Comments on: Five Things That Do Happen When You Become a Published Author

By: Sybil Ward

Sybil Ward — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 07:17:02 +0000

Thanks, David. I will definitely to a look DeepGenre. All things considered, all I’ve got to lose is a little pride, some paper, and some postage We shall see.

I ordered InfoQuake today. It sounded far too intriguing not to give it a look. I’ll be back when I’ve finished it. I’m anticipating a fun ride.

Take care

By: David Louis Edelman

David Louis Edelman — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 14:21:56 +0000

Sybil: You might be interested in a discussion going on on one of the group blogs I belong to, DeepGenre: When Do You Know Your Manuscript Is Ready? There are a number of authors there (all more experienced than I am) who discuss that kind of question there on a regular basis. My take? You never really know for sure. And honestly friends can be misleading. But if you're game to try and you have low expectations, it couldn't hurt to see what happens if you send it off.

By: Sybil Ward

Sybil Ward — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 06:49:01 +0000

Hi, David. I came across your site while “doing research”. I’m trying to learn what I can about the business of writing from people that actually write. I was attracted by #3 since I LIVE with that concern.

I did not ever have a desire to write fiction. One day I suddenly found a story in my head that would not go away. I wrote it and decided to have some fun with it (thus the website). I just wanted someone to share the story and talk to me about it because my husband was pretty much sick of hearing about it.

Now, friends are INSISTING that I should try to get the story published. At this point, I’m unconvinced. How do you KNOW when you have something worth sharing?

By: links for 2007-03-31 • Morrow Planet

links for 2007-03-31 • Morrow Planet — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 02:22:47 +0000

[...] Five Things That Do Happen When You Become a Published Author (David Louis Edelman’s Blog) (tags: writing) [...]

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 18:45:07 +0000

Thanks for sharing! I think #5 is the biggest. For people who like to create rather than absorb, I believe there is a certain amount of fulfillment in the act of creation itself. But at a certain point the soul feels the need to do something more than simply create, to create something “worthwhile”. In todays world, getting it published is undeniable proof that you have done something worthwhile, that you have added to the sum total of humanity in a significant way other than by simply sucking oxygen. Congratulations, enjoy the feeling.

By: David Louis Edelman

David Louis Edelman — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 20:50:51 +0000

Josh: It depends how quickly we get real ebooks. Once we have a real, usable, lightweight, truly portable ebook reader with robust battery life, most publishers are going to collapse like a house of cards if they don’t adapt. I was hopeful that we might have gotten there with the Tablet PC, but looks like we still have a ways to go.

Is it going to be a good thing or a bad thing? My guess is that, like most change, it’ll initially cause chaos and eventually bring huge benefits.

Cindy: Thanks, Cindy! Now get back to work providing me in-depth commentary on MultiReal.

By: Cindy Blank-Edelman

Cindy Blank-Edelman — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 20:40:24 +0000

Thing number 6 that happens when you become a published author: your older sister greets all friends and acquaintances with “Did you know my brother just had a book published? It’s called Infoquake and you should go buy it right now.” Also part of thing number 6 is sister claims the right to feel vicariously famous because little brother wrote a book.

By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:55:40 +0000

What will be replacing them? A commune of print-on-demand and/or ebook suppliers? Do you think the big companies going away is a good change, bad change, or just “a” change writers will have to learn to adapt to?

By: David Louis Edelman

David Louis Edelman — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 16:28:26 +0000

Josh: Nope, never had that happen. Although I do have some sympathy for that point of view. Not because my publisher is evil, money-squeezing, etc., but because I think in the long run all the big publishing companies are going away.

By: Josh Vogt

Josh Vogt — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 14:21:20 +0000

Have you ever had a self-published author actually look down on you for going through the money-squeezing, identity-erasing blender that is corporate publishing? Are there those you’ve found that think being self-published is somehow going to preserve the artistic value of their writing?