Everyone Reading Your Work

[Guest DarkVampWriter]

Has anyone wanted to publish their stories into novels? Or has anyone here done that already?

I would love to do this but I heard it was hard to get publishing companies to read your work unless you are a top author then they would probably do it.

Anyways I really want to publish one of my stories I have written into a novel and touch it up really good. It doesn't really have to be a long 30 chapter novel just something short like 10 chapters. That would be awesome.

~Just a thought~

[taker]

I wouldn't mind it but too much of my stuff is fan based, so I couldn't get liscensing rights. OH well, besides i'm not that good of an author, I'm a decent IMO.

[Guest DarkVampWriter]

I thought the same thing too but, I always listen to my reviewers. Sometimes as authors we don't think we are the best but until your reviews shoot through the roof you get second thoughts about it.

And original is kinda hard because everything is from scratch whereas fan based everything is already there like characters and stuff. It would be cool to publish fan-based writing into books but too bad the real geniuses behind it are making the money >_>

[Charging Handles Forward]

What about taking fanfics to the big screen? Think of it: Tales from the House of the Moon: The Movie.

[Guest Big Samurai]

It's going to take me most of my life, given how publishing works, but, yes, I'm always pushing towards being a novelist. ... I won't be publishing any fanfic, obviously, but it's great for practice.

[Guest yamsham]

I had a short story published. I didn't think it was the best thing I had ever written, but the anthology it was in went on to win a bunch of Australian sci-fi awards. It was voted best anthology of 2005, and two of the stories tied for best short story of the year. Kind of neat to be part of that.

[Guest Agaib]

maybe someday. but... right now I'm plenty satisfied with AFF as my publisher

[quamp]

Well, I've had a few of my stories published. Basically it was writing for a comic book anthology (someone else did the artwork; I can't draw worth a flip.)

I have had a publisher show interest in publishing a limited series that I've created. We'll see how it goes...

[Guest ChibiShiva]

I gave a thought about it, but I don't know if I really want my stuff to be published. Sure it's fun getting people to read what I write, yet at the same time, I'd rather stay underground and do that for pure fun. As for my first internet-published original story, I'd see more as a video game than a novel, since I'm very influenced by games for it.

Maybe I'm just enough confident in my own skills sometimes, and I think I would fear bad reaction from the public if it was released under a novel. It's got to be a strange feeling when you get on the subway, or in a café, and see someone reading your book.

Sometimes I tell myself that I should give a try, and that I have nothing to lose by doing so. I'm also afraid of rejection, and I tend to take it a bit personal at times... x.x

[Guest WandererInGray]

Hard, but not impossible.

In the end it's like a great many things. It takes a lot of hard work and determination. You'll get told "no" a lot, sometimes in that nice polite way that you know really means "oh *#$&^ no."

But it is possible. Research is the first big hurdle most hopefuls don't overcome. You can't just shop your work out willy nilly and hope someone will pick it up. You have to be very particular and send only your best work.

I've been actively trying to get published for more than two years now. It's an ugly business with lots of ego-bruising, but I just keep plugging away.

[Guest Nympho]

I have plenty of great ideas, but when I try to get anything longer than a few paragraphs out, it gets lost in translation and I end up with a mess. That's why I stick with drabbles.

[Guest Ertia]

I write original fiction, too, but fanfiction is really what's given me the confidence to get my original stuff polished for publication.

Fanfiction is a great starting point to learning the basics of good writing; you don't have to worry about how to create a character and make them interesting; just focus on the development of plot, storylines, etc.

Yes, i wish I could get paid for playing with Elves, but it's just not an option!

[Guest FairlightMuse]

Well, I have published a few original pieces of writing, but nothing so extravagant as a novel. . .yet. I would love to publish a novel though

( who wouldn't?) Preferably something shocking, cultish, and funny. After all, I feel so good getting fan fiction reviews, I can just imagine how great it would be to sell copies. *sigh*

Of course it will probably never happen. Too expensive and time consuming. Not to mention that I don't have much talent for extreme plots or intrigue.

Doesn't hurt to dream though.

[EveKnight75]

LONG POST AHEAD!

You know those anthologies that are by kids, for kids? I've been published in those, so I'm guessing that I'm not a completely crappy writer. I've also managed to win a few large-scale creative-writing competitions, so that's gotta count for something.

