I'm not quite up to speed with making a new schedule that actually accommodates everything I have to get done during the day, so this week's writing post is unfortunately going to be a shameless promotion. BUT, if you are in search of some writing advice, maybe you'll want to take a gander at some of my writing related articles.
How to Evaluate Freelance Jobs
How to Write a Successful Sponsored Blog Post
Get Rid of Writer's Block with These Unique Tips
Three Essential Books for Screenwriters
The Business Side of Writing: Branding
How to Start Getting Published
How to Make Money from A Personal Blog
How to Promote Your Articles Online for Free
How to Write An Article
How Writers Can Utilize Twitter
How to Choose the Best Journaling Process
How to Write a Movie Review
How to Write for Money
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Showing posts with label online publishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label online publishing. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Let’s not give it all away… or should we?
I feel like I’m on the edge of starting a debate. I am curious to know what people think about self publishing, publishing online, or waiting for a more traditional outlet. More importantly, what are the reasons for the decision?
I will admit it – I’m part of a generation that expects instant gratification. Most of us want something for nothing, or at least for little effort. And when we don’t get what we want? Yeah, that’s when we throw tantrums. Or just give up.
My point? I believe that this is the reason for popularity in online and self publishing. I’m specifically talking about fiction and poetry, because this has many more caveats than publishing articles or non-fiction topics online.
It’s not all bad – there are plenty of success stories for self publishing. Take Christopher Paolini for example. He’s the writer of the Eragon series, a young man that self published his first book. And where’s that book now? It’s a top seller, along with the other books in the series. It’s been made into a movie. He did not have to initially go through traditional publishing channels to get this kind of success. But if he had tried to get it published with someone from the beginning, would he have had the same success? But then again, self publishing should be approached with caution, since companies ask for a lot of money without a significant return in many cases.
There are some people that also have a bit of success with publishing their works on their blogs. They have a ton of daily readers, most of them very loyal. And while these writers may only make money through advertisements or donations, they get the instant gratification of having people read and enjoy their work.
As for me, I was taught in school not to give your work away unless it is to a prestigious outlet. When my teachers were brave enough to actually discuss the publishing process with me and my classmates, they told us that publishing through literary journals was the way to go, at least until you can establish your name. Once you have a few pieces published, then maybe you could approach a publisher with a book idea. But since short story collections and poetry books are not equal to a novel, a publisher will eventually need a novel from you.
I really thought this was the safest way to go. I even made sure to cover up my fan fiction from high school, which is still floating out there somewhere on the internet. I asked webpage hosts with my stories to cover it up and change my real name to a pen name. I stopped trying to publish fiction through online outlets and kept all the good stuff to myself. I’m still in the process of trying to get my first work published into a journal, but I have loosened up my standards. Works I wrote high school do appear online under my real name. This is because I’m satisfied with the writing, but I know it is not of a professional caliber, so no one in their right minds would publish it. I’m not necessarily looking to branch out more into publishing fiction online, but if I spend a few more years at this with no success, maybe I’ll end up giving it away just so I know that someone has enjoyed it.
What do you think? Is one outlet better than the other, or can someone who is determined to find success find it with any type of fictional outlet?
I will admit it – I’m part of a generation that expects instant gratification. Most of us want something for nothing, or at least for little effort. And when we don’t get what we want? Yeah, that’s when we throw tantrums. Or just give up.
My point? I believe that this is the reason for popularity in online and self publishing. I’m specifically talking about fiction and poetry, because this has many more caveats than publishing articles or non-fiction topics online.
It’s not all bad – there are plenty of success stories for self publishing. Take Christopher Paolini for example. He’s the writer of the Eragon series, a young man that self published his first book. And where’s that book now? It’s a top seller, along with the other books in the series. It’s been made into a movie. He did not have to initially go through traditional publishing channels to get this kind of success. But if he had tried to get it published with someone from the beginning, would he have had the same success? But then again, self publishing should be approached with caution, since companies ask for a lot of money without a significant return in many cases.
There are some people that also have a bit of success with publishing their works on their blogs. They have a ton of daily readers, most of them very loyal. And while these writers may only make money through advertisements or donations, they get the instant gratification of having people read and enjoy their work.
As for me, I was taught in school not to give your work away unless it is to a prestigious outlet. When my teachers were brave enough to actually discuss the publishing process with me and my classmates, they told us that publishing through literary journals was the way to go, at least until you can establish your name. Once you have a few pieces published, then maybe you could approach a publisher with a book idea. But since short story collections and poetry books are not equal to a novel, a publisher will eventually need a novel from you.
I really thought this was the safest way to go. I even made sure to cover up my fan fiction from high school, which is still floating out there somewhere on the internet. I asked webpage hosts with my stories to cover it up and change my real name to a pen name. I stopped trying to publish fiction through online outlets and kept all the good stuff to myself. I’m still in the process of trying to get my first work published into a journal, but I have loosened up my standards. Works I wrote high school do appear online under my real name. This is because I’m satisfied with the writing, but I know it is not of a professional caliber, so no one in their right minds would publish it. I’m not necessarily looking to branch out more into publishing fiction online, but if I spend a few more years at this with no success, maybe I’ll end up giving it away just so I know that someone has enjoyed it.
What do you think? Is one outlet better than the other, or can someone who is determined to find success find it with any type of fictional outlet?
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
New Poem
It's actually an old poem, but first time published online. It'll only take a second to read, so you can head over to Helium and read Untitled Poem #1. Let me know what you think!
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