Comments on: Surveys Surveys Surveys

By: Patrick

Patrick — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 17:55:00 +0000

Carrie – I’m familiar with Shimmerzine, been there a couple of times, but I’m so far behind on my reading. I agree it’s a quality source! And I can be unbiased.

SpecFic has SFWA, but the organization is just not on par with RWA, from what I’ve been told. RWA is more inclusive and represents a larger population and a larger READER market as well. SFWA is exclusive. They do provide some basic guidance, manuscript formatting, preditors, etc. but little to approaching writing as a business.

It’s amazing the egos you find in SF who scoff at Romance.

Personally, I would rather be ‘popular’ than ‘critically acclaimed’

I’m finding plenty of sub-genres of romance that I enjoy.

By: Tobias S. Buckell

Tobias S. Buckell — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 23:36:00 +0000

The reason I asked for names in the survey was so that I could spot check who responded. There could have been self pubbers in the romance names that came across, as I’m not as well plugged into the community and as well read, but the SF titles were all house published or at least small press in some cases.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 22:57:00 +0000

Patrick – my boyfriend is a spec fic writer and he’s amazed at the community out there for romance writers. I’ve told him he should join RWA just for the community if nothing else. There’s so much info there! I just assumed there was something similar for SF that has all the industry knowledge but apparently not. At least that he’s been able to find.

Have you checked out Shimmer Magazine yet – http://www.shimmerzine.com/ ? It’s not a pro level, but is pretty well put together (I admit I’m biased

By: Patrick

Patrick — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 21:51:00 +0000

You may be right. This survey just identifies why I hate stats. They really leave you with more questions than answers.

Although, some individual data points of stats are curious and fun to investigate.

By: Diana Peterfreund

Diana Peterfreund — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 20:57:00 +0000

I have heard of Atlanta Nights, but I don’t think prevailing genre opinions about self-pubbers would stop them reporting to a survey. You didn’t have to enter your publisher into the survey. But I’m just theorizing.

I wish one of the questions had been “how many books did you write before you were published, regardless of which book was pubbed first?” that would have been interesting as well…

By: Jami Alden

Jami Alden — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 20:20:00 +0000

oops Kalen, you reminded me that I in fact know 2 authors who sold their first books

By: Patrick

Patrick — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 20:18:00 +0000

One thing I find is that there isn’t as much industry knowledge among aspiring and new SF writers.

I know one of the respondents through blogs and forums who has said he sold his first that he wrote. It takes him 1.5 years to write a novel and it took him 5 years to sell it. Now he is working on book 2.

My math can’t compute the flaws in his equation. He should be writing book 4 now…

By the way, here are the magazines I mentioned. They are desperate for female writers and new voices. Great magazines to subscribe to and to submit to!

Subscribe:
http://www.asimovs.com/order/subscriptions.shtml
http://www.analogsf.com/order/subscriptions.shtml
https://www.toybox.ca/fsf/secure.htm

Submission Guidelines:
http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/glines.htm
http://www.asimovs.com/info/guidelines.shtml
http://www.analogsf.com/information/submissions.shtml

Short story publication doesn’t change the fact that your novel has to be good, but it does immediately identify you as someone who can write in complete sentences.

And the SF writer community is pretty brutal on self-pubbers, so I doubt that many on the survey are self pubbed.

Have you heard of “Atlanta Nights” by Travis Tea?
http://www.travistea.com/

By: Kalen Hughes

Kalen Hughes — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 19:40:00 +0000

I know a decent number of people who sold their first book (but it’s nowhere NEAR 35% of the writers I know, it’s more like 10%). Heck, I’m one of them! But I think it’s important to note that everyone I know who sold their “first book” had started–and abandoned–countless books before finishing that first one.

I have no numbers to provide for this survey yet, but I hope it will be left open indefinitely so that the results can be updated periodically.

By: Jami Alden

Jami Alden — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 18:50:00 +0000

Like Marley, I know one person who sold her very first manuscript. but only after writing 4 complete manuscripts, the third of which got her a top notch agent. When that 3rd ms didn’t sell, her agency decided to creatively market the first 2 books. and when it came time to “revise” that book, the editor essentially meant “rewrite.”

By: Marley Gibson

Marley Gibson — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 18:40:00 +0000

I know someone who sold the first book she wrote. However, she re-wrote it from start to finish three times before it was bought, so don’t know how you’d count that one.

Marley = )