tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post1106626348091547363..comments2024-03-17T07:55:51.361+00:00Comments on Help! I Need a Publisher!: A TRUE STORY OF A STRUGGLING WRITERNicola Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-52122889827964074452009-10-30T12:56:28.019+00:002009-10-30T12:56:28.019+00:00Good blog posting thanks for given this informatio...Good blog posting thanks for given this information.<br><a href="http://www.sunil-and-priya.blogspot.com" title="Priya Sharma" rel="nofollow">Priya</a> | <a href="http://www.sunil-and-priya.blogspot.com" title="True Love Story" rel="nofollow">True Love Story</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11937519943098984655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-91479980578960897802009-10-26T11:40:54.630+00:002009-10-26T11:40:54.630+00:00Hello Beleaguered Squirrel, it's nice to see y...Hello Beleaguered Squirrel, it's nice to see you here despite the sad tale. I hope you'll decide to continue writing and have more inner strength unlike the quitters such as myself. The fact that you're published indicates to me that you have the ability. I think you've just been very unlucky and I hope that changes.<br /><br />Nicola, thank you for posting this. I already know Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-41457417546591868352009-10-24T14:39:32.921+01:002009-10-24T14:39:32.921+01:00I love the Squirrel dearly and know that this stag...I love the Squirrel dearly and know that this stage too is part of her journey. We all have our tales to tell and she has articulated a personal story that resonates with many other writers (inc me!).<br /><br />Meanwhile, something very good has come for me personally from this post. I was feeling swamped with Real Life and getting bogged down and stressed. Reading this, the obvious solution Debihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09600815804658702077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-66235402243585770882009-10-21T22:59:51.631+01:002009-10-21T22:59:51.631+01:00V sorry, everyone - have been horribly tied up wit...V sorry, everyone - have been horribly tied up with stuff, none of which was proper writing. <br /><br />To Proe: awww, you know yourself so well, you curmudgeonly old so-and-so! And I should have warned Lynn of the bblog about your grumpy habits... Lynn - if proe can find something to stir us up about, he will. But I think he's mellowing - gosh there was a time when he rivalled me for Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-1525667142116132822009-10-21T22:33:10.894+01:002009-10-21T22:33:10.894+01:00Never fear, behlerblog, Nicola knows exactly who&#...Never fear, behlerblog, Nicola knows exactly who's responsible for thread-veering!<br /><br />(And sorry if I got a little prickly. I've repeatedly insisted on this blog that I'm by nature a bit of a jerk, but I -do- try not to prove it too often.)<br /><br />ProeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-79973545739114045042009-10-21T20:55:18.537+01:002009-10-21T20:55:18.537+01:00I sympathise with Beleaguered Squirrel. But it...I sympathise with Beleaguered Squirrel. But it's true, writing is tough. And who knows what success really is? Think of John Keats, dying at 25, not knowing if, as he hoped, he would be counted 'among the English poets' after his death, and who asked to have written on his grave merely: 'Here lies one whose name was writ in water.'Katherine Langrishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12529700103932422873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-59011647185989106982009-10-21T20:48:05.813+01:002009-10-21T20:48:05.813+01:00Sorry, Nicola, didn't mean to veer this import...Sorry, Nicola, didn't mean to veer this important thread off course.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-89514825687130757512009-10-21T20:46:59.717+01:002009-10-21T20:46:59.717+01:00Good lord, behlerblog, I never said that publisher...<b>Good lord, behlerblog, I never said that publishers didn't sit around eating bonbons. I didn't say publishers don't deserve the larger cut of the gross; they do.</b><br />Sorry, Anon. I must have misunderstood your original remark of "publishers get more, event though I wrote it." It sounded as though you found the publisher/author arrangement unfair, and I wanted to Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-62540152531303400902009-10-21T17:12:22.105+01:002009-10-21T17:12:22.105+01:00Good lord, behlerblog, I never said that publisher...Good lord, behlerblog, I never said that publishers didn't sit around eating bonbons. I didn't say publishers don't deserve the larger cut of the gross; they do.