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Post by Rune Lai on Aug 31, 2010 21:46:16 GMT -5
Story time... One time there was a fanfic writer whose work I greatly appreciated. She disappeared without warning one day and I've always wondered what happened to her. Did she tire of the fandom? Or did something happen to her? Was she alive or was she dead? I didn't want to be her. Since so many of you who I used to talk with at the Shrine to Ghaleon or LunarNET are here, I wanted to stop by to say what did happen to me, and how things are changing for me. There is a contest in the science fiction and fantasy field called Writers of the Future. It is the most prestigeous sf/f writing contest out there, with a panel of judges composed of working novelists; names like Anne McCaffrey, Orson Scott Card, Kevin J. Anderson, Robert Sawyer, and so many more. All the entries are judged blind, with names removed, and only amateur writers can enter. Each quarter of the year the contest receives thousands of entires. The contest is international and receives entries from across the world. Each quarter prizes are awarded to the top three stories. Each year in August the twelve winners of the last four quarters are flown to a central location for a workshop led by Tim Powers, author of The Anubis Gates and On Stranger Tides (which the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie is being based on). There the winners meet many other authors and judges, receive their lessons and advice, meet with previous winners of the contest, several of whom are now published novelists. There is also one further prize. The four first place winners from each of the four quarters is eligible for the grand prize, the Gold Award, which is judged by a separate panel of judges from the previous round. This award is presented at the end of the week at the award ceremony. And I... I won. Out of an entire year's worth of entries, out of thousands of stories written by aspiring authors... My novelette "Living Rooms" is going to appear in Writers of the Future Vol. XXVI, an anthology containing all twelve winning stories. It's already available for pre-order on Amazon, and I'm told it will be available at all major book sellers and even in Wal-Mart when it launches in October. I started in fanfiction and I know several of you read my stories when I didn't have a credit to my name, so I wanted to come back and let you know what did happen, that it looks like I might make it as an author. I've gotten so much advice this past week that my head is still spinning. But this also means that it's less likely I will come back to various fandoms. The Shrine to Ghaleon will probably stay in stasis. I've promised myself that I would have my first non-fanfic novel ready by the time next year's award ceremony comes along. I don't want to waste what I've been given. I have to write now while my name is still worth something, while I'll still the current grand prize winner. Thank you all. I don't know think that I would have made it this far if I didn't have such a fun and creative community to be a part of. That's me in the red dress!
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Post by Zero on Aug 31, 2010 22:39:55 GMT -5
Landlady... This... is... AWESOME!! ;D Congratulations are most definitely in order for this most awesome achievement! Writers of the Future XXVI... consider that book pre-ordered. And in other news... It's great to hear from ya again. Hope you stay around... what would any Shrine Message Board-spinoff be without the Landlady?
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Post by skylark on Aug 31, 2010 23:13:53 GMT -5
*waves hands in the air manically in celebration* I can't really say anything that Zero hasn't already. Congrats, sis! ;D You'll come by every now and then though, right?
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Post by Rune Lai on Sept 1, 2010 0:54:28 GMT -5
I'll try to stick around. I might be more of a lurker though and just check in every now and then. I've already had a "threat" from other writers that they're going to fly back to California and toilet paper my house if I don't get that novel done.
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Post by Roas on Sept 1, 2010 8:45:15 GMT -5
Congratulations! As another who has tried, toiled, and now gone back to the drawing board I understand what a huge opportunity this is to actually have your name known and have a chance to get a book out there. Don't forget your friends and leave that door open a crack once you're inside My next original project's a good one.
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Post by Solana on Sept 1, 2010 9:09:11 GMT -5
A HUGE congratulations, Rune! The judges are some of the biggest and most accomplished names out there, and the fact that you've wowed them so, (and Ms. McCaffrey a second time), is incredible. Best of luck on your next work and integrating everything from the workshops, and thanks for letting us know where to find the collection. It'll be something to treasure and bring along to your first book-signing. And many thanks go to you for what you've created in the Shrine and bringing all of us together.
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Post by DarkKnight on Sept 1, 2010 11:34:46 GMT -5
Congratulations! I'm so happy for you, and I wish you all the best!
(Sorry I've been out of the loop so long - work, big move a while back, writing projects, recent engagement...a lot going on. Hope to be around a bit more often, though!)
