A note to begin with: For some reason, BlogSpot has become very difficult to work with, changing the position of things, the size of the writing, the type of font, all apparently very much at random. Try to ignore the awkwardness of the positioning of some of the elements, and simply read what I have to say.
Authors, agents, publishers and little gods.
Authors have to learn to accept rejection. We are all told that, and we learn to live with rejection slips, learn to live with criticism of what we have put our hearts and minds into creating. We become desperate for publication, for acceptance, and to see our precious book in our own hands - real - something to feel and touch and admire. It is why a whole industry has grown up around taking money from yet-to-be-published authors.
Agents, on the other hand, find themselves in enormous demand. They sit back and every now and then, tell those lowly authors exactly the form of submission letter that just might gain their attention. Do something the tiniest bit wrong - or maybe not wrong, but something they don't like - and it will be rejected. Even that name - 'submission' - like you're crawling on your belly to some god.
And then publishers. Ah, they know best, don't they? They know what sells, what title to use for the product, and whether the plot should be changed to what they think will sell. That the author should have a say? Ludicrous. And usually, the author is too overwhelmed to think they've been picked up by a major publisher that they will do what they're told, few daring to raise their voices in protest.
Small independent publishers. Some of those can be the worst of all. They can be even like a cult, where the 'publisher' is the god, and his stable of authors become something like disciples, ready to turn on anyone who does not join in the chorus of praise for the great god Publisher.
But that is just a few. Many small independents are good, doing the best for their authors. And probably many agents respect their authors, maybe even thinking them as almost as much to be respected as themselves. The big publishers? Are some of those good? Well, since I've heard that a new author gets dumped if they're not an immediate success, I doubt it.
'Submitting.' In the dictionary, 'submit' is defined as 'yield to another's authority or control, surrender' as well as 'present for consideration or acceptance.' I think most agents and publishers fully expect the first definition.
Here are just two sites giving submission requirements (no, not literally on your knees, just figuratively.) There are numerous others. There are even people charging authors to write a 'killer' submission letter. There was one arrogant agent who did a blog post listing all the utterly trivial reasons why she might reject a manuscript. (I think I remember it as a 'she')
This one lists requirements, but they all seem
sensible enough. It is still quite clear who is the one on top and who is the
one that has to ‘submit.’
Another one. Learn all these requirements, and you’ll
have your poor brain overloaded. What a
shame that agents can’t just look to see if it’s a good book!
Well, too bad.
Some of us do not choose to worship at the feet of agents or publishers. It is the self-publishing revolution. There is new light, a dawning of empowerment for authors.
Createspace or Lulu can make your paperbacks or hardcovers at minimal cost.
Smashwords or Kobo or Amazon and a half dozen others can enable your ebook to be available online, usually at no cost at all.
So here are some self-published books that are doing just fine, thank you, without an agent, without a publisher, and no need to crawl to anyone.
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| Recently self-published. |
I wrote about this book in a previous blog post.
It is not only an extremely good book,
but it is an
important book,
something that everyone should read.
The blurb:
When eleven-year-old Meggie's feckless Dad doesn't pay the coal man and they
have no hot water she takes matters into her own hands. With her younger
brother, Jack, she sets off to find the free coal she knows can be found in the
pit heaps opposite their village. When she and Jack return home from their
adventure, she's punished. Does she still love her dad? She’s not so sure and
when she has to make a choice between going to live with her grandparents at
their newsagent’s shop in Newcastle so she can go to the grammar school or
staying in Shippon and going to the local secondary school she decides to leave
home.
She soon finds herself in an ever bigger mess. Billy Fish and The Codmother are
ripping off Meggie's grandparents. With her new friend, paperboy Dave Spedding,
she tries to help, but finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation.
My review of Meggie Blackthorn.
Meggie is such a great character - spirited, courageous and clever. She is so easy to relate to, and one can't help but want to share her journey toward adulthood. A 5-star read.
My review of 'Dragon Slayer Three.'
Things I particularly liked about the story of Rimsey, her
battles and her victories:
*I like that she is a girl, scorned by her peers,
and yet she is intelligent, courageous and above all, triumphant.
*I love the
breathless speed of the fight scenes, and I like that she wins each battle.
(Well, the story would have to end if she lost)
*I liked what she said once -
that in her profession, there was no such thing as a partial win. It was either
a win or no more dragon slayer.
