...an erstwhile writer at 81 I note many changes. For instance the pop has doubled since I was a kid into that sort of thing and given PC it's now 25 times easier to write a MS. So with 25 times as many novices going at it for 2 x 25 x 25 or roughly 1200 times as difficult to peddle your MS so today Ayn Rand might have not made 12 unsuccessful attempts before landing her MS "Fountainhead" but about 14,000 tries That's not to say the novice can't get his MS published. When I was a kid you sent a MS to a pub and if they liked it they paid you-- of course in the form of royalties. But as far as I've been able to determine today it's the other way around--you pay them as evident in our Community window: ...3 easy steps...1, 2, 3, Start Now Still hope nests in my bosom. Perhaps there are still a few pubs who do it the old way and if so, in short, who are they and how do you find them I have for instance a MS entitled, "The World, as told to the young man in short words" in 77000 words of one syllable each. Just a few years ago I'd approached about 50 such pubs, none of whom had even the courtesy to reply to my query except for one asking me to mail a printed MS so I did but again with not a peep So in this modern day and age in this digital revolution can anyone provide me a link where for instance I enter the title of my MS and a brief summary plus my email address whereupon any interested pub--of that old-fashioned sort--asks me to see the MS--by email for Christ sake
I don't see any questions here and I don't really understand what you're saying. Except for the part about us paying publishers, which isn't true, unless you're self publishing.
j Wow Joanna you guys are quick. Perhaps you read my post before I had finished editing it. This is the first time in 17 years I've had three responses before I was even done with my post Of course that's what I meant, forgive me, I was being facetious in proverbial journalistic style (When I was a kid, they paid you but now you pay them) 14 Minutes Ago Sorry Lemex you must also have picked up on my OP before I was done picking up my afterthoughts
If I got the question right: no, I don't know any place like that, but that might be because I don't live in U.K or U.S, but I think if there were, I would have heard of them anyway. You still have to do it the "oldfashioned" way by submitting your manuscript to the agents/publishers. (The last option if you, like me, live in a country where you can submit directly to the publishers) Not much has changed in that sense, I'm afraid, besides the fact that they now recieve thousands of submissions a year and it's become even more difficult to make them take a look at what you've written.
I was afraid of that. Seems like in this day and age of the 21st Century there ought to be an easier way don’t you think Thanks Tes. Alas, exactly what I had supposed Even if I cold find one do you know whether they now accept an MS by email
I think in the US and the UK you need an agent to approach any decent sized publishing house, because they simply don't accept unsolicited manuscripts anymore. But getting an agent is almost as difficult as getting a book deal these days - they get thousands and thousands of submissions every year, and out of those they might take on half a dozen new clients. So, if you have any previous publishing contacts or credits, you would be very wise to use them. Now, as ever, it's not what you know...
Oh, okay. In that case, what Kallithrix said. Send a query letter to an agent, and if they like the letter, they'll ask for your MS and if they like that, they'll take you on and submit it to publishers for you. Good luck. Sounds like an interesting story.
I know what you mean, but I guess they are too busy to sit down and look for promising ms's themselves. They want the writer to do the work, not them. But it would be a nice thing though, if there were such a place. maybe, some day...
today many agents and publishers accept emailed queries and submissions... www.duotrope.com and www.ralan.com are the best places to find publishers and i have several good agency listings i'll be glad to send you if you'll drop me an email... given the uncommon nature of your book, you may find it more productive to query small and niche presses directly, as i doubt many [if any] agents would find it worthwhile repping... though it certainly wouldn't hurt to try a few more... you've a few years on my own 73, so it's a pleasure to welcome another 'oldster' to the forums... love and hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
..It’s heartwarming to acquire a dollop of encouragement in this quotidian miasma of procrustean contretemps You may note some inconsistencies in the order of things but that’s because Mac has been juggling our respective posts——or was it I forgot to Save
Forgive me Maia but Mac has evidently been deleting that last post above 6 Minutes Ago #11 so I’m repeating it here in case he does it again How interesting however, Mac inserted gratis in the above sentence "6 Minutes Ago #11” which came as a shock and a puzzle because how did he know what I meant by “above”, honest to God I’m not kidding dalehileman Junior Member Join Date Dec 2011 Posts 4 ..It’s heartwarming to acquire a dollop of encouragement in this quotidian miasma of procrustean contretemps You may note some inconsistencies in the order of things but that’s because Mac has been juggling our respective posts——or was it I forgot to Save Last edited by dalehileman; 1 Minute Ago at 12:21 PM.
publishing houses receive thousands of manuscripts a year. their readers have piles of manuscripts (mostly rubbish) and have to wade through it all. you will not receive a response if you have not done things correctly. also i can't understand how you wrote a book entirely made of one syllable words. i mean that's how it reads.
