Ask the Authors (Fandemonium)

[Princess Awinita]

Pretty huge question really - but... I am in the process of launching a brand new super-revised website (well the other one hasn't been updated for 18 months) and there will be a 'Steve Chats' section, just where I talk about well anything, so with your permission, I'll take the question and write you a fairly detailed answer of my thoughts for the new site which should be live in a day or two - how's that sound?

You are a writer for Fandimonium Books?

[StevenSavile]

One of the many. I turned Shadows final edits in last week, so it is moving toward the shelves. I've written Torchwood, Primeval, Doctor Who, as well as lots of non-tie in stuff. 20 something books in total.

[Princess Awinita]

One of the many. I turned Shadows final edits in last week, so it is moving toward the shelves. I've written Torchwood, Primeval, Doctor Who, as well as lots of non-tie in stuff. 20 something books in total.

Hmmm, you are a writer for Fandy, yet, why dioes your username not show thus? normally the novel writers, like Beth, and Sonny1 have "Fanimonium Writer" underneath their usernames here on gateworld.

But yeah my Q to you guys still stands, does Fandy also publish fantasy novels, or do they only publish tie in series of novels? I ask mostly because i'm writing my own novel, a contemporary fantasy so to speak. And was wondering if Fandy would publish such a novel?

[StevenSavile]

I never got around to contacting whoever it was I was supposed to contact about the title, but don't worry, it's really me, as Karen and Jim will attest.

Fandy only do stargate stuff at the moment, branching out into Universe, but nothing original - hence the long answer which will cover agents, approachs and all of the fun stuff.

[Princess Awinita]

I see. The reason I ask is mostly because I pretty much live within an hours drive of their main offices. The only other alternative I have is White Wolf Publishing near Conyers GA USA. and yeah, trying to write a novel though internet is crappy at times

[Scary Kitty]

I see. The reason I ask is mostly because I pretty much live within an hours drive of their main offices. The only other alternative I have is White Wolf Publishing near Conyers GA USA. and yeah, trying to write a novel though internet is crappy at times

Keep in mind that White Wolf only publishes role-playing games, and fiction that is set in their game universes. If your story is set in one of their existing universes, great. If not, you'll need to look elsewhere; according to their website, they aren't interested in developing new worlds at this time.

[Frostfox]

I see. The reason I ask is mostly because I pretty much live within an hours drive of their main offices. The only other alternative I have is White Wolf Publishing near Conyers GA USA. and yeah, trying to write a novel though internet is crappy at times

You don't need to be near a publishing house to get your work published, two of my friends had their first novels in print last year, both in the UK, one published by Gollanz (a UK house) the other by Daw (a US house).
Their agents approached various publishers.

Getting a first novel in print can be difficult, it's much easier once you have an agent but getting an agent is almost as fraught with difficulty as getting a publisher.

Some houses do take unsolicited manuscripts, Fandemonium did at one point but they only produce books in the Stargate franchise.

The most famous of the big publishers who accept unsolicited is TOR and I believe DAW do to.
Some interesting discussion here - http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum...nuscripts.html
Tor info here, but be warned, they can take two years to respond, they get thousands of submissions each year. http://www.ralan.com/publishr/listin...o/torbooks.htm

The best way to get published is, funny enough, to write. Write for your school magazine, write for your local community paper or newsletter, even if you don't get paid. You use that to hone your skills. You are much more likely to get a short story published in a magazine or book as a first timer than a novel so get to that keyboard and start on a couple of short stories.
http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/wordcount.html

How do I know all this? I have lots of friends who are writers or want to be writers and I have watched them get on the bottom rungs of the ladder and then make the slow climb. I also run SF cons so I get established writers to attend and give talks and panels, we usually go out for dinner with them too so you hear all about their trials and tribulations.

But I don't have any ambitions in writing myself, I'm an artist, that's what I'm good at.

FF

[JMSwallow]

I see. The reason I ask is mostly because I pretty much live within an hours drive of their main offices. The only other alternative I have is White Wolf Publishing near Conyers GA USA. and yeah, trying to write a novel though internet is crappy at times

The 'main offices' of Fandemonium Books are in Surrey, England, and like others have said, Fandemonium don't accept unsolicited manuscripts and at present only publish officially licenced Stargate tie-in fiction.

