Well, my expert consultant said that it was too far off from normal topics to have much of a chance. Now, publishers do sometimes take gambles on exotica — once in a while that opens up a new subgenre, like cyberpunk or vampire romance — but I somehow don’t think anyone will expect sentent vegetation to be a substantial subgenre any time soon.
Publishers are all bastards – solid fact. No matter what field they’re in, whether it’s literature, film, computer games or whatever, if they can reasonably be called “publishers,” they’re all gits.
Which is a crying shame, because I really want to read Wrath of Trees.
… Give it till next year, or mention casually that given that there will be a Plant Species introduced as a Player Character race in D&D, as confirmed by D&D Insider, that maybe there will be interest in such characters middle of next year?
I think the publishing industry has taken a big hit in the latest economic crisis. Luckily there are a lot of different funding models for writers popping up (crowdsource, etc.)
Plus, it may be a question of timing/persistence. I think that most famous/popular writers were avid collectors of rejection slips before the big break came.
Well, if push comes to shove, you do it the self promotion way… you get someone with a nice voice to read it as a podcast, and you throw that up on podiobooks, and then you self-publish it on lulu, put up adverts on various websites, and so on.
Maybe you’ll only sell a few copies, but maybe it’ll be the oddball breakout sensation of 2010!
Podcast/self-publish that mother… *then* take those download/sales numbers to a publisher next year. A lot of publishers nowadays want to see that a book can sell first before they pick it up.
Or getting someone with a nice voice to read it for you. Gosh, I can’t think of anyone who fits that description, and would be willing to do it for you. Not anyone. Thinking, thinking, think… wait! What about… no. Sorry. I got nuttin’.
They say they want science fiction. Wrath is speculative fiction — parts of it have a very strong scientific styling, but parts are unabashedly magical, so we’ll see what comes of that. Worth a try, anyhow. Thanks for the idea!
I really can’t wait until it gets more normal for readers to look to self-published or small press sources for their books. So many cool writers are having a hell of a time getting their work out just because…they’re weirder than average, I suppose. I understand the concern that publishing everything submitted could flood the market with crap, but at the same time, I’m tired of publishing gatekeepers telling me what I should want to read.
Well, good luck. I’ll be happy to buy it in any form that comes out.
On a vaguely related note, is there any chance for supplements to the World Tree rulebook in the future?
I can sympathize; I’ve got a bunch of rejection slips from agents for mine. Have you gotten any specific feedback on yours? The closest I’ve seen is one or two that say “we’re not taking new clients, period.” Others say “the industry is really tough right now” or “I just don’t have the enthusiasm I’d need to push this”, and they all look like form letters.
I used my contact with a Real Writer to get permission to send straight to a publishing house editor with a “X suggested I send this” note, and took that chance to say “hey, if you’ve got any feedback please send it”. I’m planning to try Analog and a couple of other publishers as well as some more agents. It’d be nice to hear specifically, “I didn’t like the [setting/characters/style/whatever]” or “this is really good but I want a vampire novel” or some other specific reason.
Also Asimov’s, Weird Tales, Clarkesworld, Interzone, Strange Horizons … even the ones that don’t do serials might do a self-contained snippet as a short story if you can extract one.
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Well the publishing industry is evil. It is basically impossible for a small author to get discovered these days…
Well, my expert consultant said that it was too far off from normal topics to have much of a chance. Now, publishers do sometimes take gambles on exotica — once in a while that opens up a new subgenre, like cyberpunk or vampire romance — but I somehow don’t think anyone will expect sentent vegetation to be a substantial subgenre any time soon.
Publishers are all bastards – solid fact. No matter what field they’re in, whether it’s literature, film, computer games or whatever, if they can reasonably be called “publishers,” they’re all gits.
Which is a crying shame, because I really want to read Wrath of Trees.
… Give it till next year, or mention casually that given that there will be a Plant Species introduced as a Player Character race in D&D, as confirmed by D&D Insider, that maybe there will be interest in such characters middle of next year?
I daresay you’ll be reading it within a year. One way or another: probably another.
If push comes to shove, you need but name your price for an electronic copy.
I think the publishing industry has taken a big hit in the latest economic crisis. Luckily there are a lot of different funding models for writers popping up (crowdsource, etc.)
