Publishing Advice Sought

[dphipps100]

Hi guys,

I'm new here, so please forgive me if I'm putting this in the wrong place and let me know the appropriate place.

I have an idea for a Star Trek book. It's a rather big one too. Another Trek fan was kind enough to share Pocket Books' publishing guidelines with me and I learned from them that my story would apparently not be accepted, because it centers primarily on two characters who would be new to Trek. They are interacting with established characters throughout the story, but they're still new.

In addition, the story takes place six years after the events of Star Trek - Nemesis, and apparently they don't prefer new authors exploring the future of Star Trek.

I still want to write it and have people read it, however. I'm not even really terribly concerned about the money, I just want to write it and share it. I know there are ways to publish such things on the internet, but I don't know what would be the best way to go about doing that or what copyright issues might be involved.

Do any of you have any suggestions about getting publications posted on the internet and whether or not there would be any copyright issues I need to know about?

(By the way: The story in a nutshell involves a "war-to-end-all-wars" where several different powers around the galaxy unite together against the Borg Collective in a massive attempt to eliminate it once and for all. Picard's Enterprise plays a key role in the story, of course.)

Thanks for any suggestions you can give me.

 

[BolianAuthor]

Hi guys,

I'm new here, so please forgive me if I'm putting this in the wrong place and let me know the appropriate place.

I have an idea for a Star Trek book. It's a rather big one too. Another Trek fan was kind enough to share Pocket Books' publishing guidelines with me and I learned from them that my story would apparently not be accepted, because it centers primarily on two characters who would be new to Trek. They are interacting with established characters throughout the story, but they're still new.

In addition, the story takes place six years after the events of Star Trek - Nemesis, and apparently they don't prefer new authors exploring the future of Star Trek.

I still want to write it and have people read it, however. I'm not even really terribly concerned about the money, I just want to write it and share it. I know there are ways to publish such things on the internet, but I don't know what would be the best way to go about doing that or what copyright issues might be involved.

Do any of you have any suggestions about getting publications posted on the internet and whether or not there would be any copyright issues I need to know about?

(By the way: The story in a nutshell involves a "war-to-end-all-wars" where several different powers around the galaxy unite together against the Borg Collective in a massive attempt to eliminate it once and for all. Picard's Enterprise plays a key role in the story, of course.)

Thanks for any suggestions you can give me.

If you're not concerned with financial gain above all else, I would suggest posting it as a fanfic series, that way you can get your story out to the masses, and not worry about the red tape that comes with publishing.

Pocket Books is a company that is amazingly full of itself, and their guidelines are beyond ridiculous, which is why I would never even be interested in approaching them with any Trek story I might have. But apparently, if you become established within their almighty ranks, you "earn" the right to begin writing books with original characters. But I know they won't let you do that if you're a newcomer.

If I were you, I'd post your story as a fanfic series. But that's just my two cents.

 

[BrotherBenny]

dphipps100, post it on this forum and you'll be fine. I don't know if you've read the post-Nemesis novels from Pocket Books where they have already destroyed the Borg (in a manner of speaking), but I'm sure i'm not the only one who would be interested in a different take on it.

BolianAdmiral, Pocket Books aren't full of themselves. The guidelines are there simply to show that you can follow them. The chances of your first submission being picked up is slim anyway, but if you can write and follow instructions, then you have a shot. But if you can't even follow simple instructions like Pocket's guidelines, how are you going to follow the instructions of other editors in different publishing houses with your original novel?

Check your ego at the door, brother.

 

[Mistral]

Keith R A Candido and other published ST authors have stated in other threads that Pocket won't take original character stories from writers that aren't in their stable. Most of the current crop got published in Strange New Worlds first or sold a Canon story(in a few lucky cases) after having established a record on other franchises like Terminator, etc. Greg Cox, Chris Bennet, Peter David-they all started more or less like this from what I've heard. With Marco gone the chances of walking in off the street and selling ST to pocket are even slimmer as the SNW series is done and the current editor in charge is not enough of a fan to have an active account here like Marco did. Sorry, but for-profit Star Trek is a real tough field.

 

[BolianAuthor]

dphipps100, post it on this forum and you'll be fine. I don't know if you've read the post-Nemesis novels from Pocket Books where they have already destroyed the Borg (in a manner of speaking), but I'm sure i'm not the only one who would be interested in a different take on it.

