I sent out my 2nd Manuscript this morning. No rejection letter on the first one yet. Have twenty-one short stories done and am kinda editing them. Trying to get one per week completed and ready for mailing out....
100 huh? Hope I am not average.
Writing a Trek novel...
- Thread starter Joel_Kirk
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I sent out my 2nd Manuscript this morning. No rejection letter on the first one yet. Have twenty-one short stories done and am kinda editing them. Trying to get one per week completed and ready for mailing out....
100 huh? Hope I am not average.
^Typical response time is 6-8 weeks, sometimes longer. The editors have a lot of slush to get through.
And in fact, the longer it takes to hear from them, the better a sign that is. If an editor doesn't like a story, it gets rejected quickly. If an editor thinks a story has merit, he or she will take time to reread it a few times and think it over carefully. So an acceptance will usually come later than a rejection would. At least, a later rejection with a personal letter means that the editor was impressed enough to give it some thought.
And in fact, the longer it takes to hear from them, the better a sign that is. If an editor doesn't like a story, it gets rejected quickly. If an editor thinks a story has merit, he or she will take time to reread it a few times and think it over carefully. So an acceptance will usually come later than a rejection would. At least, a later rejection with a personal letter means that the editor was impressed enough to give it some thought.
I guess the number of rejections does not equal the number of stories written as the same story could get rejected by multiple magazines. I guess the advice of write, write, write is really close to the mark.
Just wondering what some of the writer's experience with this process was....were there many rejection slips before you made your first sale? I understand many broke in through SNW but it would be interesting to hear about the write/send/rejection stories early in your careers.
Just wondering what some of the writer's experience with this process was....were there many rejection slips before you made your first sale? I understand many broke in through SNW but it would be interesting to hear about the write/send/rejection stories early in your careers.
Or, at some of the larger operations, an assistant will do the first read, and make the decision whether a story has enough merit to pass it up the line or not.
Of course, a long response time could just mean the editor is busy as hell, and left your story sitting untouched in the inbox for two months.
There are some anecdotes in "Voyages of Imagination".
There's probably no pattern though, beyond being able to ride out the rejections and learn from them. My first ever proposal-and-sample-chapters for a (non Star Trek) book was seemingly accepted by a big Australian publisher, they called my agent and me into a meeting, were wildly enthusiastic, told me the contract would be in the mail... and then... they changed their mind. The marketing people had overruled the editor's decision.
It's been downhill from there.
Nah, actually, I've sold quite a few education articles, but most of these were commissioned work, not done by pitching or sending proposals and then waiting for letters of rejection or acceptance.
It took me five and a half years of rejections before I sold something. It then took nearly two years to make my second sale, and another year and a third before I got invited to pitch to SCE. After that I was doing Trek pretty regularly, but didn't make another original-fiction sale until this year (though that's partly because Trek was keeping me so busy).
And here's a tip. That second story I sold? I could've maybe sold it six months sooner if I'd paid more attention to rejection letters. The original version of the story got rejected, but the editor said he'd be interested in a revised version that corrected its problems. I should've realized that that's the next best thing to making a sale, that he was genuinely interested in the story, and immediately started rethinking and revising it along his suggested lines. Instead I submitted it to two more magazines before I realized he'd been right and that such a revised story would be far stronger. I was actually hoping that third magazine would reject it so I could rework it into a stronger piece. They did reject it, I rewrote it, I sent it back to Analog, and it sold.
Can anybody of you live from writing alone?
^I've been able to make a modest living as a full-time writer, but only because I've been kept so busy doing Trek. But it's a tenuous and somewhat spartan existence. I wouldn't recommend it. I'm trying to find some more solid work.
I am a full-time writer, but not in the way you mean.
Could I live off of writing freelance? I wouldn't want to. I like having the security of a steady paycheck in these unsteady times. But my steady paycheck is from writing, and I know from that I'm capable of writing a book-length manuscript every two weeks.
I might not have as much fun, though...
Not yet. Not that I don't have my sights set on it. I just know I'm not about to hit J.K. Rowling's status any time soon.
