Sent my books to a publisher!

Well Veeky Forums, I've finally done it. Self-publishing is dildoes, going to try the real thing. Publishing I mean; not dildoes. Who's got experience in trying to publish their work? I hear it's basically almost impossible to get published, and that you can publish to a dozen different publishers and easily get denied a dozen times. Is that true? I'm ready to accept a denial, but all the same I'm going to retain my optimism none the less. Whether it's self-publishing or actual publishing, share your stories! Hell, try some shilling if you want; I'd like to see what kind of stuff people from Veeky Forums have written! Also, I'm now drinking, I guess in celebration to manning up and finally doing it. Cheers!

Sent mine in this afternoon.

166,000 words. Good luck to you, and luck to me.

Just remember, Earnest Hemmingway wallpapered his room with rejection letters. You're are a true author now, whether you get published or not.

Thanks a lot man, and good luck to you too. My first book is around 80,000 words, and if memory serves the second is around 40,000, so more like a novella perhaps. Here's hoping we make it! If you don't have something to drink, then GET something to drink! Weekend or not, it's a night worth celebrating!

Also, on a bit more of an optimistic spin on things; Harry Potter was J K Rowling's first book, and though it initially didn't sell well we all know how it turned out. Then on the annoying side of things the woman who wrote 50 Shades of Gray had that as her first book, and I think it started out in self-publishing.

Oh, whatever happens, whether poorly selling or best-seller, I just hope to get officially published. How amazing that would be! Once again I say, here's to us! Going to down this half bottle, and then try chugging down another Labatt Blue. Devil take tomorrow, but I'm taking tonight!

cheers user.
having some beer over here.
good luck.

You are both IDIOTS. You think you get published by sending the work in? You get published by networking in conventions, and knowing someone who knows someone. That is the FACT.

Pretty sure you're supposed to find an agent before you send anything to the publishers.

Cheers to you as well, what's your poison friend?
If that's the case, then I shall accept the denial and try the next, and then the next, and then the next. If I NEVER get properly published, it doesn't matter. I'll continue writing, continue editing myself, and self-publish book after book after book after book. Why? It's bloody fun. If I never make so much as a hundred dollars at it in 50 years, should I live that long in spite of my liver, then so be it. However, I think, I truly think, that in time with enough works published with enough genres, I'll start collecting a tidy little bit of money. Probably nothing substantial, maybe even not enough to be a full-time writer with no other professions, but it'll still add to my income, and still give me something to look forward to, something to do, to enjoy, to give me hope for tomorrow. Idiot or no.

I'm going to eventually send out my novel but I'm going to try to find an agent, someone who'll fight for my book's publication.

Haha you're probably right. This company says I don't need one though, and I have to admit hat that's more than a little sketchy. Either way, I'm giving it a shot. If something happens, and something gets mucked about with in regards to my books, it's not a huge loss. I can always write more, and publish them elsewhere. Either way, my stuff has been published on Amazon for months! Meanwhile this publishing company has only had the info for minutes, an hour at most. It's clear that I'm the author.

It certainly helps, but at the end of the day you get published by finding someone who thinks your work will SELL, and what MFA program you went to has zero bearing on that.

That's probably the best idea, user. That's smart. As it happens though, I've got VERY little money to play with, and I imagine an agent requires funds. Hell, if I had the money, I'd have someone editing for me instead of doing it myself! Anyways, I wish you luck as well. Nice to get in touch with others who are still trying to get into the game.

>what's your poison
Im drinking Alhambra (a Spanish brand).

Damn, I've had a good few different brands of beer in my day, from various parts of the world, but Spanish? I'd love to try it sometime. A few of my favourites are still Tyskie from Poland, Castle from South Africa, I think I recall Golden Pheasant was quite good and I think that was from the Czech Republish. My favourite however has to be Guinness, and someday I'll get to Dublin and drink myself silly with the stuff just a mere few hundred meters or a few kilometers from the factory. If I can, I'd like to someday try drinking some of it IN the factory, perhaps during a tour. That sounds grand!

Which publisher? Be careful of vanity publishers, they'll take thousands and leave you with a shoddy as fuck end product that won't sell because it wasn't marketed or advertised.

166k is way too long. Here's how I know that, much to my chagrin.

Sounds good
I like Guiness as well, it has a special taste to it. Although it's been 2 years since I last tried it.

Austin MaCauley. Apparently based out of the UK and recently showed up in New York. When I was talking to them, they said they'll only accept one work at a time. I have two books that I sent. I asked if they accept more than one book per author and they do, but simply will only accept one book at a time. I could be making the wrong move, and maybe I am, but fucking up is quite an efficient method of learning, though not the best.

As for the length, yeah, I'd suggest starting with something much shorter. Less than 100,000 characters at any rate, and once you get your footing, then perhaps it's a better time for 166k words. But don't let that demotivate you; keep sending it to publishers, maybe someone will take it! but the thing is, longer books cost more to print, and thus cost more to sell, and in costing more it's likely that fewer people will buy it, so if you're unknown it's a bigger risk. Still, very impressive! 166,000 words is more than my first two books combined! Maybe you could try breaking it up into 2 or 3 books? Just a thought, but keep it all as one book if you like. It'd be good to write something substantially shorter though.