BolianAdmiral, Pocket Books aren't full of themselves. The guidelines are there simply to show that you can follow them. The chances of your first submission being picked up is slim anyway, but if you can write and follow instructions, then you have a shot. But if you can't even follow simple instructions like Pocket's guidelines, how are you going to follow the instructions of other editors in different publishing houses with your original novel?

Check your ego at the door, brother.

It has nothing to do with ego... it's about creativity... if there is a damn good writer out there, who has a viable story, Pocket Books won't publish their work, simply because that story has original characters, and not the established ones. That IS ridiculous, and counterproductive to them, because if they reject an otherwise great novel based on that alone, they are potentially killing another source of revenue. Writers all feel comfortable writing within certain niche's, and if you force someone to write out of their comfort area, you may get material of a lesser quality. But to say to a writer that you won't accept their original work just because you're new... yes, that is ridiculous and stupid.

 

[BrotherBenny]

BolianAdmiral, think about what you're saying. There are only so many slots open.

If you're incapable of writing in someone else's sandbox following their rules, then it's your problem, not theirs.

Why don't you write something original and not fanfiction and try to get it published? I'm trying to do that which is why I haven't posted anything new in a while.

If your stuff is as good as you think it is, then you'll get published.

In your case, it's all about your ego. You think you're a good writer, prove it the only way the industry accepts...a novel on the bookshelf.

 

[BolianAuthor]

^

Having a book on the shelf does not make a given writer "good"... that may be your measure of quality, but it's not mine. I have plenty of Trek stories I could tell, but that's just my point... I want to tell THOSE stories, not some other work "just to qualify"... I'm not going to invest a year or more of my time writing something that might not even get accepted... that's just foolish.

You seem to think this is about my ego, and even though you're entirely wrong, you can think what you want. But my position is that Pocket Books is only hurting itself, by having these silly criteria. Have you seen the selection of Trek books at your local bookstore lately? It's nothing to be proud of, really... and I don't mean that in regards to writers... I mean it in regards to the sheer number of new Trek titles available. If they allowed writers with fresh and original ideas to get published right off, that may change.

Pocket Books has already held back some JJ-Trek books, so that's even LESS new material we'll see. They are hurting their Trek market by doing this, which is stupid, because as the bookstore shelves indicate, it's not exactly their biggest moneymaker. It is totally within their power to change that. After all, the very reason that we write and read fan fiction, is to get something fresh, beyond what is offered in the novels so far.

But we are not going to agree on this, and that's fine. I gave my advice to the OP, and you gave yours. I will leave it at that, and I will also wish you the very best of luck with your novel, BrotherBenny... I truly hope to see it on the shelf one day soon. All the best.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Do you really believe that if more writers joined the fold that Pocket would increase the number of books they released every month? I think that shows a superb lack of insight into the publishing industry.

I'll be honest, I'm playing devil's advocate. I think some of the writers on here are telling stories better than those Pocket are putting out, specifically in regards to the Next Gen relaunch. But there's also the fact that the world is in a financial bind right now and we should be lucky we're getting what we're getting.

As you pointed out what is on the shelves is pathetic but Star Trek has always been seen as more cerebral than the more action-oriented Star Wars and fewer people watch the former, which is why there is usually one shelf of ST books and 2-3 of SW books.

I personally don't think more writers with fresh ideas would help at this point. What's needed is a complete reboot which is why I've created a scifi universe where I can do just that and tell the Trek-style stories I want to tell in an original setting.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Benny--I think you're dead wrong that because someone does not want to write something that fits the narrow range of stories Pocket accepts, that they are not a good writer. I have absolutely ZERO wish to submit for Pocket, but I don't think that makes me automatically not the caliber of writer who could if I wished. (THAT is something I would only find out by writing something to their specs and seeing what happened--otherwise, you have zero data to go on for me or anyone else.)

I do have original ideas I'm playing with as well, but I'm honestly not all hot and bothered to publish right now. The fact that I don't have a novel on the bookshelf--and it may be the same for BolianAdmiral--is a deliberate choice at this point that has absolutely zero to do with ability.

