Some editors are too polite to rant about this particular topic, but I’m not known to be a polite fellow, so I’ll go ahead and say what we all feel.

 There’s this problem, see: a big damn mistake that keeps getting made, and not just by aspiring noobs, but also by published writers who should know better. To be honest, this particular mistake makes me sometimes wonder how the hell they even got published in the first damn place!

 The problem? Improper formatting!

 No. Not just improper. PISS POOR formatting!

 Not only do they SUCK at following guidelines (y’know, 12 point font, New Courier or Times New Roman, as a .doc or .rtf only), the dummies can’t even do basic formatting right! It’s like none of them have ever read Vonda N. McIntyre’s Manuscript Preparation; before.  The only time that article shouldn’t be followed with religious zeal is when the editor specifically says something different in his guidelines, like “single spaced, no indents, space between paragraphs.” If he asks for that, then that’s what you give him. If he doesn’t specify, than standard format is what you do. Seriously, how damn hard is that to understand?

 But I decided I’d be a nice editor and not get all tricky with you. I kept it simple. Standard formatting, 12 point font, Courier or Roman. And I was perfectly fine with people getting “creative” with the formatting so long as they kept it readable. But some, it appears, can’t even do that!

 Okay, not all seem to fail at it, but a lot do. So much so, that I give up wasting time to ask folk to “Please follow correct formatting. After all, you wouldn’t go to a job interview without looking your best, so why would you do the equivalent to your manuscript?”

 Instead, from henceforth, I shall reply with the following term: F.I.R.I.! Which stands for: Format It Right, Idiot!

 So repeat after me: “Vonda N. McIntyre is God, and her ‘Manuscript Preparation’ article is Law.” Now repeat that over and over until you finally get that in your head.  

 Now repeat: “The Editor is God, and his/her guidelines are Law.”

 And for the love of all that is holy! If you submit a story to a faery-themed anthology, the least you can do is have a damn faery or two in the damn story! Sheesh!

Rant over.

The reason I am doing this is because as you all know I’m an INDIE writer.  (Funny thing, I used to think the term “INDIE WRITER” were people from India who did writings):)          But “US” writers albeit from India or the USA, need promotion and exposure for our books; and if I happen upon a site where I think will help people who are or are inspiring authors then I will list it.  And I encourage any of you to provide links for helping us with our book endeavors.  NO GOOD DEED GOES UNNOTICED:):)   The link is:  http://inwriters.webs.com/  and this is about their site:)

Independent Writers is for all those who love words. It is as much for authors as it is for people who want to read and explore new works.

If you are an unpublished writer…

…then this is the place to polish your talent and receive feedback on your work.

• Post a piece you’ve been working on in our Short Stories, Novellas, Poetry or Non-Fiction sections.
• Try your hand at writing a One-Minute Read.
• Become an integral part of our community by connecting with other authors and providing them feedback.
• Become an Angel and offer your inputs in creating great works.

If you are a published writer…

…then this is the place to publicize your book among fellow writers.

• Submit an abstract of your work, sample pages/chapters or similar to our Author’s Showcase to whet readers’ appetite.
• Add your book to our Bookstore area so our community can easily purchase your work.
• Provide helpful feedback to other writers and get your name known.
• Become an Angel and offer your inputs in creating great works.

Independent Writers offers the best marketing support to published authors all for FREE.

• Announce Book Launches
• Claim your own Author’s Page
• Advertise your published works

If you love reading…

…then this is the place to find new styles, new thoughts and new ideas.

• Browse through the various genres and discover intriguing new works.
• Tell the writers what you think of their work and help them improve.

As any writer knows, the worst way to start the day is by checking your e-mail and getting a form rejection letter fresh from the editor’s outgoing folder. The reactions come in stages: excitement, shock, denial, rage, and finally, acceptance. Much like grief, when you think about it. So when I woke this morning in my usual grumpy haze and checked my latest correspondence, I was quite understandably frustrated with the world and all things therein.

But the stages come quickly, now. I don’t have an approximate count of my rejections, but I know it’s in the double digits, at least. The first ones were like blows to the heart, like the editors had dangled my manuscripts above my head and laughed at the misery they were about to bestow upon me.

