M
MikeD
Guest
If there are any amoung this forum that are willing to work for a modest price, please PM me! Thx (this is regarding real life, not some in game book)
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Need Book Cover Artist
- Thread starter MikeD
- Start date
- Watchers 2
Code:
The Attack
Of The Slugs
o - eek
+
/ \ 'o_Or, free bump.
M
MikeD
Guest
I'll start working on the tiny pinatas asap.
Mike, what genre of book? What publisher? Your book? Someone else's? Self-pub? [I am a published author in rl. Go to Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble online and type in my rl name - Darlene Bolesny - and you'll see.] (Had to edit that - my current publisher had me take out my middle initial, so it's not showing my most recent book on Amazon!)
If it is a fantasy or science fiction book, then I would recommend going to ASFA - Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists - here: ASFA - Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists
While it's true that some of the ASFA artists charge top dollar, you would be amazed at how reasonable (I won't say 'cheap') some artists will work.
An alternative option (if it is SF/F or even Horror) - find out when and where the next closest-to-you Science Fiction Convention will be held - go to it, look at the art in the "Art Show" and talk to artists there.
Whatever the case, good luck! There are a great number of good artists out there.
M
MikeD
Guest
It's a high fantasy novel and I'm still writing it. I haven't decided which publishers to send it to when I finish but I've been researching it heavily. I will check out ASFA, thanks for your help!
Also - check the SFWA website (Science Fiction/Fantasy Writers Association - SFWA) - they have a lot of good advice available to those coming into the field.
As for 'which publisher' - an old trick is to take a look at your bookshelves. If you have a ton of books published by Tor, then that might be your best place to start! But if they are mostly by ACE, then go that direction. (Because one tends to write the kind of stuff one enjoys reading, and the editors that work at that publishing house like the same kind of stuff that you do!)
Editors are very, very individualistic about what they like/don't like. One editor might adore a book that another one thinks is hideous. I know someone who actually had a junior editor at one publishing house reject his book and tell him it was so bad he should just stop writing - 6 months later, that junior editor's *boss* turned around and bought it - without one word changed! So the moral there is that as hard as it can be, try not to take it personally when an editor rejects your work - they buy what they like to read, and they are all people with different tastes, just like us. And sometimes books get rejected just for business reasons that have nothing to do with how well/poorly a book is written. Of course, if a couple of editors tell you that the same thing is wrong with your writing (example: weak characters or plot), then it's a good idea to listen!
And this is all OT, so I should wind this down. But I will leave you with Heinlein's 5 Rules of Writing:
1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must avoid rewriting *except* to editorial specifications.
4. You must put it on the market.
5. You must keep it on the market until it is sold.
As for 'which publisher' - an old trick is to take a look at your bookshelves. If you have a ton of books published by Tor, then that might be your best place to start! But if they are mostly by ACE, then go that direction. (Because one tends to write the kind of stuff one enjoys reading, and the editors that work at that publishing house like the same kind of stuff that you do!)
Editors are very, very individualistic about what they like/don't like. One editor might adore a book that another one thinks is hideous. I know someone who actually had a junior editor at one publishing house reject his book and tell him it was so bad he should just stop writing - 6 months later, that junior editor's *boss* turned around and bought it - without one word changed! So the moral there is that as hard as it can be, try not to take it personally when an editor rejects your work - they buy what they like to read, and they are all people with different tastes, just like us. And sometimes books get rejected just for business reasons that have nothing to do with how well/poorly a book is written. Of course, if a couple of editors tell you that the same thing is wrong with your writing (example: weak characters or plot), then it's a good idea to listen!
And this is all OT, so I should wind this down. But I will leave you with Heinlein's 5 Rules of Writing:
1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must avoid rewriting *except* to editorial specifications.
4. You must put it on the market.
5. You must keep it on the market until it is sold.
M
MikeD
Guest
Thanks for all the great advice! I'm going to order Morticai's Luck soon, looks very interesting.Also - check the SFWA website (Science Fiction/Fantasy Writers Association - SFWA) - they have a lot of good advice available to those coming into the field.
As for 'which publisher' - an old trick is to take a look at your bookshelves. If you have a ton of books published by Tor, then that might be your best place to start! But if they are mostly by ACE, then go that direction. (Because one tends to write the kind of stuff one enjoys reading, and the editors that work at that publishing house like the same kind of stuff that you do!)