 

[BolianAuthor]

I do have stories that I am writing for the purposes of publication, but none of them are Trek, number one, because I have way too many fresh ideas for Trek novels that don't deal with existing characters, and two, because like I said... I don't need to waste a year or more putting up with the BS and red tape hassles that come with publishing a Trek novel. If I have a story to tell, I'll tell it here, where I know there is an audience for fresh Trek, and can do so instantly, with just a click.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Benny--I think you're dead wrong that because someone does not want to write something that fits the narrow range of stories Pocket accepts, that they are not a good writer. I have absolutely ZERO wish to submit for Pocket, but I don't think that makes me automatically not the caliber of writer who could if I wished. (THAT is something I would only find out by writing something to their specs and seeing what happened--otherwise, you have zero data to go on for me or anyone else.)

I do have original ideas I'm playing with as well, but I'm honestly not all hot and bothered to publish right now. The fact that I don't have a novel on the bookshelf--and it may be the same for BolianAdmiral--is a deliberate choice at this point that has absolutely zero to do with ability.

I never said you weren't a good writer. All I'm saying is that if you want to play officially in the ST sandbox, then you have to follow their rules.

I personally think that I have enough writing talent to get published, but like BolianAdmiral, I prefer writing about my own crew in my fanfiction. I realised a long time ago that if I wanted to be published I'd have to write something original, which is what I'm now doing.

I've read both your works and I believe that were either of you to create an original universe to write in, you'd both be publishable. Like I said, I am playing devil's advocate. Forgive me if I came across sounding like an ass, but I sincerely believe that if someone is good enough, they'll get published. I know a great writer, Mark Terry, who is being published through an independent press because he had no luck through a major one. We can all get published, but it takes a huge amount of hard work, and that's just the writing. The really tough part is sending it out to agents/publishers, and believe me, writers need a tough skin. My first novel wasn't picked up and it took four years for me to begin writing again.

 

[BolianAuthor]

I personally think that I have enough writing talent to get published, but like BolianAdmiral, I prefer writing about my own crew in my fanfiction. I realised a long time ago that if I wanted to be published I'd have to write something original, which is what I'm now doing.

I've read both your works and I believe that were either of you to create an original universe to write in, you'd both be publishable. Like I said, I am playing devil's advocate. Forgive me if I came across sounding like an ass, but I sincerely believe that if someone is good enough, they'll get published. I know a great writer, Mark Terry, who is being published through an independent press because he had no luck through a major one. We can all get published, but it takes a huge amount of hard work, and that's just the writing. The really tough part is sending it out to agents/publishers, and believe me, writers need a tough skin. My first novel wasn't picked up and it took four years for me to begin writing again.

BrotherBenny,

No harm done... I realize what you were trying to say, which is why again, as someone who pours a lot of time, energy, and thought into my stories, you can understand how I would not want to do that, only to be rejected. If I have an audience here that enjoys my work, I'm happy, because I get to put my message out there, do it for free, and with no red tape. I do this for the fun of it, not for money. Even very skilled and published writers often have "day jobs", aside from writing novels.

Again, I respect your opinion, and your position. I just wanted to make clear that this was not about my ego, and was IMO, about the publisher needlessly reducing its potential offerings and earnings. As I said, I very much do hope you make it, and get published... that would be an awesome dream realized, and you deserve to have it happen. So again, all the best, and let's get back to the topic at hand.

 

[dphipps100]

Thanks for your input guys, I appreciate it.

 

[dphipps100]

dphipps100, post it on this forum and you'll be fine. I don't know if you've read the post-Nemesis novels from Pocket Books where they have already destroyed the Borg (in a manner of speaking), but I'm sure i'm not the only one who would be interested in a different take on it.

I guess I'm simply not familiar with those novels. Do you know their specific titles? I'd hate to throw something in, only to discover that somebody else has already done it. Thanks.

 

[BrotherBenny]

dphipps100, post it on this forum and you'll be fine. I don't know if you've read the post-Nemesis novels from Pocket Books where they have already destroyed the Borg (in a manner of speaking), but I'm sure i'm not the only one who would be interested in a different take on it.

I guess I'm simply not familiar with those novels. Do you know their specific titles? I'd hate to throw something in, only to discover that somebody else has already done it. Thanks.

Resistance, Before Dishonor, Greater than the Sum, and the Destiny Trilogy.