tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post3447240495139307209..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Fisking Donald MaassJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger205125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-47797163759368820942016-05-14T21:41:16.716-05:002016-05-14T21:41:16.716-05:00Shame on me. Full of enthusiasm, I recently attend...Shame on me. Full of enthusiasm, I recently attended a Donald Maass "Writing the Breakout Novel" workshop. I hadn't done my homework prior to attending, if only I had googled him and found your blog earlier. One of the topics he spoke of was writing class or status as he put it, into your novel. (He mostly spoke of his personal life and touched little on actual craft). It was clear from the first half hour that he was an elitist liberal NY snob with ZERO self-awareness, I couldn't believe I had paid over $100 to hear the incredulous things that came out of his mouth.. And people seemed to be eating it up. Unless others hid their disappointment better than I. How does this guy get away with doing all these conferences? Do the various writing groups and attendees not discuss his bullshit agenda? And if his agent's cut is so great, why is hopping a plane every weekend to far flung towns to do his seminar? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16576227629915769448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-9968499269085432152014-10-14T01:00:37.259-05:002014-10-14T01:00:37.259-05:00It was funny beyond description :D
ROFTL :DIt was funny beyond description :D<br /><br />ROFTL :DMichalhttp://www.expandbeyondyourself.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-35448486706291743482014-06-20T15:38:47.077-05:002014-06-20T15:38:47.077-05:00When the industry is unhealthily obsessed with mon...When the industry is unhealthily obsessed with money and sales, and ceases to be about the creative dissipation of new knowledge and perspectives (the latter is my approach to commercial indie publishing) humanity and integrity are lost. Following this, the quality of literature and all that it represents to living beings past, present and future, will be lost too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-37260711280706642792014-06-20T15:34:29.425-05:002014-06-20T15:34:29.425-05:00'His angle on craft stems from reading a large...'His angle on craft stems from reading a large number of "breakout novels" and analysing what they do well, and I find that very valuable'.<br /><br />Students and academic practitioners of literature at all levels from school to university do this on a daily basis - should they write similar books? <br />And they aren't all <br />ancient 'canonical' titles either - plenty of contemporary fiction courses out there, I studied one myself...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-58260339849819747022014-05-30T18:23:23.078-05:002014-05-30T18:23:23.078-05:00Wow! I actually met Maass at a writing convention ...Wow! I actually met Maass at a writing convention recently. I think he truly does have a sincere love for good stories, and tries to share that vision with others.<br /><br />That being said, that form letter response was uber TACKY! No way in hell should anyone try to market something to you in the same breath with which they just blew you off. Holy crap!<br /><br />Plus, whoever typed that put two spaces after each period. If they're so freaking first class, it's hard to believe they don't even grok basic punctuation.<br /><br />Or perhaps they are still using old-fashioned typewriters at the Maass agency? You know, these new-fangled computer thingamabobs could just be a fad...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-14983963010332719702014-03-13T17:07:33.055-05:002014-03-13T17:07:33.055-05:00Agents are inveterate gatekeepers and have an obvi...Agents are inveterate gatekeepers and have an obvious agenda to maintain with the NYC trade publishers. So, let's face it, they will have a limit when "fighting" for their writers' rights when dealing with the biggie publishers in order to maintain their working relationships with the megapublishers who write the checks that keep their agencies afloat. All writers should keep that in mind.Carmen Anthony Fiorehttp://www.carmenanthonyfiore.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-690097785295418812014-02-19T12:01:29.354-06:002014-02-19T12:01:29.354-06:00Oh meant to say the big turning point was one of h...Oh meant to say the big turning point was one of how bad the contracts and conditions are versus other opportunities. There's been things I've read about bestsellers getting their massive advances halved or quartered and having nowhere else to go, locked in contract. No matter how big or famous, the decisions rest with people who are interested in a strip mining approach. Get as much of the resource as fast as possible with the least paid to anyone else along the way.<br /><br />It's not just publishing, seems to be happening to a lot of industries and it's part of the world. But if I can go indie and make a good living, I don't have to submit myself to that. So far it looks like my odds are much better going indie.robertsloan2arthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02598847116529877475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-46725337848463174872014-02-19T11:58:34.933-06:002014-02-19T11:58:34.933-06:00Thanks for posting this.
