't say all publishers) don't accept books in their slush piles anymore. Must have read misinformation. Lots of that about.
                  
                  Thanks for the information.

                  replyreport
                  1. 84

                     psycheskinnerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                     If you want to be commercially published that is just part of the process.  If not, well, then not.  I can't say that I found it especially arduous, and the people I worked with as a result were mostly very charming.

                     replyreport
                     1. 60

                        TessSchlesingerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                        I don't care about being commercially published. In fact, I would find it extremely stressful. It depends what sort of person you are, I think.
                        
                        Just curious. What books have you published and where can I look at them?

                        replyreport
2. 0

   Bronwyn Joy Ellioposted 8 years ago

   I have now taken part in NaNoWriMo three times in four years. Although I only "won" (reached the 50 thousand word target) in 2015, I did manage to compile a collection of short stories in 2014 which I self published as an eBook on amazon.
   I would certainly recommend going down the eBook road to anybody, regardless of the format/seller you decide on.

   replyreport
3. 86

   Marisa Wrightposted 8 years ago

   I recommend CritiqueCircle.com.    You can publish chapters there securely (only members can read them, so no risk of theft) and other members can critique them.   
   
   You can take a paid subscription, which allows you to post more frequently, but I used the free version - you earn points by reading other people's stories and providing a critique, then you 'pay' with points to post your own chapters.  I found I earned far more points than I needed, because each time I posted something I got so much good advice and had to spend time re-writing!
   
   It can be a bit confronting to have your writing pulled to pieces, especially if you're not used to it, but it's an important part of learning as a writer.

   replyreport
   1. 89

      spartucusjonesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for that recommendation; I will seriously look into it.
      
      I know what you are saying about your work being pulled to pieces.
      There is part of me that was considering doing NaNo strictly for my own sense of personal accomplishment, because having other people read my work feels a little bit like exposing myself. But I do agree that the constructive criticism is important to progress as a writer and I am bracing myself for that inevitability.

      replyreport
4. 84

   psycheskinnerposted 8 years ago

   I wrote a novel via NaNo about ten years ago, then I submitted it to a publisher, and it has been published for some time now.  NaNo means you have a finished manuscript.  What you do with it is up to you.

   replyreport
   1. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      NaNo is about writing an entire novel in a month.  That's a very short time and the objective is to reach "The End", not to produce a finished work that is refined, polished, edited and fit for publication "as is".
      
      I think it would take a very experienced writer (which you may be, of course) to produce a fully polished work within the time frame.

      replyreport
      1. 84

         psycheskinnerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         I took a year to revise and edit the novel before submitting it. I guess I thought that went without saying, but I guess in the case of some overly enthusiastic authors, it needs spelling out.

         replyreport
         1. 86

            Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            That's exactly what I meant, Psychskinner. The OP said they did NaNoWriMo in November and people were suggesting they self-publish barely two months later!

            replyreport
5. 83

   Medvekomaposted 8 years ago

   I'm in the process of editing and putting up a novel to HubPages. It's partially a result of NaNoWriMo, although the 2014 one. Been editing and altering it since, and I think it still has a long way before that one 'final' draft.
   
   But yes, I see lots of people putting up novellas and novels to HubPages, either for entertainment, a form of self-publishing or to receive reviews and critique. Perhaps we should inquire for a subforum that deals solely with creative writing and fiction on HubPages?

   replyreport
   1. 84

      psycheskinnerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      http://hubpages.com/forum/26

      replyreport
      1. 83

         Medvekomaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you, I seem to have skimped over that, possibly due to all the world association games lined up at the top. Never the less ... off we go to the literature cave!

         replyreport
   2. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I think HubPages is a really bad place to publish your novel.   The way the navigation works here, it's difficult for people to follow you from one chapter to the next.  Also, most Hubs on HubPages get copied on spam websites - do you really want chapters from your novel appearing on other sites?  It might jeopardise your chance of getting published.
      
      If you want feedback, I recommend CritiqueCircle.com - and there are other similar sites around.  Choose a site that's secure so only members can see and give feedback. 
      
      If your novel is ready to publish and you want to serialise it, look at Smashwords and Kindle.

      replyreport
      1. 60

         TessSchlesingerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Agreed.

         replyreport
      2. 89

         spartucusjonesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         I also tend to agree. I am not at that point yet, but Hubpages is an option that I have already ruled out.

         replyreport