The Lay Boy Book of THE WORLD As told to the young man, in short words 1 Writ for VGF by MV For my two boys, love them as we do, but some times wish had been girls My name is Val. My wife’s name is Love, and we have two grown boys I call Son 1 and Son 2. I am an old fart and I need to tell you all the things I wish my dad had told me and which I should have told the boys, as well as a good deal I have learned since. ‘Bout SEX, for one thing. Oh boy! Read on, my young friend. By “the World” (with cap.), I mean the whole schmear: you and me, warts and all, and Earth and all that’s on it; space, the stars; the strong force and the weak force; the whole nine yards; God. But why in short words? Do I think you don’t know the long ones? Not at all. I just want to show you that it can be done. If you can’t say it in short words, then it may not make sense. But George Bush and those like him who can’t cope with long words should skip the notes at the foot of the page. 2 But first I have to let you in on PC (not the kind you play games on and surf the Web with) and PI (not three point one four one five…..). No, PC and PI have to do with race, sex,........... 1 All footnotes, however, are by our editorial staff who, we feel, are under no constraint to observe Val’s convention. Thus readers who cannot cope with words exceeding one syllable should skip them. VGF stands for Valley G. Fellow (no, we don’t know), while MV is Maria Valdez. Val’s Son 1 is Sotavento while Son 2 is Cielo. 2 Current world events far outpace the ability of our staff to update ongoing editorial and publication processes. Out of our publisher’s fear of widespread disapprobation from right-leaning reviewers if not politically-uncommitted lovers of the flesh, a majority of the Editorial Staff felt compelled to stop the presses the afternoon of 11 September 2001 so we might update the footnotes, starting with the following appendage: Herewith we feel constrained to assure the reader that Val’s acerbic views were penned long before the World Trade Center incident, at which time such ridicule of the Administration suddenly became Politically Incorrect. His views are not necessarily ours except where they encourage furtherance of the erotic.
Laba I doubt if I had done things correctly but even if I had that I would have been successful See response to Maia below I'm flattered Maia you should ask. One just sits down at his PC and does it. The aftereffect however can be troubling. For weeks after completion I could think only in words of one syllable I needed a gimmick Not at all--see post #15 above
that's ok if only writing for fun, but won't fly with agents/publishers... neither will gimmicks... a fairly obvious cheesy cheat, since it seems your 'footnotes' may come close to equaling the amount of actual text and all apparently has been 'writ' by the same 'writ-er'... are you seriously asking us to believe you did not write those pol-y-syl-la-bic footnotes, as well?
I just want to show you that it can be done. Then one might as well have fun and besides my immediate family and a couple of friends were very impressed I needed a gimmick Depends on the quality of the gimmick 1 All footnotes, however, are by our editorial staff who, we feel, are under no constraint to observe Val’s convention. Actually not You’d be surprised Maia For weeks after completion I could think only in words of one syllable If you’re asking whether I was able to temporarily pull out of the monosyllabic mode in order to compose a footnote then yes albeit with some difficulty
your responses seem to contradict themselves in re the supposed 'editorial staff' who wrote the footnotes not being only yourself...
Yea Maia my existence is most convivially fraught with a dispiriting conflation of eminent discrepancies
Actually, it's more than just a gimmick; it's called constrained writing, and I think it's a cute idea. Would not do it myself, but it has been done and takes a special sort of mind to accomplish. I wouldn't rule it out for publication on that basis. Look at Gadsby by Earnest Vincent Wright, a 50,000 + novella that doesn't use the letter e. Or the French novel The Train from Nowhere by Michel Thaler, written entirely without verbs. Mary Godolphin actually reproduced Robinson Crusoe using only one syllable words.
Joanna thank you for the encouragement so deficient in this punic conflation of miasmic recrudescence Constrained writing, not every day learn new term
Many, Maia but they will require each a new thread Thanks to everyone for confirming the gloomy oversight I had envisioned