Maass sounds like he...Thanks for posting this. <br /><br />Maass sounds like he's a mouthpiece for the Investor Class. The gloves are off with that cattle metaphor and the Class System he describes - which at this point has gone past some big turning point.<br /><br />Legacy Publishing sounds like if it was a publisher, it'd be one of those old fashioned vanity presses where you contract for ten thousand copies of your book to flog them yourself.<br /><br />Thanks for busting another kachina. I know I'm on the right track now going indie. robertsloan2arthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02598847116529877475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-32357598563786999842014-02-14T19:36:53.309-06:002014-02-14T19:36:53.309-06:00Mr. Maass should should be more careful about his ...Mr. Maass should should be more careful about his analogies. Any Midwest farmer can tell you that you do not cull the prize cattle from the herd. You cull the lame, the sick, and any others from whom you do not expect much. They are usually slaughtered.<br /><br />Using the term in a general sense would have been fine, but in an agricultural metaphor "cull" takes on its secondary definition and that changes the meaning significantly.<br /><br />Great post, J.A. Excellent refutation of the nonsense.Kate Warrenhttp://www.thekatewarren.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-18120717175751675222014-02-13T11:32:27.594-06:002014-02-13T11:32:27.594-06:00Joe,
I had a little Twitter discussion with Barry...Joe,<br /><br />I had a little Twitter discussion with Barry Eisler and of course, 140 characters makes it difficult to fully explain one's true meaning, but...<br /><br />I find Mr. Maass's comments indicative of his fear of the changing face of publishing. Like I Tweeted to Mr. Eisler, he's trying to find any new way he can to make money. I think all agents are in the face of the unknown. Why else do we see agencies slapping up 99 cent ebooks on Smashwords? And taking a cut?<br /><br />I am not condoning this behavior in any way, I'm merely making an observation.<br /><br />The most telling line for me of Mr. Maass's fear--as it comes in the form of lashing out: "Far from being threatened, print publishers instead are now gratefully relieved of the money-losing burden of the mid-list." Oof. <br /><br />Wonder what Amazon thinks of the money they are making with all those mid-list authors they picked up? Or with the shows made by Amazon Studios written by people like Chris Carter and Eric Overmeyer. m.e. welmanhttp://whenishouldbewriting.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-55552412263799360852014-02-13T09:22:04.860-06:002014-02-13T09:22:04.860-06:00[...contd. from previous comment]
Manufacturers p...[<i>...contd. from previous comment</i>]<br /><br />Manufacturers probably would highlight the high-tech features of their products (instant large print, word definitions on demand) as well as the way in which young people relate to technology. If you have grown up on the Web, they say, as an adult you will demand your information in electronic form.<br />That may be true, though I have my doubts where fiction is concerned [<i>why?!</i>]. However, common sense tells us that even if electronic readers drop in price, become easier to use and have a wider selection of titles available, they still stand little chance of replacing traditional paper books - at least not in numbers that will soon shift the paradigms of our business [<i>whoops</i>].<br />So will e-books save us from the harsh realities [<i>you said it, not me</i>] of traditional trade book publishing? No. I'm afraid that is just another myth. [...]<br />But back to the revolution ... is there no hope that the heartless hegemony of the publishing conglomerates can be broken? Will e-publishing ride to the rescue of the midlist [<i>on our trusty bovine steed?</i>]?<br />Speaking for myself, I am keeping a close eye on developments on the electronic front. [...] I also am experimenting with a few of the electronic start-ups [<i>is he talking about e-readers or vibrators here?</i>]. Why not? Their deluge of solicitations is a nuisance, but the future must start somewhere [<i>damn progress!</i>].<br />But revolution? Sorry to say, it is unlikely to happen. No doubt novels will be downloadable for my portable computing devices, and that's fine. I look forward to it [<i>really?