tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181450966846757835.post145136945417287754..comments2023-04-13T08:55:05.565+01:00Comments on From Brain to Bookshelf - My Writing Journey: Is This the Worst Time to Be Unpublished?Rebecca Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06553726565354166076noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181450966846757835.post-87622509118555380132009-07-11T02:54:59.643+01:002009-07-11T02:54:59.643+01:00I just happened across your blog, and I'm so g...I just happened across your blog, and I'm so glad I did! It would seem we are in the same boat, although maybe not sailing in the same sea (I'm in the US). I know that publication can be a lengthy process,but, as I'm sure you know, it can be a frustraiting wait. I wish you much success.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181450966846757835.post-34539527045495329372009-06-18T01:24:52.397+01:002009-06-18T01:24:52.397+01:00Rebecca - Hang in there and keep going. Don't ...Rebecca - Hang in there and keep going. Don't stop until you have reached your goal. We will all pay our dues before we break into the business but look at the silver lining...you have a massive support group. You will get there...this I am sure of.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181450966846757835.post-28710944805647836442009-06-16T22:17:42.544+01:002009-06-16T22:17:42.544+01:00Melissa, you and me both. Tell you what, whicheve...Melissa, you and me both. Tell you what, whichever of us gets a publishing deal first can advise the other!<br /><br />Alissa, thanks for your support and good point about the tech changes.<br /><br />Eric - super-brat! Put it up just for you :) Thanks for all your support.<br /><br />Stephanie, thanks for the comment and well done on your success. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll definitely look that up.Rebecca Woodheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06553726565354166076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181450966846757835.post-71693719220146327712009-06-16T20:46:25.321+01:002009-06-16T20:46:25.321+01:00It's all so confusing...what's a writer to...It's all so confusing...what's a writer to do???? You're told you need something new, fresh, different than what's out there....but then if it's too weird...it won't sell. I was told my novel was too 'Sex and the City'...and I felt honored to be compared....but then realized they were saying it had been done. <br /><br />It's been changed since then and was offered a contract from an epublisher.<br /><br />Have you entered Flash fiction contests or submitted to flash fiction or short story publications??? I had several pieces place in contests and they were published. It gave me something to add to my bio...I had some kind of publishing credits. Check out the quarterly contests on www.wow-womenonwriting.com.Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17401931638397651614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181450966846757835.post-66695182117251314052009-06-16T19:01:29.732+01:002009-06-16T19:01:29.732+01:00Nice post Rebecca. I'm glad to see you're...Nice post Rebecca. I'm glad to see you're taking this in stride. I think the answer is we just have to create the best writing we can. Though times may be hard right now, any economist will tell you that these things work in cycles. We just have to weather through the rough patches. Oh, and don't think I didn't notice the part about Jamie Ford. Brat.<br /><br />Melissa, I think you probably do (or can) write extraordinary novels. Just because they don't cover the subjects you mention doesn't mean they are not extraordinary. It's the writing that makes a story extraordinary, not the subject. So keep working on your stories, refining them until they are ready. You'll find a place for them.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07823808700523297184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181450966846757835.post-41493497053919922042009-06-16T18:40:28.980+01:002009-06-16T18:40:28.980+01:00I don't know if this is really a new problem. ...I don't know if this is really a new problem. Haven't agents and publishers always been looking for something that is extraordinary and completely different from anything else out there? <br /><br />I also think there are many publishers and agents who want something that's safe and known. If someone is a published writer with a decent track record, then they certainly qualify as safe and known, but I think new writers can be safe and known simply by writing stories that fit neatly into existing genres and styles. <br /><br />I think at the end of the day, if you write a book that is undeniably excellent and happens to capture the attention of an agent or a publisher, if they can't put it down, then you're book will be published. It might take you a bit longer to find a home for a book as an unpublished author, but one way or another a good books find their way into print. <br /><br />As for the recession, I would pay little mind to it. Books are still a relatively cheap form of entertainment. I think the bigger changes will be the technological changes taking place with the internet and the ways in which creative content gets distributed. The publishers that aren't going to make it are the ones who fall behind technologically.Alissa Grossohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16701189791875707920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181450966846757835.post-37619169305860608022009-06-16T17:34:07.967+01:002009-06-16T17:34:07.967+01:00Here's my problem. I don't write extraordi...Here's my problem. I don't write extraordinary novels. My stories are not quirky or offbeat and do not lend themselves to any kind of "trend." I don't write about Jane Austen and Zombies or about a teenager in love with a vampire. My stories are about ordinary people facing extraordinary situations. So I wonder - how will my stories find a place in the market?<br /><br />Sorry for answering your question with a question, but we seem to be in the same situation at the moment.<br /><br />And BTW, I was close to the Cotswolds when I was in England last year!Melissa Amateishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16086267508858187716noreply@blogger.com