First, I'l like to send out a huge thank you to Denise Bartlett and Charlotte Holley for making the process of publishing my first ebook such a fantastic experience! You ladies are fabulous! :-)
And another big thank you to all of my friends (online and off) and family who suffered through my constant updates on the process and endless worrying over if my story was "good enough." I appreciate you all so much.
Now, for the important part. ;-)
Honor the Pack is $3.99, and available for download from the following websites.
I received my round one edits from Gypsy Shadow Publishing yesterday morning. I opened the email with a mixture of excitement and dread. Excitement for moving one step closer to the publication of “Honor the Pack” and dread of what changes might be asked of me.
Would the editor want to rearrange my story? Or change the names of major characters? Would I see more corrections than original text?
I need not have worried so much. There are corrections to make, but the majority of those are minor technical errors. And yes, some of those are embarrassingly obvious. For example: I changed “in spite of” to “despite” but forgot to delete “of” leaving behind this gem “Despite of …" – oops. :-o
However, that is nothing compared to the glaring error in my time line concerning some of the characters’ ages. I edited this story more times than I can count (but it was at least five). I had beta readers who gave me excellent suggestions and feedback. I wanted the novella to be perfect before I sent it out for publication. I thought it was perfect.
It wasn’t.
Do you know what I’ve learned from that? I had a strong story that the editor liked and the small errors were just that – small. Easy to correct. This is NOT an endorsement to send out a sloppy manuscript with an “it’s good enough” attitude. I worked very hard on making this novella the best it could be before I sent it out. Yes, I made mistakes. I’m human. So are editors. They understand a minor mistake here and there. It is their job to recognize a diamond in the rough and help a writer polish it before the world admires its brilliant gleam.
But don’t waste their time. Edit extensively before you submit. Have beta readers go over your work, they will notice inconsistencies and errors you don’t. It's important to be as professional as possible.
After I read through the edits, I understood what the editor meant with her corrections and I agreed with them. So I replied to her email, letting her know that I would have the edits back to her as soon as possible. I was a bit surprised by her reply. She asked if I could add to the ending because it felt a bit abrupt.
I’ll let you in on a little secret here. I ended the story where I did because I was afraid it would be too long for any publisher to accept from an “unknown” writer if I kept going. And now I not only have the opportunity to expand it – the editor requested it of me! :-) It won’t be a huge addition, maybe just a couple of pages, but I’m excited about the scene I have planned.
Another step closer to my first publication and it feels awesome!! I can’t wait to have a release date to share with everyone. :-)
Next Installment: (To be determined.)
Part 1: I am not dreaming – this is real.
As fiction writers, we are subjected to rejection after rejection. Some of them are encouraging, others disheartening. But we keep submitting our work, driven by faith in our talent and the hope that someday that ever-elusive acceptance will happen.
I have, at last, captured my first acceptance for a YA Fantasy novella, “Honor the Pack.” I began this tale last July after a drive home through the mountains from my nephew’s birthday party. The full moon was so large it captured my imagination as I came around a bend in the road and it got me thinking about werewolves. That led me to the idea behind this novella, which I call my “reverse werewolf” story.
I will be writing a series of blog posts chronicling my experiences as I move through the process – from acceptance to the release of my novella as an e-book.
The contract has been signed, and “Honor the Pack” will be available through Gypsy Shadow Publishing (though I don’t have a release date yet). I hope you will check it out.
So, what happens after the acceptance is official and the contract is in your hands (or inbox)?
Part 2: After the Acceptance
After the acceptance, the real work begins.
I am what’s affectionately known in the fiction writing world as a “pantser” or “seat of the pants” writer. While I love this style of writing, and find it works best for me not to plan ahead when I create a story, it did have its drawbacks when that long-anticipated acceptance came through. Suddenly, I found myself in the grip of panic – I didn’t have a “back cover blurb” or a “one line hook” for this story. Why? I hadn’t “planned” the story, so I couldn’t summarize it before it was completed. Then I’d told myself I had plenty of time to work on the summaries while I subbed out my tale. It would take months, possibly years, to get an acceptance. Right?
Never tell yourself you have “tons of time.” Just don’t do it. I had myself convinced I’d be able to go about creating my promotional pieces at my leisure. Funny thing though – life likes to throw stuff at you, eating up the time you thought you had. And so I spent three frantic days working on the paragraph which will be the introduction to my story potential readers will see when they click on the cover image for my novella and the one line hook which will be used in press releases.
Talk about pressure.
Pressure I could have saved myself if I’d just written them before I started subbing out the novella. Learn from my mistake and write up your promotional pieces before you sub. Have people you trust to give you an honest critique (read: not your super-supportive family member/friend who is afraid to hurt your feelings) go over them and tell you if they would want to read your story afterward. These pieces are so important to how your work is perceived – give them your best effort, and give yourself a break by planning ahead (even if it goes against your usual writing vibe).
Another part of the package Gypsy Shadow Publishing (GSP) sent to me was less stressful, but something I hadn’t put a huge amount of thought into. They ask for a detailed description of your main character(s) so they can use it to help them seek out cover images. As part of my writing style, I do not usually give a detailed description of my main characters. I want the reader to create the picture for his or herself. But, I had put a little thought into what the “cover” would look like if it were to have one – yet I hadn’t expected it to because it’s not a full novel. One problem, my ideal cover image would require hiring an artist to create it and because this is a small publisher they use stock images for their cover art. Therefore, my ideal wouldn’t be possible. This time, I didn’t panic. GSP provides its authors with a link to the website they use for finding stock images. I sat down at my laptop and started searching until I found an alternative that I thought would work well. There is no guarantee that what I chose will be used, but I wanted to go the extra mile and give them a concrete image to start from.
