What do members think of this? London, March 2017

[TonyHarmsworth]

I'm thinking of attending this day, but it is a long and expensive day for me as I am in Scotland.

Has anyone been to any of these before? Are they worthwhile?

The Getting Published Event - Booking

Thanks.

 

[aThenian]

Haven't been to any events by this particular organization. Have been to similar.

Probably research the publishing people who are there - if some of them are of real interest to you, then it's a good way of making contact rather than as part of their slush pile. But the actual content - well, some of it does sound interesting but you can probably find lots of information on writing query letters/POV etc for free on the web, or for the cost of a couple of books.

 

[TWErvin2]

I will echo what aThenian above said.

It really depends on where you are in the writing process. If you're just starting out, beginning writing a novel or short stories, it may be of value in providing information and having your questions answered directly, but as was said, much of this can be found/learned free on the internet.

If you have a finished product and the book doctors (I saw them listed) have a good track record of novels/books they've worked on finding solid publishers, and they work with what you write, it may be worth your time and expense. If there are folks in the industry there (agents/editors of publishers--I didn't see that in the advert/website, but I did not explore it in great depth) that could be of value--rather than go through the query/slush pile, if you can have a pitch session and/or meet with them directly, that would be of great advantage for you and your work.

There is always the 'networking' aspect with other writers and authors, but that may not really be worth the time and expense.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Are they worthwhile?

You'll get more out of events like these if you already have a grasp of the technical basics. Absolutely do not expect any agent interest from this, though.

You should also be keeping an eye on the industry and learning who the figures are within it, so that when you look at an event like this you already recognise some of the names and know what you'd like to discuss with them.

 

[TonyHarmsworth]

This is a rant, not at individuals, but the industry. Apologies in advance.

It is beginning to look as if you first need to be an expert in the industry, then become technically competent, then come up with a brilliant novel idea.

I fear I have done things the other way around and do not have enough lifetime left to achieve the rest. I had this strange idea that the story was the important part and the rest was just the practicalities. That is how it is in the business world, but obviously not in author-land.

In business you come up with a brilliant idea, raise the finance (the easy part) then put it into production. The idea is the key, the concept is the important part of the business.

I must admit that I thought it was the editor's job to turn a less than perfectly expressed idea into a saleable novel, now it seems I have to do it all. The editor will judge how well I have learned the technicalities and gives not a damn for the idea, concept or story.

Everything I have seen and read in SFFC seems to be telling me I need to become technically perfect and the story is actually unimportant. Come to think of it - that is exactly what the books I see in shops today offer. Beautifully written, technically perfect drivel. The number of SF books I have got half way through is a great sadness and reflection on the publishing industry.

Obviously there are exceptions, but becoming one of those seems to depend more upon luck than any skill or technical expertise.

Thank you all for your help and advice, but it sounds to me as if I am better just writing for fun.

 

[Brian G Turner]

In business

To be successful in business you research your market and learn to understand it. You learn to make decisions based on considered calculations. You adapt and change to circumstances as required, and you generally remain aware of the industry.

Same with publishing.

The trouble with thinking that it's all about the story first is that most new writers are simply putting words on paper, rather than constructing a story with a professional eye to the technicalities involves.

It can seem frustrating, but once you get over that, it's all about dedication and perseverance.

If you don't want to read Wonderbook, you can watch Brandon Sanderson's lectures on writing to get some insight into the technical side of things:
Learn | Write About Dragons

 

[aThenian]

Everything I have seen and read in SFFC seems to be telling me I need to become technically perfect and the story is actually unimportant.

I think everyone knows deep down that the story comes first - including the publishing industry. But that's the bit that they can't write "How To" books about or run workshops or write websites about - whereas they can give loads of advice on how write a query letter etc etc. The story with its themes and characters has to come from you and your interests and experiences. All the professionals can do is help you work on it/sell it.

Because there are so many people trying to get published, first impressions count, so agents and editors will advise people on how to best present their work - but that doesn't mean that they only judge people on those things. Having said that, I agree sometimes it does all feel the wrong way round, and you can spend more time crafting a synopsis or query letter than actually working on the book. The other thing is that although we all know that the most successful books tend to be doing something new and different, it does feel often as if what agents and publishers want is essentially more of the same. It's less risky for them. But it's also depressing.

