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Show HN: I'm looking for science fiction writers

compellingsciencefiction.com

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Re: Show HN: I'm looking for science fiction writers

#71

Post by carapace »

mojoe wrote: post #8
eamann wrote: post #5

I like the idea, but it's a bit disheartening to submit stories to an unknown organization whose website includes zero details about who the publisher will be or how the stories will be published. I get that it's a "self-funded hobby," but it could just as well be a scam by a nameless, faceless group of con men. Considering the domain is registered anonymously through Amazon, there is absolutely no information availa…

I'm disheartened that my site seems scary to you -- the "we" referenced is myself and some friends who have signed up as slush readers. I'd really appreciate it if you could let me know what information I could publish that would give you confidence in the site. It sounds like I should put up an 'about' page with some information about myself and my readers. For now, here's my linkedin page, to put a face to the face…

FYI, any website I visit that doesn't tell me the name of a responsible human being on the landing page or at most within one clearly-labelled click is automatically assigned to the B.S. bin.

For example, luna-lang.org came up on HN the other day. Looks amazing. But the only sign of WHO is a line at the bottom that says, "Copyright © New Byte Order 2016" and it's not even a link! Searching quickly takes you to http://www.newbyteorder.com/ which also tells you nothing about WHO is involved. Lame.

The most important part of any message is the name of the messenger.

Re: Show HN: I'm looking for science fiction writers

#72

Post by TheOtherHobbes »

mojoe wrote: post #8
eamann wrote: post #5

I like the idea, but it's a bit disheartening to submit stories to an unknown organization whose website includes zero details about who the publisher will be or how the stories will be published. I get that it's a "self-funded hobby," but it could just as well be a scam by a nameless, faceless group of con men. Considering the domain is registered anonymously through Amazon, there is absolutely no information availa…

I'm disheartened that my site seems scary to you -- the "we" referenced is myself and some friends who have signed up as slush readers. I'd really appreciate it if you could let me know what information I could publish that would give you confidence in the site. It sounds like I should put up an 'about' page with some information about myself and my readers. For now, here's my linkedin page, to put a face to the face…

You should definitely put up an About page.

With a photo. And personal contact details. And some idea of the kinds of fiction you like.

There are plenty of publishing sites, but they all have an angle. There's no point submitting certain kinds of stories to certain sites because they don't fit their niche. (E.g. Strange Horizons doesn't do space opera.)

It would be useful if you worked out what your angle is, so authors understand it. Just having an angle would make you seem more like someone with a genuine interest in fiction.

Don't link to LinkedIn. Most authors won't be interested.

Include payment terms ("on acceptance", "on publication", "30 days after publication", etc.)

Make a few purchases and get yourself on the SFWA approved market list:

http://www.sfwa.org/about/join-us/sfwa-membership-requiremen...

When you have all of that, consider soliciting material on writer forums.

You'll get so much keeping up will be a full time job, and at least 90% of it will be - not so great.

Welcome to publishing...

Re: Show HN: I'm looking for science fiction writers

#73

Post by joeax »

nemmons wrote: post #59
joeax wrote: post #39

I am a coder by day, but I'm nearing completion of a full length novel (100,000 words) and ready to self-publish on Kindle and possibly Smashwords. I'll have to take a look at this for some other works. I have some other short stories I've been kicking around. I particularly like the bias against dystopian fiction as I feel the same way. I also eschew themes like moral decay in the future, since as humans I believe w…

with respect, i find the contentions that slavery and overt racism have been wiped out to be highly dubious.

I don't entirely disagree hence the word 'mostly'. What I really meant is that attitudes have shifted over a hundred or so years.

Re: Show HN: I'm looking for science fiction writers

#74

Post by SolaceQuantum »

mojoe wrote: post #61
c0riander wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a writer familiar with SF&F short fiction markets, I agree that more information is needed. Including more biographical information on the website about yourself and any editors making acquisition decisions would help. You don't need to have industry cred already (though that helps), but writers like to know that (a) you're not a publisher/editor known not to pay, has a bad rep, etc. and (b) that you're a real per…

Thank you, this is very helpful. I will be adding much more information to the submissions page based on the great advice I've received on this thread!

I am in fact interested in publishing with you since you pay pro rate, but I'm interested in who you are and what experience you have in editing. What kind of narratives are you looking for? How do you plan to market your work? Do you have a turnaround time I should contact you in case my manuscript doesn't go through?

Re: Show HN: I'm looking for science fiction writers

#75

Post by SolaceQuantum »

dotsamuelswan wrote: post #24
mkrfox wrote: post #13

There are many excellent, paying science fiction/fantasy collections out there. You need to set yourself apart in a way that convinces people to trust their stories to you (who we know nothing about) instead of someone else. Especially since the established collections prefer/require first publication. Why should we risk that you'll publish and fail to pay?