[Princess Awinita]

Thankyou M Swallow (I read Haclyon btw, it was awesome!) For your input, and you too Frostfox. Howver I'm broke, no money for an agent, besides from my own personal experiance angets try to take most of the money made from a writer >.<

Also Scary Kitty, it appears that White Wolf emailed me, I sent them the proposal for my story, One Hundred Wishes, it is set in one fo their premade worlds already (Changling: the Dreaming) They said to give it a shot.

Can't use an agent as I'm totally broke. Which is why I'm writing my novel, its not exactly my first novel mostly because I've done Nanowrimo for the past three years. and won the last two. And I started thinknig of contacting and trying to get someithgn written and at least looked at.

You guys are great, thanks for the advice, and Frostfox, again can't use an agent, no money to pay the guy (even if I did use an agent he wouldn't be making much, if anything)

[StevenSavile]

Thankyou M Swallow However I'm broke, no money for an agent, besides from my own personal experience angets try to take most of the money made from a writer >.<

Can't use an agent as I'm totally broke.

again can't use an agent, no money to pay the guy (even if I did use an agent he wouldn't be making much, if anything)

Sorry but you do know that you're talking utter nonsense here right? Agents - as in real honest to god agents, not guys who have printed a letter head on their computer and decided they want to be one - don't charge you like that, and it is physically impossible for them to make more than the author as they're paid an agency fee, which is a percentage of the advance paid to the author. Their 15% is deducted when the publisher deposits the check in their account, with 85% coming to you, to be divvied out with the tax man who wants his pound of flesh, and yourself. You don't pay them in advance. The old axiom is money flows toward the writer. Not away from you.

If you are serious about a career as a writer you need to know lots of stuff, for instance invariably the lack of money involved. The average advance for a first time novelist in genre fiction is an appalling sub 4,000 US. Dorchester for instance (hard case crime, leisure horror etc) often pay 2,000 to 2,500 advance. You may indeed earn out and make considerably more, but the truth of the matter is you sign a contract, and see the first part of a staggered advance perhaps 10-12 weeks later. This advance will be split more often than not into signature, delivery and publication. So even if you signed a 10,000 dollar deal it'd come as 3,000 at a time, most likely spread over 18 months as that's a fairly standard lead time on publication.

Without an agent it is very difficult not only to make the first sale, but for all of those markets you want to crack like Spain, Germany, Italy, etc. They open doors you won't get through yourself 9 times out of 10. There are exceptions, there are always exceptions, but are you one? Odds on, not.

Now if you are serious about writing original novels, most important thing is to finish what you start, then send out query letters to targeted agents who are selling the kind of stuff you are writing (tip, look at the acknowledgements page in the books, most of us thank our agents, its just good form). Aim high and work your way down. Buy a copy of the Writers and Artists Handbook, check the listings, research which agents represent what kind of fiction - and sad truth... if you've sold nothing, no track record say of winning the Writers of the Future (largest award for first time sf writers) you haven't got a lot to offer in terms of attractiveness to a high profile agent, which means you'll most likely get rejected unless your query is brilliant (and conforms to industry standards, just google query letters, it is all there).

If you are lucky and you get a bite, get that manuscript straight in there - hence finish the book first.

Not sure where you live, but if you have conventions in your area where agents attend, make a visit, say hi, don't try and sell yourself, but just be seen, so when your query goes in they can put a name to a face - people like to deal with people they know, at least in some small regard.

I can go on and on and on, but you need to understand what you think you know about the business of writing is fundamentally flawed - if you are working SF I suggest you google Joshua Bilmes, Ethan Ellenberg, Merilee Heifetz, Russ Galen, John Silbersack, Richard Curtis and Donald Maas, who off the top of my head are the top tier of agents representing what you're looking to sell. Seriously, do some research. If you wanted to be a doctor you'd go to med school, a mechanic you'd be puttering around over the engine and killing your car if you didn't go look at manuals. Learn the business of writing, understand the returns system, withholding advances against future returns, find out what an escalator clause is, find out what rights you have to sell, find out what is selling for how much (check out Publisher's Lunch, Publisher's Marketplace), and most of all, cross your fingers because it's luck, it's hard work, it's frustrating, and those first doors really want to stay closed - but if you do manage to open one, use that to barter your way through another door...and keep on.

