How To Get It Published In Five Easy Steps!

By

Rob Shelsky

            Now this is going to be a daring article, because the title makes it sound as if I actually know what I’m talking about here. Well, I do-- to a point. I have been repeatedly published and at pro rates, and I do have three novels and two anthologies out, along with a plethora of short stories and factual articles, as well. So, I’m not entirely ignorant on this matter. And the reason I felt this article might have value is that I belong to an organization known as Critters.org, and being a member of it has brought something important to my attention.

Critters.org allows sci-fi, horror, and fantasy writers to submit their stories and then have them reviewed by other writers. This organization, like others, is quite a valuable asset for authors, really, because rather than getting the stories reviewed and rejected by editors (who won’t want to see that particular story ever again), it allows authors to first work out the kinks in their tales before even submitting them. And that’s important when it comes to avoiding rejections.

            But here’s the real reason I mention Critters.org; I’ve found in reviewing other authors’ stories there, that more often than not, they are missing some of the most necessary and basic ingredients required to getting their stories published. So, I thought we could go over them here. And by the way, this plan works for any genre of story writing, whether fantasy, horror, sci-fi, slipstream, romance, or literary.

FIVE EASY STEPS TO GETTING A STORY PUBLISHED:

1.         The tale must open with a hook! Endlessly, I’ve pointed this out to would-be writers. Most either don’t bother to listen, or don’t seem to “get” just what a “hook” really is. So, I thought I’d explain it here. A “hook” is actually a headliner of sorts, an attention-getting device, a “grabber” if you will. There are thousands of stories out there, so what is it that makes a reader want to pick your story out of the crowd? Why, it’s the hook, of course!

You, as an author, have about three sentences, or at most, a small paragraph at the very beginning of your story in which to grab your reader’s attention and make him/her want to read more. If you don’t hook the reader, you have already lost them! You simply must grab and then hold their attention.

Perhaps, even more important than the reader’s attention, is the editor’s interest. If you can seize their attention for your story, amidst a slush pile of hundreds that they have to wade through, then you have already won half the battle. You see, they will actually then read your story, and not just glance at it.

So what are some examples of good hooks? Here are just a few:

“The sleet arrived on the wind that howled out of the Firgeberg, gray particles that abraded skin, stung eyes. Solid crystals sucked by a chance breath over the edge of the woolen scarf went down a throat already raw with altitude and exertion” -- C.J. Cherryth, Cloud Rider, Chapter 1, opening lines.

“Tatya raised herself on one elbow and gaped through the sleeping-room port at the night sky, her china-blue eyes wide. She hadn’t imagined it.

“Yoshi? Yoshi, wake up. Look!” -- Margaret Wander Bonanno, Star Trek Stranger From The Sky, Chapter 1, opening lines.

“Durvash the tnuctipun knew he was dying. The thought did not bother him overmuch -- he was a warrior of a peculiar and desperate kind and had never expected to survive the War -- but the consciousness of failure was far worse than the wound along his side.” -- Larry Niven, S.M. Stirling, Thomas T. Thomas, Man-Kzin Wars V -- opening lines of prologue.

Do you see how a hook works? With just a few sentences a scene is set, tension is created, often characters are introduced, and there is always the mystery of what is it that’s coming next. The reader wants to know more. That’s the hook, the “grabber” if you will. Your story must start with one of these if you want it published.

2.         A beginning, a middle, and an end. This may sound obvious, but believe me, it doesn’t seem to be for many authors. Writers, both male and female, will lovingly create scenarios that they seem to fall in love with themselves. They will painstakingly paint in characters, backgrounds, whole lifestyles, and then have something happen. But often there is no tension and no resolution. It ends up being just one scene, a scenario, or a vignette, and not a story at all.

Avoid that pitfall. Remember, your story must have a real beginning, middle, and an end that resolves whatever tension/dilemma the story has created. And remember to always do and send your best work, not “first drafts.” Treat editors with respect. Give them the kind of thing you’d want to get -- that is, something clean, neat, readable, and without many typos and/or other errors. Most of us have spelling and grammar checkers now. For heaven’s sake, use them!

3.         Willing suspension of disbelief, believable hero, tension and resolution.

Yes, I know that I pound this one to death, but it’s important -- incredibly important. Your story must allow the reader to suspend their disbelief for the duration of reading it, to believe that what takes place in the story is possible. Your characters must come across as real.

