tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086442299350220938.post8704980730934303970..comments2023-10-16T10:26:38.757-05:00Comments on My Bloggish Blog Thing: Instant GratificationJosin L. McQueinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05751043333147850336noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086442299350220938.post-5389764572773861352011-01-19T21:18:13.729-06:002011-01-19T21:18:13.729-06:00Ironically, I popped over here from Shannon's ...Ironically, I popped over here from Shannon's blog...and here I am commenting right after her. I swear it wasn't planned! <br /><br />Anyway, I enjoy reading your in-depth and insightful feedback for her Anonymous Query feature each week and figured it was time I came over to meet you properly!<br /><br />I understand the temptation of instant gratification vanity publishers offer, but (like Shannon), I want my path to be difficult. It makes the victory more satisfying.Vicki Rochohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07381089434014961076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086442299350220938.post-20413211541128921982011-01-19T20:47:53.460-06:002011-01-19T20:47:53.460-06:00Interesting post, Josin.
I've never dabble wi...Interesting post, Josin.<br /><br />I've never dabble with (or read) fan fiction, but I'm familiar with the genre. <br /><br />Perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment, but I don't want my journey to be easy. It's the stumbling blocks and setbacks that force me to improve and keep pushing. I know that sounds trite, but it's not - I'm being sincere.Shannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11640509596922335617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086442299350220938.post-11995193882736906542011-01-18T15:35:55.480-06:002011-01-18T15:35:55.480-06:00Hello! Found you via YA Highway :) Checked your bl...Hello! Found you via YA Highway :) Checked your blog out and this post really grabbed me.<br /><br />Fanfiction is such a great place to build confidence as a writer but yeah, the positive reviews becoming very addictive. I consider my years in fanfiction training ;) <br /><br />Vanity publishing is especially cruel to people who don't understand the system. I think it shows you have to do a lot of research into publishing before you embark upon getting your work published.<br /><br />Good luck to you!Miss Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05014234633679291480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086442299350220938.post-49196944064855357052011-01-16T14:03:49.576-06:002011-01-16T14:03:49.576-06:00A friend of mine is incredibly talented. She can w...A friend of mine is incredibly talented. She can write circles around me and does but only in fan fiction. It's SO frustrating to see her waste her talent year after year. She says she knows... then writes another fan fic. <br /><br />Such a waste. So frustrating. And apparently, yes, wretchedly addictive.<br /><br />p.s. Read your query on query shark for Premeditated and basically tracked you down from there, haha. I LOVE the idea, the query, and that tight, concrete style of writing. Can't wait until it gets published, would love to read it now. <br /><br />English professor and closet YA readerLaurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09534552292410355497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086442299350220938.post-42871835064970143772011-01-15T00:05:08.838-06:002011-01-15T00:05:08.838-06:00Thanks for answering. I think I'll be patient ...Thanks for answering. I think I'll be patient for a few more months; I've a few more agents on my list. I'm writing, still loving it, and my platform is growing, so I can be patient a little longer. Happy writing :)Simon Hayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09384384882217609761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086442299350220938.post-73713666290654332092011-01-14T23:32:53.543-06:002011-01-14T23:32:53.543-06:00My goals haven't changed, no. I write commerci...My goals haven't changed, no. I write commercial fiction - YA and MG, so it's not the same as having a niche market product.<br /><br />I know that a lot of niche authors self-pub and take their books to events dealing with their particular subject. Car books to auto shows, or pioneer histories to craft fairs. There's a man who works the Ren Faire I worked at in high school who sold books pertaining to his musical craft.<br /><br />Things with that specific a target audience probably won't appeal to larger publishers because there's not enough chance of mass appeal. They're still good books with good topics, they just have to be marketed differently.Josin L. McQueinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05751043333147850336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086442299350220938.post-71481121773837753402011-01-14T22:34:53.178-06:002011-01-14T22:34:53.178-06:00With all the changes in publishing, particularly e...With all the changes in publishing, particularly e-books and the royalties publishers are offering, have your publishing goals changed? I'd still like to have an agent, but I'm in a niche market, and I wonder sometimes if it would be better to self-publish. I'd never vanity-publish, I'm cautious, and I've been following writers, and agents blogs for 5 years now. I was just wondering.Simon Hayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09384384882217609761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086442299350220938.post-47342983334460269732011-01-14T18:41:07.052-06:002011-01-14T18:41:07.052-06:00Self publishing's a whole other ballgame, and ...Self publishing's a whole other ballgame, and not what I'm talking about here. <br /><br />Self-publishing's a legitimate venture, and is by no means a quick fix. It takes time and effort, more than most writers are equipped to handle.<br /><br />It's also not Indie Publishing. People have tagged that on to make it sound equivalent to indie music, but it's not. Indie pubs are legitimate publishing companies that operate on a small scale<br /><br />self-publishing =/ = vanity publishing<br /><br />Vanity publishing is the short cut. <br /><br />It's someone who bangs out a draft and either can't get it published through a commercial house, so they decide to just "get it out there". Or, sometimes, it's the writer who hasn't done his / her homework and believes they've hooked a commercial publisher, only to find they're stuck with a vanity press' promises that don't follow through.Josin L. McQueinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05751043333147850336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086442299350220938.post-35918231490700018622011-01-14T18:28:44.354-06:002011-01-14T18:28:44.354-06:00I dunno. I don't think that self-pubbers are ...I dunno. I don't think that self-pubbers are cheating the system. It's hard enough getting a traditionally pubbed book to sell, a self-pubbed book is infinitely harder. If a self-pubbed book rises through the muck to be a success, the author probably worked pretty damn hard to do it. But most don't rise from the muck.<br /><br />I guess I just don't see the two even competing with each other since self-pubbers generally market to indie readers. There's an indie market in every artistic medium. And there is always built-in quality control through reviewers. If your reviews suck, you won't sell no matter what you do, traditional or not. <br /><br />If someone wants to go for the instant gratification of getting their book out there, good luck. It isn't easy and I hope they shelled out the dough for an editor but most don't and the reviews reflect that. So do the sales. Everything about it screams disadvantage so you'd have to be pretty clueless to think you're getting some kind of leg up on someone that is going the traditional route.<br /><br />Vanity pressing, on the other hand, is just stupid.Cherylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02333902683981665134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086442299350220938.post-50742960995528085672011-01-14T11:40:27.226-06:002011-01-14T11:40:27.226-06:00I agree 100%. There's something to the qualit...I agree 100%. There's something to the quality control of the traditional publishing route that appeals to me. I know that I expect a certain level of professional presentation from a book that I buy off the shelves. I would expect to have to create the same level of quality if I expect to become published. <br /><br />Even if I chose the instant gratification, I'd probably be finding typos for years, which would make me pull my hair out more quickly than waiting!Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18157787498219886339noreply@blogger.com