Publishers and Agents

Wow, this can be so confusing. I've been reading about them for some time this morning and I still don't really know that much. It does appear that most if not all of the major publishing houses won't accept a submission unless it's through an agent. There are alot of other publishers who will, but it's hard to know much about them, even if they have great websites. They certainly paint a bleak picture for first time authors.

And then there's that pesky Platform business popping up again. How does a fiction writer really get the kind of followers you need to qualify as a "platform"? I admit that I'm a bit lost when it comes to that whole concept. I mean, between freelancing and writing, I don't have a lot of time for playing around on the social networks. But I guess I'd better find it if I want to sell my book. The problem is, you can't print excerpts because some publishers don't go for that, so how do you get people interested in your book?

I was amazed at how much the agents took. They really take a bite out of whatever royalties you get, unless that percentage is just for the advance, but I doubt it. Yeouch!

Freelance Finale I

I finally finished the chapter I was working on! Now I've got to get to the other book pronto. That chapter is going to be even more challenging I think. But first, I do have some housekeeping matters on the first book to make it print - ready. Also, I've got another job I've been neglecting that I need to do today. Work, work, work. Happy problems.

I hope you liked my little tip. I will have some more as time goes by. One thing I am definitely learning is that you can and must get free publicity for your book and you can do it yourself, without the help of an agent or publisher. Think on that and I'll have more for you soon.

Writer's Block: A Test of My Creative Abilities

I've just been hired to write product reviews for a comparison shopping website. I've been asked to write articles about various products by discussing some of the benefits and unique features of the product. The problem is the products. Some of them are like, for example "a box of 250 Acco paperclips". Okay, that's not one of them, it's just an example. How do I write, creatively, 250-300 words about a paperclip? I mean, I could do it, but it would be fiction. So, needless to say, I'm struggling. I took this gig on a flat fee - big mistake. I have 10 articles to write and they're going to take way longer than I thought because so many of them deal with tech and I'll have to do research. Of course that helps with my word count. Talk about writer's block. A paperclip? Really.