Are We Suckers?

I'm desperate. I'll do anything... well, almost anything to get my book published... to become AN AUTHOR. How far will I go? Will I grasp at anything that promises me success?

It seems that when I read all the agents' and editors' blogs, I get this picture of almost gloom and doom. They leave me feeling, as maybe they should, that my ms must be the absolute best to have even the slightest chance at publication. Getting representation is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

There is all sorts of help offered. You know I love the free stuff! But what about the stuff with the price tag? How much are you willing to invest in this process? Oh, don't look at me with that 'I thought they'd pay me?' face... I'm talking critiques, query help, editing, etc. Are you willing to pay for the expertise you might require to get your book published? How do you know you're getting your money's worth?

Let me put the fear of God into with this:

Florida sues Boca Raton literary agency

This story ran today in the Miami Herald. It's worth a look. Did you think the publishing world was immune to the vultures? No matter where we go in the world, there is always someone waiting to capitalize on our ignorance. I'm not going to say guilty or innocent in this matter, as I've just now heard about it; but I will say 'author beware'.

I can see how easy it would be to get sucked up into a scheme because of our obsession to be authors. There are so many opinions out there, who do you trust? In the last few months, I've read more than a couple of articles on how to select an agent, etc., that is reputable. I'm sure there are vast numbers of sources that will point us in the direction of honest experts in all the above mention areas.

I encourage you all to follow as many good agent blogs as possible. Sign up for free newsletters from publishers lunch (where I first heard of this suit) and any other newsletters you can find. I know... You say you have enough to read. Who doesn't? Scan.

I am not yet involved in any writers' groups. I do plan to be, before I get to the point of hiring experts for help with my book. Take advantage of the wisdom out there and don't fall prey to these varmints!

Leaps & Bounds!

I have passed through a doorway! Just days ago, I stumbled on a blog with lots of helpful information for writers and wanna-bees. I clicked to follow it, and through that I have found several more helpful sites. Plus, I already have several blogs I follow that are written by free-lance writers.

Blogville has become an invaluable tool for me. Help is just a click away. I'm no longer trying to filter through pages of unrelated articles because of the labels picked up by search engines! So many have been where I am now, and are willing to share their knowledge and experience. It's wonderful how nice people can be.

When I get a little time to do more research, I will post with links to the most helpful sites for those of you that are in the same boat. For now, please browse through the list of blogs I follow in the sidebar. Many of them are writers, publishers, agents... Good luck!

Oh no! Not another blog to read...

I love starting my e-day with blogs. I've made so many wonderful friends in Blogville! Some blogs I follow have stunning photography and art. A couple feature their homemade crafts. But mostly it's the daily life thing... I feel like I know some of you in a face-to-face kind of way. I read about your heartaches and the high points. You share photos of your new grand baby and your pets. I find snippets of humor to lighten my load. There are so many reasons I read what you write.

I've posted before about how it's hard to find time to write and keeping up with all the blogs just might be making it harder. OK, it's not a 'might' thing... It's a 'does' thing. I need to start speed-reading. I leave comments on most (but not all) of the blogs I read. I could probably save myself a lot of time by skipping the comments once in a while. I can't do it everywhere though. Some of the blogs I follow are people needing feedback. Some have very few followers and need encouragement. I can't fail them. I believe in them! What's a girl to do?

I keep promising myself to stop collecting blogs to follow. I even stopped following a bunch. It's not that they weren't interesting. (OK, maybe a couple.) I follow everyone that follows me. It's the right thing to do. If I expect them to spend their time on my blog, I should return the favor. After all, they are here because they want people to read and comment on what they write. Right?

So that brings me to today... I was catching up on all the blogs that posted since last night (whew!) and happened to stumble on a link: Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent. It made my day! I know there's probably a gazillion similar blogs out there, but I found this one first. I follow some published writers and some hoping to be published; I figure I'll learn from them. But some of them are right where I am... trying to figure out where to go next. This blog is a road map! On his sidebar he has links to almost everything you wanted to know about the process of writing, editing, queries, etc. It's an encyclopedia for people like me!

I didn't spend much time there, but I did learn a few important things:

1. You can not edit too much!
2. I'm no where near sending a query.
3. I need to read about them anyway. (It gave me ideas to get my feet wet locally. My query should show I've got a little something under my belt.)

If you are like me, working on a project that you desire to publish, I encourage you to visit his blog and set aside some time to research the topics listed in the sidebar. You can never be too prepared! Good luck, and meet you in the bookstores...

getting my toes wet...

Except for a few letters to the editor of a newspaper, and of course my blogs, I've never been published. Sad, but true. I would love to only blog and work on my manuscript, but truth is I could use some extra cash. And having articles published in a national magazine would look really good on a resume.

Aside from the essays I've posted to various blogging sites (I blogged for quite a while on MySpace) I have some that have never been posted that I've saved for that 'someday'. I once let my former supervisors read an article I wrote about my first horse. They both asked me what I was doing there! (I was dispatching skilled tradesmen in a factory at the time.)

The essay is titled, "Maggie and Me". If you follow my 'blahwg' blog, she is the thoroughbred I posted pictures of yesterday. I wish I still had her, but retirement forced me to cut back on the number of mouths we feed. I gave her to a horse-loving co-worker that promised her a great life. I miss her dearly.

All modesty aside, I do think it is a well-written and entertaining story. I have decided to submit the article for publication in a magazine, and think I know which magazine will be first on the list to try. Wish me luck. I will keep you posted on what happens with the article. If it ever does make it onto the magazine rack, you will be the first to know.