People have to be able to identify with the main character, care about what is happening to him/her. And finally, the tension must reach a satisfactory resolution (satisfactory for the reader that is). “To be continued,” may work for television shows, but it is not popular when someone has bought a $30.00 book, only to find it’s really only half a book! Nothing is worse, in my estimation, than reading hundreds of pages just to find out that absolutely nothing is resolved! It is my firm belief that even with books that form a series, each volume should tell a story that is complete in itself, even though the main theme continues on to the next book. The Harry Potter books do this quite nicely.

            Also, make sure you keep a decent pace going in your story. Don’t let it bog down or drag in parts, because the reader will lose interest and may not finish reading the tale. How do you do this? You must edit your story. Edit, edit, and edit it some more. It’s said that the average story, when finished by the author, and believed to be in its best possible state, should then be cut by another ten to fifteen percent! Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? But such editing does wonders for the pace of a story.

But besides maintaining a good pace, a writer must keep titillating the reader’s interest. Each chapter or scene should end with the reader wanting to know “what’s coming next?” And remember that your hero should either win through after almost being defeated, or go down in flames in the pursuit of a noble cause, something worthwhile, and greater than they are. Nobody likes a loser!

4.         SUBMIT YOUR STORY! No pun intended here, but now “this one is really for the books” (okay --I intended the pun), because I am often astonished how many people will write short stories and novels and then never quite “get around” to submitting them to a publisher/editor. What’s the point then of doing all that hard work? I know it isn’t easy to send one’s “baby” in to some strange publisher, one who will probably treat it badly, and find all sorts of fault with it, but it is necessary to submit your work. If the editor loves it -- great, you’re in! If he/she hates it -- well, at least you know you have more work to do.

And yes, it’s always hard to face rejection. So, it’s perfectly okay to retreat into your personal womb, to comfort yourself and hate the editor for a while -- a little while. Tthen you have to get over it, straighten out of that fetal position, stop sucking your thumb, and get a move on! Read your story once more with an eye to improvements. Make changes to your tale and then send it out again! Persistence is the key word here, folks!

 Start with those publications that pay the best and work your way down the list. Two good sites (among others) for finding markets for your stories are Ralan, and The Spicy Green Iguana. Both are well maintained and are very up to date on which markets are dead, so you don’t waste your time on sending your work to “dead zines.” These are both free sites.

 But now back to those editors -- there is one other alternative an editor might do that can really help you, and that leads us to our next and last step.

5.         If an editor gives you a rejection, but one with editorial advice, use it! I know it’s hard to have to take rejection. Even after all this time, I still hate it, and I’m always highly suspicious of any editor that doesn’t realize just how valuable and WONDERFUL my work really is! We all think that. Right? But if you get an editor who tells you what they think is wrong with your work, than you are so lucky! Take their advice, consider it carefully, and then make the appropriate changes. And if an editor hasn’t done this for you, there are always critique groups, such as Critters.org, you can join as a substitute.

So often with reviews I do of people’s work, I get thank-you letters that although polite, will push the fact that the author doesn’t agree with what I’ve said, and therefore, is going to stand by the way they’ve already written the story, and not change it. That’s fine with me. It’s an author’s prerogative. SEE YA! And that’s probably what an editor will say if you have that kind of response to a critique by them.

If an editor bothers to tell you just what they feel is wrong with your work, then they are trying to help you. Get it? They aren’t being mean just for the heck of it. They are truly granting you an honor.

Treat it as such. Act on it. Understand that they have no stake in helping you, other than the fact that they want to, probably think that your writing quality is worth their help, and can benefit from it. But if you don’t agree with them, and insist on getting on your high horse, then I have a suggestion for you: take that horse and ride on out of town! Nobody will care.

If you don’t like or can’t abide the responses you might get, then don’t send the stories out at all! The whole point is to get it published, or at least get feedback, to know how to revise, and write a better version to get it published. Otherwise, what’s the point? And there you have it. If you’ve done these five easy steps correctly, you’ll get a story accepted -- right? Yes, but maybe not right away. Some editors have their own personal biases and simply may not like your style, the topic, characters, etc. That can’t be helped. We are all individuals and people have their own set feelings about things, even editors. So again, be persistent; keep sending your story out there. Make sure you are sending it to the right venue for your particular genre. Many writers make that simple mistake -- picking the wrong publication for their work. But trust me, do these steps properly and eventually, your story will find a home.