However, I'm not going to kid myself. I've got a long way to go when it comes to developing my creative writing skills as an adult. Whatever I've done so far is all well and good for a teen, but soon I won't be a teen in the loosest sense of the term.

I think that fanfiction is an excellent way to develop those skills. If you take it seriously, you'll be able to go a long way when it comes to your own abilities concerning settings, plots, character development, etc. In fact, I think the main complexity lies in developing the material your own way while remaining respectful to the original material and its author.

Fanfiction also gives you an extremely mild taste of what it's like to share your work with an unknown audience. Emphasis on mild. The problem is often in the reviews. A lot of people hand out gushing praise left and right, but it's honestly not a good indicator of how well you're doing. Same applies to flamers. Concrit is the only thing that's somewhat dependable, but it's also rare.

The people in publishing houses who check the transcripts are professionals, They're very harsh. They are individuals that have personal tastes when it comes to literature, but in order to do their job properly, they have to shut off that part of them and look at everything objectively. Part of being "objective" is nit-picking every newbie equally.

My advice would be to grow metallic armor. You could be someone who has been a story-teller his/her entire life, have an impeccable grasp of your language, and believe yourself to posess a rhino hide, but don't be surprised if a thousand different publishers shoot you down. They're good at making authors cry.

I'm sure that you've put a lot of serious thought into pursuing this line of work as your main profession. Please tell me that you have. Because if you haven't, shame on you. If you're 99% sure about this, then go ahead.

Work hard on one specific piece. In order to have a chance, you need something unique and of high quality. Once that goes through and sells successfully, you can submit some of your older pieces. That first publication would be the initial launch. If it works out, you can relax about what you write afterwards. It doesn't mean you can ever slack off, but there can be room for stress relief.

I suggest cultivating one specific storyline and working on it for a long time. Triple-check it yourself for technical errors, as well as any plot holes and rough spots. If there's something that just doesn't flow, try to fix it without straying too far from the original vision. Once you've cleaned it up as much as you can, have someone you trust look over it. Make sure it's someone who you know will be an honest critic, as well as someone who won't ever try to steal your work (and I mean this in the least egotistical way possible). If the story is aimed towards a specific demographic, get someone from that group to check it as well.

I once wrote a story aimed at 5-year-olds, so I got my sister to check it for me, because she was in a program at her school where she helped teach the kindergarteners how to read. The program involved story-time sessions, so she got permission to read the draft to a small group after simplifying the language. After getting their input, I added better pictures and a mini-glossary. That story went on to win a creative writing contest aimed at material for kids aged 4-6.

I just used the above incident to illustrate what I mean. I was writing for a specific age demographic that I wasn't too familiar with any longer, so I got someone who was familiar with that demographic to look over it, and more importantly, received feedback from the demographic itself. I feel that the storytime session made a huge difference in the quality.

So yeah. I'm not a professional by any means, but that's the best advice I can give. My great-uncle is actually a published playwright and has won critical acclaim for his work. A lot of this advice is from him to me to you. I may not know much about the business, but I'm pretty sure he does. If you want to find honest critics online while remaining anonymous, my favorite is the "In Progress" section at GAFF. The site is undergoing renovations and is down half the time, but it's still a good place to go because the members are literary critics by their very nature, and some of them are professional authors or have gone through the process many times and know what to expect..

[Guest DarkVampWriter]

Amazing! Your long post gave me more insipiration to try and push myself to publish. I am seriously thinking about it even though I am just a writer on aff.net. But still I am honored for people to be reading it on the website. But just to think a book would be awesome because more people are reading it I guess. Anywho....I'm sleepy time for me to catch some ZZz's

bye bye!

[EveKnight75]

Umm... you're welcome? My long posts tend to frighten rather than inspire, so I guess I'm glad that it actually helped you.

Good morning, dear. (And I say morning because your username indicates someone nocturnal).

[Guest SecretlySnape]

I can't read a word of what you're saying EveKnight :-(

[Guest atsuita_no_renkinjutsushi]

Definitely. I actually have five or six books going on my computer that I want to finish and send to a publisher. If they don't accept, I'll live, but it's worth the chance that they might.

On the 'publishing fanworks' subject: there are certain fanbase companies that put out fan-made comics and stories. Look into it; I'm going to. I'd love to see some magazine somewhere... 'By Fans, for fans!'