HI All My name is Ken LaVoie, I live in Winslow Maine and have been a writer wannabe since high school. I finally decided to use my expertise and experience in the lawn care business field as a muse, or a "muse to a muse", and create a "how to" on that subject. It's called "How to start a lawn care business a whole NEW way", and I have it on Lulu.com self published. Now I've gone a bit deeper and written a book of life advice for my young daughter (now 7). I believe it will appeal to daughters and dads of all ages. I'd like to sell it to a publisher vs. self publishing. I'm a bit stumped on exactly how to proceed. I find myself on the verge of paralysis analysis, and I dont' want to go there! So ... my questions are: 1. How much proof reading is too much? How many times should I, and my Mensa mother, review and rearrange? Another question is, how do you all go about it? Do you have hard copies printed for better "readability"? Do you edit and proof read on screen first, THEN have a copy printed for a "final" go at it?? 2. When should you finally bite the bullet and just start submitting? I'm using the writer's market website to find publishers. Should I submit to the ones I think are LEAST likely to bite first, for practice, or just go right down the list? 3. Any other important stuff that a new kid on the block is definitely going to miss the first time around??\ Thanks all!! Ken
Hello Ken, Welcome to the Writing Forums. It sounds like you should begin by browsing the Writing Issues -> Publishers forum. At least some of your questions have probably been asked and commented on there before. Posting your own work should not be the very first thing you do here. It is really worthwhile to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Word Games, or the Review Room, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Review Room, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize reviewing as a critical writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. The Review Room forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Review Room forum). See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
