Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Link Stew: More Harlanator, and POD

Slashdot has picked up the recent rantings of one Harlan Ellison (specifically, his recent tirade against the Star Trek franchise); and, as usual, the Slashdot comments relating to author's intellectual IP range from inane to insightful, and every whistle stop in between.

As could be expected, it's a heated debate between those who think all information wants to be free (both kinds of free), and those who don't think writers should have to stand on street corners dancing for their dinner. Also, a lot people alternately mocking and adulating Ellison.

Oh, Slashdot...
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Lit agent Janet Reid on listing a prior POD on your novel query


My reaction to that sentence in a query letter is not what you hope it will be when you write it. You hope it implies "experienced author with pub credit who has a sales record."

What I infer from it is "book that sold fewer than 200 copies and means author can't be listed as a debut novelist."

Compelling argument against listing POD on your resume, unless you can add some sizable numbers to the tagline. I didn't realize referring to an author as debut was a good thing.
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Reading update: can't decide between starting an urban horror antho from Shocklines, Grapes of Wrath, or No Country for Old Men to read next. Probably Steinbeck.

Writing update: haven't gotten a whole lot done since Saturday...I did get ejected from Pindeldeyboz, because apparently I can't friggin' count, and I was almost double their max word count. Duh. Actually not a big deal, I must have been really tired when I subbed that night, because I didn't notice that it was FTL. In my defense, I think it was the night my hillbilly neighbor was being cuffed and stuffed by the police in the middle of the street, and I was a bit distracted.

9 comments:

Cate Gardner said...

Ignoring the whole 'Self-Publishing' thing, I wonder if selling a novel to the small press first goes against you... I am probably going to overthink this now.

Jamie Eyberg said...

I don't think a small press sale goes against you. It is still the stigma of self-publishing, something no one wanted to pay you for and subsequently you had to pay someone to publish, is the the bad thing. I would think a small press sale would be good :).

Jeremy D Brooks said...

I'm with Jamie...I think a sale is a sale. It means someone thought that your work was good enough to make money off of.

Aaron Polson said...

Small press can be good press. I mostly ignore the "be careful who you publish with" warnings. If no one has heard of them, just keep your big yap shut about it.

We all make mistakes.

PublishAmerica/IUniverse won't be one of mine.

Robert said...

I doubt he's done it recently, but my agent years ago came across a self-published book in a Philadelphia bookstore, thought it looked interesting, bought it, read it, and liked it enough that he tracked down the writer and offered him representation -- and now that writer is a best-selling author. One of those one-in-a-million things, but there you go.

Fox Lee said...

Go with the antho!

Fox Lee said...

UPDATE: "Across Causeway Bay" was rejected, then resubmitted to Midnight Echo. Let me know if you want to switch with another story!

Jeremy D Brooks said...

Ah, man...sucks for both of us. Do you have a link to the latest list of 'live' stories?

Fox Lee said...

Yup, and there's plenty to choose from! : )

http://writtenbysin.blogspot.com/2009/02/still-no-acceptance.html