<br /><br />But they reason they do is because they 'foot the bill for print runs, editing, distribution, sending ARCs to reviewers, media kits, page layout, interior and cover design, advertising, promotion, the list goesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-10653589656985862802009-10-21T14:33:54.643+01:002009-10-21T14:33:54.643+01:00For what it's worth, you know you're a wri...For what it's worth, you know you're a writer if, whether having sworn to give it up or not, in the wee small hours of the morning a plot idea or a narrative description comes to you and prevents you from dropping off to sleep. If you get up to start noting these intrusive thoughts down, then you are still a writer 24-7. If you roll over and sink your head beneath the pillow, then maybe, Sulci Collectivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03293833259808943096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-74652866086650059602009-10-21T14:18:20.003+01:002009-10-21T14:18:20.003+01:00I think the real issue for many writers, and not j...I think the real issue for many writers, and not just for the person who situation is dealt with in this post, is keeping on top of the businss side of the publishing process.<br /><br />If you have an agent, he or she is working for you. (Agent: one who acts for another in business.) If you are working with a publisher, you are entering into a business relationship with an organisation. <br /><Margaret Adamshttp://www.margaretadams.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-49112119678327204762009-10-21T14:00:32.462+01:002009-10-21T14:00:32.462+01:00That's why your cut of every book sold is larg...<b>That's why your cut of every book sold is larger than mine, even though I wrote the thing.</b><br />Anon, you always have the choice of self publishing your book and keeping all the earnings for yourself. But what you'll find is that your personal fortune will rapidly disappear as you work to get your book into the libraries and on store shelves. <br /><br />You'll have to foot theAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-37099993972646787272009-10-21T12:18:51.313+01:002009-10-21T12:18:51.313+01:00You have my full sympathies, Squirrel, and my full...You have my full sympathies, Squirrel, and my full hopes that you will write again when you feel ready for it. Sometimes a break is a good thing, and the time will come around again to a point where you have another story to tell. Lots of luck.<br /><br />The main reason I started writing was that I had a story I wanted to tell. Over the years this mutated into a story to save me, get me out of Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11309191526500602452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-64518855102476007632009-10-20T20:40:17.977+01:002009-10-20T20:40:17.977+01:00Breaks can be good, I think. Sometimes I just can&...Breaks can be good, I think. Sometimes I just can't settle to writing, for no real reason - or so I think at the time. While I'm taking a break from it, doing other stuff, it often hits me suddenly that the scene I've been working on is all wrong, or there's some big problem with the plot. It's as if my subconscious has spotted the problem and found ways to stop me writing JaneFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03920957855661479676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-1070563593875593052009-10-20T20:11:06.538+01:002009-10-20T20:11:06.538+01:00steeleweed, the poet comparison is a good one. The...steeleweed, the poet comparison is a good one. The silly thing is I never thought a living from writing was very likely, and if I hadn't been made redundant would never have been contemplating it as this stage in my writing career. But the redundancy payment provided a cushion, and there was nothing else I felt like doing with my life. I fell into it, really, but if nothing else I hope my Beleaguered Squirrelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13699493386984083561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-24472934216526524792009-10-20T19:06:52.564+01:002009-10-20T19:06:52.564+01:00Great post and I really wish BS all the best. The ...Great post and I really wish BS all the best. The whole story sounds like it would be crushing and I can fully understand why sometone would need to take some time out. <br /><br />Anyway sending general cyber good luck to you all<br /><br />Kate xxx<br />http://secretofficeconfessions.blogspot.com/Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05940810066436848209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-65568914536895580672009-10-20T18:50:59.975+01:002009-10-20T18:50:59.975+01:00Following various blogs & forums re writing, a...Following various blogs & forums re writing, agents, publishing, query letters, etc., it struck me how many folks seem to make publication the be-all/end-all, expecting, if not wealth/fame, at least a living from their writing.