I will tell you that following this advice will markedly and I mean MARKEDLY, increase your chances of being published soon, and often! You see, I’m not the first to come up with these steps. Practically every successful author has learned them either on their own, or from someone else, just as I have. I wish I could claim rights to them, but I can’t. So, good luck, and now do get that story into print!

 CHECK OUT ROB'S BOOKS AND STORIES AT:

OR AT HIS HOME WEB PAGE AT:

Posted by Robert Shelsky at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Awesome Power Of Steampunk

By

Rob Shelsky

Steampunk is gaining steam and lots of it. More and more, we science fiction and fantasy authors are being “pressured” to consider writing in this genre, to jump on that particular train (“locomotive?”). Why? Well, Steam­punk is spreading and in some rather incredible ways. And there is no point in getting “steamed” about all this, because Steampunk seems to be here to stay for the foreseeable future. Okay, so I’ve probably pushed the puns to death here, but let’s be fair, they are easy to do with this subject, so cut me some slack!

Anyway, when Steampunk first started in the 1980’s nobody could have predicted its rapid and very powerful growth. After all, it was just another subgenre among many other old and new genres of sci-fi and fantasy at the time, along with Cyberpunk, Sci-spy, Mundane, Biopunk, New Wave, Science Fiction Westerns, Space Westerns (no; Science Fiction Westerns and Space Westerns aren’t the same thing), Gothic Science Fiction, Cosmic Science Fiction, Alternate History, Erotic Science Fiction, Apocalyptic, Post-Apocalyptic, Christian, Gay/Lesbian, Time Travel, Space Opera, Pulp, Military -- well the list does go on, doesn’t it? And it doesn’t stop there. Steampunk has infiltrated movies (Golden Compass, League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Bioshock), anime (Steamboy), complete novels, and so much else!

 So who knew that Steampunk would be one of the leading contenders? So powerful has it grown that it’s now influencing not just fiction, but even art and culture in the form of designs of such things as homes and computers! More importantly for us writers, many magazines and publishing outlets want it, some exclusively. So wax those keyboards, my fellow authors, and make those fingers fly, because you’d better consider writing something in Steampunk.

 But what is Steampunk? Well, the main definition seems to be anything written in a 19^th Century setting or atmosphere, with em­phasis on the Vic­torian Period, or style. It is when most things were powered by steam. Think Jules Verne with his Captain Nemo and the sub­marine Nautilus. Ponder H.G. Wells with his airships and such – not to mention that lovingly-upholstered, baroque-and-brass time machine of his. I wanted a model of that!

  So instead of our types of computers, you’d probably use analog versions, rather like old fashioned mechanical adding machines, only much more complex, maybe filling an entire building or city block. Instead of jets zooming around, you would use propeller-driven dirigibles. Interoffice communications would be via pneumatic tubes, rather than electric intercom systems. Picture lots of brass fittings, tubing, piping, and steam hissing out of various valves. Envision the odd woman in a hoop skirt and bonnet, dresses with bustles and bows, or a few men in top hats and cravats, and you have the setting. Now toss in a big dollop of science fiction or fantasy to go with that, and you have – Steampunk!

 Perhaps one of the main reasons for the rapid growth of Steampunk is its flexibility. Whether set in an alternate universe, our actual one of the 1800’s, on some other planet, some other type of universe, past or present, or just set in a world of pure fantasy, even including magic as a prominent feature, Steampunk seems to not only hold it’s own, but apparently is expanding rapidly, as well.

 Do not confuse Steampunk with cyberpunk. They may have had the same source, but are now parallel and pretty much separate movements. Yes, there is crossover (slip­stream may account for this) involved, but where cyberpunk has a real penchant for failed utopian visions (“dystop­ia”), Steampunk is usually not nearly so dark in that particular way. It tends to incorporate that joyous feeling of the 19^th Century that anything was possible, anything could be invented. However, that doesn’t mean Steampunk can’t be dark, because it can.

 Picture an air war, for instance. It might be composed of fleets of dreadnaught dirigibles, with troops trying to commandeer other “vessels” by gliding across to them using batwing-style personal gliders. Maybe, a super bomb would be a new type of powerful dynamite, capable of blasting a city center, rather like the American military’s MOAB (Mother Of All Bombs, which isn’t atomic in nature). See what I mean? It’s all fascinating stuff. And it’s so fascinating; it’s seizing an ever larger portion of the sci-fi or fantasy writing market, so as an author you should think seriously about trying your hand at writing it.

