Ballpark facts of the publishing industry

I listen to a lot of talk radio. Not as much as I used to but one of my favorites is Glenn Beck. He is also a best selling writer but that is beside the point right now. He is 'riddled with a.d.d.' and uses 'ballpark facts.' These are facts that have a glimpse of truth in them and are true as he remembers them. that is what this is going to be. I wouldn't get into a history contest with a professor based on this information but it should be close enough for the point I am trying to illustrate.

Every one right now is worried about the state of the publishing industry. Publishers are cutting back on accounts and new authors are being put on the back burner while established authors are having their expense accounts cut as well. What is a new writer to do.

This isn't the first time. Two hundred years ago the predominant form of publication was, you guessed it, the newspaper. Charles Dickens and even E.A. Poe serialized their stories and sold them to the newspapers. It sold newspapers and it was a cheap medium for the masses. this model also worked for Jules Vern and Victor Hugo as well as many other popular writers. Books were expensive and the library system, as we know it, didn't exist yet.

Let 100 years pass and the magazine picked up the pace. Newspapers decided they could get revenue in other ways and magazines like Saturday Evening Post, Life, Weird Tales and several others started to gain in popularity. In fact, while novels were being written, the popular medium was the short story (oh how readers habits can change). Several writers made a very good living writing just the short story: O'Henry, Lovecraft, Chandler, Hemingway.

This era in publishing lasted about fifty years or so, again with the short story being the most popular. Then the industry changed. In the 1950's or so and into the 60's the novel became more popular with printing technology changing rapidly and the advent of cheaper books and incomes on the rise novels came into vogue. Several short story writers either had to admit that they could no longer make a comfortable living in this new model and either, continued to write short stories and flounder or learn to write longer pieces and flourish. It was the new age in publishing and it seemed to work.

Now to the present age. 1997 or so (these are ballpark facts you can check this stuff on your own time) Stephen King decides to write an online novel called The Plant. He was going to publish it only online and you could pay him what you would (He threatened that if not enough monetary interest was shown he would stop the project.) It went on for a couple of chapters and then abruptly stopped, he claims because for lack of interest in the project. It was the most successful online book ever until over a decade later.

Come 2008. The economy is down (at least that is what all the economist will tell you. Have you been to the mall in the 2.5 weeks until Christmas. Looked pretty packed to me) The online model is looking better all the time. they are cheap to produce. People will buy their own readers (Kindle and the like, but the price needs to come down for the average person yet)

In short the industry will change. It has before and it will again. Nature of the business I guess. The problem is are we willing to change with it. I for one am willing to give it a shot and be part of the next big thing. Incidentally I think we are part of that next big thing already. the online magazine industry is becoming more viable with each each new issue. The formats are easy to read and even if you don't have a Kindle you can read some amazing stuff that looks like the printed page, even if it doesn't have the smell or feel of it.

Cate made me do it!

Cate over at the poisoned Apple did this first and it looked like fun. Mine won' t be near as impressive as hers but I thought, "what the hell." So here it goes:

Age when I decided I wanted to be a writer: 13

Age when I wrote my first story: 13. Although I didn't write anything good until I was 17-18.

Age when I first submitted a short story to a magazine: 21, although I had a short story published in the Omaha World herald when I was 18 that my high school English teacher submitted for me. I have no idea what it was called but it was a vampire type story.

Age when I sold my first short story: 33. It was to Pen Pricks Micro Fiction.

Total number of submissions: hundreds.

Total acceptances: 10

Thickness of file of rejection slips prior to first story sale: about an inch or so.

Approximate number of short stories/novelettes/novellas sold for cash money: 2.

Poems sold: LOL! Even my poetry professor in college cringed when I had to write the stuff.

Age when I started writing my first novel: 33

Age when I started writing my first completed novel: 33

Age I finished that novel: 33

Age I started my second novel: 34

Age I finished my second novel: 34

Age when I sold a first novel: Ha!

Total number of novels written (discounting duds): 3 (2 thriller, 1 YA)

Books sold: 0 (yet)

Books in the process of querying: 0

Short stories in the slush: 13

Short stories written this year: 25

Age when I became a full-time novelist: 36.

Age now: 34 years 9 months and 21 days.

Oh well

I know at least one story you won't be seeing in the Dark Jesters Anthology. Mine. Just got the rejection last night. They said it was funny enough but not through the whole thing apparently (I am still trying to figure that one out!)

I found another market, gave it another look see and sent it off again. I should hear back by late March. (Ha!)

