My Book(s)

[Bobtheduck]

I need some sort of financial help with getting into school... Maybe publishing my first book? I just don't know who'll pick it up... No Christian publisher would because of some things they'd likely disapprove of... And, no secular publisher will, either, because of the message it will have towards the end... I need to find a publisher that will allow my content AND my message... Anyone know someone like that?

To answer the question of "what content" I know that there's a christian publisher that will allow violent content... Frank Peretti's publisher published his rather violent book, "The Oath." I think the violence in my book will be about that level, and not much more. I also know that some will allow for sexual descriptions... What they won't allow are the fabled "bad words." I stop short of "dropping the f bomb" (as that may alienate even my target audience) but that's about it... It's not permeating, but it exists. So, do you know of anyone that would publish a (sci-fi) book like this?

EDIT: Hmm... I won't bump this, but I guess I got my answer...

[true_noir_chloe]

I hope I can answer your question somewhat, Bob; however, I can only tell you from what I've heard from friends who have been published and editor friends in the publishing world. Also, I did try to go the Christian book publisher route in the early 90s and found that they respond to writers exactly the same as the non-Christian publishers, possibly even colder.

Also, if you're looking to make money as a writer that is a false hope. I don't want to crush your spirit, since you're obviously very excited about your book, but only about 1-2% young writers can actually make a living off of one book. You would have to be J.K. Rowling or Frank McCourt, who suddenly found they had an overnight success. Your writing being published is less than half of you actually writing - the rest is getting published. That is a lot of extra work and why agents exist. They enjoy doing all the extra work because writers in general hate all that extra writing - they're artists.

Now, if you're a very hard worker and are willing I'd say your best bet is to go to the small presses. They don't pay as much as the big houses; but, they will at least have more time to read your stuff. I also wrote this somewhere else, I think it was the Nia-Chan thread. You can go there and look at it and I told Nia the same thing. To go the cheap route go to a library which has tons of the Writer's Digest resources. Read through all the information and call before you submit anything. Otherwise, you can be sure it will end up in a trash can somewhere. They get hundreds and hundreds of submissions every day and don't have time to read everything. Make sure your query letter is short and to the point. Don't rant, like I'm doing right now. Each house has it's own rules, but generally speaking they always want the first three chapters of your novel and a query letter. Some want an outline and brief bio of you and others don't. You'll find the big houses only want the bare bones. The smaller houses are much more personal. Again it's an issue of how much time they have on their hands.

Hope I could help you out somewhat. I know I go on and on, but please pay attention to the editors. They're not as scary as they sound, they just want to be dealt with as professionals; thus, you need to be professional when you speak with them.

[Haibane Shadsie]

Trying the same thing with my work. I think my work would be accepted by both Christian and secular presses... I consider my novel a secular work with underlying Christian themes.

Something someone in my writer's club has a problem with "for a Christian" market is one "bad" word I use here and there, the word for a female dog. However, I use it to describe... a character that is a female dog. It's actually an important word of honor in her people's culture, though her enemies use it as an insult. Also, while I don't have an excessive amount of violence in my book (probably about the same as classic fantasy novels... about like Tolkien, more descriptive about violence than Lews...)... I do have some scenes where I revel in... gross.

I'm in the same boat with the publishing. I'm an unknown trying to get known. I'm not sure where to submit short stories and if my short stories are good enough. (Though I am planning on entering a recent story in a contest I've entered stories in before and never won anything from). I follow tips in the Writer's Market and query agents and publishers listed there. I painted a special wooden box just to keep my rejection letters in. It happens.

From what I've heard.. the people who get published are the ones who are persistent, the ones who keep on querying and trying for 5, 10, 20 years.... If you are serious about trying to get published, you must expect rejection letters. Maybe I'll get enough to wallpaper a room someday.

[true_noir_chloe]

Hey Shadsie, my favorite place to publish short stories is Glimmer Train. You can even submit over the internet with your own log in. They've been around for a while and are very trustworthy. The two women who own it are very helpful and nice. They don't mind Christian themes, as long as it's not glaring, which I know you write the way I do. You kind of slip it in. They've been very encouraging with my stuff.

[Lochaber Axe]

Chloe and Shadsie are right. No matter how we think as writers, we do not hold the keys to the public vault. The editors and publishers do. I will expect the rejection letters and I will crush the hopes of instant success in myself. Of course, if it is God's decision... *shrugs* . Right now though I feel that I have not reached the experience that I need to even step on top of that first rung.
Sorry Chloe... I do use too many metaphors.

Also, never expect money to fall into your lap; a book won't do it, stocks, et cetera. You will have to get off your rump to achieve in this world. Honestly, this post is really for me, so I hope you don't take it as offensive.

[Haibane Shadsie]

Becoming a writer is one of those dreams you have to work at and be paitient for. Most people don't "make it". Those that do "make it" had to get a lot of rejection letters to get there. The head of my writer's club is a published novelist. She is, however, very far from rich. She's a stay at home mom whose husband earns the money for the family.

The thing with creative writing is: Don't quit your day job. Even if you do get published, it's not guarntee of wealth in any way.

[Bobtheduck]

I'm not looking for wealth per se, but I would like help with getting to full sail... There is no way I can get more than 10,000 dollars from the government, and I probably won't even get that much. I can't get any bank loans because I have NO credit, and I can't build credit because I don't earn enough money... I can't get a better job because of my stupid College schedule... I'm still gonna look, but I'm not counting on it, so I need some other way.

It's a big trap... That's the way I feel MOST of the time, actually... I really desperately need some other way, and my book is the only thing I see right now...

Of course, if I do get into full sail, and I graduate and start making some good money before I get my book published, I'm going to publish it myself. I'm going to try to sell it to places like Wal-Mart and K-Mart and Barnes And Noble, but the catch is, if I go through school first, I'm going to animate certain scenes in the book and see about using that to advertise on tv... I figure 3 ads. One that will show fighting, one that will show interaction between characters, and one that will show quiet reflection... Also, I figure a 2-3 minute action sequence to release on the internet. I mean, it would be GREAT if I was allready there, but to get there... I need some way in...

I think I'll get there... I just need to be diligent in my studies. I need get up to the calculus level, make better planning next semester (maybe try for a good job after summer, because there's no way I'm gonna be able to do summer classes AND have a good job...) and still work on my book... I'm sure something will work out... I'll be going to full sail and releasing my book BOTH... Just when and in what order, I'm not sure of.

[true_noir_chloe]

Bob, you might want to go to a well-known writer's conference if your book is all ready to be looked at. Do you have a synopsis and are you able to explain your story well? Practice. Also, they want to know everything. Don't tell them the ending is a surprise and you don't want to give it away. They'll get really mad at that kind of unprofessionalism. They're not some guy on the street, they're the ones who will possibly buy your book so you better tell them everything. Find one with some notable agents and publishing house reps. It would be worth the money since they'll actually look at your stuff there. Just an idea. The way you find those is buy a Writer's Digest magazine or Poets and Writers and look at the back where they post all the conferences and contests.