Editors are very, very individualistic about what they like/don't like. One editor might adore a book that another one thinks is hideous. I know someone who actually had a junior editor at one publishing house reject his book and tell him it was so bad he should just stop writing - 6 months later, that junior editor's *boss* turned around and bought it - without one word changed! So the moral there is that as hard as it can be, try not to take it personally when an editor rejects your work - they buy what they like to read, and they are all people with different tastes, just like us. And sometimes books get rejected just for business reasons that have nothing to do with how well/poorly a book is written. Of course, if a couple of editors tell you that the same thing is wrong with your writing (example: weak characters or plot), then it's a good idea to listen!
And this is all OT, so I should wind this down. But I will leave you with Heinlein's 5 Rules of Writing:
1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must avoid rewriting *except* to editorial specifications.
4. You must put it on the market.
5. You must keep it on the market until it is sold.
Which publishing companies are the biggest internationally?
@ Mike D: I don't really know much about the overseas publishers. At one time Terry Pratchett was trying to get me to publish in Britain before publishing here, but that would not have been a good thing for me because I would not be able to attend conventions overseas to promote the writing. I do know that there is a huge book fair in Frankfurt every year, though I don't recall exactly when it is held. But if you live overseas, I would recommend you try to find out when that is held.
@ LordDog: I am not familiar with The Drawing of the Dark (doesn't mean I shouldn't be - when you write you end up living under a rock it seems). But I would be quite surprised if there is any real similarity.
"Trail of Darkness" was the original version of what is now "Morticai's Luck." When I first wrote it, editor Brian Thomsen (who had an *awesome* reputation) was working for Time Warner Books. He wanted to buy Trail, but couldn't because it was "too long" for Time Warner's rules regarding first-time authors. (They would not allow him to buy a book over 100,000 words at that point, and mine was 150,000.) Well, Bob Asprin and I did some bar hopping with Brian and his wife at the World Fantasy Convention which was being held in New Orleans that year (eh eh - "local guides" don't ya know) and Brian says, hey, I'm moving over to TSR and I still want to buy your book.
At the time, TSR was having a lot of success with their DragonLance books, but they were dissed by the big publishers. In an attempt to turn themselves into a major publisher, they had hired Brian away from Time Warner. The plan was to publish books that were *not* related to their games, such as mine. I was a little reticent, because TSR did not have a good reputation at the time (among writers/artists). But the contract turned out to be solid, and I retained all of my rights to my universe, characters, etc. (They had the nasty habit of taking those rights from authors before this.) Of course, when they hired Brian, they also didn't tell him they were 2 steps away from being bankrupt.
So Trail comes out in 1996. It had the dubious distinction of being the last book ever published by TSR before TSR was sold to White Wolf. By the time White Wolf looked at things, they basically said, 'Holy Cr**, give this woman back her rights [to the series] before she sues us!' (See, they had no plans whatsoever to publish anything unless it *was* related to their games and while I held the rights to my 'universe' etc., they had the option for the 2nd book in the series.) So they gave me back all my rights, releasing that option for the 2nd book.
But then what? Unfortunately, you can't turn around to sell a series to another publisher and say, 'Oh, by the way, book 1 was published by so-and-so - would you be interested in publishing books 2 - 7?' I did try for a while, and even had some serious nibbles, but I got tired of spending all the money it takes to go to conventions to woo the editors.
So I had basically walked away from it all. But I still did go to a few conventions every year, generally with Bob (Asprin). In 2006 (or was it 2007 - 2007 I think) Bob and I went to ConDFW in Dallas. And I was approached by a new publisher who wanted to buy the whole series. Which is where I am now - waiting for this new publisher to send me the contract/advance money for the 2nd book. And that may happen at some point. The cardinal rule about the writing business is (and this is a Bob Asprin quote): "It's about as exciting as racing glaciers. . . ." lol. If that contract does arrive, then my UO time will shrink, but I'll never leave UO completely (or Siege ever). It's too good for 'unwinding' after writing.
I do think that "Morticai's Luck" is a better book than Trail - we added some scenes and dialogue and such and slicked up some spots. Aaaanyway. This long post is sort of an explanation for why I'm here playing UO, why there are two books out that really both "book 1" of a series, and also gives more info on how the publishing industry works.
And yes, if you ever catch me at a convention, I can talk about this stuff for hours and hours and hours. I have been going to DragonCon every year, but I can't afford it this year. Maybe next year I'll get to go back again. . . . The one thing I have learned is that I cannot seem to get completely away from the writing. Something always seems to come along and drag me back to it, but just enough for it to be an *expensive* "hobby." [I just finished a 'book-doctor' job for Bob's agent on a book I cannot name atm. And for those who don't know, dear Bob died in 2008.] But life, and the writing biz, and UO, goes on.
Okay, end of [loooong] ramble.....
