Storytellersunplugged

by John B. Rosenman 

(This is a draft or outline in progress of an hour presentation I will be giving in February to the Department of English and Foreign Languages at Norfolk State University.  We will be meeting in the Computer Lab, and the web sites you see at the bottom of the page will be programmed through Nomad so all the faculty attending can go automatically to those sites.  I thought this presentation might be useful to others who might be interested in getting published online or through the Internet, especially in the areas of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.) 

1. In the old days, before the rise of the Internet, if you wanted to submit something for publication, you had to print out a hard copy of your manuscript, seal it in an envelope (usually with a SASE enclosed), slap sufficient postage on it, and trudge to the mailbox to mail it.  Today, it’s quick, easy, fast, and above all, cheap.  Not only that, sometimes you might even hear back from an editor in minutes, hours or days.  Fifteen years ago, all my submissions were sent via snail mail.  Today, it’s virtually all e-mail.  It’s a brave new world for writers, and it’s changing every day, with podcasts, blogs, and elaborate writers’ web sites just a mouse click away. 

2. Some basics: whether it’s an article, novel, poem, or something else, do your best to make sure it’s as good as possible.  This means revision, more revision, and intelligent criticism from people who are good readers and critics first rather than friends and relatives who will pat you on the back and tell you how wonderful it is.  Listen carefully to what they say, pick and choose among their comments (which may contradict each other), and try not to let your feelings get hurt.  Be as objective and self-critical as possible without going overboard.  Perhaps most important: remember that it’s the manuscript that’s important, not you. 

3. Also crucial: you must (a) research online markets carefully, perhaps before you even write anything, (b) read their guidelines closely to see if your work fits their needs and slant, (c) read parts of the publications themselves to get a feel for what they want, and (d) present your work to them in a manner and format that conform to what they require.  If they want gay erotic fiction between 2 and 4,000 words in Times New Roman 12, cut and pasted into the e-mail itself, and single-spaced except for double spacing between paragraphs, DON’T send them a 12,000 word mystery as a double-spaced attachment in Courier 12 or a scholarly study of your favorite Gregorian chants in Century Gothic.  They probably won’t even read it. Now, here’s a list of some handy web sites with brief descriptions. 

1. http://www.duotrope.com/  Duotrope’s Digest – a sophisticated market tool for fiction, poetry, novels & collections.  You can tailor your search by genre, slant, word length, etc. 

2. http://www.ralan.com/  Ralan’s  Webstravaganza – perhaps the most comprehensive SF/F/H genre     market guide on the web, divided by pay rate.  Includes links to agents, writers, etc. 

3. http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubsubs.htm/  — Also comprehensive, this gives market     information on agents, publishers, magazines, you name it.  Warns about deadbeats. 

4. http://www.speculations.com/ — A place for writers to talk about markets and editors to post their     guidelines.  Like Duotrope (no. 1), it provides information about response times and other matters. 

5. http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/ — Thirty writers, including Yours Truly, post a monthly blog here on all aspects of writing, and readers can respond.  Includes links to writers’ web sites.   Note: You can learn a lot about writing and getting publishing online or through the Internet by reading our essays. 

6. http://www.johnrosenman.com/ — Your Host’s WordPress website, which he is currently designing.  Includes bio, recent releases, and Coming Soon attractions.