An Open Letter to Duotrope (Even Though No One from the Website Will Read This)

Dear Duotrope,

I like you a lot. You probably know that, considering in this message

 

you point out that I've visited your site 90 times this year. I think you're pretty nifty. What isn't nifty, however, is the quite-often request for money.

I get it: you want to pay for staff a decent wage. That's awesome. I think everyone who uses your website should contribute a bit. I don't like how you try to guilt people into it, however. "Is it worth skipping that $4 double caramel latte for, or that $6 hamburger." I doubt this sentiment applies to many of your users. I, for one, hate coffee, and I can make a damn fine hamburger for less than $6. Even if I wanted to waste my money on those things, I couldn't since I don't have any. I haven't been employed since February 2011, and I haven't had a full-time job since August 2008. (To be fair, I was in school until May 2009, so I couldn't have had a full-time job anyway.) Any money I do get from story acceptances goes to pay for personal expenses. I'll probably send you something when I'm working again, but until then, I don't like the reminder that I'm broke. I already know.

I know there are people who could afford to pay that wouldn't anyway. Those people are probably the minority, however. Many of your users probably don't have a lot of extra money, if they're lucky enough to have jobs, so they can't send much to help. I know you're asking for $5 a year from everyone, and that's not much, but as I'm sure you understand, every little bit matters when you're broke.

Please keep in mind that things are still crappy for a lot of people. Hopefully things will get better soon, but in the meantime, let's keep the guilt trips to a minimum, shall we?

Thanks for all the good you do.

Kristina R. Mosley

(And a side note: I have issues updating this thing regularly, so if any of y'all want regular updates, I'm on Twitter.

GOOOAAALLLSSS!!

I'm terrible at coming up with writing goals and keeping them. I mean, I can think of them in abstract, but never anything specific. "I want to write a book one day" isn't the same as "I will start writing a novel next week." That being said, I have a list of writing goals in my brain. I'm going to write them down so that I might actually do them. 

• Finish short story that's due June 30.
• Edit novelette and send it to publication by July 31.
• In the rest of July, rewrite "finished" short stories so they're more likely to be published.
• August: FINISH WRITING ONE OF MY NOVELS, DANG IT.
• After the novel's done, I think I'll work on some of the half-finished short stories collecting dust on my hard drive.
• Then, maybe edit the novel and start querying agents? (This is the scariest goal, by far.)

That's all my goals for the foreseeable future. Help keep me honest, Internet.

What are some of your goals?

I Am Filled with a Writery Rage!

Neil Gaiman retweeted a blog post yesterday. The blogger was a writer named Mandy DeGeit. She sent a story to a small press called Undead Press. The owner/editor, Anthony Giangregorio, accepted her story but rewrote it drastically without her permission, ruining it. In her post, she related how his emails to her became more and more unprofessional.

Someone in the comments posted about a situation that happened to horror writer Alyn Day. Giangregorio accepted her short story for his Women of the Living Dead anthology, which would be published by Open Casket Press. (I have since learned that Undead Press=Open Casket Press=Living Dead Press.) Giangregorio asked Ms. Day to submit a story to another anthology, and she obliged. He ended up butchering her second story as well.

I had an experience not long after I started writing and submitting regularly. One of my short stories was accepted by a now-defunct Australian magazine called This Mutant Life. The editor cut out an entire paragraph, presumably to save space. In hindsight, the paragraph may have been excessive, but it should've been my decision to cut it out. I was angry, but nowhere near as angry as Ms. DeGeit and Ms. Day must be.

 I, too, have had an encounter with Anthony Giangregorio. I submitted a story to Women of the Living Dead. I received an email back that contained a smiley emoticon. That should've been my first clue about Giangregorio's lack of professionalism. I included my phone number because it's standard manuscript format, but I didn't expect him to call because, you know, the internet's a thing. Well, he called me the next morning. He talked super fast. (He called from a Brooklyn, NY number, and I'm a slow-talking Southerner.) I finally comprehended that he called my writing "novice," and that he might publish my story if it had a lot of tweaking. I vowed after the This Mutant Life thing that I wouldn't let someone change my work drastically. Besides, I didn't like his tone. I told him that he should pick someone else's story if mine was novice. He got pissed and said that he was glad he hadn't wasted anymore of his time. I think I called him a douchebag before he hung up; I can't remember. I'm just glad I dodged a bullet.


Getting published is hard enough without someone taking advantage of you. There are many small presses that will treat you professionally even if they can't pay you professionally. I hope Ms. DeGeit and Ms. Day have better luck in the future. The internet is a small place, really, so I hope news gets out, and Anthony Giangregorio is no longer able to make money off of ruining others' work.

Wherein Kristina Doesn't Understand Modern Publishing

I’ve been writing seriously less than three years, but in that time, I’ve seen e-publishing and self-publishing boom. Along with that, I’ve seen the number of people who give away their writing—both literally and figurative—increase.