</i>]. But books are not going away. Neither are publishing conglomerates. Not soon. [...] In ten years, success in the fiction game will still happen largely as it does now..." (Donald Maass, Writing the Breakout Novel, 2001)<br /><br />Okay, to cut him some slack, he's not a fortune teller. It's not his fault he got it so wrong. But you would think he'd learn not to spout off about it in future. In keeping with his metaphor of cattle, he's the biggest bullshitter of the lot. His credibility is lurking somewhere in the sewerage system.<br />First he makes high and mighty claims to what the future holds. Then after he's proved wrong, he goes on to insult, not only his own midlist clients, but his potential reading audience, since those would be writers.Hannah Hooton Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04857015557911233562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-52271602008500669342014-02-13T09:19:14.595-06:002014-02-13T09:19:14.595-06:00By coincidence I was recently lent a copy of Maass...By coincidence I was recently lent a copy of Maass's How to Write the Breakout Novel (I gave up after the first couple of chapters so I'm glad I didn't spend money on it). His take on the e-book revolution was the best bit of comedy writing I’d come across since Bill Bryson. (Comments in [ ] are my own). I quote<br />"<i>Hold on! It cannot be that simple! There must be a trick!</i> Sorry, there is not. There is only craft - that and inspiration, sustained effort, luck [<i>when did luck ever feature?</i>] and timing. But mostly craft. Sound scary? It should not. It means the most important component of success is in your hands. You control your fiction career [<i>not if you're legacy published it would seem</i>].<br />It is amazing how mightily some novelists resist that truth. They would rather put their faith in formulas [<i>a bit hypocritical considering this is being read in a How To book</i>], gossip, connections, contract language - <i>anything</i> but their own novels. Ironically, it is often this same group that gets excited about electronic book publishing and put control into the hands of authors seems to them a welcome certainty. Are they correct? Is e-publishing going to bring an end to paper books within five years, as some predict? Will it put the means of production and distribution into the hands of writers?<br />Many novelists think so. They believe that e-publishing is a revolutionary force, even though some e-publishers' business models are little different than those of vanity presses [<i>except for the small issue of royalties, but what does anyone care about author royalties?</i>].<br />Let us look at this final myth of publishing success: What is likely to happen and what is just hype? [...] Audio books were an innovation that I witnessed early in my career. [...] Books on tape have found a place in bookstores, libraries and in consumers' lives.<br />Or, rather, in their cars, for that is where audio cassettes fill a genuine need. [...]<br />Paper books are portable, plentiful, convenient and (relatively) cheap. Electronic book readers are battery dependent, not widely adopted, cumbersome to load and expensive. [...] What genuine need do electronic book readers fill?<br />Well, they do lie flat. They hold multiple volumes, too, which is good news for vacationers and students with backpacks (but bad news for collectors), [<i>they're only good for lazy bums in other words, is that what you trying to say?</i>]. Plus, their screens glow softly. You can read in bed without keeping your spouse or partner awake. That is good, but how many people are seriously inconvenienced by such things? Enough to fire a revolution?<br />[<i>contd. in next comment...</i>]Hannah Hooton Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04857015557911233562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-35410012412708551792014-02-13T08:25:12.275-06:002014-02-13T08:25:12.275-06:00Hey Joe, Thanks for telling it like it is. I knew ...Hey Joe, Thanks for telling it like it is. I knew you were for real When I met you at a SinC meeting in St. Louis and you hugged me when I bought Dirty Martini.<br />After horsing around with the legacy system for 10 years, I'm going self-pub next month with the second edition of Ben's War with the U. S. Marines, soon to be followed by my tow mysteries. Thanks for the confidence boost!<br /><br />Peter Green Peter Greenhttp://wwwwww.peterhgreen.