Into the Dark Waters I Plunge

[QUOTE=jane s.;913568]Kathy, welcome. I've pretty much "grown up" on the Cult (I started posting here when I was 18) and I can vouch for its awesomeness. And its chicken killings. It's always cool to have someone here who can live the dream, too, i.e. make it as a writer. Rock on.[/QUOTE]

"What you can conceive, you can acheive," yadda, yadda and all that. Seriously, though, thank you for the welcome; and I [I]am[/I] one of those cliched examples of "if I can do it, anyone can." I took the hard literary road, rather than the right road and that cost me years and probably royalties. But the consolation prize is the sweet, happy life I've lived for the past 20-odd years, [I]plus[/I] being picked up by a small but well respected online publisher. So I'm a happy camper, no matter what.

Did you self publish at first?

[QUOTE=morey;913785]Did you self publish at first?[/QUOTE]

No, but I am definately a supporter of "whatever it takes." Yeah, yeah, I know what people say about p.o.d.'s and self-publishing. Screw 'em.

I'd advise against the classic vanity presses, but print-on-demand nowadays is what a writer makes of it. There are places that charge upfront fees and al a carte fees, plus a piece of each sold book, and there are those that take a piece only. If a writer's going to go this route, s/he should research well before leaping.

There are, of course, down sides to p.o.d., so I'd recommend going that route only as a back up. For one thing, p.o.d.'s are often more expensive per book than those put out by traditional publishing houses, so that can work against you. Case in point: My publisher's main focus is ebooks, but they also contract with Lulu.com -a p.o.d.- to produce trade paperbacks. But by the time Lulu, DDP and me all get our pieces (guess whose is the smallest ), my paperbacks run between $20 & $25.

Now the quality is very good and, also, my stuff's in a larger print rather than standard (although the large print didn't add significantly to the price; nevertheless, it [I]did[/I] add) and the pages really do look great. It's a beautiful, readable font. But good quality and impressive print notwithstanding, that's a chunk of change to put out for a paperback. I'm sure that hurts my paperback sales ... at least that's what I tell myself.:rolleyes:

For another thing: no doubt about it, right now there's a lot of chaff to separate from the wheat, so p.o.d.'s are battling a poor-quality perception. There [I]are[/I] good reads to be had, but readers have to kiss a lot of frogs to find the prince among the titles. My prediction, though, is that won't be the case within the next ten years or so. Many independent publishers are hooking up with quality p.o.d.'s in order to put out traditional print books. It's how they compete with the NY houses. As quality p.o.d.'s ally more and more with quality small publishers, so too the quality of writing will shoot up.

There are other things to take into a count, but I don't want to turn this message into a workshop. :sleeping: The bottom line is that I don't believe all good writers get published by the big boys. But that's where we're all used to going to look for them. That's understandable. But the field is not only starting to level, it's speading out. Within a decade, the industry isn't going to look like it does today.

Ahem ... well ... I'll step back off the soapbox now ... Sorry ...

Hi.

You seem pretty fancy.

[QUOTE=Thag;914147]Hi.

You seem pretty fancy.[/QUOTE]

Oh, lord. Have mercy on 1.) a new cultie and 2.) someone who's not all that familiar with MBs. I hope "pretty fancy" is a good thing. And staying with that hope, I'll go out on a limb and say "thank you, Thag."

I liked your little speech. Have you signed up for a premium membership or are you planning on playing in the forums first?

Welcome from Corellion.

I published with Lulu too. We're POD buddies!

[QUOTE=K.L. Nappier;914212]Oh, lord. Have mercy on 1.) a new cultie and 2.) someone who's not all that familiar with MBs. I hope "pretty fancy" is a good thing. And staying with that hope, I'll go out on a limb and say "thank you, Thag." :)[/QUOTE]

Yep. It's pretty much a compliment. It's not some new lingo that actually means "prim bitch" or anything like that. It's just a wandering caveman noticing that you probably take regular showers and probably don't eat off of dirty plates and things like that. I could be wrong.

i thought it meant high on her self parading her fancy ways around town.

[QUOTE=morey;914661]i thought it meant high on her self parading her fancy ways around town.[/QUOTE]
There is some truth to that. We sometimes come to resent "The clean ones".

mmmmmmmhmm

[QUOTE=Thag;914613]Yep. It's pretty much a compliment. It's not some new lingo that actually means "prim bitch" or anything like that. It's just a wandering caveman noticing that you probably take regular showers and probably don't eat off of dirty plates and things like that. I could be wrong.[/QUOTE]

you should have one of those Geico cavemen as an avatar

Hi Kathy! I liked your introduction - you should stick around. Some of us here do even shower!

[QUOTE=Thag;914613]Yep. It's pretty much a compliment. It's not some new lingo that actually means "prim bitch" or anything like that. It's just a wandering caveman noticing that you probably take regular showers and probably don't eat off of dirty plates and things like that. I could be wrong.[/QUOTE]

*whew* That's good to know. I've been called many things over the years, but never "prim bitch." Glad my record's spotless there.

[QUOTE=nathaniel parker;914672]you should have one of those Geico cavemen as an avatar[/QUOTE]

Ha! Seriously!

[QUOTE=Clem;914788]Hi Kathy! I liked your introduction - you should stick around. Some of us here do even shower![/QUOTE]

Hi, Clem. Thanks! I do like it here and everyone's made me feel very welcome. And I'm looking forward to getting the chance to poke around the various threads.

[QUOTE=xec8;914537]I published with Lulu too. We're POD buddies![/QUOTE]

Lulu is an excellent p.o.d. For anyone who's comfortable wearing all the hats of publication, it's one of the best out there.

You should do postcards Kathy. You'd make great ones I bet. The thread is called Postcards, Anyone? PM me your address. I'm making them this morning since I've got a late start school day because of tremedous snow. I'll send you my address too. It's a post card swap thing. It's fun.

[QUOTE=corellion;914407]I liked your little speech. Have you signed up for a premium membership or are you planning on playing in the forums first?

Welcome from Corellion.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, C. Don't know yet about doing the primo pac, but the price sure seems right. But first, I have to move just a little further into the 21st century and get a true web site going ... something I've just begun building after putting off for years. Long overdue. My "shilling" is spead out over my web page at DDP, a Yahoo Board, a few freebie pages at various places and a couple of email addys. Time to consolidate.

[QUOTE=LeHaHi;914903]You should do postcards Kathy. You'd make great ones I bet. The thread is called Postcards, Anyone? PM me your address. I'm making them this morning since I've got a late start school day because of tremedous snow. I'll send you my address too. It's a post card swap thing. It's fun.[/QUOTE]

Oh, yeah? How cool is that? I have a very good friend who's a hell of an artist. She sells note cards with her art on them and they're very popular. I could see where postcards would be a good give-away at book fairs, signings, etc.

I'll PM you soon as I get done with this msg.

[QUOTE=LeHaHi;914903]You should do postcards Kathy. You'd make great ones I bet. The thread is called Postcards, Anyone? PM me your address. I'm making them this morning since I've got a late start school day because of tremedous snow. I'll send you my address too. It's a post card swap thing. It's fun.[/QUOTE]

Here I am, confessing my ignorance. For the love of me, I can't figure out how to find the thread. Help me, LeHaHi. You're my only hope.

[QUOTE=K.L. Nappier;915487]Here I am, confessing my ignorance. For the love of me, I can't figure out how to find the thread. Help me, LeHaHi. You're my only hope.[/QUOTE]

Oh, oh! I just found it! Never mind.

ok, sorry. just about to reply...