Some things changed: first of all, I got used to it. “Well, there’s only a slim percentage of an acceptance, so I’ll be realistic and say that this will more than likely be a rejection.” I started to look at it positively. “At least I’m being productive!” And then I became an editorial assistant at a webzine and got a good idea of what the editors have to contend with. “Yeesh, now I understand.”

(I should add that this webzine, Every Day Fiction, actually gives you feedback on your stories. Check it out if you’re interested in flash fiction!)

I still get depressed, of course—it’s natural to feel that way—but it fades a lot easier these days. And this is how it should be: you should allow a moment of disappointment (feel free to sigh, slump your shoulders, or bellow a quick wail of despair) and then go about your day with plans to resubmit to another magazine as soon as possible.

That’s the ticket: resubmit. Resubmit until your fingers bleed. Some rejections happen because a certain editor simply wasn’t in the mood. Unfair, yes, but that’s the human condition.

“The title of this post is why rejections are necessary. You haven’t mentioned that at all. No wonder you got a rejection—your structure sucks.”

Okay, why rejections are good things: they thicken your skin and teach you how to revise. And, most important, they keep your head at a decent, average size.

There are probably going to be several angry fists at this admission, but the story is important to my argument, so here goes: the very first short story I ever sent out to a magazine came back as an acceptance, even though I was aiming primarily to get my first rejection and thus start what I like to call the “WHY AM I NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU” train.

I was nineteen, and very stupid. I had wanted to be a writer for about five years by this point, but I had never submitted anything. So I drafted up a story that I liked, targeted specifically for a particular magazine, and submitted with that certain “well done, me” feeling you experience when being especially productive. You can imagine my shock when they said they wanted to publish it.

After this event, my confidence soared like a drunken rocket. “I can get accepted anywhere! I really am a writer! I’m going to be published and write all the books and be happy forever and ever!!!”

Wrong.

The subsequent rejections that flooded my inbox left me baffled. I had been accepted by a magazine—one that actually paid me! Why were these other magazines rejecting good literature?

Because it wasn’t good literature. At all.

This acceptance had done something very bad for my career as a short story submitter. It had told me prematurely that I could expect great things…under the right circumstances. Because of this, it took me about a year or more to realize that I was being idiotic and aiming too high. Since then, I’ve taken many steps back and calmed down, and I try not to obsess over the whole ordeal.

Getting rejections is not ideal, and of course you want to always aim for an acceptance, but a writer who only gets acceptances is boring and doesn’t learn anything about the business, or their own writing. Getting rejections reminds you that there is still so much you can work on. Getting rejections forces you to keep going and fighting for what you want.

But there are still some days you just want to punt your computer through the wall. Some days, this is acceptable.

What do you normally do when you get a rejection letter? Are you as fed up with form letters as I am? What’s been your best/worst rejection to date?

The deadline to submit stories for the anthology “Not Your Mother’s Book . . . on Parenting” is December 3, 2012, so hurry! And if you don’t get your story in on time, don’t worry because we have more than 30 books in the works that need your true stories! Too late for the Parenting book? Try “Moms” or “Family.” The funnier the better! And if they are a little edgy, great! Give us a good laugh. If it’s no racier than PG-13, it’s not too edgy for us. Story length: 500-2500 words. See http://www.PublishingSyndicate.com for story guidelines and a list of books seeking stories. I have two more books in the works: Not Your Mother’s Book on Grandparenting and a new title: Not Your Mothers Book . . . on Working for a Living. I’m waiting for your stories!

Two of our books are already published, and a third will make its debut in December. Already available in bookstores and as eBooks: Not Your Mother’s Book . . . on Being a Woman and the hilarious Not Your Mother’s Book . . . on Being a Stupid Kid. Can you believe I’ve read each one THREE times? Seriously, I have! And I’m still laughing. I can’t wait for Not Your Mother’s Book . . . on Dogs in December, NYMB . . . on Travel in January, and then MY first book in the series, on Parenting in March!