I’ve seen many tweet and such about people selling their short stories for 99 cents on Amazon, or they post free stories on their blogs. I can see where this is an effective marketing strategy: give the reader a small taste, get them hooked, and make them buy more. (Incidentally, I think this is how drug dealers work.) What I don’t understand, though, is when people do this repeatedly. They sell multiple stories for low prices, or they give away whole books.

One could argue that this is no different from the times I submitted stories to publications that offered either no payment or toke payment. My only argument is that mostly did that when I was starting out so I could get some publishing credits under my belt. (I’ve done it a few times recently, but I usually really wanted to be a part of the publication.) My goal now is to make at least some money off my writing. Shouldn’t I be paid a decent wage?

I guess my main concern is that writers are selling themselves short. I think that $3.00 for a novel is too low, even for an eBook. Novel writing is hard; that’s why I haven’t finished one yet. I know there’s a lot of competition out there, and authors have to do a lot to get their work read, but is it worth lowering our standards? If writers keep selling their stories for less than they’re worth, will the readers start to expect less. For example, say I finish a novel and decide to self-publish. I decide to set the eBook price a little higher, maybe $5.00, because I put a lot of work into my book. Will John Q. Public pass on my (hopefully) awesome book just because the price is too high compared to everyone else?

I’m not trying to condemn anyone’s actions, because Lord knows I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m sure other writers spend more time looking into their markets than I have. I just don’t understand modern publishing, I guess.

I'm Not Dead

I try to be a good blogger, I really do.  I just have trouble writing about writing, I guess.  I don't really know what I'm doing.  I've only been writing seriously on-and-off for the last five years.  (First grown-up poem was published in 2007.  Prior to that, I had a poem published in an anthology in fifth grade.)  I have way more rejections than acceptances.  Who am I to give advice?

I have picked up a few tips along the way, though (all this pertains to short stories, bee tee dubs):

• Write about something you care about, something that interests you.  If you're not invested in it, why should the reader be?
•  After you finish, let the story set for a day or so before you begin to edit.
• Don't be afraid to cut out words.  A concise story is more likely to get published.
• Make friends with other writers.  A writer will be able to edit/proofread your story better than a non-writer, in most cases.
• Grow a thick skin.
• Don't be afraid to send out your story.  Submitting to publications is emotional:  it's like sending your baby out into the cruel world.  (Side note:  Duotrope is what I use to find markets.  It tracks deadlines, checks dead markets, etc.  A lot of people use Ralan, but it's just a matter of personal preference.
• Expect rejection.  It'll definitely happen.
• Don't ever think your story is perfect, because it isn't.  Also, if a publisher is cool enough to offer a personalized rejection with feedback, consider the changes he or she suggests.  (That being said, don't make any changes if it compromises the integrity of the story.)
• Expect people to try to screw you over.  It'll definitely happen.
• Celebrate when you get an acceptance.  You deserve it.

I hope these tips help someone.  Also, if you want more advice, you should follow Brooke Johnson's blog.  She writes words good.

***

I almost forgot.  The issue of Scifaikuest that I'm in is out.  The editor said my haiku was her favorite.  Also, Tales from the Grave, the anthology that will contain my true ghost story "My Life with the Dead" doesn't have a release date yet, but it will come out sometime this month.

Giving Up

Relax, it isn't as serious as it sounds.

Sometimes, as a writer, you have too much on you're plate.  You've mentally committed yourself to various projects.  Or, maybe the deadline for the particular story you're writing is looming, but the story just isn't working out.  You have no idea how you'll meet the goal.

Unless you're contractually obligated, it's okay to give up sometimes.  It's better to let a story fall to the wayside than to stress out over a story that will turn out to be crap and not be accepted anyway.  The old saying "quality over quantity" really applies here.  You want everything you put out to be the best it can possibly be, and that's hard to do when you're concerned about getting the thing done.


Don't feel bad if you have to give up.  Just because you don't finish the story now doesn't mean you'll never finish it.  There have been many times when I have to put a story on hold because I can't think of what to do next.  Then, months or even years later, I'll suddenly have an epiphany, and I will finish the story.  


Of course, before you give up on your story completely, you should try to see if there's some way to tweak it.  A few weeks ago, I was writing a story for an anthology of true ghost stories.  I was writing about my first encounter with a spirit (long story), but it wasn't long enough to reach the 4,000 lower word limit.  I was about to give up on it until I decided to add an experience from college.  I was able to finish the story, and it got accepted.


Giving up is part of the business of being a writer.  You have to know when to stop working on something bad and when to keep working on something good.  Hopefully, you'll have more "keep working on something good" moments.  Those are the best.

Waiting.

Firstly, Happy Halloween, y'all!  Don't eat too much candy/possessed by a demon or something.


A couple of stories I had subbed came back to me because of unfortunate circumstances, so I had to submit them to other places.  After I did that, of course, came the waiting.  Waiting is horrible.  You want to know if your story has a home right away.


The best thing to do while you wait is to stay busy.  I do that by writing.  I haven't been able to do that much writing in the past week because I've been "busy."  (And by "busy," I mean finding other things to do other than finish a story that's almost done.)  Writing helps get your mind off things, and it gives you more to submit later.


