It's the first Wednesday of the month, and that means it's time for another meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. Our leader Alex J. Cavanaugh has recruited another studious batch of minions for this month: Toi Thomas, T. Powell Coltrin, M.J. Fifield, and Tara Tyler.
Be sure to check out the IWSG website for lots of great support and writing advice! The next IWSG Anthology Contest is also now officially open for submissions, so you'll definitely want to look into this great writing opportunity.
The optional question for this month is: What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why?
There are certainly more paths to publication than there used to be, and it means more authors can find an audience for their work. I've had some experiences with both of these paths. I self-published some of my novellas because a lot of traditional publishers won't touch works of that length. There are some signs that's beginning to change, but self-publication still allows a lot more leeway in terms of manuscript length. An author can tell the story they want without having to worry too much about it falling within a specific word count range. Though I'm not the best at marketing my stories, I'm still pleased they found the audience they have.
I've also had some short stories published at small presses, and that's also been a great experience. There are so many small publishers out there that are dedicated to producing quality books, and I'm happy to be a part of that.
What are my publishing plans for the future? I'd like to try to get a novel traditionally published. I'd try by querying agents, and if I didn't have any luck there, I'd move on to some smaller publishing houses and see if they might be interested. Why do I want to be traditionally published? It's just been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember. Hopefully I can accomplish it. If not, at least I know there are other avenues to explore.
What publishing path appeals to you the most?
There are so many paths available. Good luck with your querying!
ReplyDeleteThere are lots of paths and experiencing many helps your career.
ReplyDeleteHappy IWSG Day!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your publishing plans. Seeking a traditional publisher is a reasonable aspiration, especially if you are also open to other options. In this day and age, you can be a hybrid- both self-published and traditionally published.
Best of luck with all your publishing endeavors.
Best wishes with your querying! It's not just lengths you can circumvent with indie publishing, but there are certain story conventions or concepts that traditional publishers don't know how to market. They have specific packages and marketing plans, and they only accept things they know how to sell.
ReplyDeleteI'd certainly be interested in a full novel by you.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your querying! I do love all the presses out there that still publish short stories.
ReplyDeleteThe publishing path that most appeals to me is the one that gets my work in front of readers' eyeballs! So far, that's a small publisher. I appreciate the extra help with editing, covers, etc. I wish you happy writing in September.
ReplyDeleteFrom time to time, I consider trying the traditional path, but I enjoy the self published path too much. Plus, I have no patience with how long trad can take. XD
ReplyDeleteI am aiming for the traditional route for my novel...my self-publishing happens on my blog (typos and all!). Wishing you success!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, LG, so many paths that as a reader, I have found so many amazing books and stories to read.
ReplyDeleteBeing traditionally published was a goal of mine and while I achieved it, it wasn't the best experience, but I learned a lot. I love self-publishing, now if I could just figure out the marketing angle, wow! But I'm not against learning, trying, failing, and hopefully coming out on the top - someday! :)
ReplyDeleteWishing you all success!
Good luck.
ReplyDelete