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-60811558878840280722014-02-13T07:47:54.257-06:002014-02-13T07:47:54.257-06:00Woke up this a.m. (2/13) to start learning of this...Woke up this a.m. (2/13) to start learning of this Maasssssss debacle. Delilah Marvelle had a great open letter to him on her blog. Thanks, Joe and Barry, for a great post. Nothing left to say to Mr. Maasssssss except, Seriously?Sydney Jane Bailyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02651122864727380274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-88929254043969350552014-02-12T21:40:33.524-06:002014-02-12T21:40:33.524-06:00I got an e-mail out of the blue from Donald Maass ...I got an e-mail out of the blue from Donald Maass last summer. He had read excerpts of my writing on my website and had very complimentary things to say. I was flattered but wary, as I've been in this industry a long time and found this contact really unusual. It turned out that he was basically pitching me his workshop in Oregon that fall. We did correspond for a bit and he told me to send him the first fifty pages of my most recent book- which I did, but I never heard a word back from him. At one point in our correspondence I did ask him what sort of sales numbers make the Legacy publishing world take notice? His answer was six figures in a relatively short amount of time. My thoughts on that are if I was selling that much on my own then I've already done all the work for them- so I guess at that point a writer would move to 'cash cow' status. I found it interesting, but I have no desire to pursue anything further with the world of mainstream publishing. I sell in the thousands per month- why would I want to give part of my paycheque to an agent? Frankly, as the industry is going, I think agents will be the first to disappear. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17072872715532855272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-87462933067076329772014-02-12T14:40:15.590-06:002014-02-12T14:40:15.590-06:00I am a writer wanna be working on my first book. S...I am a writer wanna be working on my first book. So I don't know anything about the ebook thing as of yet. Having said that, this post reminds me of a comment that I love in the Steven King Gun Slinger books- "Roland, the world has moved on"<br /><br />Indeed it has hasn't it? In fact the world has moved on in that many many sectors of the economy and such have finally, after years of being fed bullshit, moved on. Authors are publishing their own books,<br />ordinary people are rejecting the so called "food" that is available and growing their own. <br /><br />Others are rejecting the banks and creating their own tiny houses, paid for in cash. No mortgage needed. Or rejecting standard employment after realizing that the corporations are screwing them as employees as bad as the authors are getting screwed on royalties. <br /><br />In fact, everywhere you look common everyday people are taking matters into their own hands.<br /><br />Those who consider themselves MOTU whether they be in publishing, the priesthood, of higher up in government are being rejected. Yes, they are running scared I would say because finally we have woken up to the reality of what the game is about, and well, some of us are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.<br /><br />And don't worry about being angry Joe, a little anger can be very motivating. Thanks for all your good work.<br /><br />A fanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-26966945314586706702014-02-12T13:39:33.835-06:002014-02-12T13:39:33.835-06:00Mr. Maass is being backed into a corner by the cha...Mr. Maass is being backed into a corner by the changing of the guards and he won't go down without a fight. Can't blame him for trying to hold on and use his 'clout' to persuade others that the new wave of publishing won't last. Sooner or later he will throw in the towel. But it's fun to watch a stubborn man pitch his tent and dig in. And maybe a little sad. Jody E. Lebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777207515123248962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-9497339945728956332014-02-11T20:14:54.609-06:002014-02-11T20:14:54.609-06:00Knock his opinion (he deserves it), knock his unde...