Plus, it may be a question of timing/persistence. I think that most famous/popular writers were avid collectors of rejection slips before the big break came.
Well, if push comes to shove, you do it the self promotion way… you get someone with a nice voice to read it as a podcast, and you throw that up on podiobooks, and then you self-publish it on lulu, put up adverts on various websites, and so on.
Maybe you’ll only sell a few copies, but maybe it’ll be the oddball breakout sensation of 2010!
Just so you know, I’d be more than happy to buy it straight from you, no publisher in between.
Podcast/self-publish that mother… *then* take those download/sales numbers to a publisher next year. A lot of publishers nowadays want to see that a book can sell first before they pick it up.
Podcast would mean reading it out loud, wouldn’t it? Self-publishing is likely, if the next handful of small presses say no.
Well it would mean SOMEONE reading it out loud… do you have any friends that have really good voices for that sort of thing?
All true.
Maybe do like and do some self-publishing/e-publishing?
*passes tea quietly*
Or getting someone with a nice voice to read it for you. Gosh, I can’t think of anyone who fits that description, and would be willing to do it for you. Not anyone. Thinking, thinking, think… wait! What about… no. Sorry. I got nuttin’.
I am reluctant to add production costs, somehow. Also I have no idea how it would sound read out loud. Melyl didn’t write particularly euphonically.
*shares tea*
*plans to ask about self-pub matters in a few months*
I’ve got Garage Band. And a headset. Toss me a copy of the manuscript, I’ll read a couple of pages, and we’ll see what it sounds like.
Let me talk to my business manager first. I very much appreciate the offer!
Next year; I am not quite out of possible publishers.
Have you tried Analog magazine? They’ll sometimes run novels (often novels that require the reader to think outside of existing paradigms) as serials.
*blink* I totally didn’t think of that.
They say they want science fiction. Wrath is speculative fiction — parts of it have a very strong scientific styling, but parts are unabashedly magical, so we’ll see what comes of that. Worth a try, anyhow. Thanks for the idea!
I really can’t wait until it gets more normal for readers to look to self-published or small press sources for their books. So many cool writers are having a hell of a time getting their work out just because…they’re weirder than average, I suppose. I understand the concern that publishing everything submitted could flood the market with crap, but at the same time, I’m tired of publishing gatekeepers telling me what I should want to read.
Good luck with this.
–Riss.
Well, I’m not going to put up with it for that much longer. I’ve got a few more presses to poke at, and then, self-publish.
There’s always the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction too…
Any time.
Well, good luck. I’ll be happy to buy it in any form that comes out.
On a vaguely related note, is there any chance for supplements to the World Tree rulebook in the future?
Some chance, though the mechanism by which it would come about is sluggish and convoluted.
I’d be quite happy to do some voice work for this.
I can sympathize; I’ve got a bunch of rejection slips from agents for mine. Have you gotten any specific feedback on yours? The closest I’ve seen is one or two that say “we’re not taking new clients, period.” Others say “the industry is really tough right now” or “I just don’t have the enthusiasm I’d need to push this”, and they all look like form letters.
I used my contact with a Real Writer to get permission to send straight to a publishing house editor with a “X suggested I send this” note, and took that chance to say “hey, if you’ve got any feedback please send it”. I’m planning to try Analog and a couple of other publishers as well as some more agents. It’d be nice to hear specifically, “I didn’t like the [setting/characters/style/whatever]” or “this is really good but I want a vampire novel” or some other specific reason.
I’m curious where you’ve been boosting it.
Ooo…
I would be interested in such supplements. World Tree is on the list of games I’d like to play someday.
Alas!
I hope you find a publisher soon, or failing that, I wish you the best of luck with self-publishing.
Re: Alas!
Thanks.
Not a surprise — it’s just what your report said to expect.
Also Asimov’s, Weird Tales, Clarkesworld, Interzone, Strange Horizons … even the ones that don’t do serials might do a self-contained snippet as a short story if you can extract one.
You’ll always have us! *hug*
Sentient vegetation is the new vampire!
Thanks, but I don’t think I’m going to podcast it.
Re: Alas!
Yeah, but sometimes being right really sucks.