@ LordDog: I am not familiar with The Drawing of the Dark (doesn't mean I shouldn't be - when you write you end up living under a rock it seems). But I would be quite surprised if there is any real similarity.
"Trail of Darkness" was the original version of what is now "Morticai's Luck." When I first wrote it, editor Brian Thomsen (who had an *awesome* reputation) was working for Time Warner Books. He wanted to buy Trail, but couldn't because it was "too long" for Time Warner's rules regarding first-time authors. (They would not allow him to buy a book over 100,000 words at that point, and mine was 150,000.) Well, Bob Asprin and I did some bar hopping with Brian and his wife at the World Fantasy Convention which was being held in New Orleans that year (eh eh - "local guides" don't ya know) and Brian says, hey, I'm moving over to TSR and I still want to buy your book.
At the time, TSR was having a lot of success with their DragonLance books, but they were dissed by the big publishers. In an attempt to turn themselves into a major publisher, they had hired Brian away from Time Warner. The plan was to publish books that were *not* related to their games, such as mine. I was a little reticent, because TSR did not have a good reputation at the time (among writers/artists). But the contract turned out to be solid, and I retained all of my rights to my universe, characters, etc. (They had the nasty habit of taking those rights from authors before this.) Of course, when they hired Brian, they also didn't tell him they were 2 steps away from being bankrupt.
So Trail comes out in 1996. It had the dubious distinction of being the last book ever published by TSR before TSR was sold to White Wolf. By the time White Wolf looked at things, they basically said, 'Holy Cr**, give this woman back her rights [to the series] before she sues us!' (See, they had no plans whatsoever to publish anything unless it *was* related to their games and while I held the rights to my 'universe' etc., they had the option for the 2nd book in the series.) So they gave me back all my rights, releasing that option for the 2nd book.
But then what? Unfortunately, you can't turn around to sell a series to another publisher and say, 'Oh, by the way, book 1 was published by so-and-so - would you be interested in publishing books 2 - 7?' I did try for a while, and even had some serious nibbles, but I got tired of spending all the money it takes to go to conventions to woo the editors.
So I had basically walked away from it all. But I still did go to a few conventions every year, generally with Bob (Asprin). In 2006 (or was it 2007 - 2007 I think) Bob and I went to ConDFW in Dallas. And I was approached by a new publisher who wanted to buy the whole series. Which is where I am now - waiting for this new publisher to send me the contract/advance money for the 2nd book. And that may happen at some point. The cardinal rule about the writing business is (and this is a Bob Asprin quote): "It's about as exciting as racing glaciers. . . ." lol. If that contract does arrive, then my UO time will shrink, but I'll never leave UO completely (or Siege ever). It's too good for 'unwinding' after writing.
I do think that "Morticai's Luck" is a better book than Trail - we added some scenes and dialogue and such and slicked up some spots. Aaaanyway. This long post is sort of an explanation for why I'm here playing UO, why there are two books out that really both "book 1" of a series, and also gives more info on how the publishing industry works.
And yes, if you ever catch me at a convention, I can talk about this stuff for hours and hours and hours. I have been going to DragonCon every year, but I can't afford it this year. Maybe next year I'll get to go back again. . . . The one thing I have learned is that I cannot seem to get completely away from the writing. Something always seems to come along and drag me back to it, but just enough for it to be an *expensive* "hobby." [I just finished a 'book-doctor' job for Bob's agent on a book I cannot name atm. And for those who don't know, dear Bob died in 2008.]
But life, and the writing biz, and UO, goes on.Okay, end of [loooong] ramble.....
M
MikeD
Guest
Wow, so things move quite a bit slower than I had expected in the publishing world. I live in America, the reason I'm asking about international publishers is so I don't sign any rights over to a smaller company without first seeing what some of the biggest publishers in the world think of my book. (I've been working on it for a long, long time.)@ Mike D: I don't really know much about the overseas publishers. At one time Terry Pratchett was trying to get me to publish in Britain before publishing here, but that would not have been a good thing for me because I would not be able to attend conventions overseas to promote the writing. I do know that there is a huge book fair in Frankfurt every year, though I don't recall exactly when it is held. But if you live overseas, I would recommend you try to find out when that is held.
@ LordDog: I am not familiar with The Drawing of the Dark (doesn't mean I shouldn't be - when you write you end up living under a rock it seems). But I would be quite surprised if there is any real similarity.
"Trail of Darkness" was the original version of what is now "Morticai's Luck." When I first wrote it, editor Brian Thomsen (who had an *awesome* reputation) was working for Time Warner Books. He wanted to buy Trail, but couldn't because it was "too long" for Time Warner's rules regarding first-time authors. (They would not allow him to buy a book over 100,000 words at that point, and mine was 150,000.) Well, Bob Asprin and I did some bar hopping with Brian and his wife at the World Fantasy Convention which was being held in New Orleans that year (eh eh - "local guides" don't ya know) and Brian says, hey, I'm moving over to TSR and I still want to buy your book.