<i> Knock his opinion (he deserves it), knock his understanding of the industry (he deserves it), knock the way his agency recommends his books (geez, I freakin cringed at seeing that), but don't knock his understanding of the craft and writing itself. In my opinion, it's what he does best. </i><br /><br />He just said he was looking for the next 50 Shades Of Grey. His nose for business and making money might be great, but his ability to recognoze quality writing is questionable to say the least. I know now that I would never pass mr. Maass selection, because, while I'm no Hemingway, my writing is not nearly as bad as 50 Shades.Daina Rustinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07772769709563377378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-64860416624167502782014-02-11T03:57:27.405-06:002014-02-11T03:57:27.405-06:00To the anonymous poster who pointed out my blog po...To the anonymous poster who pointed out my blog post on www.DelilahMarvelle.blogspot.com, I would like to say that Donald Maass did NOT represent me when I had signed contracts with Kensington. So please don't jump to conclusions. That's just being stupid. He represented me very well and fought for me and mentored me when no one else in the industry did. Next time, ask me about what I think he did for my career. Don't use me and my name as a conversation starter that clearly has no point. Moving on....<br /><br /><br />My dearest Joe (and Barry!),<br />I'm in the process of writing my own response to the Donald Maass post and plan to post it on my blog in the next few days (I'm on deadline and this is hardly coming at a good time, lol, darn my agent). I have a lot to say given that I have the unique perspective of actually being a self-published author who is actually *still* represented by Donald Maass. <br /><br />You and Barry have addressed ALMOST all of my thoughts on his post and I agree with ALMOST everything you said. But I'm afraid there is one thing I *completely* have to disagree with you on. His understanding of craft. Knock his opinion (he deserves it), knock his understanding of the industry (he deserves it), knock the way his agency recommends his books (geez, I freakin cringed at seeing that), but don't knock his understanding of the craft and writing itself. In my opinion, it's what he does best. It's what separates him from other New York agents. I have learned A LOT about my own writing from him. Enough to allow me to go out into the self-publishing world and be a success. And to undervalue THAT aspect of him, given he added to my success and even encouraged me to go into self-publishing to grow my success, simply isn't fair. There are a lot of untold stories coming out of New York and I'm one of them. I've been bitching on the internet about New York publishing since 2009 when I was dropped after selling out of my first print in a few months. Every swear word you've ever posted about the industry, I also felt and lived. Everyone kept telling me I was crazy for taking a public stand against New York and was going to have my entire career blackballed for doing it. Pfff. That never happened. I'm still here. <br /><br />Bottom line, fisking can have its dangers, no matter what side of the fence you're on and talking about someone's ability or lack of ability as a writer is a matter of opinion and not a fact. One person's definition of a literary masterpiece is another person's piece of shit. You and I both know that. As I said, I'll be posting my own personal response to Don's blog post, given that he's my agent and I not only walked away from New York to self-publish but did it with his help. Delilah Marvellehttp://www.delilahmarvelle.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-11414795872454808852014-02-10T20:24:54.041-06:002014-02-10T20:24:54.041-06:00Wow. I think you're right, I think he's af...Wow. I think you're right, I think he's afraid, and he really wants to believe everything he said is true.<br />I'm so glad it isn't - and I'm so glad I saw this within the context of your blog. Thanks!Christine Ashworthhttp://christine-ashworth.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-73225309297004230202014-02-10T20:06:11.064-06:002014-02-10T20:06:11.064-06:00Joe,
I'm still trying to land an agent. I sus...Joe,<br /><br />I'm still trying to land an agent. I suspect that I will have a devil of a time getting past the gatekeeper, though I hired a pro editor, and the book is I think the best it can be. I have a few small publishers interested, I have been researching those contracts in the event they offer, one 7% on ebooks, 5k advance. What I see is this; even if I have to go small press to crack in, like some of my friends, I still do the lion share of marketing and my rights get tied up. I will NOT do that, I will SP first, if I cannot get an agent.