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Dear Lee

Dear Lee,

There’s a rumor going around that Miss Snark is really the creation of a PR company who was hired to mount a negative campaign against targeted agents and publishers in order to drive business to their client(s). Any comments?

Bitten by a Snark
Dear Bitten,

Heard that rumor. All I can say at this point in time is that those in the know at WNW are investigating that claim. It would be pretty interesting if it turned out to be true since some very powerful trade sources that can make or break an author, agent, book, and publisher, claimed to have met Miss Snark “in person” and know “for a fact” that she is a successful New York agent. An editor at a leading magazine said they “investigated” every website before referring that site to a readership which is primarily unpublished writers. That magazine endorsed the snark site. I can say this much – a little birdie told me that testimony about Miss Snark’s true identity was recently given in a court of law.
Dear Lee,

Okay, here it is: I lost my job at a publishing company and you know what I’m doing now? I’m a part time sales rep for a postal meter company: From managing editor to metering postage equipment and it only took me 14 years from there to here. OY VEY!!! Am I bitter…you betcha. Do you think I’ll ever get called back to work with the publishing company?

Editor Without His Red Pencil
Dear Pencil-less,

NO. My suggestion is that you give up that dream and either “get happy” with your new job, find another job or start your own business. Sadly, my dear friend, you are now over-qualified for the type of “editors” needed by many publishing houses these days. It’s more about quantity of new releases than it is the quality. However, this is a wonderful time to, as I have said many, many times before, think “outside the oval.” There’s still a craft to writing…right? Writer’s need to know their craft…right? Hell, you’d be doing the world a big favor by setting up your own editing business. Yeah, why not? Take some of the bad writing off the streets and turn it around. In the meantime, you could write some articles for WNW. If you are interested, get in touch with Patrick at info@writersnewsweekly.com

We don’t pay much, sometimes we don’t pay anything at all, but at least you’ll be heard.
Dear Lee,

I’m a new writer, yet to be published. I really don’t want to self-publish simply because I don’t want to be a publisher. But if push comes to shove I’ll take that road. At the moment, I’ve had absolutely no luck with the major houses. The smaller publishers I’ve submitted to have a very narrow focus on what they are looking for. In case I’m forced to self-publish do you have any suggestions?

Not Your Average Wannabe
Dear Future Writer,

I have what would probably amount to fifty single-spaced pages of suggestions. But, I’ll spare you list five or my favorites. Here we they are:

RESPECT YOUR CRAFT. Yes, writer, there is a craft to writing. It’s not a one, two, three heave and vomit. Or to put it another way, “Oh, it took me one week to write it, two weeks to edit it and three weeks to publish it.”

For god-sake get your work EDITED. Not by your mother, spouse or BFF, all who I’m sure love you dearly, but by a real PROFESSIONAL. Be prepared to pay for this and other professional services.

BEFORE you TYPESET the work have a copy editor do their thing. Have a few people read the galley in search of small grammatical errors, typos, missed spelled words and typesetter errors before printing.

Have you COVER DESIGN done by a PROFESSIONAL. This includes the back and front cover as well as the copy. A professional will make sure it is genre/topic appropriate and competitive. Remember: You have three to five seconds for that cover to capture the attention of reader or bookseller. (I know an author who self-published and decoded to “express” himself by designing his own cover. And guess what? He forgot to put his name on the book. Scout’s honor, that’s a true story. Think about it: How would you like to be stuck with 2000 copies of your book and your name not on it?

Don’t expect readers to flock to your door because you now have a book in hand. You must PROMOTE yourself. So before you start out on this publishing venture, write a BUSINESS PLAN: Declare your mission, state your goals, set your time-lines and establish your budget. If your mission is to have a “best-seller” a week after it’s published and your budget is $10.00, well, something is seriously wrong with your plan or you’ve fallen victim to some Internet Idiot who thinks if you’re writer money should naturally flow in your direction like water gushing through a broken levy. OR, you’re completely insane.

Hope I’ve helped.

Submit Your Questions to: dearlee@writersnewsweekly.com.