My daughter surprised me last year by writing a book. I didn’t even know she had ever considered writing a book, and suddenly there it was . . . all 300 pages of a young adult fantasy. Wow! I didn’t think I cared much for fantasy, but this one grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go. It wasn’t just that my daughter wrote it. I forgot all about that as I got lost in the story. After I read it, the characters and their lives stayed with me for days. I thought about them and wanted more. I’m helping my daughter edit, and then it’s on to the publisher!

Speaking of publishers, Publishing Syndicate has a really unique publishing offer. They have designed a program to help you get published, and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, either! We will definitely see what they can do for my daughter after we polish her book. This company is worth checking out: http://www.publishingsyndicate.com.

My granddaughter and I have written stories together for several years. When I edit our creations, she watches and sees how I think about a writing project . . . how I move things around, delete unneeded words and even whole sentences, and look up a word when I’m unsure of the spelling. We talk about the changes I make. She’s becoming a good writer, and is developing the skills that she needs to become a great writer.

This summer, my granddaughter will try writing for publication. Publishing Syndicate (www.publishingsyndicate.com) has three new anthologies: One for kids, one for pre-teens, and one for teens. It’s called OMG. My Reality. This will be a test of the skills she has learned, because she will be on her own; parents and grandparents cant help.  Whether or not her stories are published, writing with the hope of publication will strengthen her skills even more. And if she is published, it will look great on scholarship and college applications, along with her other activities and her good grades.

Write with your kids and grandkids. I do, and it’s great!

Publishing Syndicate is actively accepting non-fiction submissions, written by individuals 18 years and older, for these two books that I (Pat Nelson) am co-creating: Not Your Mother’s Book . . . on Parenting and Not Your Mother’s Book . . . on Grandparenting. This new anthology series, featuring more than 35 different titles, will be targeted at a mature audience and, as such, many, but not all, of the stories will contain language and situations with a rating of PG-13 or TV-14. Stories must be entertaining, humorous, or inspiring, not sad, sappy or preachy. And please, no death or dying stories. Royalties will be paid. For more information, go to http://www.PublishingSyndicate.com.

The exhilaration of being at the top, feet swinging happily, and never doubting that I’d always be able to push them off the ground and get back up there.

Even as a child I was all or nothing – I’ve never been very good at the grey in-between.

Flickr: enggul

But I’d probably sneak some goat’s cheese while your back was turned…I can’t be trusted around that stuff, seriously.

I’ve had dozens of stories published and still, each one is beyond exciting. It’s euphoric. Full stop. But then the ground comes hurtling towards you and you slam feet first into the mud with a politely worded We don’t think this piece is quite right for us email.

I got two of them this weekend. Damn, hey? One I’d been waiting three months for, the other three weeks. I caught sight of myself in the screen of my computer and saw a tight little mouth and a scowl that did my Medusa tattoo proud. Then I did the only thing I could: I spent the night editing it, and sent it off to another publisher. Then I ate half a pineapple, listened to Big Mama Thornton (a woman who truly knew the meaning of the blues), and edited two more stories and sent them off too, to different literary journals.

Submitting stories is such a confronting experience. But it also presents an amazing learning curve, and I know each one makes me a better writer, in some small way. I’m also extremely lucky to have had more acceptances than rejections, so I know all I have to do is get back on that damn see saw, even if it feels like this:

Flickr: Autowitch

The infamous maybe pile. A stack of stories that have been kept around during the editing process for another read. These lucky few were able to beat out the weak contenders but only some will make it all the way to the top a.k.a publication.

So as of late, I’ve been getting a lot of my stories into the maybe pile but most of the time they get rejected rather than accepted.

Why is this?

Well, there’s numerous reasons behind this. The piece didn’t quite fit the theme or ideology the magazine or anthology was trying to get across to its readers. Other times, the story could have used another draft or was lacking that certain spark.

Now you might be saying the maybe pile can’t be all that bad and that’s true to a certain extent. In the past, I submitted stories and they were outright rejected. Nowadays, my stories are good enough to be taken out on a couple dates.

Metaphors aside, I’m making progress. The stories have something that has a caught the editor’s attention, a vague something that has compelled them to set it aside for future readings. I think it’s an inner potential that has yet to be realized.

How can the story make it pass the maybe pile?

Simple: hard work, multiple drafts, and a little patience. Plus a few peer reviews never hurt anyone.