If you're writing a lot, it's not a risk. You've got something sitting in a folder that you haven't touched in five years. Blow the dust off, polish the edges, and maybe you make a couple bucks. Lining up those SFWA ducks will be important. At that point, even as a new publication, if they're easy to work with, they'll quickly become a great second or third stop for fresh stories. They won't get first submissions for…

A pro-rate story (over 5 cents a word) worth of writing can take weeks or months to polish to an acceptable level. If this person plans to be affiliated with SWFA and get a reputation as having good taste in stories to publish, it's not just a "sure, I can take your trunk story" deal. Trunk stories are trunk stories for a reason.

Re: Show HN: I'm looking for science fiction writers

#76

Post by krapp »

mojoe wrote: post #20
mkrfox wrote: post #13

There are many excellent, paying science fiction/fantasy collections out there. You need to set yourself apart in a way that convinces people to trust their stories to you (who we know nothing about) instead of someone else. Especially since the established collections prefer/require first publication. Why should we risk that you'll publish and fail to pay?

It is a risk to trust stories to someone who doesn't have a public track record. I'm guessing that the majority of my initial submissions will come from authors who know me in person, and know that I'll pay them and publicize their work. Hopefully after the first few issues it will be clear that I'm serious about supporting this genre!

Back in the day I was trying (and failing) to be a published sf and horror author, ralan.com was the go-to resource for the market and going rates[0]. It may still provide a good benchmark of what such publications offer and what their sites generally have in common and what information they offer potential authors. It certainly wouldn't hurt your credibility to be listed there.

[0]http://ralan.com/

Re: Show HN: I'm looking for science fiction writers

#77

Post by joeax »

mkrfox wrote: post #52
joeax wrote: post #39

I am a coder by day, but I'm nearing completion of a full length novel (100,000 words) and ready to self-publish on Kindle and possibly Smashwords. I'll have to take a look at this for some other works. I have some other short stories I've been kicking around. I particularly like the bias against dystopian fiction as I feel the same way. I also eschew themes like moral decay in the future, since as humans I believe w…

Draft2Digital is much less of a pain. They'll even handhold problematic manuscripts through the process.

I checked out D2D. Although an awesome idea on the surface, I'm a bit suspect of their pricing model. 10% of all sales? The problem with that is if you have a bestseller that sells a million copies you're basically subsidizing other books with languishing sales.

I'm not sure if you're affiliated with them or not, but a better model would be to charge 10% up to the cost of proofread and copyedit + a profit. Let's say these services typically cost $3,000 (like on CreateSpace). D2D could charge 10% of sales up to say $5,000 ($2k profit). If you're book doesn't hit its targets the author would still owe a remaining balance up to $3,000.

Re: Show HN: I'm looking for science fiction writers

#78

Post by dotsamuelswan »

SolaceQuantum wrote: post #75
dotsamuelswan wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're writing a lot, it's not a risk. You've got something sitting in a folder that you haven't touched in five years. Blow the dust off, polish the edges, and maybe you make a couple bucks. Lining up those SFWA ducks will be important. At that point, even as a new publication, if they're easy to work with, they'll quickly become a great second or third stop for fresh stories. They won't get first submissions for…

A pro-rate story (over 5 cents a word) worth of writing can take weeks or months to polish to an acceptable level. If this person plans to be affiliated with SWFA and get a reputation as having good taste in stories to publish, it's not just a "sure, I can take your trunk story" deal. Trunk stories are trunk stories for a reason.

If you write every day, and you've been published at a pro-rate previously, you most likely have something near-publishable in your trunk.

Obviously, the publisher needs to be discerning in what he actually buys. But if you're a writer trying to build a relationship with a new publication, I don't see any problem recycling work that didn't quite hit with some of the established markets.

If you're unpublished, or you've only been paid lower rates, you probably shouldn't be asking the question "Why should I submit here when I can submit to XYZ?" You should just tack the new publisher onto the end of the list, and when you've worked your story through the others, drop it here before it hits the trunk.

Re: Show HN: I'm looking for science fiction writers

#79

Post by toufka »

mojoe wrote: post #2

Compelling Science Fiction is a self-funded hobby -- I want to support the creation of great science fiction. Ultimately I'd like it if the project became self-sustaining, which would allow me to pay more authors more money and promote more stories. If you REALLY like this idea and would like to be a "slush pile" reader, my email address is in my profile!

reddit has some pretty good sci-fi writers' subs. I've seen people submit and ask others to review their work plenty of times. See what they think.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sciencefiction/

[check the sidebar for smaller, more relevant related subs]

Re: Show HN: I'm looking for science fiction writers

#80

Post by mojoe »

SolaceQuantum wrote: post #74
mojoe wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you, this is very helpful. I will be adding much more information to the submissions page based on the great advice I've received on this thread!

I am in fact interested in publishing with you since you pay pro rate, but I'm interested in who you are and what experience you have in editing. What kind of narratives are you looking for? How do you plan to market your work? Do you have a turnaround time I should contact you in case my manuscript doesn't go through?

I have absolutely no experience as an editor. I'm a data scientist who wants to support good science fiction -- my linkedin is in my profile if you're curious. I'm looking for relatively hard SF, no horror, no fantasy. There is a slightly more robust description on the site, but overall I'm open to any well-written story within those bounds. I will contact you within 4 weeks of your submission, and please feel free to contact me at any time with questions at questions@compellingsciencefiction.com!
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