I also think there's a whole industry now of people selling stuff to writers (or would-be writers) - courses, critiques, conferences etc, and it's easy to get sucked into that. Some of these services may be valid and helpful, but you've always got to remember 1) you may not need them at all and 2) any money you make from writing - self-published or traditionally published - is likely to be small, so you've always got to bear that in mind when you cash out for things.

I'd say try and find some people you trust to give you feedback on your writing - trusted readers, and other writers who are on your wavelength can give you editing feedback. And think about self-publishing as an option. And small presses. There's lots of helpful stuff on all these things on Chrons. Don't get disheartened!

 

[aThenian]

PS - Maybe you could find similar events to this without travelling so far? For example, the Society of Authors in Scotland is very active, and runs events (not just for members). There's an Arvon centre in Scotland. etc

 

[TWErvin2]

This is a rant, not at individuals, but the industry. Apologies in advance.

It is beginning to look as if you first need to be an expert in the industry, then become technically competent, then come up with a brilliant novel idea.

I fear I have done things the other way around and do not have enough lifetime left to achieve the rest. I had this strange idea that the story was the important part and the rest was just the practicalities. That is how it is in the business world, but obviously not in author-land.

In business you come up with a brilliant idea, raise the finance (the easy part) then put it into production. The idea is the key, the concept is the important part of the business.

I must admit that I thought it was the editor's job to turn a less than perfectly expressed idea into a saleable novel, now it seems I have to do it all. The editor will judge how well I have learned the technicalities and gives not a damn for the idea, concept or story.

Everything I have seen and read in SFFC seems to be telling me I need to become technically perfect and the story is actually unimportant. Come to think of it - that is exactly what the books I see in shops today offer. Beautifully written, technically perfect drivel. The number of SF books I have got half way through is a great sadness and reflection on the publishing industry.

Obviously there are exceptions, but becoming one of those seems to depend more upon luck than any skill or technical expertise.

Thank you all for your help and advice, but it sounds to me as if I am better just writing for fun.

I will try to address some of the observational concerns based upon my limited experience.

For almost four years I worked as an editor for a small SF/Fantasy magazine/ezine (the magazine shut down about 7 years ago). We only paid 1/2 penny per word. Despite this, we had a constant stream of submissions. We averaged about 8 or 9 added to the queue each day (weekends and Mondays were particularly heavy), and published we around stories 75 per year. I mainly read slush, providing comments on those I okayed/passed up the line for further consideration.

Yes, a quality story was vital. One wouldn't get published without it no matter how perfect the grammar, punctuation and formatting was. That said, if the story idea was great, but the writing was a wreck, meaning there would be a lot of editorial work to get it ready, that was a mark against it. We had far more stories sent to us than we could ever hope to publish. While many were not of sufficient quality, we still had far more quality works that would appeal to our readership than we could publish. Given that, if two stories under final consideration were of equal quality and length and other factors, but one would require far more editorial work to prepare it for publishing, the choice was easy to make. If one would take two or three times the editorial work (meaning more hours of time spent), and more communications with the author, for clarification or similar concerns...the choice between the two was easy.

An author that followed the submission guidelines suggested that they might be easier to work with (never 100% correlation), and while the quality of the story was more important, personally opening one that was oddly formatted and I had to fix up prior to reading left me in a less open minded frame of mind (fair or not) for that story, especially if there were two dozen more awaiting my attention, and knowing that there would be more in the next few days.

We would get stories sent to us that weren't even close to fitting our market/readership, just shotgunned to us apparently, or far past our word count limit, or a host of other items that didn't make what was sent a good fit. Either the authors didn't bother to take the time to look into our needs, or they know what was expected of them as an author submitting work.

I think there is a luck factor involved. For example, I've spoken with editors at Tor and Baen, and others, and served on panels with them at conventions. Sometimes they pass on a quality manuscript because there isn't room in the publishing schedule for it, or they have one already contracted that is too similar, or whatever. But if you produce a quality story idea, and write it/relay it in the best fashion you're able, I think you set yourself up for the luck to possibly benefit you.