At the time, TSR was having a lot of success with their DragonLance books, but they were dissed by the big publishers. In an attempt to turn themselves into a major publisher, they had hired Brian away from Time Warner. The plan was to publish books that were *not* related to their games, such as mine. I was a little reticent, because TSR did not have a good reputation at the time (among writers/artists). But the contract turned out to be solid, and I retained all of my rights to my universe, characters, etc. (They had the nasty habit of taking those rights from authors before this.) Of course, when they hired Brian, they also didn't tell him they were 2 steps away from being bankrupt.
So Trail comes out in 1996. It had the dubious distinction of being the last book ever published by TSR before TSR was sold to White Wolf. By the time White Wolf looked at things, they basically said, 'Holy Cr**, give this woman back her rights [to the series] before she sues us!' (See, they had no plans whatsoever to publish anything unless it *was* related to their games and while I held the rights to my 'universe' etc., they had the option for the 2nd book in the series.) So they gave me back all my rights, releasing that option for the 2nd book.
But then what? Unfortunately, you can't turn around to sell a series to another publisher and say, 'Oh, by the way, book 1 was published by so-and-so - would you be interested in publishing books 2 - 7?' I did try for a while, and even had some serious nibbles, but I got tired of spending all the money it takes to go to conventions to woo the editors.
So I had basically walked away from it all. But I still did go to a few conventions every year, generally with Bob (Asprin). In 2006 (or was it 2007 - 2007 I think) Bob and I went to ConDFW in Dallas. And I was approached by a new publisher who wanted to buy the whole series. Which is where I am now - waiting for this new publisher to send me the contract/advance money for the 2nd book. And that may happen at some point. The cardinal rule about the writing business is (and this is a Bob Asprin quote): "It's about as exciting as racing glaciers. . . ." lol. If that contract does arrive, then my UO time will shrink, but I'll never leave UO completely (or Siege ever). It's too good for 'unwinding' after writing.
I do think that "Morticai's Luck" is a better book than Trail - we added some scenes and dialogue and such and slicked up some spots. Aaaanyway. This long post is sort of an explanation for why I'm here playing UO, why there are two books out that really both "book 1" of a series, and also gives more info on how the publishing industry works.
And yes, if you ever catch me at a convention, I can talk about this stuff for hours and hours and hours. I have been going to DragonCon every year, but I can't afford it this year. Maybe next year I'll get to go back again. . . . The one thing I have learned is that I cannot seem to get completely away from the writing. Something always seems to come along and drag me back to it, but just enough for it to be an *expensive* "hobby." [I just finished a 'book-doctor' job for Bob's agent on a book I cannot name atm. And for those who don't know, dear Bob died in 2008.]
Okay, end of [loooong] ramble.....
You need to focus on the large US publishers - Ace Berkley (well, technically it's the Ace Berkley Penguin Putnam Publishing Group), Tor, Baen, etc. (Many have been 'eaten' by larger publishers.)
The "biggest publishers in the world" happen to be U.S. publishers. Unless you want to count Chinese publishers.
Subscribe to LOCUS magazine to find out "who's who" - it's sort of the gossip rag of SF/F publishing. (Not really, but they have photos from all the big pub parties, etc. Nice to know what your prospective editor looks like before you sit down with them over a drink to pitch your book!)
The "biggest publishers in the world" happen to be U.S. publishers. Unless you want to count Chinese publishers.
Subscribe to LOCUS magazine to find out "who's who" - it's sort of the gossip rag of SF/F publishing. (Not really, but they have photos from all the big pub parties, etc. Nice to know what your prospective editor looks like before you sit down with them over a drink to pitch your book!)
M
MikeD
Guest
I'll look into LOCUS, thanks for all your helpYou need to focus on the large US publishers - Ace Berkley (well, technically it's the Ace Berkley Penguin Putnam Publishing Group), Tor, Baen, etc. (Many have been 'eaten' by larger publishers.)
The "biggest publishers in the world" happen to be U.S. publishers. Unless you want to count Chinese publishers.
Subscribe to LOCUS magazine to find out "who's who" - it's sort of the gossip rag of SF/F publishing. (Not really, but they have photos from all the big pub parties, etc. Nice to know what your prospective editor looks like before you sit down with them over a drink to pitch your book!)
M
MikeD
Guest
Looks awesome, thanks for posting~!