Getting A Word In

     I, like most writers I know, have a couple of short stories lying around that I’m happy with but which aren’t ever going to grow into larger or longer pieces. Having read through a couple of them recently I decided I would try to get them published on one or several of the e-Bookstores that are around now. I have been singularly unsuccessful thus far.

                I’m using a particular site recommended by a friend for the service, pretty much because it is free. I’m trying to avoid paying for something I could do myself – as part of my belief it is far better to take the trouble to learn a skill rather than lose out by paying someone else to do it. I’ve got a little further than I have before through the process but have failed at the second hurdle. I’ll get there in the end, though, using the same drive and determination that allowed me to finish reading the Silmarillion and finish writing my university dissertation.

                Why am I telling you all that I’m slightly retarded when it comes to this self-publsihing process? To show that I am following my next BRILLIANT WRITING TIP of course! Which is to get yourself published, even if it is only on a small scale – or even if it’s just to get you more familiar with the process. Getting your name out there and having examples of your work, even if they are only short stories, can help a lot – especially if they’re well presented in a published format. Looking the part is not quite as important as playing the part but the former goes a long way to making people think you can do the latter. 

                So how should you publish your work? Well, I’m not a professional agent so can’t give you professional advice. The best I’ve got is anecdotal so I’ll pass that on. Firstly, having a printed, published and well turned out copy of your story/manuscript/work/piece/intellectual-love-child you can show or give to people immediately makes them think something along the lines of, “Hold the phone, this is actually real.” It provides substance to all the wild stories of how fantastic a writer you are – obviously if you’ve been published you’ve got to be pretty good, right? It also means you can show off to people as well and while this may seem a little self-indulgent you are trying to break into a media industry. This requires advertising and unless you have a substantial budget behind you, the best you’re likely to be able to manage is to do it yourself.

                I don’t necessarily mean you have to stand in the street handing out copies of your work for free (something I have considered) but asking your local bookstore to advertise it is a step in the right direction. Waterstones, Barnes&Noble and other large chains might take you up on it but since they are part of substantially vast corporations they usually have to get their advertising behaviours prescribed to them BUT smaller bookstores, charity bookstores, or libraries may be more open to putting a flier up somewhere – a flier you’ve designed yourself that is so amazing people won’t be able to resist going online to buy your work.

                Yes, I am very good at coming up with great-sounding results and not really describing the method. Again, I am not a professional agent. They cost money, and probably don’t write blogs online to advertise their services. Self-advertising is difficult because it requires time and sometimes money, so doing it is entirely up to you. For most people, it is an unrealistic goal. What you can do is get your work uploaded to e-stores or e-libraries, which is what I am trying to do at the moment. This gives you a massive potential audience and once you get a couple of pieces out there they work to advertise each other – if someone reads Piece A, they will look for others by you and will find Piece B, D and E, and will keep looking for C until they find it (if you can keep them interested). 

                I suggest short stories because they are quick to both write and edit. My current project of that type has got a little out of hand and I need to go back to basics. I’ve spent a lot of time scene-setting and character building, which would be great if I had more than four to five thousand words. Realistically, at about twelve hundred words in, I should be at a slightly more advanced stage. The pacing is too slow for the length of the piece and I have to re-evaluate where I want it to go. This is an example of comprise and structured editing; I know what the limits are and where I’ve made mistakes. As long as you keep your creative ambition under control you will be able to craft to story you want. Next week I’ll be writing in more detail about modelling/preparing short stories but for now – back to the subject.

                Getting published; this is the goal. Realistically, you’re not likely going to be the one that makes headlines, gets their book pasted across buses and billboards or be the next big thing. Depressing? Perhaps but I think it’s better to set achievable goals. I’m not saying you won’t be the next big thing; I’m just saying you’ll have to finish your story first and then get noticed somehow. Self-publishing can be free, it can be easy and it can be done from the comfort of your own home. So go for it, give it a try. See if you can beat me to it! Once you’ve got a couple of pieces in circulation it will be much easier to pitch a big project to a publisher. When they ask, “What else have you done?” it will sound much, much more impressive for you to be able to say, “I’ve got X, Y and J available here and here,” than the ever-expressive, “Um.”