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Post by Rune Lai on Sept 1, 2010 19:51:26 GMT -5
Thanks guys. Roas, if there are any novel writing questions you might have, feel free to ask me. There are many nuggets of wisdom various authors had given me over the course of the week, and I'd be happy to pass them on if any of them might be useful to you. Some of the stuff they said sounds counterintuitive, such as you probably do not want an agent who works with a well established author like Stephen King (because you will be neglected whenever Stephen King needs anything), and some of the stuff I just never knew. You usually write long, epic Tad Williams length novels, but if you can shorten something down to 17k words as a stand-alone story, you may want to try the WotF contest. It's very competitive, but totally worth it. Even if you're not in the top 3 for the quarter, they call out the Finalists, Semi-Finalists, and Honorable Mentions on their blog, and some writers will use that recognition their cover letters. The tougher the contest gets, the more it says about the talent who didn't make the final cut.
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Post by Roas on Sept 1, 2010 21:27:14 GMT -5
Thanks guys. Roas, if there are any novel writing questions you might have, feel free to ask me. There are many nuggets of wisdom various authors had given me over the course of the week, and I'd be happy to pass them on if any of them might be useful to you. Some of the stuff they said sounds counterintuitive, such as you probably do not want an agent who works with a well established author like Stephen King (because you will be neglected whenever Stephen King needs anything), and some of the stuff I just never knew. You usually write long, epic Tad Williams length novels, but if you can shorten something down to 17k words as a stand-alone story, you may want to try the WotF contest. It's very competitive, but totally worth it. Even if you're not in the top 3 for the quarter, they call out the Finalists, Semi-Finalists, and Honorable Mentions on their blog, and some writers will use that recognition their cover letters. The tougher the contest gets, the more it says about the talent who didn't make the final cut. Heh, I knew as soon as I read that this morning that if I wanted to get into a contest I'd have to ratchet the word count throttle back. My best one is 24k, and I've already edited that thing to death. I can't peel it back any more without hurting the plot. The next one is 21k, but it's the second installment, so no way it could go first. If I could come up with a new idea that isn't part of larger plans I have, I'd maybe do it, but as of right now all thoughts are tied to the various series running around in my head. Who knows...maybe something new would pop up... My next project is a great one, but it's novel length, at this point meant ot be a duet. I've been holding off on doing it for 6 years, but I'm ready to write it now.n To use the gaming terms, I've leveled up enough to take a stab at it. As soon as I finish CoH I'm going to start working on the first book (which means Ambrienne and Solana have plenty of time to get their intermediate stories out before I start Odyssey). Any advice I'll gladly take, but with my starting my second degree now I'm just going to stick to working on stuff on the side. At this point I know I'll never get an agent, tried too many times now so I've had enough of that angle. And since I'm getting into field of politics, who knows who I'll meet that might be a connection. Everyone here knows that like you I'd love nothing more than to spend my days writing my stories, but I have to be realistic and get these next two degrees so I can get a regular career again. I can't live on dreams, heh...and I ain't gettin' any younger. With any luck a few years down the road I'll manage to get a break, too, through some means. Then we can compete on the Best Seller's List ;D Still, it's awesome that you finally got there. Considering all the work you put in over the years, it's great to see that it can indeed happen. Now if you run into Anderson again, see if you can get him to sign one of my Star Wars' novels, heh. My signed Jordan book would love some company. Okay, I'm going back to watching Robotech now before I have to go to bed.
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Post by northlander on Sept 2, 2010 2:55:24 GMT -5
Congrats on your achievement. It all sounds very prestigious and awesome all around.
As for the site, isn't there someone you can pass it on to? Or if not, at least make a short update to inform whoever is still checking it from time to time what's going on. I think that's a fair thing to do.
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kizyr
Look Ma, I'm a Gamer
Posts: 54
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Post by kizyr on Sept 2, 2010 11:45:59 GMT -5
Oh man. This is such fantastic news!
Sure I hope you're still around, but whatever happens I can't help but be incredibly happy for you.