I can attest to the million words before the first sale scenario, too. I think I had to have written at least that many before "Three Sides...." I've long since lost count. I wrote for about 25 years before my first sale.
(Gah, I really didn't need to realize that.
)I did, however, have the good fortune to only have three rejections before that first sale. Yes, though, it was everything I'd submitted anywhere up to that point. Had way more than that since, though. Nothing in this world is automatic. Just because you have one sale doesn't mean there will definitely be more. You are responsible for your own career.
Are tie-in writers all paid equally, or is that depending on the number of words, sales figures, number of past tie-in works, etc...?
All of my tie-in contracts have had a set paycheck going in, not paid by the word. I know there are variables, and that probably depends on how much you or your agent are willing to negotiate the contract. More established writers will likely get to wield more negotiating power. For instance, Peter David's going to have a lot more sway negotiating his contract than I probably ever will. Also, Peter's agent knows this game well.
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Tie-ins are rarely by the word. Usually the contract specifies an advance or fee of a certain size, and of course the advance for a short story or novelette is less than that for a novel.
Thanks! I will!
Joel, I mean this in a friendly way.... but stop "deciding" and just send the darn story out!
For what it's worth, F&SF responds the quickest. Assuming it is rejected (and I assume that for my own stories, so I'm not trying to imply anything about your story in particular!), you should already know where you're sending it next, and do so within 24 hours of it coming back. It's a good practice to get into, so you can spend your time on writing instead of thinking about "where should I submit it now?"
Best of luck!
And if it's any consolation to anybody, I know exactly what Amy is saying, and I've been trying to start that practice for years, and I still have trouble doing the turnaround...
I think it's wonderful advice....
That's good to hear.
Well, speaking for myself, I kinda like being alone with MS Word, typing out stories. The more time I have to myself, the better. I'd take a "spartan" day of writing over an "easygoing" day of "interaction" any day....
For the most part, anyway. But that's just me.
Any typical day, yes. But what about the day when you get sick or are in an accident and you're saddled with a lot of costly medical bills? If you have a regular job, not only will it provide steadier income than writing, but it'll give you health insurance.
I have no plans or desire to become a writer (at least, not at the moment; teaching high school leaves barely enough time to read the ones written by other people!) but I'd just like to say I find this thread really interesting to read. Thanks everyone for being so honest and helpful.
I agree. Interestingly I teach high school as well, but as I have entered my mid 30s I have been thinking of the time ahead of my students....the choices they get to make, the chances they have ahead of them. I am not unhappy with any of the career moves I have made, but about two years ago I really focused on the idea that if somebody wanted to pay me to write trek.....that would pretty much be the best career possible.
So I read King's On Writing and just started writing like crazy last April. For various reasons I never took SNW on as a goal, and looking back I see it as a huge missed opportunity. I always wanted to do it, so between April and August of last year I wrote a trek novel. During that time period I attended Shore Leave with the goal of meeting the writers and just introducing myself to the editors. After I finsihed the trek novel....(just happy to say I have it done, who knows about a chance to use it in the future)
I got it through my head the only way I would really be able to do this would be to write, write, write, and send in the short stories I was developing into Asimov's, Analog, etc. Between August of 2008 and August or 2009 I wrote 18 short stories. Finally bit the bullet and sent the first one in three weeks ago. This morning I sent in the 2nd. I believe I am following most writer's advice and doing what must be done.....
And I am loving it. There is something almost obsessive about what I am doing and I really find that creating my own stories is really enjoyable. Its become really fun. Holding down a regular job has forced me to get up at around 4:30 in the morning and now I don't even have to set the alarm clock. So each day I think of myself as a little closer to the final goal....which is to write trek stories. That goal may be years away. I think it is reachable though.
Sorry to ramble, but this thread has been a real treat.
For me, it was David Morrell's Lessons From A Lifetime Of Writing. Dang good read.
For me, I actually wrote quite a few short stories with the intent of sending them in to SNW.
Ironically, just when I was getting ready to send them in...I get word that there will never be another SNW. *sigh*
I'd love to make a living writing, but even more importantly, I want to keep my health insurance. No going without at my age, like I did in my mid-twenties...
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