<br /> I suspect that if you went to Borders or B&N (or the UK equivalent) and wrote down the names of 100 <b>fiction</b> authors found only on the shelves (as steeleweedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02077739629921574784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-16895375264476765522009-10-20T18:37:40.037+01:002009-10-20T18:37:40.037+01:00Just remember, guys: God does not play dice. Sure...Just remember, guys: God does not play dice. Sure, there is luck in publishing and timing, but eventually your determination and inner strength is what makes it happen. You just can't give up if it's something you love. It may not happen in our timing, but it will happen if we're stubborn enough and constantly strive to improve.<br /><br />On a side note, this post made me realize Rebecca Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15214077952378770753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-68616390184594053672009-10-20T18:20:25.366+01:002009-10-20T18:20:25.366+01:00P.S. I guess the "wrong" reasons would b...P.S. I guess the "wrong" reasons would be money and fame. The biggest wrong reasons, I think, is money. The irony is that I was never one of those people who saw publication as route to wealth. I've never wanted to be rich anyway. But I did try and make a living out of it, and I think that killed it. For me, at any rate.Beleaguered Squirrelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13699493386984083561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-30164165144290140922009-10-20T17:53:35.645+01:002009-10-20T17:53:35.645+01:00Thank you all for being so sympathetic. In many wa...Thank you all for being so sympathetic. In many ways I don't deserve it, because I've always known that this industry was hard. I've always known that most writers remain in obscurity, never make a living out of it. I've always known the drawbacks (bad reviews, no publicity, poorly pitched books, long wait times, lack of control and all the rest). And I've had more luck than Beleaguered Squirrelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13699493386984083561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-27451687773487219692009-10-20T16:59:52.250+01:002009-10-20T16:59:52.250+01:00One of the things I say too often is that publishi...One of the things I say too often is that publishing is high-stakes gambling. <br /><br />It may not be very comforting, but the best thing I can offer, after 18 years in this business, is that you NEVER know when the next book will be the one that hits the jackpot. <br /><br />And from my own experience, I can tell you that no one, not even the editors who are famous for picking winners, or the Marion Gropenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05469212301023650460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-72006444549244927962009-10-20T16:17:41.117+01:002009-10-20T16:17:41.117+01:00Behlerblog:
Well, you're a publisher, right? ...Behlerblog:<br /><br />Well, you're a publisher, right? It's your job to think about readers. If you didn't, we'd all be screwed. That's why your cut of every book sold is larger than mine, even though I wrote the thing.<br /><br />As a writer I face different hurdles. I need to summon the courage to splash myself all over the page, even though I know some people are gonna Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-69610070031102178612009-10-20T16:07:07.184+01:002009-10-20T16:07:07.184+01:00Thanks so much for posting this. My first book cam...Thanks so much for posting this. My first book came out through a small but award-winning publisher too, and although the initial 'buzz' and reviews were great, it basically sank without a trace. I too lost my agent (she left the business) and tried to sell a stand-alone sequel elsewhere myself before deciding reluctantly to shelve it and write something new. I now have a new agent who isJo Treggiarihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02417288480274268189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-22500526316071913852009-10-20T14:22:04.118+01:002009-10-20T14:22:04.118+01:00I have read the post on squirrel's blog along ...I have read the post on squirrel's blog along with this and what worries me is that I get the feeling that she has taken on a job which leaves her with no time at all to write on the rebound so to speak. I am concerned that she may regret not having time to write in the future. I'm sure that writing is in her bones if she has taken it as far as she has and I hope she finds some time to Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-52817928195340799532009-10-20T14:13:30.733+01:002009-10-20T14:13:30.733+01:00Hell, even readers are bullshit.
Aiyeeee! I hope ...<b>Hell, even readers are bullshit. </b><br />Aiyeeee! I hope you don't mind if I take great exception to that. Without our wonderful readers, I'd probably be standing on a corner wearing a sandwich board that says, "Will edit your book for food."<br /><br />As for BS's story, it tears at the heart, doesn't it? At the end of the day, each of us has to decide what definesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com