Um... sorry that I don't already know this, but what name do you publish under? KF
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Post by Rune Lai on Sept 2, 2010 13:50:47 GMT -5
Roas, one of the things I was told was, don't go for the agent first. Submit directly to the publishing house. The publisher is the one who's ultimately going to buy your work anyway. If the editor at the publisher house contacts you saying they want the book, tell them that your agent will get back to them. Then call up a reputable agent (who you will have researched beforehand) and explain that you have a sale ready to go. Vast majority of the time they will take you on and handle contract negotiations from there (as well as represent you in the future, because they know editors will want your books). Tim Powers also recommended subscribing to Locus, the industry trade magazine, to keep up on which agents are selling whose books to which houses. And keep writing and keep submitting. You can't sell a novel an editor never sees. One thing I learned at the workshop is that sometimes it's not the author's first novel that becomes their first sale. Sometimes it's not even their second. One guy (whose name I now forget >_<) didn't sell until his fifth novel. If I see Anderson again I'm sure he'd be happy to autograph a book for you. He's a wonderful guy, and even though he was only a guest lecturer at the workshop, he was very kind to us newbie writers. He hung out with us three nights in a row, more than any other guest lecturer, and followed up with us on Facebook. (I'm still in shock that Kevin Anderson wrote on my wall!) Northlander, you're right, I probably should have a message up at the Shrine. I'm not sure who would like to take over though. If anyone does, I would be willing to pass on the reins. Kizyr, I'm still around at the moment. I'll probably slip back into obscurity soon enough. I'm really behind on video games so I don't have much to contribute these days. :\ Also, I publish under my real name. Edit for Roas: Since you're a fan of Kevin Anderson, Kevin told us that he has accumulated 600 rejections over the course of his career. You have no excuse for giving up!
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Post by Roas on Sept 2, 2010 14:54:24 GMT -5
Roas, one of the things I was told was, don't go for the agent first. Submit directly to the publishing house. The publisher is the one who's ultimately going to buy your work anyway. If the editor at the publisher house contacts you saying they want the book, tell them that your agent will get back to them. Then call up a reputable agent (who you will have researched beforehand) and explain that you have a sale ready to go. Vast majority of the time they will take you on and handle contract negotiations from there (as well as represent you in the future, because they know editors will want your books). Tim Powers also recommended subscribing to Locus, the industry trade magazine, to keep up on which agents are selling whose books to which houses. You know me, I never stop writing ;D I only stopped original stuff for the past couple of years because, honestly, I was missing something. Working on CoD for two years and now CoH I've undergone some changes in style I would like to think are for the better. I've got a new flow that feels better than ever before once I get going. I'd kinda figured out the no agent first thing, but good to know my instincts were right. I'm glad to hear that the publishing houses are taking manuscripts again. For the longest time the doors were closed to unsolicited material, that having that option again is great news. I'll have to do some research to see who's who now, as I rarely buy books these days outside a Star Wars book since most of the series I was reading are done. One of the reasons I'm excited about my next project is that it touches on something already popular (no not vampires...I'd ask all of you to shoot me if I did that), yet really never done before the way I have planned, so I'm confident some day it will be something special. As I said before I wasn't ready up until now to give a go at it. It's so good, though, I have to keep it under wraps. I don't want anyone else to get to it before I do. I think only three people know what it is, including my mom, and none of them are writers. Once more into the breach, I guess
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Post by Rune Lai on Sept 3, 2010 15:21:23 GMT -5
Not all the publishing houses are open to unsolicited submissions, but I think there are 4-5 that are. There are ways of submitting to the no unsolicited manuscript ones without an agent though.
One suggestion (which may or may not be practical for you), is to meet editors at a convention. Explain that you have a completed novel that you are shopping around and ask if they would be willing to look at it. You'll probably have to pitch it to them (quick elevator pitch that sums up the story in 2-3 sentences), but if they're interested they'll tell you to mail it to them and viola, you are now a solicited manuscript and can go to the editor's desk.
Then when you mail it to the publishing house you mark "solicited manuscript" on the outside envelope with the editor's name so you don't get tossed.
It won't sell the story, of course, but it'll get you past the gatekeepers.
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Post by Roas on Sept 3, 2010 18:00:43 GMT -5
Not all the publishing houses are open to unsolicited submissions, but I think there are 4-5 that are. There are ways of submitting to the no unsolicited manuscript ones without an agent though. One suggestion (which may or may not be practical for you), is to meet editors at a convention. Explain that you have a completed novel that you are shopping around and ask if they would be willing to look at it. You'll probably have to pitch it to them (quick elevator pitch that sums up the story in 2-3 sentences), but if they're interested they'll tell you to mail it to them and viola, you are now a solicited manuscript and can go to the editor's desk. Then when you mail it to the publishing house you mark "solicited manuscript" on the outside envelope with the editor's name so you don't get tossed. It won't sell the story, of course, but it'll get you past the gatekeepers. Well, I'll have to just take my chances with a fresh round of unsol. sendings. With my scheduale and lack of funds as it were, no way I can go to conventions at the earliest until next summer.
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