For those used to lager, which I figure is probably most of the western world, it's definitely an acquired taste. I can still remember the first time I tried it; "how can anyone drink this?!" but I tried it again, and then again, and now? If the ONLY beer I could drink is Guinness, and it didn't affect my ability to drink whenever I like, I'd be perfectly ok with it I think. So damn good, and if I recall correctly it generally has less calories than light beer of around the same strength, has more protein, and has more fibre. So as far as beer goes, yeah, it's not ALL THAT unhealthy, though I think calling it 'healthy' would be pushing it a bit. It's still alcohol, after all.

It took me five fucking seconds of googling to find out they're a vanity publisher.

Submit to known literary agents instead.

What's a 'vanity publisher'?

>>>/google/

Hmm, I dont know which one I would choose. Probably Alhambra. It's not spectacularly good but Im very used to it and I always end up judging every other beer taking Alhambra as reference, so.. yeah. Or maybe some German beer that I tried last summer, I dont remember the name.
>it's not ALL THAT unhealthy
haha, maybe. I dont really drink with the idea of getting healthier anyways

Jesus; you ask someone a question, another human being, some social interaction, and they tell you to go ask a bloody robot! Well I checked, it's apparently some place where you PAY to get published? Well that's an easy fix; I've got no money to spare, so they can't publish my work. Nothing to it.
Wow, you certainly take this 'Alhambra' in high regards. As for the other bit, yeah, you hardily drink with the intent of getting healthier, but rather, having more fun. That's why I drink anyways. That, and it makes you not give a damn about anything. Cheers again, more beer! Evening has just started, and I've got another half a dozen bottles to go! Got another dozen beer on hand if I feel like getting PARTICULARLY fucked up, but a dozen generally does it for me. Yup, I definitely feel like a writer lol So stereotypical for writers to be alcoholics, there must be some grain of truth in it, no?

You're well prepared for the evening, I see!
Cheers again!
> it makes you not give a damn about anything
thats the magic

I do love magic. Cheers again to you as well!

You're actually a fucking retard

How do you write a book and think about publishing but have actually no clue about anything?

You need an agent to publish
You don't pay agents. They take a cut.
Agents reach out to publishers.
(Reputable) publishers do not look at authors with no agents.
To find an agent, you have to write a query letter

Honestly, the fact you don't know any of this shit just doesn't bode well

Also

>170k words

Rofl

I really cant tell how much of this is satire

I think you're mixing people up; I'm not the guy with the 166k or whatever words, though I do wish him the best. Yes I'm ignorant, I don't know what I'm bloody getting into, and I hope you're right about agents just taking a cut. I'll look into getting one sometime but not now; I'm getting drunk.

I'm OP, and none of it is satire, though something tells me that it makes it all the more humorous. Meh, at least it's good for a laugh. Cheers!

>the thing is, longer books cost more to print, and thus cost more to sell, and in costing more it's likely that fewer people will buy it, so if you're unknown it's a bigger risk

Are you actually retarded?

>drew up a list of potential agents for my last novel over a month ago
>got too involved in writing this one to bother
>that's a lie, I'm just scared

Logically speaking, I've sent out roughly 300 job applications, if not 500, and didn't get any jobs. So if it takes a dozen rejections to get published, then I have better odds of being a published author than of being a corporate wagecuck. Especially because it takes 4 years to get a degree but only four months to write a novel.

Cheers user, tell us about your query letter.

I may very well be. That, or autistic. Either way, I just hope to be published!

Getting published isn't a roll of the dice. Quality and marketability are the deciding factors. Also, since you don't seem to have done a lot of research, a typical advance is around $5,000 and not all authors earn out that advance (make enough sales to reach that $5k) but publishers may not require a return of the unearned advance. It's complicated.

Sounds like it's damn tough to get a start as an author.

I already knew it was 5,000 average. Hell, you haven't told me anything new at all. Obviously trash doesn't get published. Obviously you can't type 100k words of keyboard smashing and expect a 1/12 chance. Does pointing out the obvious make you feel intelligent, you pseud? Way to miss the point of the joke.

Just to spite you, I'm sending out the first round of queries tomorrow. What an insufferable autist you are.

I wish you luck, OP. I'm trying to find an agent for the fantasy series I'm working on. I've got both novels and short stories, and so far I've only gotten one short story published.

Who was your publishing house?

Wordsmith or penguin?

While that's not always the case, this is why I'm still applying for fellowships next year so I could get accepted into where I get help both shaping and publishing my drafts.

Oh, it wasn't even that. I just got the story published on a small little website. So, I'm really only slightly better than you are.

you are so mad! but good luck anyways.

Advice on finding the right agent for a weird pomo book?