Struggling writer's moaning thread

[ZroC]

Thought I'd make a thread some of you writers out there could moan in. All are welcome to join. What bugs you most about trying to get published. I'll start...

Having to print and post off three chapters worth of pages. I tend to do this in bulk so I send about 10 copies every month, costing me ink, paper and the mail price. Too much money for a poor man's job.

Spending a lot of my time trying to think up original stories only to realise the industry itself doesn't want originality, it wants the same old thing because originality is risky and not guaranteed to sell.

Being asked to supply a C.V/resume. Why would they want that? Why would a resume tell them if my story is good or bad when they're just supposed to read the story.

Waiting at least 3 months for any sort of reply even when it's email. If any other industry worked like that it would collapse within 3 months.

It's 2012 and 90% of publishers and agents don't accept email submissions. Get with the times you morons.

Traditional publishers belittling and bashing ebooks only to go publishing 50 shades the moment it gets popular.

 

[Tycho- Taylor's Version]

Didn't you just make one of these?

No worries though, I like to hear from the SD literates.

 

[AncientEnemy]

You need to have a very convincing first couple of sentences or they will just pass on, publishers get a trillion submissions a day. E-publishing is the way to go for your first book, once you have established a decent amount of sales you can use that to show you're worth publishing and then once you get a contract whip out the masterpiece. Or just stick to epublishing and marketing yourself via social media and websites

 

[AgeofEmpires2**]

This is why self-publishing might work best. These companies have to weigh out the risk vs reward of publishing your book over someone elses. It comes down to profit. What will their profit margin be? Profit is why you write, and it's why they publish. It has nothing to do with being good or not, it's about what SELLS. Sometimes good writing sells, but I'd be willing to bet they've seen great books and tossed it in the nearest recycle bin due to their feeling that it just won't sell.

 

[Graves The Elder]

shortest story ever written, by Hemingway:

"Baby shoes for sale, never worn."

six words.

 

[Flemmy Stardust]

mooooan

 

[AncientEnemy]

Also publishers like trends and what's hot right now. As we can see poorly written books about vampires and S&M get published, mainly by luck of the draw. But if that's whats selling right now and you come out with some pretentious sociopolitical bullcrap they're gonna pass.

 

[EGarrett]

I have an e-book out, so I guess that's my answer.

http://www.amazon.com/Reel-Horror-ebook/dp/B008GN81ZE

 

[minute bull]

shortest story ever written, by Hemingway:

"Baby shoes for sale, never worn."

six words.

Hemingway and his GD obsession with abortion.

 

[Graves The Elder]

he entered into a bet with the other reporters in the news room as to who could
write the shortest story ever written.
he won 75 cents from the other six reporters.
and that got him a huge dinner, theater tickets, a round of
drinks at Paddy O Shea's afterwards and a taxi ride home.

 

[PhantomNugget**]

You should become a travel writer. Seems like a cool gig.

It could subsidize your real writing, and maybe traveling will give you some inspiration.

 

[Graves The Elder]

always a good idea.

 

[AncientEnemy]

He wrote a story, it lie on my bookshelf, cold and lifeless as his prose. I stared at it for some time before bed each night. The smoke from years of cigars had tainted its once bright and crisp appearance, like the face of a weathered old man. I spit my scotch out on that book, it had caused me far too much grief to just escape the sanctity of isolation. Hemingways words haunted me in a way, the story they told tasted bitter upon my tongue. I couldn't help but think of him in his last moments, drunk as the night was cold. The Reese's cup I had just took from my pocket melted in the hot clutch of my trembling hand. I ate it anyway. The chocolate had smeared over my face like Augustus in the river. I soiled myself and fell asleep.

 

[PhantomNugget**]

The whiskey a mad man made.

-By PhantomNugget (Hemingway can suckit)

 

[Fawlty]

All I ever managed was a credit in a guidebook that earned me zero dollars, and a really nice "I wish we could have published that" note from a magazine editor.

 

[CrazyJHL]

I have an e-book out, so I guess that's my answer.

http://www.amazon.com/Reel-Horror-ebook/dp/B008GN81ZE

I'm going to buy your book, at $.99 I figure I can't help but give it a shot. I'll even write a review.

TS, check out the amazon breakthrough novel contest. That might be the in you are looking for, it helped Adavis quite a bit, it might do the same for you.

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f48/amazon-breakthrough-novel-award-2013-whos-entering-2315923/

 

[Da Speeit]

Im feeling good at the moment, but i'm going to completely rewrite a finished piece, which is going to be tough.

Stripping the fat from the sides, just marbling it from the beginning. It will be fun, but i have no clue what i'm going to do.

Though, i have a perfect line i'm totally stealing from Billy Wilder's "Sabrina" and it has me optimistic.

 

[MMA Maine-iac]

I feel ya TS. I've written four novels. Could've published two through a subsidiary, but I chose to wait for a literary agent. Still waiting. :redface:

Question: Are you submitting to agents and publishers? At least on the fantasy side of things I know a lot of agents only accept email queries. I don't submit to publishers straight forward anymore because 1. they take months to reply back and 2. you can only query one at a time, whereas literary agents take multiple submissions and respond very quickly.

It's not an easy business to try and get your foot in, but keep working at it. Statistics say you'll eventually find a publisher or agent if you keep trying and writing.

 

[EGarrett]

I'm going to buy your book, at $.99 I figure I can't help but give it a shot. I'll even write a review.

Thanks! Once I get a certain number of paid reviews there's other blogs I can get it into also. I'm very obsessive about my writing so I pinky-swear that it's worth it.

TS, check out the amazon breakthrough novel contest. That might be the in you are looking for, it helped Adavis quite a bit, it might do the same for you.

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f48/amazon-breakthrough-novel-award-2013-whos-entering-2315923/

I'm going to check this out too. Much appreciated.

 

[CrazyJHL]

Thanks! Once I get a certain number of paid reviews there's other blogs I can get it into also. I'm very obsessive about my writing so I pinky-swear that it's worth it.

Np, it's sitting on my Kindle now, going to read it tomorrow, maybe some tonight, it matters how far I get on my manuscript.

I'm going to check this out too. Much appreciated.

Many of us are going to try and enter it. I've stalled, writing wise, but I'm hoping to turn it around today. I'd like for more of us to enter, it'd be nice for a Sherdogger to win.