What my point is in sharing this is – be flexible. Be ready to provide your insight, but not before it’s requested. I don’t know the policies of other publishers (this is my first publication, after all) but I felt very fortunate to have my input requested for the cover image. But what I had dreamed of wasn’t going to be possible. I had to find another route. In short, have not only one idea in mind have two or three or . . . . ;-)
Next installment: Round One Edits.
So, I find myself upon the precipice of a new project. I've caught another cold, which seems to be messing with my ability to think clearly. However, it hasn't stopped me from perusing the sites of publications I'd like to submit my work to in the future.
A few days back I found a new anthology on Pill Hill Press' Open Submissions page which brought an idea I've been keeping on the back burner once again to the front of my thoughts. The anthology is called "How the West Was Wicked."
Months ago the idea occured to me that perhaps one of the most infamous outlaws in history, really wasn't what he seemed. Maybe Billy the Kid wasn't to blame for the path of destruction he cut across the wilds of Arizona and New Mexico in the 19th century. What if - it was something beyond his control which made him kill?
So, I've decided to try and get the story from my brain onto the screen and submit it to the anthology. There is no deadline, only the ominous "open until filled" appears below the editor's name. I am in a race against the time and the punctuality of my fellow writers. Let the battle begin. ;-)
So, some of you may have noticed that I've begun using a theme for the Site of the Week, since I haven't always had time to post each week. This week's theme, when not to break the rules.
When you're creating fiction, by all means break the rules of gravity, reality and even common sense if you want to. But when you begin submitting that fantastic work of fiction, that is when the rules aren't made to be broken.
Follow them.
Rule number one. In my opinion this is the most important rule -- do your research. Nothing sends your submission to the e-slush pile/trash can/file 13 faster than submitting it to the wrong market. There are so many sub-genres and blended genres out there these days you can't simply see "science fiction" or "fantasy" under the listing of acceptable submissions and assume your work is a perfect fit.
E-zines often contain free web content so you can get a glimpse of the type of stories they accept, give it a read. If you are submitting to another type of publication which doesn't have free online content, see if you can track a copy down at your local library, Amazon, or borrow one from your next door neighbor's cousin's best friend. You may even be lucky enough to find something on your local Freecycle network. If those options fail, and you really want to get published in that particular venue - buy a copy. I know that finding the extra cash can be tough in this economy, but you have to decide how serious you are. Do you really need that extra vente, double-caff, extra foam, caramel mochachino? ;-)
Rule number two. Read the submission guidelines thoroughly. Every agent, publisher, e-zine, etc. has its own rules of submission. These are published for a reason. Read them. Many of them will also include a link to what the proper formatting they expect looks like, so there is no excuse for submitting anything less than what they are asking you for.
An upcoming speculative fiction e-zine aimed at the YA market, Scape, uses this example which is the most widely used standard manuscript format. However, USE CAUTION, some agents, etc. specifically state what they expect a manuscript to look like and it is not this format.
Rule number three - Proofread before you click send. Spell check is handy. Automatic typo correction is my personal savior. But neither of them are a substitute for reading your submission and making 110% certain that you haven't made a mistake they won't catch - like a misused homonym. (This is a huge pet peeve of mine. Here is a link to a site of homonyms you can use to double check. And yes, I have posted this before, it never hurts to repost a resource like this.)
Rule number four - Proofread twice before you hit send.
I really should be studying since I have an unusually busy work week ahead of me, but I just had to pop in and vent about waiting on responses to works that are out in "cyberspace" somewhere.
While I completely understand that publications, both large and small, are busy - some wait times seem excessive. I have submitted my novelette to an ezine which pays semi-pro. Their wait time? 90 DAYS! That's right, three months. What? Most likely they are understaffed and overworked, but c'mon, you're killing us writers out here slowly - one empty inbox at a time.
I've still got another 39 days to wait. :-(
I have another short story out there right now as well. This one was entered in a short story contest. Mercifully, or not, they give an exact date by which the WINNERS will be contacted. No email = you lost. So I have 6 weeks of waiting on that one. *sigh*
Waiting stinks. I suppose it's a good thing I have plenty of other things to keep my mind occupied in the mean time. (I guess that means I should get to my studying.)
Well, I did it. I uploaded the "final" version of Somewhere and submitted it just a few minutes ago. It's been a long time since I submitted anything. (An embarrassingly long time, actually.) So I've got the butterflies all over again. The down side here is that this market has a long turnaround time. But, I am going to keep working on other projects to keep myself busy.
I'll post when I hear anything - good or bad. (Keep your fingers crossed for good.) ;-)
I've just spent my entire afternoon searching for a market that will fit my novelette, Somewhere. Well, it's a novelette according to some markets and a novella according to others; which makes finding the right market all the more frustrating! ;-)
Anyway, after all of this tedious research, I only found five possible markets which are currently accepting submissions - and of those five, only two offer any form of payment.
Talk about discouraging. I'm wondering if I should either lengthen this or cut a bunch out (though I have no idea what I could cut without sacrificing the heart of the piece).
However, I am going to make my final edits (yes, that means making my comma errors obsolete) over the next two days and begin submissions on Friday afternoon or Saturday when I get home from work.
I'll post any updates - good, bad or ugly. :-)
