From “WIP”-ed to “Published” (I hope)
If I may be real for a moment…no, seriously. I really mean it.
I finally got frank and earnest (they weren’t cheap either; sorry, I tried) with myself and started getting my stuff published en masse.
The reason?
It’s called the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA), sponsored by Amazon.com’s CreateSpace publishing division.
[ Deadline Feb. 7, 2010 or first 5,000 entries (be quick). Right now, the site is accepting unpublished manuscripts (ones that have not had any contracts tendered for it) until Feb. 7 or until 5,000 entries are received, whichever comes first. ]Anyway, the ABNA contest spurred me to finally stop tweaking Land of the Blind and send it in as early as I could.
Before this, I had sent things piecemeal to various small groups like Lulu.com. I dabbled with vanity publishers, but dismissed them when they wanted tons of money up front. I finally found Writing.com and made myself content with putting my writing on the site, occasionally trying contests on the site.
By not paying attention to the publishing end of the writing thing, I missed valuable opportunities like the most recent edition of Abaculus from Leucrota Press.
I did NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which only gave me the satisfaction of writing a novel in a month (though not one even close to publishable). While I did that and felt satisfaction at writing more than 50,000 words, I almost missed ABNA.
Fortunately, I started paying attention and entered ABNA. Prepping for ABNA got me researching for possible publication sites. That led to looking at online sites and other venues, which led to a flurry of activity on my part. I’d been sluggish for the last several months and needed that swift kick in the…pants.
So, I am now concentrating on the next reason to finish something. It’s called “Page To Fame” from Webook.com.
Now for what I sent out during my flurry of activity.
I currently have part 3 of my novella Crawl appearing in the latest edition of Spectacular Speculations.
I just published They Call the Wind Muryah, Dark Tidings (Vol. I) and Dark Tidings (Vol. II) on Smashwords, an ebook service that puts items through a literal meat grinder and reworks them to be compatible with Kindle, Sony Reader and others.
I submitted a short story called “Onward” for Farspace Anthology 3 and another called “Atonement” for www.farsideofmidnight.com. And I’m still not sure what I’m going to submit for Writers of the Future (which I can only do until I sell 5,000 books or get 5,000 or more hits on ebooks).
One thing that getting published on Smashwords and the other sites did was get me to go back into my old folders. I had stories in one of my files marked “finished” that I hadn’t done anything with. So, now I am editing stories like “Romantic” and “Only Human” to send out.
I’ve also gone back into the “Unfinished stories” and “Story ideas” files for more writing stuff. With Land of the Blind and all the aforementioned items published or submitted, I suddenly have time on my hands.
Finally (and none too soon), I am trying to figure out what to do with Hunters, my first completed full-length novel worth publishing. I had a contract for publication with the late (but not lamented) Mystic Moon Press (an ugly mess I won’t get into here). Now, the rights are back with me. I could try PublishAmerica and let them have first right of publication for seven years or I could go with a small, independent press.
Ah, decisions, decisions.
In the meantime, I’ll get my idle hands active (sorry Lucifer) and start doing the research, leg work and prep work for sequels to Hunters and Land of the Blind, along with some short stories from my “ideas” file (including ideas from the 90′s).
Sometimes I wish I could be like Bethany Page, this week’s guest blogger. She’s juggling six titles, plus a household, numerous contests and — gasp — teenagers. Meanwhile, I’m fretting over a novel I finished a year ago and wondering how I can juggle all of the things I want to do.
But, that is where I am at the moment with my writing.
Until I top the bestseller lists, enjoy the blogs and view my stuff — please (before I become rich and famous like…oh, wait, I’m not supposed to mention her in my blogs for awhile…let’s make it Wendy and Supriya).
It looks as if my attempt to be serious is failing, so I will sign off.
P.S.: If you haven’t read Bethany’s guest blog, by all means do so. After seeing her ordeals, trials and tribulations, your efforts won’t seem so bad. You’ll get a lot of inspiration.
C.J. Ellisson
Gregory Marshall Smith
David Sartof
Anastasia V. Pergakis
James Garcia Jr.
