What do you do once you finished a story?

[philipop]

hi :)
I was wondering where I could get my stories published I have one that I'd really like to get published but i don't know how to go about it. Any suggestions? :confused:
I would be so grateful, thanks.
Philipop

[EmmVeePi]

Well of course it matters what type of work it is, short story, novella, novel, etc. Then it depends on the genre.

From there a google search for the type of publisher you want should get some good results. IE: sci-fi, horror, novel publisher.

After you figure out where you want to send it then you have to go through all the trouble of properly formatting it to their standards.

Once you've done that if your lucky enough they accept your manuscript they will send you a few thousand dollar advance. Set your royalties at about 8% and tell you to take care of your own marketing with your own money and you will spend the next three years trying to pay off the advance and then they drop you.

Now dont get me wrong I am not completely against the big presses. And am not one of the those people that doesn't like it when someone achieves success(IE the big publishers). Its just that they are big and difficult to deal with and dont have time for all their authors. Your best bet is to go indy first, build up a fanbase/refine your craft and come to them(the publishing companies) holding all the cards. That way you can tell them "Hey, I am the one who has a half dozen quality novels that have proven to sell. I'm the one with fans who will pick up my books the minute they hit shelves and if your not going to treat me with some respect then I'll go make someone else rich."

[ellanovella]

I don't have experience with publishers, but if you need to you can try submitting it to a magazine. Also, I would recommend thoroughly editing your work, and being very confident in your final material.

ella

[idiedforloveat3am]

College magazines are an easy and wonderful place to get published. Getting published breeds confidence (I imagine) and may inspire more time and courage in dedication to the craft of writing.

[wilfriedvoss]

Hi,

I will attempt to describe the standard process of getting published, as far as I learned about it. I think, the suggested idea of contacting college magazines is a very good idea, but things are different in case you are thinking about publishing a book.

First, it might be worth to look into WritersDigest[dot]com, a web site & magazine that heavily promotes the "old" publishing scheme.

According to their recommendation you first need to find an agent to promote your book to established publishers (WritersDigest sells lists of agents and publishers). It is apparently of great importance to write a proper letter to the agent, otherwise the agent will not read your manuscript (a head-shake is in order now). There are services that will draft you the proper letter.

In case the letter is sufficient, but the agent doesn't like your manuscript, you should hire a professional editing service to review and correct your work.

The agent, if he/she finally approves your manuscript, may find you (or not) a publisher according to your genre of writing. The whole process can take years and can cost you a great deal of money.

The reality is, that most writers looking for an agent or publisher will not make it and the reason is mostly lack of talent (I may be one of them) or the agents/publishers simply fail to recognize a good writing. For instance, some publishers will be devastated after having rejected Stephenie Meyer and her "Twilight" novel.

If you are willing to spend the time and eventually endure disappointments in form of rejection letters, you can try the conventional way as I described it. It may still be the only way to make the big money.

The other reality is that the vast majority of self-published authors does not sell more than 500 books including copies to friends and family. The main problem (let's ignore the lack of talent for a while) is actually marketing. However, marketing can be done without major money-spending, even by the marketing-impaired...;-) First, you need a web site describing your work(s). Secondly you need a blog where you write about your work(s). There are also some web sites that provide free Online press releases. Make sure they include hyperlinks to your web site, blog, and the web site where your book is being sold.

Here are some resources I found during years of research:

1. Blogs: I recommend to go with wordpress[dot]com. Blogs are free-of-charge and they provide a myriad of really nice, professional looking templates (Way better than Google).

2. In terms of cheap web sites you can go with providers like GoDaddy[dot]com, BlueHost[dot]com (I am using that one), and others. Make sure they also provide web design tools that help you create a professional looking web site. BlueHost[dot]com has lots of them.

3. If you can't find an agent or publisher, consider self-publishing but DO NOT SIGN A CONTRACT! I recommend Lulu[dot]com. You don't need a contract. You just post your book and collect the money. They do offer some additional paid services (such as ISBN for your book), but you don't need to use them. Just go as far as you want to go. Lulu[dot]com will also put your book on their web site and they sell it there for you. They will take a fee per copy and, of course, deduct the price for printing, but you can still make a few bucks per sold copy. Just check out their web site. It contains a TON of information in regards to self-publishing.

I have also learned that self-publishing is still regarded the "pool of bad writers"; at least that is the view of the established publishing world, but I am sure that will change in the years to come. I converted my software business into a publishing company, but besides writing, I am also a business man with experience in marketing.

4. Free press releases:
I recommend prlog[dot]com where you can sign up and post press releases free-of-charge (They make their money through Google ads). Another web site is free-press-release[dot]com, which is also free, but you can boost the press release to a higher level for a $1 fee.

5. One thing that should not be underestimated is your writing style. It may be worth to find a professional editor to look at your work and push you in the right direction. In this case I am still looking for a good solution myself.

Let me just add that I am not necessarily thinking about being the next Stephen King or John Grisham. I just enjoy writing and I believe, that is the most important point, but I also have the liberty to publish myself without the need for success.

I hope the info helps...;-)

Regards,
Wilfried Voss
FrogenYozurt[dot]com