<br /><br />My god it is hard enough being a writer without agents selling you things in lieu of acceptance. I'm well acquainted with The Donald. I have met him several times through conferences and have attended weeklong workshops through his affiliation with BONI. The books he wrote on craft ARE good, but he never was able to parlay them into single title as you so rightly point out. The workshops are a joke, huge $$$ rip off and I came away with a bad taste in my mouth, after schmoozing with him all week. He does appear to have passion for what he does, but his big thing is he loves the crowd and the adulation of the unpubbed writer whom he also seems to disdain at the same time. Funny. We were promised for 2k a partial read by him, and a private consultation of 30 min. Well, half way through the week, I heard that people were upset because he was pulling an Agent-in other words, he was reading like 5 pages and then stopped. For 2K. Lets be real, that was the draw, to the naïve and stupid, as I profess to be years ago. I came away knowing I would never query him. Ever. Sure enough, when I sat down with him for my "private consultation", I found that he read about 3 pages and declared it too talky and roundabout, and that was it. When I asked substantive questions he was caught off guard and couldn't remember me from the next. That was what I got on a plane for. DUMB. I learned practically from the get-go at that workshop (which was poorly organized) that I had zero chance of landing him as an agent, and the scales fell quickly from my eyes. Bless their souls, he packs in the crowds and some actually go back(!) for more, though they make a lot less than I do at the day job, knowing The Donald is probably laughing at them all the way to the bank. I do take issue with this. I do take issue with him doing these so-called workshops because it is just not the norm. He's not a writer, he's an agent, I don't see other agents doing this low, bottom feeding stuff. When I saw that query letter where he was actually huckstering his book, something went pop in me. Hence the long rant, but I believe that he is a fraud, and I think his biggest client is Anne Perry, but he's not loaded up with her ilk. His main support are the workshops and the books, I would bet. <br /> Trying to sell a how-to book in a rejected query, seems to me unethical, and its worse than I thought! <br />But I'm an attorney so it gets my ire up! Great post, BTW.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-19951892686149937372014-02-10T19:33:10.020-06:002014-02-10T19:33:10.020-06:00Does Maass not hear how he's contradicting him...Does Maass not hear how he's contradicting himself? He makes these claims:<br /><br />1) Trad-pub gatekeepers separate the wheat from the chaff and make sure only the wheat is published.<br /><br />2) Publishing is a meritocracy, and good writing (wheat) will succeed. <br /><br />3) Mid-list authors are a burden and a financial loss, and trad pubs are happy to offload them.<br /><br />But but but... you and people like you, Maass, selected those very mid-list authors' works! You gave them the "wheat" stamp by publishing them. So does that mean that <br /><br />1) Publishing isn't really (gasp) a meritocracy?<br /><br />and/or<br /><br />2) Trad-pub gatekeepers' judgment is imperfect?<br /><br />Either way, and without even taking into account the grosser errors and offensive statements, Mr. Maass has lost all credibility as far as I'm concerned.Amanda DeWeesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-46562212280472005732014-02-10T18:12:21.641-06:002014-02-10T18:12:21.641-06:00You know, Joe, I rarely post or comment on anythin...You know, Joe, I rarely post or comment on anything, mainly because I have foot-in-mouth disease and always seem to say something will have me worrying over it rather than absorbed in writing, but I found myself open-mouthed and deeply offended by Donald Maass's comments. <br />Deeply offended.<br />I cannot believe his class system comments, but I am absolutely floored at the comment that a publisher is relieved to be rid of the burden their mid-listers. <br />I am a self-pubbed writer now. <br />I wasn't.<br />I had ten books in ten years with a trad publisher (Kensington). PS - I had a lot of things I could have said during that blog between Steve Z. and you, but didn't. (It's the FIM disease). However, I never wrote for the money in the first place (good thing LOL). I would have stayed with Kensington for FREE (and practically was). WHY? Because writing is an obsession. Always was. And I already spent 22 years trying to get through the gatekeepers to finally get a contract. <br />22 years.<br />That's a lot of time. And a LOT of rejection.<br />I was not idle. I raised a family, worked full time, wrote 14 full length novels and queried seemingly nonstop.