arthursanchez.com Blog

Ok, I just saw this on www.anotherealm.com. It’s a web site for Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Horror fiction. The site is an ezine but it has a bulletin board where people can post information on the stories they publish or on writing in general. A fellow writer posted a link to a story about how publishers are now requiring that authors meet their delivery dates — or they’ll cancel the contract. Ok, there’s more wrong with that statement than you know. To save on typing I’m going to repost my comment here. I’ll post a link to the original newstory at the bottom of this entry. But all I gotta say is no wonder the publishing world is in trouble. And here I am trying to break into it.

My response:

Well, duh? Isn’t it obvious that not meeting your contractual obligations is grounds for the contract to be terminated and any money advanced to be returned? I like how the article says that publishers didn’t used to mind if authors missed their delivery dates. I’d very much like to meet those publishers. Imagine running a clothing factory where it’s ok if the guy making the cloth for your clothes does or does not make his delivery date. Imagine the clothing stores being told they aren’t going to get their orders cause the factory never produced the outfits.

Besides, if you’re lucky enough to land an agent, and then luckier to land a book deal, you should really have no problem delivering your book upon the promised date. I mean, that’s why you’re there, to deliver your book, get published, make the NY Times Best Sellers List, win an award, get called a “hack” by the critics, get called a “sell out” by the fans, get into a fist fight with the paparazzi after a night of binge drinking, get sued for plagiarism by a writer who didn’t win any awards, go into rehab for an undisclosed “ailment,” find Jesus (or Moses, or Allah, or Buddha, or L. Ron Hubbard), and start again. It’s the Cycle of Publishing Life, get used to it.

The original story can be found here: http://www.observer.com/2009/books/note-authors-make-your-deadlines

As many of you know I try to regularly submit to writing contests on the net held by different fiction sites. I don’t do any that require an entry fee. (Too many of those turn out to be scams.) And I do try submit to sites that have a bulletin board where the readers can post comments on the stories. It’s a great way to get feedback from people who don’t know you and who are only reacting to your story. That said, if you follow my example, be prepared to get some off-the-wall comments. Not everybody will see your story the way you do. Some of those comments will be valid and some won’t. The trick here is to spot the difference.

Well, I won one of those contests I was just mentioning. Yup, my story “Tax Time” won first place in www.Anotherealm.com “Tax Time” contest. The interesting thing is that the stories are rated by the readers and it’s that rating that the site uses to determine votes. Incredibly, three of us tied for first place and they had to have a run off vote to determine the winner. I won the run off vote.

(Roll acceptance music.)

“I’d like to thank everyone who voted for me: my mom and dad, (though they don’t own a computer), my wife, my sisters, their spouses, my nephews and nieces, cousins, the newspaper boy, that guy down at the coffee shop, and anybody else who bothered to click a button and give me their approval. Thank you.”

And if you haven’t read the story (and I know there are a few of you out there) you can still read it for FREE here: http://anotherealm.org/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=33