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Originally Posted by Sregener
Back in 2004, when I was actively trying to make it as a writer, I attended a writer's conference. Included was a critique from a publisher. Mine came back, "This is perfect as it is." The manuscript was submitted. The editorial board (the people in the business because they love books) said, "We have to sign this guy now." The publishing board (the people who count beans for a living) said, "We don't know how to sell this. No."
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So the answer would be no, you didn't succeed, then. (And if you believe they would have actually printed it verbatim, with no changes of any kind, you're more naive than most.
Nobody gets that on their first novel.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sregener
1000 hours was an estimate, and I was being conservative with it.
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1,000 hours is six months of 40 hour weeks. The typical time to write a first draft - and that's what you had, not a finished novel - is usually quotes as six months to a year. So you were at the lower end of that. Some writers, especially experienced ones, can write much faster (Walter Gibson signed a contract with Street & Smith to write a
The Shadow novel every 15 days - indefintely). Some writers, especially the more popular ones, take longer. (Lois McMaster Bujold takes 2-4 years per novel.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sregener
Writing for me was a particularly painful experience. I agree with the author who said, "Writing is easy. Just sit down at the keyboard and open up a vein." Working a 40-hour week as a writer was impossible for me. I found a 90 minute day of actual writing enough to drain me physically and emotionally.
But you're saying that the typical publisher, not counting editing, spends 25 workweeks preparing a manuscript for printing?
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No. I said they spend, on average, as much time turning a manuscript in to a book as the author does writing the manuscript. It's a common misconception that all a publisher does is have someone drag a Word doc in to the print cue, and that's it. All manuscripts get edited - there's
always revisions and multiple drafts. Then there's proof reading, type settings (and that's more complicated than you imagine, too), arranging printing, shipping ,etc. And marketing. Because nobody will buy a book they don't know exists.
And
I and not the one saying this. Industry professionals are. Again, go read Charlie Stross's blog. He's not the only one, but his blog is the most accessible, and goes in to details.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sregener
Maybe an internationally known author, if we're going to talk about all the promotions and stuff they do. But for the average writer? I can't imagine what it is they do, nor do I really care anymore. Call me jaded, but I think the gatekeepers are stupid.
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So, if you can't imagine what they do, it must be nothing?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sregener
The day may come when I release my work to the world as an ebook. The biggest problem I see is that due to changes in my life, I no longer have the emotional resources to write. So I'm not going to create a brand and be a continuing interest at this point. That day may come, it just isn't now. And when that day does come, it'd be great to have a ready-for-publication work in my pocket to start with.
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No doubt. But it's naive to think that your first draft, completely unedited, fits that description. No matter what someone at a company
that didn't buy it might have told you.