I just can't believe it is Friday already. The week flew by. I figure I had better make the most of my day and get about fifteen gazillion words written today. Just to be safe I will be happy with 1,500 words.

0n another note, but the same song, I am starting to get the short story bug again. This is really going to throw the novel thing for a loop but at this point I am happy to be writing what I want and when I want to. (except on weekends when my family takes over my life for me :) ) If I don't hear back good news from an editor before then I will wish everyone a happy weekend and see you on Monday.

I think I know my problem

I figured it out. Yesterday I took the boy grocery shopping in the morning and did without the coffee. I don't know how I functioned at all. (just barely, apparently)

I am going to make an extra large pot right after I get done writing this. Whatever this is.

I think my goal will be modest today: four pages in Invasion, my NaNo novel that I haven't quite finished (I still think there is about 20,000 words to go) At least at 1000 words a day I should finish it by Christmas. First draft anyway.

State of Fear by Micheal Crichton is pretty good so far. It is about conflicting opinions of global warming and other scientific theory. I don't know how many of you are Crichton fans but I have been reading his stuff long before E.R. was on television and Spielberg butchered Jurassic Park (not that the movie was horrible but it was only vaguely like the book). I guess I have read more of his books than just about any other writer out there. The only exception would be Stephen King. He is the only science fiction writer that my wife will read. I have never read if he put out any short fiction. I only know of his novels.

Now I am babbling. If you want to see something cool that you can draw your own opinion on, check out the pics on J.C. Tabler's blog post today and let him know what you think of the pics from his weekend.

I'm just going to wing it today-

I should be writing, something fictional anyway, instead of this blog post. Way of the world I guess, procrastinate until I feel some inspiration knock me in the forehead with a baseball bat or maybe a whiffle bat with the aerodynamic holes in it. By gosh I just can't seem to find my way today, I think it is in the air. Either that or I need to turn my internet off and just force myself to do something.

That sounds vaguely like a plan, either that or I might go read State of Fear from Micheal Crichton and let his ghost try to inspire me into the great writing that I know I have lurking under the surface. Unfortunately that greatness is camera shy and likes chocolate chip cookies while they are still warm with a cold American beer in its hand.

Maybe I will go make some cookies--

How do we decide what we write?

Aaron posed an interesting question on his blog this morning: What is horror?

I really don't concern myself a whole lot with what I write, I personally don't care to think about "Okay, today I am going to come up with a 2600 word story on martians invading Des Moines." I am a little more free-form than that. I think my favorite story that I have written, at least in the last six months has been Lullaby and published in Macabre Cadaver (who incidentally has some exciting news on their homepage you should read) I actually just came up with a situation and ran with it. I didn't have a character in mind when I wrote it or a plot for that matter. I didn't know where the story was going to end or if I would finish it. It was just an idea. Not a very original idea but I thought I would run with it. What the character did at the end took me as much by surprise as anyone. I got done writing it, leaned back and actually went "Whoa! I didn't see that coming."

I think this is how I like to write most of my stories. Just an idea with no real clue where it is going but letting the situation or the character take over and do whatever needs to happen.

How do you like to write?

And the tally is. . .

Well it is that time of the month. No, not that time of the month but the time to pull out the numbers and see where my work stands, at least in a numerical basis.

November was--interesting to say the least and not unsatisfying in the least. I managed to write a book for NaNoWriMo. Yippee!. I also managed to write one short story (1600 words) for Dark Jesters which is still pending.

The month of November actually came in the same way it went out. With bookend acceptances. The first one was for the flash piece Nine which was quickly gobbled up by 52 Stitches and the second piece to get accepted was Coffin Nails, which was taken by Night to Dawn. In between those two acceptances I had a total of eight rejections. Which still gives me an acceptable ration for the month of 20% acceptance. I can live with that.

This month I am looking forward to doing more work on two books and if I can get out of noveling mode I am going to write some short stories. I am also looking forward to hearing back from the following markets (they have to be getting close to getting back to me) : Boston Review (out 122 days), Apex (out 34 days), Dark Jesters, (only out 11 days but the deadline for submissions is up), Dogs Anthology (Deadline is up today), Clockwork Pheonix (Deadline is up), and I really hope from From the Asylum (out 289 days so far). I either expect a flurry of acceptances in the next month or I have to find a bunch of new markets. I am hoping for the first one (Oh what a merry Christmas that would be!)

Well I now havo to get my daughter's snowpants and snow boots in to her school because I am an idiot and forgot to pack them with her before she got on the bus.