An excellent story, as always. I am happy that I can ever look to your writing for a good comedy of manners, with the appropriate touches. I am saddened, though, at how few will get to read it.
I wouldn't count yourself out. They say they take 4-6 months to get back to queries, which means they have a truckload of material to work through. I actually received a positive hand-written response from my submission after ~4 months (and my mistake was sending it in too early, which is what they said).
I assume you have your Writer's Market at hand to reassure you that there are plenty of other fantasy presses out there (which aren't vanities). And I trust you are sending out your queries on World Tree-brand parchment to lets the editors know they would be buying into an established franchiseTM with an existing support base. You can also try submitting your book to fantasy novel contests to see if you can rack up some more awards for it. The number one best thing you can do is actually speak to any of the editors for the publishers you want to hit (or share a panel with them at a convention).
Let's see... um... prayer helps?
And I'm very happy to hear that you've finally got yours in a good condition to submit ^^ It must be a relief off your mind to know that the fun is really about to begin. (Heh heh heh)
1. Send book. 2. Gnash teeth. 3. Write next book in great impatience. 4. Notice that first book response is not back yet. 5. Send out Book 2 to someone else. 6. Repeat, repeat, repeat, until you have too many novels out to remember which one you are currently depressed about.
This seems to work. Poorly, but better than this:
1. Send book. 2. Gnash teeth. 3. Grind teeth. 4. Wear teeth down to stubs. 5. Etc....
Also, send those short stories out!!! Anywhere, everywhere!!! You have a mountain of material just waiting to be polished off and paid for. Again, check your Writer's Market for good magazines.
Not only will you prove you're marketable, but one of the editors might actually have heard of you before she picks up your query.
Oh, and sending out queries is probably the most grueling aspect of writing. Published authors have offered to pay my editor just to stamp, seal and mail the envelopes! Keep the kaiju away from yourself when you're printing out the hundredth personally tailored query - it does not bring out the best in people.
I am not writing short stories. I hate it. Sleeth Feast took longer to write than the first draft of Marriage of Insects, and hurt more.
If that means I don't get published, or read beyond a few hundred World Tree fans and a few hundred Sythyry fans, so be it. I have a perfectly good day job; I write for fun. If it's not fun, I'm not going to do it.
Sorry if I sound bitchy tonight. I am bitchy tonight, and for a very stupid reason indeed.
Yes, there's that whole "introducing the world to new people" issue to short stories. I noticed that you used the phrase "dogpeople" in the story, and I imagined you first writing "Cani", then choosing not to open that can of worms.
I hope that you submit to more than Tor, because you are an accomplished storyteller and noticer of social norms.
And be bitchy ^^ Chalk it up as an AFOG (Another F____ing Opportunity for Growth).
TOR was a good choice 'cause one of their top authors let me drop her name there. If they say no, I have a couple other sensible places, and may investigate to find still more. If they say no, Padwolf might take it back, or something.
More whining about my own time and energy, which is mostly going to job and Rhys at the moment. Predictable and reasonable, but depressing when I try to pretend to wanting to be a writer.
Sorry! Even with running for too many players, I had to turn away more people than played at the AC game anyways. I hope sometime soon we'll be able to do more than one game at a con again.
No FurFright plans I'm afraid... though one (or three) of us might be able to manage a daytrip to run a game or two. It's probably the same weekend as Samhain, which is sure to be awkward. D'you know who runs the con? The web site is a bit, well, spooky.
As for furfright, it's co-directors are Belic and K'gra who can be reached at information@furfright.org
In the case of a World Tree demo you'd want to talk to the gaming director who is me, SpotWeld. The best way to hammer out details is to email me at games@furfright.org
Unfortunately, it is Samhain weekend, which means that one of us will be doing lots of Temple stuff, and the other will be taking care of the third mostly. Ping us a couple times between now and then, when the Temple's schedule gets more clear, and ... um ... we'll probably send more regrets, but we might get lucky.
Drop a note to Padwolf at padwolf at aol dot com, and I'll bet they'll send you one. If they tell you they are out, remind me, and I'll get the World Tree story from it (written by me, with art from Eugene Arenhaus) up and available on our site.
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I sent a friggin' novel to Tor last month. Yeah, I know it's pretty doomed. What else can I do though?
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I assume you have your Writer's Market at hand to reassure you that there are plenty of other fantasy presses out there (which aren't vanities). And I trust you are sending out your queries on World Tree-brand parchment to lets the editors know they would be buying into an established franchiseTM with an existing support base.
You can also try submitting your book to fantasy novel contests to see if you can rack up some more awards for it. The number one best thing you can do is actually speak to any of the editors for the publishers you want to hit (or share a panel with them at a convention).
Let's see... um... prayer helps?
And I'm very happy to hear that you've finally got yours in a good condition to submit ^^ It must be a relief off your mind to know that the fun is really about to begin. (Heh heh heh)
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1. Send book.
2. Gnash teeth.
3. Write next book in great impatience.
4. Notice that first book response is not back yet.
5. Send out Book 2 to someone else.
6. Repeat, repeat, repeat, until you have too many novels out to remember which one you are currently depressed about.
This seems to work. Poorly, but better than this:
1. Send book.
2. Gnash teeth.
3. Grind teeth.
4. Wear teeth down to stubs.
5. Etc....
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Not only will you prove you're marketable, but one of the editors might actually have heard of you before she picks up your query.
Oh, and sending out queries is probably the most grueling aspect of writing. Published authors have offered to pay my editor just to stamp, seal and mail the envelopes! Keep the kaiju away from yourself when you're printing out the hundredth personally tailored query - it does not bring out the best in people.
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If that means I don't get published, or read beyond a few hundred World Tree fans and a few hundred Sythyry fans, so be it. I have a perfectly good day job; I write for fun. If it's not fun, I'm not going to do it.
Sorry if I sound bitchy tonight. I am bitchy tonight, and for a very stupid reason indeed.
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I hope that you submit to more than Tor, because you are an accomplished storyteller and noticer of social norms.
And be bitchy ^^ Chalk it up as an AFOG (Another F____ing Opportunity for Growth).
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Perhaps I can catch the next one. (Will there be a game at FurFright by any chance?)
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No FurFright plans I'm afraid... though one (or three) of us might be able to manage a daytrip to run a game or two. It's probably the same weekend as Samhain, which is sure to be awkward. D'you know who runs the con? The web site is a bit, well, spooky.
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As for
In the case of a World Tree demo you'd want to talk to the gaming director who is me, SpotWeld. The best way to hammer out details is to email me at games@furfright.org
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I hope that your novel gets picked up by Tor.
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Good luck with Tor. I believe I can guess who it was that allowed you to drop her name; if my guess is right, you have a good, useful recommendation.