Since this is my blog, I guess I should occasionally write about stuff I care about. Anyway, I’m going to be a novelist! I just finished the third draft (102,000 words) to my novel which expands on a story I originally wrote piece by piece on this blog back in 2005 — Superego — which people seemed to really like (though, in retrospect, I think the writing was poor). It’s completely rewritten, though (maybe a sentence or two from the original was kept and the plot is now way different).
I still think it needs a lot of work to get to the final draft which SarahK is going to help with, but eventually I’ll need some other people to read it to get some other opinions on it if people are interested. And when it’s done — I’m not really sure. I don’t know what the path is for getting science fiction novel in this day and age, but I figure getting s finished, polished novel is the first step.
Are you excited? I don’t care if you are; I am. But if any of you know anything about novel writing, editing, or getting published, advice would be appreciated.
UPDATE:
Just to clarify, the goal is to not self-publish. I’m not really much of a marketer myself, so I don’t know how well that would go. Also, thanks for the offers to help edit; SarahK is going to first help me, and then I’ll see who else wants to take a look.
Step 1. Title your novel Night of the Killer Mockingbird.
Step 2. Spend the first chapter droning mercilessly about the history of American ornithology.
Step 3. With your second chapter, introduce your characters, plot, and all other key ingredients. Ensure that nothing you introduce has any relation at all to birds, birdwatching, or the study of birds.
Step 4. Study the tendencies of hack liberal writers. Get high and use their tendencies to spend the last chapter of the book commenting on all of the bad stuff America does and why America is bad. Critics will love you.
Step 5. Drink to excess before editing.
Step 6. Follow these tips and you will have a piece of crap that will sell like wildfire.
In college I wasted no small amount of time trying to get some non-fiction published. I’ve got plenty of informal editing experience, and could offer a grammatical acid-bath for the low price of acknowledgement-page High Praise!
Depends on what route you’re looking to go to get published. Just got my first in print, second is on the way. If I can be of assistance, drop me an email, and I will help for nothing more than LOW PRAISE! (See how I set my expectations just right so as not to be crushed?)
Is it about tuna?
I’m working on my second novel and hung around writing communities. In my mis-spent youth, I earned the pre-unemployment degree (English Lit).
Some suggestions:
Find folks who know the genre. Super-smart, smug jerks who make Trekkies appear casually interested in sci-fi.
Find some folks who read books for the age group you target.
Depending on how well you know the folks, you may want to ship paper copies to them or find some way to jack up security so they don’t disseminate it without your approval.
Most importantly, listen to the criticism. There’s a writing community that I frequent and the #1 complaint is that the feedback from peer-review is usually, “You don’t ‘get’ me” or absolute silence. You can get some excellent feedback, even if you don’t take it all.
I could do a peer-review, but I’m not a sci-fi guy. I typically write for young adult/teen audience.
Hope this helps.
First comment trapped in the infinite depths of the moderation queue and I’m too lazy to look up Basil’s post on how to escape. Let’s see if this works. I just published my first novel and my second is on the way, I might be able to give some advice, depending on which route you are looking to take for publication.
Announce that you attempted suicide due to the onslaught of depression from studying all of the geo-political influences that went into your book (be sure to mention Castro) = guaranteed publishing and NY Times review. “The author is as depressed and self-destructive as Hemingway – a must read!”
Regarding getting published, some folks say you need an agent first. Some say you don’t. I confess that I haven’t tried to publish because I was writing for my own amusement. That said, be wary of certain “vanity” publishing houses. The name of the biggest offender escapes me, but I think it’s based in Maryland. I’d put out a best guess, but I wouldn’t want to libel anyone. If you come across a name, it would likely jar my memory.
Find out which publishers handle sci-fi books like your book. Research them on the web. They will have submission guides and what formats they want. Follow to the letter.
If you want to publish, write a short (100 words or less) synopsis of your novel, being as specific as possible.
“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away” worked for Lucas because he was making a movie and his crummy writing didn’t matter as much. Send that to a publishing house and it will get canned. Compare it to, “In the year 2125, a small band of rebels gather on the desolate planet of X to plot their revolution.” Details matter in the letter.
In the letter, compare it to a similar writer they publish. Let’s them know you know their business, their style, and gives them a quick understanding of what to expect.
Be patient.