So what are you really trying to say?

Stop making excuses and put in work and maybe then that “maybe” can be turned into a definitive yes.

According to the statistics at Duotrope, from a pool of 755 submissions, only 0.4% of them resulted in an acceptance letter. It takes an average of 30.5 days to receive a rejection letter.

Now I’m on to editing more of Symbiosis. More writing is the only way to get my mind off the waiting for a response once I’ve sent in a submission.

• The ‘Request for dedicated readers’ that I answered at critters.org is going fairly well – I’m up to around page 125 out of 184, so more or less on track for finishing by the end of the month. I’m liking the story so far, and hopefully I’ll have some helpful feedback to share with the author.
• New smartphone apps! I’ve been learning some good tricks with NS Basic App Studio, and have completed little apps for date calculator, (figuring the difference in days between two dates or the date result of offsetting an input date by a particular number,) and a data collection front end that feeds into a web application back end. I’ll post some screen captures in a few days if I remember.
• The Straight Dope Message Board short fiction contest went well, though I didn’t win in the voting. But I really like my story, which actually took the character of Lisa from Chatterboxes, which is fundamentally a speculative contemporary sci-fi book, and put her into an urban fantasy scenario, learning sorcery from a teacher who isn’t quite what she expected.
• I’m a little behind on my goal of submitting a story a week this month – I’ve done two, and I want to make a few more revisions to the Landing based on my critique tracking results before sending it out again.
• I’ve nearly finished the second out of three fandom chapter updates I wanted to make in May – this one is ‘Children of the Molecule’, my Roswell/Doctor Who crossover, which is finally drawing towards an end.
• And I’ve written a new scene for ‘The Long Way Home’, with Naveli getting Ereyu as a pet ferret.

First, I went to Barnes and Noble, grabbed the Writer’s Market Deluxe Edition, the Writer’s Market Guide to Literary Agents, and Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents, I sat down at one of the little tables, drank way too much coffee, and flipped through all three books. I ended up buying Jeff Herman’s over the Writer’s Market series, which surprised me, but the Herman’s guide has questionnaires that the agents fill out. It makes me feel like I’m scanning an online dating service trying to figure who’s best for me and my wonderful memoir.

So, I brought Jeff Herman’s Guide home about three weeks ago. I diligently got to work with the letter ‘A’ and started reading every single entry and marking the ones I thought were “Possibilities” and “Definites” with those cool color coded sticky tabs. Once I got 15 Definites I sat down at my computer and started entering their information on Excel. I started doing this years ago for Literary Journals when I sent my short stories away and it has made the whole process so much easier.

I start with the name of the agency, the name of the specific agent at that agency who I want to send my work to, the address, website, and email address of the agent. In the next column I add what kinds of work they are looking for, followed by any interesting quotes they gave in the book that I could possibly use as guidance when I write my query letter. In the next column I have their specific submission guidelines followed by when I sent my query and when I received my rejection.

Finding and entering 15 agents into my template took about ten days because, well, because I have a life. I work, I write, I have a girlfriend, I have friends. I don’t have 12 hours to spend doing this tedious crap everyday. So, after all the agents were entered in my fancy template, I went to every single agent’s website to find out anymore useful information like if they still work at the same agency (two agents didn’t), if they are currently accepting unsolicited queries (one isn’t), and if their submission guidelines are different from what I read in Herman’s Guide (three weren’t).

After that, which took another week, I was finally ready to submit my personalized, edited, exciting queries to the nine agents my list had been whittled to. Seven of them only read email queries, which seems like it should be nice, but it’s not. They will delete your email the second they see it if you have any attachments, so everything has to be copied into the body of the email. So, I paste my query and the first ten pages of the manuscript (what this specific agent wanted) in the body of the email. I type her email address slowly and double-check it numerous times so that some unwanted idiot with a very similar email address doesn’t end up with the first ten pages of my masterpiece. I reread the query letter, which I’ve edited three times, and scanned for any ugliness in the first ten pages and I’m ready to send. I think. I can’t hit the send button. Something’s wrong. I’m missing something. If I don’t follow these directions perfectly, she’s going to throw my query out without every realizing how wonderful my book is. Oh no. Just hit send. Please. I don’t have all day.

