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Anyone know any literary agents personally?
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Bane Necran
Appono Astos
#21 - 2013-02-06 20:16:14 UTC
Provence Tristram wrote:
Wait... I'm confused. It's a medieval book? I thought she said it was steampunk.


I was using that as an example.

If you want to discuss Steampunk novels most of the big publishers would consider that a niche market, and there's already Steampunk novels a-plenty out there.

But i don't mean to crush any dreams here. A quick google brings up Flying Pen Press as a publisher with interest in Steampunk novels. Can't hurt to give them a shot.

"In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness." ~Miyamoto Musashi
Provence Tristram
Doomheim
#22 - 2013-02-06 20:17:06 UTC
Krixtal Icefluxor wrote:
Provence Tristram wrote:

Cal Stantson wrote:
OP's post is kind of long winded for someone who says they're a good writer.


I guess Tolkien and Rowling must suck then.



lol. There is a way of being long winded and hilariously entertaining (Neal Stephenson) and a way of being overwrought and boring (Stephen King).


But... Stephen King is wealthy and well-respected... which would seem to indicate, to me, that this entire arena is vastly subjective.
Krixtal Icefluxor
INLAND EMPIRE Galactic
#23 - 2013-02-06 20:20:18 UTC
Bane Necran wrote:
Provence Tristram wrote:
Wait... I'm confused. It's a medieval book? I thought she said it was steampunk.


I was using that as an example.

If you want to discuss Steampunk novels most of the big publishers would consider that a niche market, and there's already Steampunk novels a-plenty out there.

But i don't mean to crush any dreams here. A quick google brings up Flying Pen Press as a publisher with interest in Steampunk novels. Can't hurt to give them a shot.



God, I remember reading K.W. Jeter's "Infernal Devices" in the mid 80's.....about a year before "The Difference Engine".

Was interesting to find out though that the tradition goes back to the 1880's with 'boy's stories' called Edisonades, such as "The Steam Man of the Prairie". The genre was seemingly always there, just not noticed until 1985 or so. Weird.

"He has mounted his hind-legs, and blown crass vapidities through the bowel of his neck."  - Ambrose Bierce on Oscar Wilde's Lecture in San Francisco 1882
Krixtal Icefluxor
INLAND EMPIRE Galactic
#24 - 2013-02-06 20:22:47 UTC
Provence Tristram wrote:
Krixtal Icefluxor wrote:
Provence Tristram wrote:

Cal Stantson wrote:
OP's post is kind of long winded for someone who says they're a good writer.


I guess Tolkien and Rowling must suck then.



lol. There is a way of being long winded and hilariously entertaining (Neal Stephenson) and a way of being overwrought and boring (Stephen King).


But... Stephen King is wealthy and well-respected... which would seem to indicate, to me, that this entire arena is vastly subjective.


Oh, don't get me wrong. The guy thinks up amazingly great storylines. Even my 'elderly' mother who does not like scary stories appreciates the film adaptations like "Misery".

But seriously, I've read 4 of his novels and they could all easily be chopped in half and still work. Needs an editor badly, but he is indeed paid by the word. And he's the James Cameron of the literary world (or George Lucas, really). Who will say "No" ?

"He has mounted his hind-legs, and blown crass vapidities through the bowel of his neck."  - Ambrose Bierce on Oscar Wilde's Lecture in San Francisco 1882
Bane Necran
Appono Astos
#25 - 2013-02-06 20:27:54 UTC
Provence Tristram wrote:
But... Stephen King is wealthy and well-respected... which would seem to indicate, to me, that this entire arena is vastly subjective.


Without a doubt. Stephen King even admitted in his biography to drinking so heavily for most of his early writing he couldn't even remember writing some books. Lol

What he could do is write books with titles and subjects that grabbed peoples attention, when the horror novel was becoming a trend, and that seems to be what really matters. He could pump numerous books out a year, too, which publishers like to see out of signed authors.

I always preferred Clive Barker, myself.

