Okay, one other thing while I think about it. Aim high. Aim bloody high. Aim at the top.
For some reason best known to the pundits, short story writers are encouraged to aim low and work their way up. If anyone’s falling for that bull, don’t.
Go for the toughest markets available. You don’t stand a chance of course, but try anyway. Then work your way down the list of paying outlets. If someone by some happy chance is happy to pick you up from way up that ladder, you’re dancing. If not, what have you lost?
I am already a published author and I am accustomed to being paid for my work. I do not require “publicity”, I require fair compensation for my efforts.
They might get more contributors if they paid for contributions. Why should I work for free for them so they can profit?
I’m putting a short out there for free. It’s going to go to any bugger I can get to read it through any means possible.
On the same day, I’ll self-publish a novel. That won’t be free.
I know about writing - it’s how I earn my living, and I do okay.
But I also know the need for publicity for a first-time author lost in a sea of self-published books with corporate publishers - let’s not kid ourselves the big guys are ‘traditional publishers’ any more - adding to the racket by following the same marketing model for some reason best known to themselves.
The book I have out with Pankhearst is a part of the same strategy. It will reach parts I cannot reach, the book links back to my site, everything builds on everything else.
The strategy may prove ineffectual. It may even be naive, I have no idea. What I do know is that just publishing that novel, and the one to come after, as just another book on Amazon is not going to hack it.
So yes, as a freelance writer who eats - or doesn’t - on the back of what he writes - or doesn’t - I’m acutely aware of the value of words.
If you want to be a professional act like one. Act like what you do it worth something. If you continue to give away your work then people will value it at that dollar amount. They will expect you to continue to give it away.
The only time I’ve “self published” is after I got paid for first publication rights.
Laowai’s manic posts are what I have to put up with on authonomy. Tina Tyson is a username, one she has said is not her real name. Her objective, openly stated, was to generate interest in her writing by being provocative, that being the way young people behave these days.
The hyenas on authonomy have posted that they are sending messages to Zotti, proclaiming that he is allowing a misogynist to post here. All of the claims are fraudulent. They dislike me simply because I have continually pointed out flaws in the authonomy programming that can be used by spammers, by game players to advance their books up the ladder to a ‘editorial review’, etc. etc.
Authonomy administration has seen the light. The new version will (to Pete Marchetto’s delight), allow short story postings. It will have moderators. It will correct dozens of amateurish programming mistakes, etc. etc. etc.
And I will no longer have a reason to post there.
Thank you for briefly putting up with Marchetto (Laowai) who is doing exactly here what he has done on authonomy, begging to be deleted so his previous stupid posts will be deleted. Too bad those posts are not erased on SDMB.
this is the last time I intend to mention the bullies on authonomy. Please try to overlook the intrusion by people who aren’t exactly housebroken.
Well, clearly we got off on the wrong foot here, Mr./Ms. Stick, hence the peremptory finger-wagging, (lot of it about), tone, so let’s try and make it a tad more constructive if that’s okay with you?
I am suggesting here that free short stories are a good way to get readers interested in me as a writer, much as a trailer interests people when it comes to going to see a film or - to drag art down into the mire of commerce - a free sachet of shampoo on the cover of a magazine may entice someone to go out and buy a whole bottle.
This - if you’ll pardon my saying so - casual, non-specific apparent truism of If you continue to give away your work then people will value it at that dollar amount and the little bottie-smack of If you want to be a professional act like one, (lots of waggy fingers and exclamations of ‘Naughty boy!’ in here for anything that doesn’t matter and none for outright abuse I notice yet again), in no way undermines the business model. Using this logic, people would be going to cinemas for free tickets, queueing up in Safeways for free shampoo, getting the first part of a magazine series and then demanding the next 95 issues for free, and… well, so on. Far, far more expert people than I am - and, let’s be frank here, by the sounds of it, you are - have been using this technique very successfully certainly for decades, for all I know centuries.
Now I say again as I said before… the idea may be unsuccessful, it may even be naive. But if you have a good, solid objection, it’s going to have to consist of more than a mere apparent truism which, when analysed, flies in the face of a long-established, frequently-practiced and very successful marketing technique.
Me? I’m an ignoramus. As I said, I know nothing, I’m flying blind here. But what I need if I’m going to change course isn’t vague, dark mutterings littered with one-liner truisms that don’t actually seem to be true under scrutiny. I need to know a bit more about where them mountain peaks are you’re telling me I’m about to fly into.
As for only having self-published after you got paid for first publication rights, my sincere congratulations. You are one of a handful in finding yourself in such a luxurious position.
I am not in such a luxurious position.
If your counter-proposal is ‘Go out there and do what’s next-to impossible in the current publishing climate’ then… well, you must appreciate that I have my reservations on that one as a ‘plan’. It’s a touch gnomic, and I need something solid to work with.
And here we see crucible taking advantage of the fact that you permit him to do this off-site stuff in here, Twickster, but no one is permitted to respond.
I could talk about the honesty of this post, but I’m not permitted.
And so more bile hits the forums.
And this is all okay, is it? This is what Straight Dope is for, is it?
Just to make it more general, about opinions, attitudes, this…
to generate interest in her writing by being provocative, that being the way young people behave these days
A nice general statement that may be made non-specific there and put on-topic.
Care to elaborate, crucible? As a view on young writers I’m sure many would like to hear more. This is what young writers do, in your opinion? No particular ability, just a controversial racket?