I think about it. I scan the email. I check it over. I hold the cursor over the send button. I scroll through the email again. Finally, I just hit send. And it’s gone. Forever. I will never see that letter again in my life. The second one I freaked out a little less, and by the 5th, 6th, and 7th email queries I was as heartless as they come. Hopefully, careful, but heartless. Paste everything, read it over, check the format, send. Gone. Next!

Two of the nine agents still wanted submissions and queries done through snail mail. So, after I tortured myself in front of my computer for an hour or so, I had to wait on line in the post office for 25 minutes hoping that I sealed all the necessary materials in the right manila envelopes. After the post office I went food shopping and by the time I got home, I had to check my email. Maybe someone already read my query and they can’t wait to read the rest.

I open my laptop and go to my email and, holy shit. There’s a response from one of the agents. I open it, kind of looking away, kind of reading, so in case it’s a rejection, maybe the blow won’t be so bad. And, it was a rejection. And the blow, although not devastating, wasn’t easy to take. Luckily, I still have eight more queries out there. And, I’m already looking up my next 15 because I figure it will take these agents just as long to read and reject my work as it will for me to find the next crap of agents who can reject it.

“Set not too far in the future, This Prison Earth is a multi-series screenplay about the Human Race confined to a small area of space because it’s too human by far.”

Interested? Come along and join us.

For the more serious writer intent on publication we have The Sub-Marines. A self-help group who are not afraid to point out the errors in our writing before we subject weary Editors to them.

Do you want to be published? Come and find out how.

Do you have a story in your head, but don’t know how to write it? We have many groups who will encourage you at whatever stage of writing you are at. Don’t be afraid, get that story written.

Still, there are a few rules that hold true for writing a cover letter and for any genre. They’re simple. First, check out the publisher’s guidelines and follow them. There’s no faster way to annoy an editor and not have your piece read than to go against their rules.

Second, get the address and the editor’s name correct. If you don’t know the editor’s name or there are multiple editors, then just say “Dear Editor(s).” No one will get in a tizzy over that.

You want to then tell them what you’re sending. This does not, emphatically does not, mean recapping the whole story. That’s what your story is for. We don’t want you to tell us anything about it except if it’s racy and you’re not sure the magazine accepts erotic elements. I usually put something brief ; I can remove the explicit sexual elements if needed (but it’s rare that I need to specify). Writing, “I’m submitting ‘Hatchet Job,’ a 1400 word piece, for consideration in Real Life Tales” will suffice.

Oh, and you never need to say, “My name is Joe Smith.” After all, you’re signing your cover letter, right? And you’re putting your name on your manuscript, right? So why tell me your name in the beginning? That already will make me think you might have a tendency toward redundancy in your story.

You should include a short paragraph of your most pertinent publications. If you’re submitting to a children’s market, don’t list your published erotic stories. If that’s the only thing you have published, make it less specific as in, “I have published several stories in the Cleis Books anthologies.” That will indicate that you have publishing credits but not emphasize erotic.

You want to put that you have published in, say, “Weird Tales, October Country, and Wild Wombats Unleashed, with new work coming out in New Cthulhu and Snickers From the Timestream. It’s best to put publications related to the genre you’re sending to if you can, and you can mention any recent awards or honorable mentions. You don’t need to list the titles of your stories, nor dates and volume numbers. If an editor really wants to hunt down your work they’ll do so by your name and the magazine you’ve mentioned. Many editors are well aware of other publications and authors already.

Don’t list everything you’ve ever published. Five is usually plenty. You can list if you’re a member of any pertinent associations. For speculative works, SFWA, HWA, SF Canada are a few, as well as workshops attended: Clarion, Odyssey, CSSF, Fairwood…there are many. This may not mean a jot to some editors but if you’re a new writer with no publishing credits, do list them. It shows you’re serious about your craft. I usually just put SFWA on my manuscripts and leave it at that.

You don’t want to demand that the editor read your piece or tell them that they will like it or find it wonderful. They’ll decide that for themselves. You can always say you hope they enjoy it and thank them for their time. Last, let them know if your manuscript is disposable, if you’ve supplied a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) or if you’d like an email response (if their guidelines say they will do this), and sign off.