"In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness." ~Miyamoto Musashi
Provence Tristram
Doomheim
#26 - 2013-02-06 20:27:57 UTC
Krixtal Icefluxor wrote:
Provence Tristram wrote:
Krixtal Icefluxor wrote:
Provence Tristram wrote:

Cal Stantson wrote:
OP's post is kind of long winded for someone who says they're a good writer.


I guess Tolkien and Rowling must suck then.



lol. There is a way of being long winded and hilariously entertaining (Neal Stephenson) and a way of being overwrought and boring (Stephen King).


But... Stephen King is wealthy and well-respected... which would seem to indicate, to me, that this entire arena is vastly subjective.


Oh, don't get me wrong. The guy thinks up amazingly great storylines. Even my 'elderly' mother who does not like scary stories appreciates the film adaptations like "Misery".

But seriously, I've read 4 of his novels and they could all easily be chopped in half and still work. Needs an editor badly, but he is indeed paid by the word. And he's the James Cameron of the literary world (or George Lucas, really). Who will say "No" ?


I dunno. I admittedly know very little about this subject. It just strikes me that I've read a lot of crap in my day, and length has little to do with it. I deeply adore Tolkien, although I concede it's pretty deeply flawed (no female protagonists, anyone?), and I don't think it was extremely popular in its day, either. We seem to live in an age when stuff takes off for little to no reason and then people just bandwagon. I mean, look at Twilight. How the hell did that happen?
Shrike Arghast
Aliastra
Gallente Federation
#27 - 2013-02-06 20:32:19 UTC
Provence Tristram wrote:
How the hell did that happen?


It didn't. You're dreaming. Right now.

Yeah, I went there. Plot twist.
Krixtal Icefluxor
INLAND EMPIRE Galactic
#28 - 2013-02-06 20:34:17 UTC
Provence Tristram wrote:
I mean, look at Twilight. How the hell did that happen?


(Krixtal looks askance at the 1980's film "The Lost Boys". Thanks a lot, Kiefer.)

"He has mounted his hind-legs, and blown crass vapidities through the bowel of his neck."  - Ambrose Bierce on Oscar Wilde's Lecture in San Francisco 1882
Krixtal Icefluxor
INLAND EMPIRE Galactic
#29 - 2013-02-06 20:36:14 UTC
Provence Tristram wrote:
I deeply adore Tolkien, although I concede it's pretty deeply flawed (no female protagonists, anyone?),



Indeed one has to get pretty far into "The Silmarillion" to get to 'Galadriel's Rebellion". Even Eowyn had to go to the Battle of Peregrin Fields in drag Lol

"He has mounted his hind-legs, and blown crass vapidities through the bowel of his neck."  - Ambrose Bierce on Oscar Wilde's Lecture in San Francisco 1882
Bane Necran
Appono Astos
#30 - 2013-02-06 20:38:17 UTC
I explain Twilight and the Harry Potter phenomenons as them simply being the first books many people read, so they have nothing to compare them to. Anyone who reads a lot is never very impressed with them.

"In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness." ~Miyamoto Musashi
Provence Tristram
Doomheim
#31 - 2013-02-06 20:38:51 UTC  |  Edited by: Provence Tristram
Krixtal Icefluxor wrote:
Provence Tristram wrote:
I mean, look at Twilight. How the hell did that happen?


(Krixtal looks askance at the 1980's film "The Lost Boys". Thanks a lot, Kiefer.)



I'd seen this before, and thought of it when you typed that:

Stephenie Meyer wrote:
''In my head, Bella is very fair-skinned, with long, straight, dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. Her face is heart-shaped—a wide forehead with a widow's peak, large, wide-spaced eyes, prominent cheekbones, and then a thin nose and a narrow jaw with a pointed chin. Her lips are a little out of proportion, a bit too full for her jaw line. Her eyebrows are darker than her hair and more straight than they are arched. She's five foot four inches tall, slender but not at all muscular, and weighs about 115 pounds. She has stubby fingernails because she has a nervous habit of biting them. And there's your very detailed description.''