I’ve always lamented the whole Harry Potter phenome­non, which made the subject of magic in general so popular, as well as the vampire trend going on today. This wasn’t because I didn’t like them, but because I didn’t get in on the ground floor, missed these two in their early development. In other words, when it came to surfing trends in science fiction and fantasy writing, I missed the wave! And frankly, the Harry Potter magic types of novels, although still popular, do seem to have definitely peaked. And, with everyone and their sister writing vampire romances, adventures, urban fantasies of the same ilk, it seems we will soon be peaking there, as well, if not already.

But Steampunk is still growing. And believe it or not, many writers haven’t really heard of it, or if they have, either they don’t know what it really is, or dismiss it as just another niche genre. Well, I don’t think so. Again, it’s growing rapidly and well may make a major showing for some time to come in our writing sphere.

 For example, hosts of magazines are doing “Steampunk weeks,” “Steampunk issues,” and such promotions. One site, Galaxy Express at:

http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net/2008/09/steampunk-is-new-black.html

refers to “Steampunk as the new black!” As the article says, lots of folk are blogging about it, “spreading the buzz,” and it is “showing up in more books and films.” There is even a Steampunk Magazine. So it is my opinion, my educated guess that the Steampunk train is leaving town, and if you aren’t on it, you’ll be missing the “steamboat.” Yes, there I go in, but really it is just so easy to make these sorts of puns…

     As Galaxy Express says, Steampunk – “It’s stylish, involving lots of shiny brass and oversized rivets.” And readers, often like children, are attracted to “shiny” things. And you as a science fiction/fantasy author had better be able to supply it when they want it. That’s the catch here; you have to be riding that groundswell, not splashing about, at literary sea, somewhere behind it. Trust me; there’s money to be made in steam, folks, so do think about writing Steampunk. Whether your interests lie in sci-spy, time travel, or even Space Westerns, Steampunk settings are still easily used, and can be a good integral part of your story. Steampunk is big on atmosphere. It may get a little misty at times as a result, but hey, nothing’s perfect!

References:

Wikimedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk

What Is Steampunk?

http://etheremporium.pbworks.com/What%20is%20Steampunk

Posted by Robert Shelsky at 06:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A Holiday Question For Science Fiction Authors--

What Are Our Moral Obligations As Writers?

 Morality -- we've discussed this issue here before, but specifically with regard to morality plays -- good versus evil, bad guys/girls versus good guys/girls.  We've also dwelt some on the subject of censorship versus self-censorship and the problems these pose for us as authors.    

However, now with the holiday season upon us, and with the attendant focus this tends to place upon our moral obligations, our behavior toward our fellow humans during this time of year (think about the moral obligations of Ebenezer Scrooge, etc.), I thought it would be a good time to speak about morality itself.  By this, I mean morality as a basic concept when it comes to writing, how we as science fiction authors use it, and to what degree -- should we exercise it?  If so, to what level should we do this?

Let's refine this topic a little, ask a few specific questions here, and see if we can come up with some answers for them.

1.          Do we have obligations to write morally sound works, or as science fiction authors are we free of such restrictions, can ignore such bourgeoisie social constraints, are above them because we are "artistes?"  And,

2.          If there were no repercussions, no overt consequences to us as writers, such as lawsuits, editors and publishers shunning our work and us, would we be more likely as a group to write without any moral restraints at all?  And should we anyway?  Would it hurt or help our readership and/or society if we did this?

If, by now, you think we aren't going to have conclusive answers to these questions in this article, you are probably right!  That's pretty much a given.  However, the idea here is just to discuss these topics, to bring them to the fore, and give some thought as to what each of us might feel about this particular issue. 

Right up front, I think it's obvious that the spectrum of opinion on this issue will be a broad one.  It no doubt ranges from those on the far left with an "anything goes," the "sky is the limit" attitude, to those on the far right who believe "we need to be careful about everything we say," to follow strict guidelines, and not to go "against God."

Now, up front, I have to say, I have a little trouble with that last one, because in a multifaceted society, a melting pot such as ours undoubtedly is, it's obvious that we have multiple religions, each with widely different points of view and different beliefs about the nature of just who and what God is.  And each such religion believes there viewpoint and belief systems to be true.  That's their right, of course -- freedom of religion -- and it's a wonderful thing. 

