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Grace_Sully
Brainstorming for Ideas



Female
Number of posts : 8
Age : 38
Job/hobbies : Writing obviously! Travelling, sport, shopping & reading also.
Humor : When life hands you lemons, ask for a bottle of tequila!!
Registration date : 2009-10-25

Getting Published Empty
PostSubject: Getting Published   Getting Published EmptySun Oct 25, 2009 7:46 am

It's been a long road but I've finally reached the end - my novel is complete! Yay! Razz Where to go from here is the thing . . . There are so many websites detailing editing and critique services but they seem to cost a small fortune Sad So really, my question is now that I've finished writing what to I do to get published?
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daeonica
Editor of the Board
daeonica


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Number of posts : 369
Age : 33
Location : Scotland
Job/hobbies : on my gap year!
Registration date : 2009-02-07

Getting Published Empty
PostSubject: Re: Getting Published   Getting Published EmptyMon Oct 26, 2009 1:27 pm

Hi there Grace! Welcome to the boards!

Well, the first thing to do would be to revise your novel. Maybe you want to do that yourself a couple of times before you give it to someone for their suggestions, or maybe you'd rather give it to them as it is. Either way, revise it! No one's novel will be perfect the first time they get to 'the end'.

I'm sure there are people who think paying for a professional editor to look over their book is a good investment, but I'm not one of them, and I can't think of someone off the top of my head who does think it's a good idea. There are so many things you could do that aren't just cheaper, but probably free!
Find someone (or a couple of someones) that you trust to give you honest, constructive feedback, and enlist them as a beta reader or critique partner. They should read over your manuscript, and tell you the bits they thought worked, and the bits which they think could be improved.
Also, you could find an online critique group, or even a writer's group that meets in your area where you can talk to people face to face, and get some feedback there from a wider group of people.

On the forum here, we have a 'share your work' section where people can get feedback - normally we ask for 30 posts before you can see it, but if you think that's something you'll be interested in, then you are welcome to join, just PM a moderator (like me!) and one of us will add you to it.


Once you've revised the novel as much as you can, then you can look at querying agents. That's a whole minefield of it's own, and we have several topics on the forum about it already.

I hope this is helpful, and please ask more questions if you have them! We are all happy to help each other out where we can. Smile
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emilycross
The Boss of the Board
emilycross


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Number of posts : 1170
Age : 37
Registration date : 2009-02-05

Getting Published Empty
PostSubject: Re: Getting Published   Getting Published EmptyTue Oct 27, 2009 4:23 am

From all my wanderings around the internet there is one key piece of advice to remember


MONEY MUST ALWAYS FLOW TO THE AUTHOR

In other words you should never have to be pay for a Lagent to read your stuff, a reading fee is the red flag! Like Daeonica has been saying, beta readers are usually excellent, and give you general idea of what needs to be improved etc. without charging you anything!

Its important to know what type of beta you want - as relationship is important. for instance, i'm not a line by line beta, i'm not good at grammar but i might be good with character/plot developement.

I know what you mean about the publishing sites, its really scary, but imagine if you didn't research at all how lost you'd be!

P.S. Its brilliant you've completed the first draft - such a great accomplishment

Congratulations! cheers
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Grace_Sully
Brainstorming for Ideas



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Number of posts : 8
Age : 38
Job/hobbies : Writing obviously! Travelling, sport, shopping & reading also.
Humor : When life hands you lemons, ask for a bottle of tequila!!
Registration date : 2009-10-25

Getting Published Empty
PostSubject: Re: Getting Published   Getting Published EmptyTue Oct 27, 2009 11:02 am

Thanks guys! This site is brilliant I must say! Before I came here I'd never really talked about my novel, only to a few people who just thought it was a pipe dream. I'm about half way through revising what I've written and I need to re-write my first chapter so at least I can see myself that it's not perfect and needs serious imporvement!
I actually found an agent in New York who said they'd represent me, having only read the synopsis and first 6 chapters. They said that they only accept critique from certain people and referred me to a partner organisation or whatever and they'll do it for $90. I don't know, it just seems a bit too good to be true. What do ye think?
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emilycross
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emilycross


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Getting Published Empty
PostSubject: Re: Getting Published   Getting Published EmptyTue Oct 27, 2009 2:52 pm

Oh i don't think agent is meant to refer you to another organisation for editing!

Heres the editors beware site: http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/

and victoria strauss blog: http://accrispin.blogspot.com/

also AW has a section which discuss different agencies, i'd advise looking up your agent, just in case called bewares and background checks : http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=22

they have a list which is a sticky of all agents/publishing houses/editors that people have checked, you might find this agent there. if its not listed you can pm me and i'll post asking about it or you can start new thread yourself?

they als o have a 20 worst agent list/publishers list too.