*I liked the pragmatism with which she treats
a needed death - when told that her enemy would not forgive her, she says: "I
know he won't. But neither will he learn from it. You should have let me kill
him. I'll have to eventually. Pass your plate, supper's ready."
*I like the
fact that when the nun tried to lay a guilt trip on her for killing the man, she
disregards it - She looked down at Berenice. "But for me, hate isn't a burden.
It's a tool of the trade." She flicked the reins and drove out, without looking
back.
Things I didn't like? Well, nothing really. Purchasers should be
aware that these stories are only short, 12,000 words for Dragon 2 and around
15,000 words for Dragon 3.
And I suppose they're really meant for children.
That didn't stop this mature adult thoroughly enjoying them.
Happily 5 stars
for Rimsey, her stories and her author.
The story of Mikey, who rashly accepts a drink from a stranger, and his life is never the same again. The sequel to this book of 'Paying the Piper.' I cannot recommend these two highly enough.
The blurb:
Tom Kendall, a down to earth private
detective, is asked to investigate the death of a young newspaper reporter. The
evidence shows quite clearly that it was an accident: a simple, dreadful
accident. That is the finding of the coroner and the local police. Furthermore,
there were two witnesses. They saw the whole thing. But was it an accident, or
was it something more sinister? Against a backdrop of a viral epidemic slowly
spreading from Central America, a simple case soon places Kendall up against
one of the largest drug companies in the country.
(Although a Standalone novel, it is also the Third in a Series featuring Tom
Kendall private detective)
John Holt uses a small publisher known as Phoenix. He has several published titles.
The Blurb:
Dark, stunning and mysterious, Shades of
Gray breaks through the barriers of modern writing and revitalizes the vampire
genre for a new generation. Unlike modern, feeble vampire stories directed at
teenagers and Hollywood, Shades of Gray takes us back to a time when vampires were
still deadly creatures of the night and love knew no bounds. With the same
dedication to the true vampire genre that authors such as Stephen King (Salem's
Lot) and Anne Rice (Queen of the Damned) write with, Joleene Naylor, in her
first book, Shades of Gray, has captured the very essence of their darkness,
the depths of their emotions, and reminded us of the horrifying reality of what
it means to be a vampire.
Lisa Hinsley is one of those authors who self-published to begin with, but now, some of her best books have been picked up by a publisher. It demonstrates that there are a lot of very good books among the ranks of self-publishers.
The blurb: Abe Finchley is a damaged man, an orphan
with no roots and no family ties. When he finally meets the woman he has been
looking for all his life, he finds not just love and passion, but a dark and
violent family history that spans generations into humanity’s deepest past.
Eve is the woman of his dreams; but dream is just another word for nightmare,
and Abe knows all about those. Amidst a confused web of lies and secrets, Abe
is trying to discover who he is and make sense of what he may become. More than
just his future and his new-found love is at stake. When he discovers that he
has a brother, a man bound by divine destiny to kill him, Abe is going to have
to make a difficult choice. A choice that might redeem the world. A choice that
just might destroy it.
A Darker Moon is a dark, psychological fantasy. A mythical tale of light and
shadow and the unlit places where it is best not to shine even the dimmest light.
'If Only I Could Talk' is the first self-published book that I purchased once I came to make some online author acquaintances.
I love this book.
'If Only I Could Talk' by Tony Lewis
The Shuki Series and the Penwinnard Stories, are, of course, my own. To me, they are beautiful, and with more 5-star reviews than anything else, I am satisfied that readers are enjoying them.
It is no longer necessary to 'submit.'
So instead?
And little gods? Why, authors of course. Who else can make a world, people it with the characters we invent, and then have really bad things happen to the ones we don't like?
We, the authors, are gods. Some of those agents and publishers only think they are.
Look for my books on Smashwords, on Amazon or on other online retailers.
2013: And now, the repeated and personal vilification of Julia Gillard, our first (and last?) female Prime Minister. Tony Abbot (leader of the Opposition) 'happened' to be standing in front of a placard which labelled her 'bitch.' She has been criticised for having no children. Vicious 'jokes' are spread by email, Facebook and Twitter. It has become fashionable to hate her. Even those I'd previously regarded as having a lot of sense have joined the bandwagon. There is a facebook page - 'Australia's 