There are variations on this and some editors are way more touchy about letters than others. Some might tell you that listing three publication credits is enough. Some won’t even care. The best advice: keep it short. Editors receive hundreds of letters and don’t have time to do more than read a short paragraph.

There are science fiction/fantasy conventions and then there are science fiction/fantasy conventions. Many SF conventions offer a fan track, where fans of novels, writers, movies, TV series or games can gather to meet some of the real-life people behind their entertainment. Often there are numerous fan activities that can involve everything from a costume contest, a masquerade, dance and just good ole fun dressed as your favourite Jedi warrior.

Then there are professional SF conventions. World Fantasy Convention (WFC) is just what is sounds like: a meeting of enthusiasts from around the world (but mostly the English speaking world) who come to discuss the genre, hobnob and award the bright new stars. The world fantasy award is given every year for best novel, novelette, novella, short story, other work, art, etc. at the convention. There is the usual art show and panels on aspects of fantasy.

How it differs from other conventions is that there is no fan track. It is mostly professionals and a few fans but no one wears a costume. Authors, editors, publishers, artists and a few others come together once a year, usually in the US but every third year or so is in an exotic foreign land. This year it’s in Calgary, AB.

I have usually tried to go every second year, which means I’ll be going this year and Calgary is where I grew up. I go to schmooze (I’m a soft-core schmoozer) and party and try to further my career. Schmoozing can be a very in-your-face “you gonna look at my book, I’ll send you my book” kinda way or a very low key thing. I tend rarely to push the editors as I just find it too rude. That’s the Canadian in me I guess.

But at one WFC I was at a writer/editor’s party and talking with several people. Gardner Dozois, then of Asimov‘s was there and somehow we all got talking about submissions and submitting clothing. Now the booze was really flowing so it was hard to remember how we got to that conversation but it was good for a few laughs.

When I next sent a story to Asimov’s, where I had only ever received the photocopied rejections before, I went out to a toy store and bought a cheap set of doll clothes (Barbie sized). I took the bra/bathing suit top and stuck it in the envelope with my story. In my letter to Gardner I mentioned the meeting and conversation at WFC and said, Here’s a piece of my clothing for consideration. I guess it shrunk in the wash.

Well, it didn’t get me an acceptance on my story but it did get me out of the slush pile. From that point on Gardner always read my stories and sent personal rejections. He never did buy any, but my story “Hold Back the Night” that I call my literary lesbian, erotic vampire tale, which doesn’t have an iota of SF in it, received an honorable mention in the Year’s Best SF from Gardner. It made me the Bikini Islands on the map I suppose. Small and not that noticeable. And all because of a funny conversation.

So, the parties at a WFC can be quite worthwhile.

My friends and I had purchased these old love letters at an antique shop on the Oregon Coast. How, we wondered, did they get there from Texas? We were intrigued, and set out to find their family. Thank goodness for the Internet, because without it, we wouldn’t have found the family genealogist who had researched that very family for thirty years. After a few emails back and forth, I sent the letters home to Texas, where their new owner reads them to her grown children.

Any of us who write for publication know that when you have a good story, you should write it for more than one magazine or newspaper. Each version should be specifically tailored to the publication receiving it. Today, I called the editor of the newspaper in that small Texas town and told him my idea. He was interested, and asked me to email the story. I got the correct spelling of his name, and found out how he would like me to send the story. He prefers email, but some editors prefer snail mail. You must know what the editor wants and follow his guidelines, and you must know the editor’s name when you send the query. “Dear Sir” doesn’t sell stories.

Once I had sent the email, I packed the copies of the letters back into their brown leather bag and put them away. As soon as I did, I realized I wasn’t done. What about the towns those long-ago lovers lived in, I wondered? Would their newspapers be interested in the stories too?

I looked up the two towns and found that they shared the same newspaper. There, in the center of the newspaper’s web page, was a notice requesting story ideas for the 150th anniversary edition. It seemed a perfect fit…and I almost forgot to try it!

So often, we don’t carry our ideas far enough. It can be hard enough to find a great idea. When you do, don’t waste it. Write it for all it’s worth.