[Princess Awinita]

Well, I'm totally new to going public to get a story published in actual print, heck I'm really thinknig of just going self publishing like the guy that wrote the book Eragon. (which is amazing) He self published it on his own with his family, and then toured around promoting it. Don't remember if he had a agent during that or not.

All I was told were the stories of agnets trying to get the money and then scram, and personally, I'm not too fond of a contract of any kind >.< (one of the reasons I do not use a cellphone)

[StevenSavile]

Paolini is an odd case, you need to remember that his father was part of a major cult and worked later as deprogramming people as they came out of various other cults - he self published a lot of stuff but even so, the actual sales of that first novel were fairly small - he was lucky in that Carl Haasan's son happened to go to one of the schools he visited, he liked the book and told his dad all about it... Carl then contacted his editor and said check it out...

It's the exception, not the rule... and there are a lot of very suspect chinks in the glory story if you go through stuff like the wayback engine looking into the links before the big sale.

Remember the self published book was then professionally edited as well.

As for touring school to school, Paolini was homeschooled and his parents drove him around the country to sell the book. That's a hell of an investment in time and money from the family's perspective - so not a good plan if you need money, you know?

As to scam agents, there are scam artists in every way of life. Those guys I listed, all top tier pros. If you have a nibble from someone, go to writersbeware run by Victoria Strauss, or check out Preditors and Editors (which is not as uptodate but has been around for a long time). Research helps you spot the scam artists - ask for their client list - a legit agent will not hide it, most have it on their websites, they want to be feted and they want the next big thing coming to them...

If you haven't sold more than 3 professional short story sales, I'd urge you to check out the Writers of the Future competition, fantastic prize money, a week long work shop in hollywood with Tim Powers, KD Wentworth, Robert Sawyer, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Sean Williams, Pat Rothfuss, Kevin J Anderson, and for the last 4 years, me (though I am the token look work hard and you CAN break through guy)...

[Princess Awinita]

As to scam agents, there are scam artists in every way of life. Those guys I listed, all top tier pros. If you have a nibble from someone, go to writersbeware run by Victoria Strauss, or check out Preditors and Editors (which is not as uptodate but has been around for a long time). Research helps you spot the scam artists - ask for their client list - a legit agent will not hide it, most have it on their websites, they want to be feted and they want the next big thing coming to them...

If you haven't sold more than 3 professional short story sales, I'd urge you to check out the Writers of the Future competition, fantastic prize money, a week long work shop in hollywood with Tim Powers, KD Wentworth, Robert Sawyer, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Sean Williams, Pat Rothfuss, Kevin J Anderson, and for the last 4 years, me (though I am the token look work hard and you CAN break through guy)...

Wow! Right now I'm about seven, maybe seven and a half pages into this story at this point. I'm using a book written by one Kendall Haven, titled Write, Right! And so far so good by going by his guide and checklist and such. (I've written a LOT of fanfiction stories)

I live in Atlanta, and my paretns are on a fixed income, even if I could come to Hollywood and meet you there for the workshop, my paretns would likely drag me to other palces in the area. (there was a convention (Anime*Con) that I wanted to go to this weekend, but knowing my parents they'd drag me somewhere else as they hate that stuff)

And thanks, i'll look up that site you mentioned.

Oh, and Steve (may I call you Steve?) I think you can talk to either Tameor Skydiver for your custom title

[StevenSavile]

If you are in Atlanta go visit Dragoncon this labour day, visit the writer's track they always have some excellent panels, with editors and agents as well as writers. I'm off to zzzz now, but i'll think more about 'advice'... and i'll try and remember to ask for my custom title

[Elite Anubis Guard]

I've recently let myself slip and not been keeping on top of my Stargate purchases. :/ Having a low paying job that you hate going to so avoid working as much as you can can actually be painful to your paycheck. But I recently re-read Siren's Song (sometimes I forget just how amazing you authors are and how well you know the franchise) and desired one of the new ones.

It took much pain and effort but I settled on Angelus (then realised after that James wrote Nightfall and fell into dispair. I do love James' stuff). Can't wait for it to come. Hope it's good.