The agent may be legit, but i think remembering that agents aren't meant to make referals about editing etc. because of 'kick backs'

EDIT: found the link for the above point, look at number 2: http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/thumbs-down-agency/

Let me know if you need help

P.S. sorry if this seems all very scary, but when i started looking into all of this - i couldn't believe how shocking some of the scams are out there
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Shix
Outlining the plot
Shix


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PostSubject: Re: Getting Published   Getting Published EmptyMon Nov 02, 2009 11:40 pm

Hi Grace, I'm only new here but just want to offer a bit of advice. Now that you've finished writing you're novel the best thing is to put the manuscript away in a draw and forget about it for 3 months. Go on holiday, read a book, do all those things you've neglected whilst writing and just forget about your novel. The reason for this is you're too close to you're story at the moment and you need to have some time apart before going back and editing.

I was so excited at finishing my first ever novel I edited packed it up and sent it off to a publisher. Around 3 months later it came back, with a "no thanks" letter attached. I hadn't read my manuscript in the 3 months as I was just sitting waiting, but when it came back I was extremely disheartened until I picked it up and started reading it. I realised then there was a lot wrong with it, a lot I wanted to change. So I did, packaged it up, sent it out to another publisher then a year later was staring at my book in Borders (here in NZ) and doing interviews over the phone for Australian radio stations. The best thing you can do is forget about it and do something else.
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Grace_Sully
Brainstorming for Ideas



Female
Number of posts : 8
Age : 38
Job/hobbies : Writing obviously! Travelling, sport, shopping & reading also.
Humor : When life hands you lemons, ask for a bottle of tequila!!
Registration date : 2009-10-25

Getting Published Empty
PostSubject: Re: Getting Published   Getting Published EmptySat Nov 28, 2009 2:37 pm

Thanks Shix, that's really good advice - I appreciate it Surprised
I have actually put it away now for the past month or more so it'll be good to get some fresh perspective on it when I take it up again!
Congrads on your by the way- great achievement Wink
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RosyT
Fleshing out those Characters



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Number of posts : 71
Location : Cambrdge, UK
Job/hobbies : University lecturer; novelist
Registration date : 2009-03-05

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PostSubject: Re: Getting Published   Getting Published EmptySun Nov 29, 2009 5:14 am

Grace, I would also be suspicious of an agency who suggested a third party to do your editing - especially a sister company and at a price! If an agent takes the rare step of taking you on then they would normally be so enthused that they would want to make the editorial suggestions themselves. I am also deeply suspicious of an agency who'd take you on without reading the full manuscript!

Here's another good site for checking up on whether an agency is legit:

http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubagent.htm

I have (once) paid for an editorial report on one of my novels, and did find it useful, but it doesn't come cheap. I knew it was solid in terms of the writing (my agent and editor had both said it was publishable, but weren't enthused) and wanted specific advice about structure and theme. I wouldn't, myself, pay money at an earlier stage, when you are (perhaps?) still getting the writing sorted out. For that, I'd join a writing group - real life or online - and get feedback on your work from a range of other writers. Or even just get friends to read it - they needn't be writers themselves, just people with wide reading experience.

Best of luck - and congratulations on finishing that important first draft!

Rosy

Ooops - just realised the Preditors & Editors link had already been posted! Sorry.
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emilycross
The Boss of the Board
emilycross


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PostSubject: Re: Getting Published   Getting Published EmptySun Nov 29, 2009 5:43 am

Rosy, what did you think of that whole Harlequin Horizons fiasco? I couldn't believe it when i heard about it!!
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Grace_Sully
Brainstorming for Ideas



Female
Number of posts : 8
Age : 38
Job/hobbies : Writing obviously! Travelling, sport, shopping & reading also.
Humor : When life hands you lemons, ask for a bottle of tequila!!
Registration date : 2009-10-25

Getting Published Empty
PostSubject: Re: Getting Published   Getting Published EmptySun Nov 29, 2009 8:43 am

Thanks Rosy!
I did some more research on the agent and saw that they were listed on that website so I had a lucky escape! I've joined a writers group since, online, and it's fantastic - I've gotten some good constructive comments from other writers and I feel that bit more confident about my writing now.

Take care
Grace x
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RosyT
Fleshing out those Characters



Female
Number of posts : 71
Location : Cambrdge, UK
Job/hobbies : University lecturer; novelist
Registration date : 2009-03-05

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PostSubject: Re: Getting Published   Getting Published EmptySun Nov 29, 2009 11:21 pm

emilycross wrote:
Rosy, what did you think of that whole Harlequin Horizons fiasco? I couldn't believe it when i heard about it!!

I wasn't at all surprised when they had to pull the idea - or at least take their name off it. If I were a Harlequin author I'd have been furious to think their name was being devalued by appearing on the cover of vanity-published novels which hadn't been sifted or edited. I can only imagine that they had thought themselves so well-known as to be immune to the reputational knock - and then realised it wasn't the case!

Grace, glad you've found a congenial writers' group. Happy editing!

Rosy x
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emilycross
The Boss of the Board
emilycross


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Number of posts : 1170
Age : 37
Registration date : 2009-02-05

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PostSubject: Re: Getting Published   Getting Published EmptyMon Nov 30, 2009 12:00 pm

Shows you the power of organisations like RWA though and others (which is great).

Honestly i had serious issues with their rejection letters including references to the vanity arm? Its like something that you read about in regards to scams?!?

I wasn't surprised either when they pulled it.

Maybe if it had been done properly it might have worked.
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