The Guantlet . . . Run Forrest, Run
I was inspired after yesterday's heated debate over the SASE to write this blog. Ok, that dead horse has been beaten into a bloody heap, but...
A guantlet must be run, and this guantlet is one serious writers must be prepared for. Most of us look to how-to-books, published authors, and industry gurus for guidance in our attempt to become published. We must, however, temper these inputs with our own common sense, morality, and business sense.
There was a movie a couple decades ago, starring Clint Eastwood as a cop, called The Gauntlet. The premise: a cop had to get a witness to the courthouse of a corrupt city. He had conflicts with all levels of government and the climax was a run up Main Street in a self-armored Greyhound bus. Every policeman, SWAT team, marksman, etc., took shots at the cop and his witness on their run for the saftey of the courthouse.
Writers must put on their heavy battle armor of good writing and confidence to run the guantlet of the publishing industry. It is set up for the writer to fail. The writer is the single sperm in millions that has to penetrate the egg. Because of technological advances agents, magazines, and publishers are buried with submittals. The industry is trying to cope with these advances that are revolutionizing publishing and bookselling. The road to publishing is a "weeding out" and "thinning the heard" process. Only the strong will survive. Yes, there may be a few week ones to get through but they are lottery winners.
As Miss Snark pointed out yesterday. Some agents are too busy to read a mss without an SASE. Ok, a guy living in a shack in BFE writes the next For Whom The Bell Tolls, it hits a busy agents desk by mail, because this guy has no concept of technology, he doesn't include an SASE, and his mss gets shit canned. Ok, the guy in BFE is discouraged, but sends it to another agent and then another until guess what? There is a hungry agent out there who reads every submittal. He gets published. This, I think, was J.A. Konrath's point. If you choose to take his advise, then the only response you will EVER get is from an interested agent or publisher.
My point, first and foremost, is write a good damn book. More than a good damn book, the best book you can write. Then polish it, hone it, and sharpen it. Look for an agent in whatever method you feel makes sound business sense.
Then RUN the guantlet.
At the end of The Guantlet, Clint and his witness emerge from the bulletridden Greyhound, blooded and wounded, but very much unduanted, defiant...and successful.
You can too.
I throw down the guantlet...
A guantlet must be run, and this guantlet is one serious writers must be prepared for. Most of us look to how-to-books, published authors, and industry gurus for guidance in our attempt to become published. We must, however, temper these inputs with our own common sense, morality, and business sense.
There was a movie a couple decades ago, starring Clint Eastwood as a cop, called The Gauntlet. The premise: a cop had to get a witness to the courthouse of a corrupt city. He had conflicts with all levels of government and the climax was a run up Main Street in a self-armored Greyhound bus. Every policeman, SWAT team, marksman, etc., took shots at the cop and his witness on their run for the saftey of the courthouse.
Writers must put on their heavy battle armor of good writing and confidence to run the guantlet of the publishing industry. It is set up for the writer to fail. The writer is the single sperm in millions that has to penetrate the egg. Because of technological advances agents, magazines, and publishers are buried with submittals. The industry is trying to cope with these advances that are revolutionizing publishing and bookselling. The road to publishing is a "weeding out" and "thinning the heard" process. Only the strong will survive. Yes, there may be a few week ones to get through but they are lottery winners.
As Miss Snark pointed out yesterday. Some agents are too busy to read a mss without an SASE. Ok, a guy living in a shack in BFE writes the next For Whom The Bell Tolls, it hits a busy agents desk by mail, because this guy has no concept of technology, he doesn't include an SASE, and his mss gets shit canned. Ok, the guy in BFE is discouraged, but sends it to another agent and then another until guess what? There is a hungry agent out there who reads every submittal. He gets published. This, I think, was J.A. Konrath's point. If you choose to take his advise, then the only response you will EVER get is from an interested agent or publisher.
My point, first and foremost, is write a good damn book. More than a good damn book, the best book you can write. Then polish it, hone it, and sharpen it. Look for an agent in whatever method you feel makes sound business sense.
Then RUN the guantlet.
At the end of The Guantlet, Clint and his witness emerge from the bulletridden Greyhound, blooded and wounded, but very much unduanted, defiant...and successful.
You can too.
I throw down the guantlet...