Now, you may be able to get an agent before getting an offer. An agent who has published sci-fi clients would be a blessing. THere are credible agent lists available
I’ve been reading sf since I learned to read, so here are my pointers: 1) have something sciencey that can’t be debunked by a 3rd grader; and 2) put a drawing of a pretty girl on the cover. She can be human, alien, robot, or any combination as long as she has long red hair and whatever clothes she happens to be wearing fit really tight.
go up on a mountain and wait for God to dictate or get exiled to a tiny island and wait for Jesus. That worked for the all time best seller
The normal approach:
1. In general, if someone picks it up, do they say “I couldn’t put it down!”?
2. Does it have high movie potential?
3. Will it result in after-market action figures and toys?
Otherwise, “It’s dead, Jim.”
Also, if it has one of these themes:
1. Hero saves the earth from the bad (a) genetically modified earth human; (b) ugly or evil aliens; (c) killer asteroid (or volcano, earthquake, pole shift, ice age, super storm, exploding core, etc.); or,
2. Alien species returns to Earth to find no whales and wants to wipe it out; or,
3. Alien species comes to Earth to lay eggs that explode human bodies; or,
4. Mindless battle of opposing empires in unknown galaxy; or,
5. How horrible and hard life is in a post nuclear war era where everything is destroyed except hordes of zombie gangs,
then, forget it.
Three step plan.
1. Write a book.
2. Have wife spell check.
3. Buy paper, printer and lots of ink; and a very large stapler…
Or was the three step plan only for DC?
Robert J. Crane:
The probable cause of your first comment getting sent to the depths of the queue was your use of the registered word “Depends”. The queue naturally assumed off color humor.
Superego???? You wrote a book about Obama??
Having majored in English (with a grammar emphasis, believe it or not), and as a teacher who’s accustomed to careful reading and constructive critique, I’d be glad to help if you need some fresh eyes.
And I might even cut you a good deal on cover art.
I’m confused. What does this have to do with rocket launchers mounted on dinosaurs? And, how does this get us one step closer to nuking the moon?
Frank, In all seriousness, if you’re self-publishing, I can point you toward a good short run printer/binder that will not require the big numbers in order to make the print runs make sense…even as low as a few hundred are doable…which – even if you print a few thousand the first go-round – can become a very beneficial option on reprints.
I’d read it. I might even buy it.
I’ll buy it if it has pictures. Any pictures will do — the wallet family, things you drew on your iPad, whatever.
The following is from the “How to Self Publish” portion of my web page http://mythlogicpress.com :
1: Write a book. (Also known as the easy part.)
2: Get your book proof read by someone with a functional knowledge of spelling, grammar, and common sense. (An eagle eye for nitpicking helps.)
3: Edit your work. (Taking the knife to it to trim the fat.)
4: Polish your work. (Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you’re good and fed up with it, then repeat three more times.)
5: Become a company. I recommend starting with your state’s chamber of commerce if you live in the USA. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce site can get you started on where to go for resources. The site is http://www.uschamber.com/ . Register your business with your state of residence. I chose a Sole Proprietor style business, but it may make sense to become a Limited Liability Company (LLC) for some people.
6: Go to the Bowker http://www.myIdentifiers.com web site to obtain an International Seller Book Number (ISBN) which is required by any retail outfit to sell your book. Remember that each different edition you make available for sale (Paperback, Hardback, Trade Paperback, Mass Market Paperback, and electronic version) requires its own ISBN number. These numbers cost $125 apiece at the time of this post, but larger lots of numbers come at bulk discounts.
7: Register your copyright. In the US this can be done through through the eco.copyright.gov web site and at the time of this post it costs $35.
8: Optionally get a Library of Congress Card Catalog Number through the pcn.loc.gov web site. You have to be a publisher to apply for this number (See step 5 above).
9: Get some pre-press software. This isn’t a word processor, it is page layout software for pre-press production prior to printing. I personally use and recommend the Adobe InDesign CS5 product for this purpose. You can find more information about it at the http://www.adobe.com web site. This stuff isn’t cheap by the way, and if you are cheap about getting your hands on good pre-press software then your final work will reflect this.
10: Get an account with a reputable Print on Demand (POD) printing service. This kind of company will handle order fulfillment through a major distribution chain. I chose to use Lightning Source International (LSI) http://www.lightningsource.com since they are owned by Ingram Content Group one of the largest book distributors in the world. For title set up fees, printing costs, shipping costs, and catalog fees they will list your work for sale on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com and make it available to book stores through their distribution chain. Lightning Source only works with publishers who can create ready to print files to their specifications (see step 5, step 6, and step 9).
11: Market your book (also known as the hard part). If you are a small press publisher, then know that you are a kitten among wolves. The only way to survive is to run faster, dodge quicker, and build a relationship with your audience.
I hope this helps.
