In high school I spent one year on the yearbook staff. I started the class really excited, and I ended the class hoping never to speak of it again. When my mother saw the section I'd worked on--the advertising section, which I hated but did work hard on--she said, "That doesn't look very good. That's …
Category: editors
Editing: The Mutant Virus Edition
If you want to be a published author, you have to edit your work. No matter the publishing path, editing is along the way. Sometimes editing makes me feel like I know what I'm doing. Really. I see the problem. Take my pen to it. Look at the page and see all those marks, and …
Investaphobia
No one in the history of the universe invests money in a company knowing they're going to lose all said money. Oh, some people may invest in losers because they know how to actually get more money later--yeah, real estate nightmare, anyone--but the plan is to make money eventually. People lose money of course. Plans …
The Feminine in the Sky
A smart and talented woman I know wrote this book: The Coming of the Feminine Christ. (Which due to some technical difficulties, I've had to unlink to.) This is not a review; I haven't read the book yet. And this is not about your religion; I don't need to know (and let's not ruin a …
Navigating New Seas
In case you have somehow escaped me telling you, I have found a publisher. This press is small and new and in the UK. Since it was a UK literary journal that published my first short story and the BBC is my favorite channel, a British publisher makes sense really. Don't you think? The name …
Chronicles of Ink and Paper
One agent suggested my novel was young adult. This surprised me because I wasn't trying to write a young adult novel. The main character is a teenager though. But I never thought I was writing for teens. Writing for teens...that's a minefield. Well, it can be. Adults are allowed to read anything without much of …
Maybe a Temper Tantrum
Sometimes I may begrudge every other published writer everything. You know, in moments of personality collapse. Meaning, those moments when I'm not the great and fantabulist soul I want to be. (Yes. Fantabulist.) Those moments when I'm resistant, cranky, jealous, and generally not nice. (All you saints out there can begin throwing stones at any …
Hey Blog, You’ll Never Publish in this Industry Again.
Rejection hurts. Sure. No surprise there. But rejection doesn't annoy me. People throwing their cigarette butts on the ground annoy me. Students who don't do any work and then insist on moving up to the next level annoy me. Absurd rules annoy me. And publishing is filled with absurd rules. I understand rules of politeness. …
Continue reading Hey Blog, You’ll Never Publish in this Industry Again.
Please forgive this impersonal blog entry. Your comments, however, will be accepted.
These are a few of the rejections I've received over the years. A few were addressed to me, though many were addressed to Dear Author. Due to the current status of the publishing industry--and the selectivity that the market now demands, we regret that we cannot consider your material at this time. I can't decide …
Dear Author,
Dear Author: Thank you for your submission. It was kind of you to think of us, but we are sorry we are unable to offer to see more of your work. We thank you for the opportunity to consider your materials and we wish you the best of luck elsewhere. Sincerely, ----Inc. I've been in …
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 