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Sunday, June 7, 2009

Why So Secretive???

I love to write. As if you couldn't tell! Seriously, I used to write short stories in elementary school. Became an avid reader in middle school. And wrote my first full-length novel (by hand!) in high school. I have been writing ever since. I have about twenty-six "works in progress" right now as well as four fully completed novels.

This blog is my only published work.

Sad, right?

Okay what is up with published authors? Seriously? If you are a writer who has ever spoken to a published author, you may know what I am talking about. They won't tell you squat about how they got published. Well, that's not entirely true. Some will give you maybe a little bit of info but for the most part they will be very generic about it but will never give you a name or a contact. They won't offer to help you.

Now I know, I know, they did it on their own so why shouldn't I? I get that. Honestly I do. But why be so secretive? If you are published you are clearly LIGHT YEARS ahead of me. I don't see myself as a threat to anyone. I would just LOVE to be published. Sure, me and about ten million other would-be writers.

Tonight I'm talking with a gal who just happens to drop in to our conversation about how she has an e-book out there that is being published in installments - like one chapter at a time. She will not tell me where to see it. She will not tell me what site it is through. Hell, she wouldn't even tell me her pen-name! Believe me, if I am ever blessed enough to get published, I will WANT people to read my work! Whether they want to or not, I'd still tell them where to find it!

So if any of you wonderful people out there know of such a site, please, please, PLEASE pass the info on to me. I would greatly appreciate it.

Oh, and FYI regarding my previous post: They are no longer on a break.

Whew!

3 comments:

Roo said...

Hmmm... that break didn't last long! :-)

Good luck with the publishing thing.

A.Marie said...

Long Break, huh?! If I ever find where you can get published, I will definitely pass that onto you. I agree; there is no need to be so secretive about it, unless maybe this gal isn't being very truthful about her work. I'm surprised that she wouldn't at least tell you where you can read it; but, maybe she is stretching the truth and there really is nothing to read in the first place! You just never know....

Anyway, that might just be my sci-fi conspiracy-theory brain at work, like my son says! :)

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

A lot of the secrecy is because often, we'll mention a name and someone appropriates it. "Jane Doe told me to drop you a line."

But... that's a lie. And it's easily checked.

Unless someone has read your manuscripts and offers to let you use their name, don't expect to hear names.

Instead, start reading the blogs of your favorite writers. Check out their blogrolls; many of us have links to publishing folk on our sidebars.

Before you query those people, read the blogs of those people. Read Miss Snark's archives. Learn everything you can about the book publishing industry.

You'll find that the more educated you are about how the business works, the better you'll be received.

Good luck.