The always handy eHow site has an article; How to Publish a Book for Tour First Time. Skipping the finding an agent steps they point to Lulu.com (which I have heard of before) which seems to print paperbacks for free and let you keep 80% of sales. I’m guessing they print to order for each single book needed, but that is just a guess. For digital books they had a link for E-BooksPublishing.com./eguid.
@Burmashave: I am imagining an illustration now: “Here’s lasers for your face!”
Will it be e-published? My Kindle has kind of spoiled me – I hate having to actually hold a book open to read it. The Kindle cover props it up, so I can continue to eat my BLT with both hands while reading (just one finger has to be grease-free to advance the page).
I look forward to someday picking up a copy down to the local Borders.
I’ll buy if it has pictures of puppies! And cats being eaten by hawks!
1)Write .
2)Post it online.
3)??????
4) Profit!
Does the villian have no nose or ears?
That seems to be the key to a successful movie from a book series or comic book.
The only unbreakable rule of novel writing is that there aren’t any unbreakable rules of novel writing. Do whatever works for you. There are plenty of tips and tricks and techniques and rituals floating around that you can spend an eternity trying to learn and apply them all, but it’s not necessary and there is the danger of paralysis by analysis. To your credit, you’ve already written three drafts which means that you understand that the art of good writing is re-writing.
Editing, unlike writing, does have a few rules that make the process much more pleasant and productive:
1. Never edit your own writing. Re-write as often as you like, but never edit your own writing.
2. Always use three qualified editors for any editing task. If they all independently say that something needs to be changed, then change it. If only one or two of them say that something needs to be changed, then discuss it independently with all three of them and then use your own judgement.
3. Know and make sure that your editors know what they are editing for.
4. The publisher is your final editor. Choose wisely, because you haven’t written the final draft until the publisher says so.
Getting published = get the latest copy of the annual Writer’s Digest and follow the instructions. Good luck.
So “Chronicles of Dubya” wasn’t a novel that got published?
@23: Crabby Old Bat: That’s one of the reasons I like holding a paper book… it absorbs all the grease from my fingers! And if I lose my book marker, I can always resume where the greasy finger prints end.
@Jimmy: Yeah, but the grease makes the paper transparent and then the words from the front and back pages get all mixed up. Also, if the book absorbs the grease, then (1) I can’t lick every last tasty bit off of my fingers, and (2) the dogs will eat the book. They like bacon, too.
Sure, another book for me to buy.
I’d better be in this one, and not as some red-shirt either.
You still may want to check CreateSpace, they seem to offer the least expensive print copies and are part of Amazon which is a giant in the sales and promotion side of publishing. Getting to know some other writers can’t hurt so contacting writers groups and going to workshops may help in the decision. thecabinidaho.org seems to be Idaho based and may have some contacts or advice. Many new authors rely on things such as Facebook, Twitter and creating blogs and websites specific to their books to get things started. I know a few writers have made sales by having a profile link at Breitbart’s Big sites without even mentioning their books.
I don’t usually talk about it, but I do professional editing. I love science fiction, so I’d be happy to take a look. I would be happy to create a letter for you to send to agents, if that’s the way you want to go. I have mad love for self publishing, but most of the authors I work with (understandably) want to start with an agent. Agents, in general, fall into the snooty east coast lib category, but there are now a fair number of folks going in other directions. Even here, in raging liberal Pacific Northwest, there are a few scattered publishing houses majoring in conservative thought. I think Kelly Martin gave a fair rundown for self publishing. ISBNs are pretty pricey if you’re purchasing just one. If you purchase a couple hundred, you can get them as low as a buck a pop. The only reason to get this for yourself, rather than let the publishing house buy it for you, is that publishing houses can threaten to retire the number during contract disputes. I’m thinking it’s actually pretty rare, though, because I’ve never met anyone who has had this problem, yet, it is rumored… Oi, rather than take many tangents, this is a wonderful blog by a guy who is self published: http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/
How do you write 102,000 words about your boyfriend Bantha_Fodder? I mean really! At some point, Frank it’s going to look like totally ghey and such! I’ll bet there’s no ussjimmycarter or jimmy or marco in your book because we refuse to bend over and put lips to ass!!! Unlike some “other” posters on this blog who will bend over for, well, just to bend over in hopes of something good this way comes!!!
A seriously self loathing loyal reader who use to be a force for good but who has gone to the dark side because of “high praise”…
I loved SuperEgo! It was peppered with typos, but was so filled with awesome that I only yelled at the PC once or twice a paragraph. I cried myself to sleep for weeks when it ended (sooo sad). Like everyone else, I volunteer to proof read it, and provide know-it-all comments for free. OK, you can pay me if you insist.
Keep us posted.
Cheers,
HCG