...

Ahem, and...

http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/27000000/Stephenie-at-the-Breaking-Dawn-Part-1-premiere-in-LA-14-11-11-stephenie-meyer-27042106-430-630.jpg

Herp derp. She looked in a mirror to describe her primary character.
Krixtal Icefluxor
INLAND EMPIRE Galactic
#32 - 2013-02-06 20:46:08 UTC
Bane Necran wrote:
I explain Twilight and the Harry Potter phenomenons as them simply being the first books many people read, so they have nothing to compare them to. Anyone who reads a lot is never very impressed with them.



Indeed, having read as extensively as I have, I pick up something like Neal Stephenson's "Anathem" and for months afterward, all other literature seems small and insignificant.

"He has mounted his hind-legs, and blown crass vapidities through the bowel of his neck."  - Ambrose Bierce on Oscar Wilde's Lecture in San Francisco 1882
silens vesica
Corsair Cartel
#33 - 2013-02-06 20:59:54 UTC  |  Edited by: silens vesica
Provence Tristram wrote:
Krixtal Icefluxor wrote:
Provence Tristram wrote:

Cal Stantson wrote:
OP's post is kind of long winded for someone who says they're a good writer.


I guess Tolkien and Rowling must suck then.



lol. There is a way of being long winded and hilariously entertaining (Neal Stephenson) and a way of being overwrought and boring (Stephen King).


But... Stephen King is wealthy and well-respected... which would seem to indicate, to me, that this entire arena is vastly subjective.

Stephen King brings publishers $$. So they promote teh hell out of his work. Which raises his profile and brings in even more $$. Meanwhile, Salmon Rushdie barely gets read.

Twilight can easily enough be explained: Pre- and just post-pubescent girls. It's biological, and predictable. At a certain age, girls start finding boys interesting again, and they first fixate on boys whom seem close to their age, are superficially 'exciting,' but ultimately 'safe.'

Frank Sinatra. Beatles. Elvis. Sean Cassidy. Backstreet Boys & Boys2Men. Bieber. Edward.
The medium is less important than the hunk, and it fires their hormone-addled brains like a drug. Which makes various media moguls lots of $$. So they promote it. Which brings them more $$.

Don't think boys are left out, either. Think of all the no-tallent young bimbos making stupid amounts of $$ pandering to teen boys. Watch what happens to their revenues (and careers) once they cross into their early 20s.

The media & entertainment industry know exactly what they're doing, in this regard.

Tell someone you love them today, because life is short. But scream it at them in Esperanto, because life is also terrifying and confusing.

Didn't vote? Then you voted for NulBloc
Krixtal Icefluxor
INLAND EMPIRE Galactic
#34 - 2013-02-06 21:05:56 UTC
silens vesica wrote:

Stephen King brings publishers $$. So they promote teh hell out of his work. Which raises his profile and brings in even more $$. Meanwhile, Salmon Rushdie barely gets read.


....nor the amazing Umberto Eco.

Skip "The Name of the Rose" (the movie suffices in this case) and read "The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loanna". Beyond brilliant and also a graphic novel !

"The Island of the Day Before" is also a good read and a testament to extreme extension of a metaphor without somehow being pretentious (a guy stumbles across two islands after a shipwreck; the islands are right upon either side of the International Date Line).

"He has mounted his hind-legs, and blown crass vapidities through the bowel of his neck."  - Ambrose Bierce on Oscar Wilde's Lecture in San Francisco 1882
silens vesica
Corsair Cartel
#35 - 2013-02-06 21:07:48 UTC
Krixtal Icefluxor wrote:
silens vesica wrote:

Stephen King brings publishers $$. So they promote teh hell out of his work. Which raises his profile and brings in even more $$. Meanwhile, Salmon Rushdie barely gets read.


....nor the amazing Umberto Eco.


Indeed.

Tell someone you love them today, because life is short. But scream it at them in Esperanto, because life is also terrifying and confusing.