I have six things out right now.  (I totally didn't realize that before I counted, though.)  In the back of my head, Super-Neurotic Kristina is going a little bonkers, but Slightly-More-Rational Kristina is writing to try to get her to shut up.  It's mostly working.


So, if submission anxiety gets you down, write!


(This is unrelated, but if you like books, and I assume you do, go check out the Twisted Library Press.  They do good stuff, and they've published me twice, so they're not dumb.)

Changing My Miiiiiind (sung to the tune of "Wasting My Time" by Default)

Remember last time when I posted my project list for the next eight months or so?  Well, there have been some changes to that list.  First, the market I was to send "The Persistence of Memory" to pushed up its deadline to October 14.  I knew that I couldn't get the story done in time, so I pushed it aside and finished "Inheritance."  It is with my critique partner now.  "Revelations" is still good to go if I can finish it in time, so that leaves me with "Love and War," "The Hunger," and "Blood is Thicker."


My...goals, I guess, changed when I saw that the market to which I was going to send "Blood is Thicker" changed from paying to exposure only.  I then became doubtful about the market for "The Hunger" because, if I could finish the story, I'd only get, like, six bucks tops.  Thursday night, I revisited the website for "Love and War" 's market.  The covers for their other publications were terribly unprofessional.  I understand that costs can be high, especially for a press that is just starting, but no one will take them seriously with covers like that.  (Plus, I wouldn't be paid very much for my story, either.)


I don't mean to sound entirely superficial or mercenary, but I do hope to become a professional writer.  When I started submitting things after college, I aimed high, sending stories to professionally-paying markets.  My writing wasn't up to snuff.  I developed the attitude that I just wanted to be published, so I sent my stories to markets that would have me.  That lucked out for me a few times, but ended poorly in others.  (Two of the markets are now currently dead.)  My writing is better now, and I'm going to be more discerning.


So, I'm going to submit to markets that are semi-pro and up now.  That's not to say that I won't send some flash fiction to a token or non-paying market or send a story to a charity anthology if I'm feeling altruistic.  I'm just going to have the attitude of someone who wants to make her living from writing, not a hobbyist.


Wish me luck.

Wherein I'm attached to things

I had a thought today.  As much as I want to get "Lessons," the vampire hunter story, published, I think I'll wait a bit.  I'm having some issues finding a good market for it.  One, it's a vampire story that's not exactly horror.  That's an issue because a lot of markets are all vampired out.  Two, it's 5,745 words long.  The cutoff for many markets is 5,000 words.  I'd cut 745 words out of it, but there's no way I can.

Sure, there are some markets that'd publish it, but, to be honest, they don't pay much.  I know in the past I've been just trying to get stuff published, but I put too much time, too much effort, too many emotions into it to sell it for five dollars.  I deserve way more than that.

So, it's just going to sit on my hard drive for a bit, waiting for the right man publication to come along.  Until then, I'll work on something else.

Update!

I got an acceptance today for my chupacabra story.  I'm very happy because it was the first thing I finished that wasn't for a class.  It will be in Static Movement Press's Evolutionary Blueprint cryptozoology anthology.


In other writing-related news, my dragon flu story is with my critique partner.  She said today that she'll try to have it back to me by Thursday.  I'm also in the process of rewriting a previously-published story to submit it to a podcast that accepts reprints.  Fingers crossed there.

Stuff I'm In (Master Post)

So far, here are the publications that have been dumb awesome enough to publish me.

Periodicals

• “Phosphorescence.” Nebo Spring 2007, Vol. 25, No. 2
• “Immortal.” Nebo Fall 2007, Vol. 26, No. 1
• “Being Death.” Nebo Spring 2010, Vol. 28, No. 2
• “Carrier.” This Mutant Life July 2010, Issue 3.
• “Operators Standing By.” Flashes in the Dark.  www.flashesinthedark.com.  May 2, 2011.
• “Giving up the Ghost.”  Hogglepot.  www.hogglepot.com.  July 3, 2011.
• “Gray.” Luna Station Quarterly.  Issue 007.  www.lunastationquarterly.com.  September 2011.
• "Scifaiku."  Scifaikuest.  Issue 35, February 2012. 
• "Alternate Delivery." The Natural Tale, Spring 2012. www.thenaturaltale.com.
• "Seed." Eschatology. www.eschatologyjournal.org. May 2, 2012.
•  "The Call." Micro Horror. www.microhorror.com. July 25, 2012.

Anthologies

• “Dear Troy.”  Letters From The Dead.  The Library of the Living Dead Press, 2010.  (Amazon)
• “The Damned.”  The Zombist: Undead Western Tales.  The Library of the Living Dead Press, 2010.  (Amazon)
• “An Afternoon with the Dead.”  Deadication.  Panic Press, 2011.  (Available through Panic Press’s website at panicpress.org)
• "Night Things."  Evolutionary Blueprint: Strange Tales of Cryptozoology.  Static Movement Press, 2011.  (Amazon)
• "My Life with the Dead."  Tales from the Grave: An Anthology of True Ghost Stories.  Rainstorm Press, 2012.  (Amazon.)