<br />I'm fairly sure I earned more than a dozen rejection letters from Mr. Maass alone. Since I had 14 books before getting published (the one that went was my ninth), I started querying in 1983, and I happen to be exceptionally stubborn, I would not be surprised. I received THOUSANDS of rejection letters. I didn't keep many after the first month or so. I would buy those boxes of 500 self-addressed, stamped envelopes from the post office every three months in the '80s and '90s. THAT'S how many queries I was sending. I didn't keep many rejections because I have enough crap in my old filing cabinet, and I really didn't need that many people asking me to quit wasting paper. (and yes. I did get a rejection once that said just that. I think they got tired of me)<br />All of that aside - I loved being published with Kensington. I would stand and cry when I first got my paperback. Every year when it came out. That would be me down at the local bookstore, sobbing away in the romance aisle. I love Kensington. I love the editors, the CEO, the art department, the sales staff.... <br />Now. I get great covers - always have. I got great covers from Kensington. And I have great covers as a self-pub. I seem to have won or placed in the Judge-A-Book-By-Its-Cover contest down in Houston for romance books an extraordinary amount of times. (I just took second place for VAL #16 - DO YOU TAKE in the "sexiest cover" category.) I've won the JABBIC in "historical" three times (one was a self-pub). And I've taken a second place twice (split 50/50 between Kensington and SP). Oh! And I spend exactly $135 on my ebook covers.<br />I have also won or placed in 34 contests for historical romance writing excellence - the last being a win in Colorado for 2013 Best Historical for A PERFECT KNIGHT FOR LOVE. <br />All of that is just back-up for the fact that despite having a great cover, and fairly decent words inside, I still tanked.<br />And that's where the open-mouthed bit finally brings me. (sorry. I am wordy. it's an affliction) To hear an agent say that publishers are relieved to be released from the burden of a mid-lister...<br />well. Here it is. I saw a bit of red over that. I'm commenting.<br />PS - I'm not independently wealthy off my self-pub career, but I haven't exactly won a lottery either. There's a luck angle that is always there and needs to be considered, regardless if a writer wants to try going the traditional route or self-publish. However, I will admit that I made more last year with my SP titles than my entire TEN year career with traditional publishing. <br />I'm rather glad I got all those rejections. I have these 13 historical romances that never got picked up, you know...<br /><br />Jackie IvieJackieIviehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16483781395559710572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-4093940704589379902014-02-10T17:41:33.482-06:002014-02-10T17:41:33.482-06:00Rob Gregory Browne said:
"...a Digital Book...Rob Gregory Browne said: <br /><br />"...a Digital Book World study shows only 10% from trad pub authors earn more than $20,000 a year and only 5% from indie pub authors earn more than $20,000 a year. <br /><br />So, even if we believe these stats, it seems pretty amazing to me that in four short years we're already at 5% vs. traditional pub's 10%."<br /><br />Besides which, that DBW study has already been thoroughly discredited. To see what a joke it is, all you have to do is listen to the study conductors try to defend their methodology:<br /><br />http://selfpublishingroundtable.com/sprt31/<br /><br />It's kind of an embarrassment to everyone who cites it, if this is what passes for "scientific data" in the publishing industry...Paul Drakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12598834654927530856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-10112997584204752742014-02-10T14:54:21.305-06:002014-02-10T14:54:21.305-06:00@Coolkayaker1 : a Digital Book World study shows o...<i>@Coolkayaker1 : a Digital Book World study shows only 10% from trad pub authors earn more than $20,000 a year and only 5% from indie pub authors earn more than $20,000 a year. </i><br /><br />So, even if we believe these stats, it seems pretty amazing to me that in four short years we're already at 5% vs. traditional pub's 10%. And that percentage is bound to rise.<br /><br />These are the kinds of numbers we should be celebrating as proof that indie publishing is taking hold. <br /><br />Rob Gregory Brownehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12785299355462748009noreply@blogger.com