Update on Publication!

Grand Central Arena, I have been informed by Eric, will be released in May 2010.

Threshold, sequel to Boundary, will be released in June 2010!

I will have TWO hardcovers out within one month of each other!

SQUEEEEEE!

So You Wanna Be a WRITER?

Posted this as a response in another LJ, but figured "hey, why not dump it up front where everyone can see it?"

The True Facts about Being An Author:

Realize that *I* would be considered a quite successful author. I've got real books printed. For pay. 99% of those who want to be writers -- in any serious sense, that is, not just dreaming -- will never get published except maybe as a couple of short stories.

Of that 1%, over 90% of them will never make their living, or even a serious proportion of their living, from writing. Of the 10% that DO manage to make a living or most of a living from their writing, 99% of THOSE will be scraping along and occasionally doing "okay". The last 1% will actually be well off. Of them, 1% will be rich. And of those, ONE of them will be J.K. Rowling and all the others will wish they were her.

In order to GET published, 99% of all of the writers will have to send in many manuscripts which will be examined for months or even a year or two with NO communication back, and then rejected usually with a bland form note. It may take years to get ONE acceptance -- IF you'll make the grade at all.

I started writing with the dream of publication when I was 6, I started sending things in sporadically when I was 11, I got my first acceptance when I was 40.

Oh, and if you're paying for it, you're not published. Money flows FROM the publisher, TO the author, NO exceptions. Though the money that's flowing may be very, very small. Don't expect to write for the money; I write because it's what I do.

Now, if this hasn't broken your will and driven you to delete all documents you've written, you might be cut out for the writer's life. How are you feeling?