But the minute we try to restrict sci-fi authors as a group as to what they can and cannot write according to any one certain set of religious rules, we then run into big trouble because of that wide variety of belief systems.  So, we must be very careful to realize that this type of religious moral stricture on what we can write, is for each of us, our own individual choice.  Others of differing belief systems will not necessarily feel bound by our personal rules. 

So when it comes to choosing what we should or shouldn't write based on religious grounds only -- that must, of necessity, be strictly on an individual level, not applied to the group of science fiction authors as a whole, because that group has many members with strongly differing beliefs about such matters.  And these should be respected at all times. 

Now, just to mention as a side-note; there are many writing outlets, publications, for those who feel this strong religiously moral imperative, the need to write only that which is within the bounds of their personal religious beliefs.  And if they wish to send it out to publishers in general, as well, I'm firmly convinced that is their right.

However, again, it does rather make a problem to try and restrict sci-fi writers by any one set of religious moral strictures.  Perhaps then, we need something that all science fiction writers, en masse, can adhere to instead.  Could we do this with a set of secular society's moral restraints and guidelines instead of those founded on religious ones?

There's a bit of a problem there, too.  Societies are numerous, and so are sci-fi authors.  I'm personally in touch with writers from many different parts of the world, and believe me when I say each society's morals do vary, some in minor degrees, some in major ones!  England's moral viewpoint is not the same as Australia, Russia, Norway, or America's standards.  For instance, some countries have little or no problem with public nudity. 

For others, it's a really big thing!  So, since we sci=fi writers are a worldwide community, it seems any one country's set of morals will simply not work for the whole group.  In this case, one could only go by the country of residence.  An American author might go by American standards, as opposed to a German who would go by Germany's standards. 

If only that would work!  Then, at least we'd have some system of moral standards by which all authors could write, some general guidelines, as it were. 

Alas, even this isn't the case.  The moral standards within countries vary markedly from region to region.  Southern California, in America, for example, is in stark contrast to the morals of, say, Kentucky.  And even if we just take Kentucky on its own, the moral strictures there are greatly in variance between the metropolitan areas, and the extremely rural, hill-country ones.  Go just twenty miles out of a city there and it's a completely different world, folks.  This is true at least as far as the moral rules of the societies there are concerned (and often the local dialects).

Okay then, so a set of moral principles based on any one religion must be limited to the strictly individual level, to each person's own set of beliefs.  And, secular society's moral belief systems vary not only widely from country to country, but from city to city, and even town to town.  They are not consistent.  So what then can we do as an entire group to have moral guidelines for all, and should we bother?  Ah, now we come again to those questions I earlier mentioned.

To paraphrase, should we have moral obligations to write moral works, or should we write what we want and be damned?

It's tough to answer that one!  Again, because of the wide disparity in belief systems, both religious and secular, and depending on region and personal background, the only answer I can come up with is that we must each decide this question for ourselves.  Only each of us, individually, can decide what is okay, and what isn't okay to write.  But go too far, and our own immediate societies might create a wicked backlash. 

For instance, decades ago, in the Sixties, it was Time Magazine, I believe, which had a cover that asked:  "Is God Dead?"  The response to this was on a national level.  There were two sides of course, but there was a definite negative backlash, no doubt!  So, push your particular society's or personal group's limits too far, and you may be buying yourself big problems.

Should you do it anyway?  Again, that answer can only be on each individual's level.  If you personally feel you are making a statement, one which must be made, and so you must chance brooking major repercussions to do it, then that is you choice.  If you are just doing it to be doing it -- well, that's also your choice, but I do hope you know just how strong the consequences for such an action can be.  In some cases, in some countries, and even in certain areas of America, the consequences can even be life threatening.

Now our second question; if there were no such repercussions, such negative consequences, would we as a group go to the extreme and just write about anything and everything, "good," and "bad" (as defined by our particular societies, or religious groups)?

I think we might.  Heck, look at television.  The more the FCC loosens rules and regulations, the further television shows go.  The more they tighten them, the more restricted television shows become. 