Didn't vote? Then you voted for NulBloc
Provence Tristram
Doomheim
#36 - 2013-02-06 21:09:34 UTC
Krixtal Icefluxor wrote:
silens vesica wrote:

Stephen King brings publishers $$. So they promote teh hell out of his work. Which raises his profile and brings in even more $$. Meanwhile, Salmon Rushdie barely gets read.


....nor the amazing Umberto Eco.

Skip "The Name of the Rose" (the movie suffices in this case)


I do believe they forced us to watch that way back when I was in undergrad. Does it take place in a castle?
Jeyson Vicious
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#37 - 2013-02-06 21:10:29 UTC  |  Edited by: Jeyson Vicious
Have you thought of trying to take your concept on some level and make a related short story?

I read those are easier to get published and it's how many start out. I subscribe to Asminov's and Analog and know that some stories are good, some are bland.

Edit: My favorite author, Jack McDevitt, has a whole book of his short stories (Cryptic). Many give background to events in his books and some are just stand alone. Also, it's funny to read the few he wrote before (I think) he really hit stride in his style.
Krixtal Icefluxor
INLAND EMPIRE Galactic
#38 - 2013-02-06 21:11:19 UTC
Provence Tristram wrote:
Krixtal Icefluxor wrote:
silens vesica wrote:

Stephen King brings publishers $$. So they promote teh hell out of his work. Which raises his profile and brings in even more $$. Meanwhile, Salmon Rushdie barely gets read.


....nor the amazing Umberto Eco.

Skip "The Name of the Rose" (the movie suffices in this case)


I do believe they forced us to watch that way back when I was in undergrad. Does it take place in a castle?


A Monk's Abbey, actually. Sean Connery and a very young post Star Trek III Christian Slater.

"He has mounted his hind-legs, and blown crass vapidities through the bowel of his neck."  - Ambrose Bierce on Oscar Wilde's Lecture in San Francisco 1882
silens vesica
Corsair Cartel
#39 - 2013-02-06 21:15:09 UTC
Provence Tristram wrote:
Krixtal Icefluxor wrote:
silens vesica wrote:

Stephen King brings publishers $$. So they promote teh hell out of his work. Which raises his profile and brings in even more $$. Meanwhile, Salmon Rushdie barely gets read.


....nor the amazing Umberto Eco.

Skip "The Name of the Rose" (the movie suffices in this case)


I do believe they forced us to watch that way back when I was in undergrad. Does it take place in a castle?
It did. Blink

Movies generally fail to do justice to literary works becaus ethe media are so different. Take, for instance, Arturo Pérez-Reverte's The Club Dumas and compare it to "The Ninth Gate." Almost not even recognizable as related.
Now, unlike many, I actually like the movie; mostly beacuse it's deliberately low-key, and I like that a movie can be made low-key and still tell a story, but it's just not the same as the book.

Of course, most movies don't even attempt to stay close to the literary source. And so long as you're expecting that, it's OK. Usually.

Tell someone you love them today, because life is short. But scream it at them in Esperanto, because life is also terrifying and confusing.

Didn't vote? Then you voted for NulBloc
silens vesica
Corsair Cartel
#40 - 2013-02-06 21:18:33 UTC
Jeyson Vicious wrote:
Have you thought of trying to take your concept on some level and make a related short story?

I read those are easier to get published and it's how many start out. I subscribe to Asminov's and Analog and know that some stories are good, some are bland.

Edit: My favorite author, Jack McDevitt, has a whole book of his short stories (Cryptic). Many give background to events in his books and some are just stand alone. Also, it's funny to read the few he wrote before (I think) he really hit stride in his style.

Not a bad thought at all. :)
I'll add, though, that the Short Story and the Novel are distinctly different art forms. Some authors simply cannot transition from one ot the other. Many of the very best movie adaptations come from the Short Story form, because the pacing and plotting are, of necessity, similarly compressed and simplified.

Tell someone you love them today, because life is short. But scream it at them in Esperanto, because life is also terrifying and confusing.

Didn't vote? Then you voted for NulBloc
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