George Allwynn
Sharon Hamilton
J.D. Brown
C.J. Ellisson lives near Washington DC with her husband, two children, two Staffordshire bull terriers and a young cat to whom she’s newly allergic. 
After spending most of her working life associated with real estate, she’s now pursuing a new passion of fiction writing. Her Erotic Urban Fantasy series stars a smart, strong, and slightly sarcastic female vampire running a resort for the undead in Alaska.
J.D. Brown lives with her two Pomeranians on the border between Wisconsin and Illinois. She enjoys the best of both worlds: peaceful country side and neurotic city life. J.D. began writing for publication in 2009, when she started her first Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Thriller series, Dark Heirloom. She fell in love with the craft and her writing became a wicked hot obsession.
Gregory Marshall Smith, born in Somerville, Massachusetts and raised in historic Medford, is a jack-of-all-trades. 
Anastasia V. Pergakis is a high fantasy author, mostly. She also writes Sci-Fi, Urban fantasy, and mystery novels. Her main novel, The Faery’s Tale Saga is a four part series, a high fantasy mixed with action/adventure and romance. She also writes dark poetry and the occasional twisted or humorous short story. Besides writing, Anastasia also loves reviewing/editing, cover art design, and web design. 
The eccentric George Allwynn not only pens GLBT romantic suspense, but at times, has been caught sneaking in some paranormal, humor and (gasp!) erotica. 
Sharon Hamilton loves all things paranormal: angels, vampires, a witch or two, and even some hybrid beings who don’t know what they are. 
David Sartof has a PhD in management philosophy, has served in the Merchant Marine and as an Officer in the UK’s Royal Air Force. In addition, he spent most of the first decade of the 21st century developing businesses as an entrepreneur. 
David is the author of River of Judgement, a crime novel set in the City of London during the start of banking crisis of the late-noughties.
James Garcia Jr.began writing when he discovered horror novels in junior high. Later, he set aside his dream of being a writer while he and his wife started their family. 
Excellent post! I’m mucho impressed with all you’ve written and all you’ve been doing lately! Kudos to you! I’m going to check out Smashwords – you mentioned it several times and I’m curious to see how it works. Do not go with Publish America. I will crawl through the computer and beat you with the bloodly stumps of your arms (because I would have ripped them off already).
Seriously? Don’t go there – you are much better than that. Send me the MS and I’ll edit it for you – if you think I can help make it better. But if you’re happy with it the way it is then don’t give up your dream. And avoid the snake oil salesmen. I got your back
I’ll be coming through the computer after you with C.J., going after your knees with a roofing axe. NO PUBLISH AMERICA! I’ve not heard one good story about them.
Egad! It seems I’ve touched a nerve. Beating people to death with the bloody stumps of their own arms? Sounds like “Zombieland.”
Okay, okay. I’ll avoid PublishAmerica. Besides, I used a pen name when I inquired. It just came to me — I put the initials of C.J.’s novel together to form a “W” and then I added the name from an NBA box score of the Dallas Mavericks that said “J. Howard.” And, voila, I had an alias. Oh, wait. Uh-oh.
Just curious but why are you only looking to either self publish or go to a small independent press? Why not target the large publishing houses?
The usual reasons — a lot of competition for a few spots. The larger publishing houses have been cutting back on taking manuscripts for new writers (and many won’t take any unless they come from an agent). You can find the listings and requirements in the latest Writer’s Market.
And, even if the large publishers take your manuscript, they can take several months to read it, if they read it at all. Sheer numbers says that a handful of editors cannot read the thousands of manuscripts they get each year.
Plus, with novel writing software like “WriteIt” and “Write It Now,” even the worst hack can piece together a manuscript and send it in. Think of it like being a human resources person who receives thousands of resumes for one of handful of open positions. Naturally, you’d concentrate on the most experienced people first and then work your way down. The guys with little or no experience would be out.
Now that I say that, some of the larger publishers are beginning to pick up more manuscripts, to take advantage of the growing ebook market.
And one last thing. Going with a small publisher or something like Smashwords can get your book out into the spotlight. If sales are decent, large publishers will often take a second look and, perhaps, take a chance.