Whether or not being loose or tight with such restrictions is a good thing, I leave to each reader to determine for him or herself.  But I will say this, as much as I loved "I Love Lucy," and "Leave It To Beaver," as a kid, I now find, upon viewing such shows as an adult in today's world, that they are rather boring, a bit dull, and awfully pontificating at times.  Take "Father Knows Best," for example.  I enjoyed that show.  But by today's standards, even that title is irksome and definitely sexist! 

Which brings up another point -- our societies keep evolving in their moral viewpoints, and we authors often have a lot of influence in that regard.  So, push the envelope?  Well, the choice is yours.  And should we push the envelope?  Again, the choice is for each of us personally to decide.

Me, I'm in the middle.  There are topics I feel strongly about, and so will push the envelope with regard to them.  Others, of less importance to me, I just choose to ignore.  And there are some that are like the "third rail!"  To touch them is to invite suicide.  I only approach these with trepidation, and have to really ponder for a long time if it is even worth "going there!"  Again, we must each decide that for ourselves.

I will say this.  The concepts of right and wrong, of good versus evil have been with us always as a people, throughout time.  And, it is true these concepts have undergone major evolutions in their nature and interpretation, as we've discussed before.  Witches, for instance, used to be burned centuries ago.  Today, most of us wouldn't think to do that!  So, there is nothing so certain as change, as "they" say.  And that goes for many of our moral convictions as well, it seems.

In any case, what it all seems to boil down to, morally speaking, is that each of us must search our own consciences, decide for ourselves what our moral principles are, and how and to what degree, if at all, they should affect our writing of science fiction. 

Great authors have defied their times and written "morally outrageous" works, only to have their concepts be proven correct by a later generation.  Others have written works that were used as foundations for horrible acts by later generations, and I'm talking about science fiction authors here, too! 

So, the pen is a powerful sword we wield, folks.  And when you write something, it might behoove you to consider the consequences of it, the repercussions for yourself and others, as well.  You name may, indeed, echo down through time, but will it be in a "good" way, or bad?  And, what will constitute "good" to that later generation?  So think before you write.  That's the adult thing to do, I think. 

Because if we don't put some effort, some thought in to the consequences of our actions, what we write, how it will affect people, not only now but in times to come, we could end up being just like television!  And I personally "believe" one "vast desert wasteland" in our society is quite enough.  After all, by very definition, authors are literate and literary.  And I think we all know, television, except for a few brilliant exceptions, is not!  More, so-called reality shows, anyone?

However, if it makes you money to sell such stuff, and you have no "moral reservations," about it… well, I hope you are a publisher and will call me!  No, really… call me!  Hey, are you listening???? 

Seriously, I hope you all have a wonderful time this holiday season!  And as to answering the above questions on morality -- as I said, we may not have done this here, but I think, each of you, for yourselves, can do just that!  The answer lies within your individual consciences, and that's where it should.

Have a happy holiday season, and I mean this for each one of you -- may you find peace. 

And if you'd like to read a fun, fantasy Christmas short story by me, Rob Shelsky, for free, then go to:

 http://www.planetarystories.com/sprite.htm

The fantasy short story, The Sprite And I, is available for free at the above website. If you like annoying water sprites, a missing Santa who has been kidnapped by an evil Vila, and a hapless, middle-aged hero, you'll love, The Sprite And I. Here's what the editor said about the story:

"Then Rob Shelsky flabbergasted us with some Christmas humor that should become a classic on its own.

AND DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT ROB SHELSKY'S BOOKS AND STORIES ON AMAZON.COM, AT:

Posted by Robert Shelsky at 06:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Self-publishing. For me, that has always equated to those detestable two words: VANITY PRESS! And I’ve always shunned those. They usually produced inferior books, had little or no distribution, and/or the books were so expensive nobody would buy them. They were really just to assuage the author’s vanity, in my opinion, hence the moniker, Vanity Press. Admittedly, some are better than others, have come a long way, such as Lulu.com, but having checked them out, they still aren’t near what I want or need in the way of a publishing alternative.

However, we are living in times when ebook sales are multiplying, even as print books sales are falling, and over a long term. Print books still are the biggest part of the publishing market by far and will be for some time to come, no doubt. So, either we place out books with an online epublisher, or try really hard to go through print publishers (and often not succeed). We have few other options, Vanity Press being a poor one of them, in my personal opinion.

And now there is another problem these days; publishers, both ebook and print, seem more intent on marketing themselves rather than their authors. Oh, not all of them, and not the big, mainstream, print ones, so much, but the handwriting does seem to be on the wall. As their profits fall, the money for marketing authors shrinks. So out of necessity, more and more, authors are being pressured to do this for themselves.  Let’s be honest; if you’re a publisher and you have only so much marketing money, you are going to spend most of it on the most likely authors, and also on your own company. So bye-bye, little or not well-known authors. It’s already this way. If you are Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, you get the lion’s share of marketing money. If you are an unknown professor; good luck!

But now, there is a new, and I feel true self-publishing system coming online, literally, and figuratively. Smashwords is the best example of this. This site allows you to self-publish your books. They guide you step-by-step in the upload of your work, have an automated system for formatting conversions of it to all the major types of ebook formats, assign you separate pages for each of your books, plus a profile page for yourself. They have direct links to graphs and charts (continuously updated) of your sales. They even assign ISBN numbers to your books. All you have to do is write the stories, and create your own cover. Plus, they have a marvelous distributorship/affiliate program. Your books go to such places as Sony, Ipad, well, almost everywhere it seems like. And, they have their own vast site which promotes and distributes your works, too.

How much does all this cost? Well, surprisingly, it’s FREE! Yep, the magic word, often much maligned by liars and thieves in the market world, but in this case, it’s actually valid. Smashwords is free. Even the ISBN number, if you name Smashwords as the publisher, is free! No charge, nothing, nada! You get the lion’s share of the royalties, way above what almost any epublisher is willing to give you, you get to track your sales so there is no funny business, and with an automated system that helps ensure this. You are emailed (if you like) for every sale and/or review of your book. And, you can upload short stories, novels, novellas, and anthologies, whatever. They just have to be complete works.

Am I receiving a kickback for this marvelous review of their site? Nope--nothing! I’m just so enthused with it that I had to share this with my fellow struggling authors. Here, at long last, is an outlet for self-publishing that is professional, with widespread distribution, and all sorts of other goodies and it’s all free! Now, the affiliates demand a percentage of every sale, as they always do, of course so your sales from the Smashwords site give you higher royalties. They also have site-wide promotions, discount coupons you can email to favorite fans, sales, etc. But even the distributors’ take is not high, so again, the author receives the lion’s share of all royalties, far more than practically any ebook or print publisher will give you or could afford to give you!

Do you still have to market? You bet. That’s a sign of the times, but Smashwords also makes available a marketing plan book for free, as well as allowing links to actual print sites for your story, and/or podcasts, as well. See what I mean? This is true self publishing in my opinion, and again, it’s FREE!

Create Space is another marvelous site if you want your books in print. They actually have a distributorship, as well, and the prices are low and quality of their print books is high. You get quite a choice as to what size book you want, too. What’s more, this is all free as well! And, they have a free program that allows you to create covers for your books. You do not have to order a minimum number of books to do this. Again, to have them available in print is free. When you do order books, you will they are certainly cheap enough to resell them and still make a tidy profit, if that's what you want to do. But my opinion is that for book signings, I'll do that, but otherwise, not. I just want them available to readers in print who want to order them through either Create Space or a distributor outlet.

Between these two sites alone, your books can be sent to a multitude of ebook distributors (including Barnes & Noble, I’m told), as well as in print and readily available at many print outlets. There are other sites like Smashwords and Create Space coming on line, so do yourself a favor and check them out, as well! Select the one(s) you think is right for you, but for me, it's Smashwords and Create Space.

Again, I get nothing out of this from these sites, nor do I want to. What I wanted to do was share with my fellow authors a new way of self-publishing, and for free. I don’t know about you, but again, I have darn little money to spend on marketing, so this to me was a big boon! And, I’m making sales. So do yourself a favor and at least check these two sites out. Smashwords, to my way of thinking, is absolutely wonderful, especially for ebooks. And did I mention it was free? Oh, yeah, I did… But check out this link if you don’t think I’m not actively engaged in this:

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/RobShelsky

26 short stories, novellas, and one anthology! Count ‘em. So I’m a definite believer in this. And soon, I’ll be up on Create Space as well.

Self-publishing, the real thing seems to be here at long last, and it’s affordable, if “free” isn’t too high a price! So check it out!

It's getting to be strictly up to us authors, folks, to do the work, so roll up those sleeves and do it!

Posted by Robert Shelsky at 08:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)