Wednesday, January 06, 2016

I contributed to an anthology that is a mess. Will this hurt my query?



A writer friend, whose work I like and respect, decided to compile an anthology dealing with a specific nonfiction subject. Chapters would be contributed by writers and non-writers alike, and she would edit the work and get it published. Since I had personal experience with the focus subject, she asked me to supply a chapter. I was happy to do so.

I sent her the requested material and signed and returned a permission form.Then I waited two years for the book to be published. I assumed she would get an agent and a publisher, but she decided to self-publish.
The book came out last spring and she announced it on Facebook. When I looked it up on amazon.com my chapter wasn’t included in the Look Inside feature so I skimmed the Table of Contents. Imagine my chagrin when I saw that my first name was misspelled. I realize that typos happen to the best-intentioned, but I was unhappy and contacted her about it. She apologized and had it corrected right away.
That should have been a warning flag. When she sent me my complementary copy and I eagerly settled in to read it, I found it littered with typos, incorrect punctuation, repetition, and general bad writing. While I was aware from the beginning that much of the content was to be created by non-writers, I expected it to be properly edited as promised. Perhaps I misunderstand the role of an editor.
Fast-forward to the present, and I am in the process of querying my first novel to agents. From your blog I’ve learned that agents routinely Google prospective clients’ names and examine any previous writing they can find. I’m horrified to think that an agent might stumble upon this anthology. Honestly, I’m embarrassed to have my name associated with it. So far, it doesn’t appear that it will get widespread notoriety, but I can’t predict the future. I’m even considering using a pen name for future works, in order to avoid guilt by association.
Should I be concerned?

 


No.
An agent would have to be digging very deep to find a chapter in a self-published anthology and even if s/he did find it, we're all woefully familiar with the uneven quality of anthologies and their editing, or lack thereof.

So, rest easy.

However, should you do this kind of thing again, and I think you should, cause anthologies can be terrific for your career, here are a couple things to remember:

1. Send nothing until there's a signed contract. Not permission, not content, nada.  You agree to be in the anthology if it's published, and agree the editor can use your name in the proposal.

2. If by some chance you're the big name author being used to secure the deal, be clear that your participation is contingent upon the publisher and the contract. Do not assume there will be a contract. 

3. You stay on top of the editor as far as publication goes. Don't just send and forget.

4. You have a contributor's agreement with the editor.  You don't just hand over content without a contract, even if there isn't any money involved.

5. Don't agree to anything until you know who the other contributors are, or who is being asked. The success of an anthology is often linked to how big a name the lead author is.  You want to be in anthologies where you're in the small print. In other words, you want to be grouped with the folks you're trying to be, not the folks who are trying to be you.

Think of it in Army terms: if you're a lieutenant, you want to be in anthology heavy on generals, majors, and captains. You don't want to be in an anthology with mostly corporals and privates.

6. Research the editor's credentials. There are some terrific anthology editors out there who do great work, but if this is the editor's first anthology, be eagle-eyed. Everyone makes mistakes as they learn to do things; the trick for you here is to minimize that when your work is involved.


This won't hurt your career, and you got a good lesson at almost no cost. That's a win even if the anthology is a loser.

And no, you did not misunderstand the role of an editor at all.
 

46 comments:

Lucie Witt said...

This is really helpful, as usual.

**off topic**

Catching up on yesterday's post and comments.

Julie M. Weathers - congratulations on the full request!!!

Colin Smith said...

"anthologies can be terrific for your career"

I just posted an article on my 2016 goals, one of which is to try to get published in some form while working on my WiP. To me, that means primarily working on short stories with a view to magazine submission. But now I'm intrigued with maybe also getting in on an anthology. Do anthology opportunities come to you based on work you've done (e.g., "Loved that article on your blog about kale farming. Care to write an chapter for my upcoming kale anthology?"), or do you hunt them down? If the latter, what are good ways to do this?

Jennifer R. Donohue said...

Oh dear, we do want to be published. We do not want to be published badly. It's good to know a chapter in an anthology probably won't have to much of an effect on OP. But how disappointing that must be! I'm sure OP really wanted to have contributed to something they're proud of, not an "I hope nobody actually reads this and notices I'm in it" volume.

Colin: I've seen calls for fiction anthologies (Women Destroy SciFi, as an example of one done by a pro magazine) which gave submission guidelines, a notion of royalties should you be accepted, that kind of thing. But I think any number of anthology spots are solicited, and I guess that's one of those "depends on who you know" sort of deals, or "depends on if you're a name/authority in the topic". So if there's a kale anthology, you're a shoo-in, and I'm surprised you don't know about it already. Maybe check cooking blogs?

Congrats to Julie's full!

E.M. Goldsmith said...

So, say you are a big name writer with a proper shark approved sort of agent, and someone invites you to contribute a short story or chapter to an anthology, would you (writer) refer the requesting person to the agent to negotiate for the one of x number of stories/ chapters in theoretical anthology?

Or is this like that kind of publicity a writer can or should do for themselves? I would think I would send requester to agent if I had one. I would be a bit stymied trying to negotiate this kind of thing myself just because it is alien to me.

Would the negotiation be similar to selling a story to a periodical? Color me curious.

P.S. Fingers and toes crossed for Julie. Hoping she wrangles that agent and I am adding her books to my new shelves soon.

Lisa Bodenheim said...

I'm still trying to parse out #1. It sounds like Janet recommends an anthology published the traditional route rather than the self-pubbed to ensure better quality control?

And I'm curious about the answer to Colin's question too. I had a poem published in an anthology back in the predigital age which I found via an advertisement and, of course, I had to buy the book in order to get my poem published for free.

Colin Smith said...

E.M.: If I had an agent, I would definitely refer anthology requests to him/her. In fact, I'm looking forward to getting representation so I can answer all requests with, "Please refer to my agent."

"Dad, my computer's not working!"
"Please refer to my agent."
"Dad, can I stay up late tonight?"
"Please refer to my agent."
"Honey, could you take out the garbage?"
"Please refer to--OUCH!!"

Yeah, there's only so far you can push it... ;)

E.M. Goldsmith said...

Colin, laughed so hard, there's coffee all over my sweater and my co-workers are giving me funny looks. That happens quite a lot when I read this blog.

I can't wait to refer folks to my agent as well. Hopefully, having an agent won't result in as many bruises as I fear you might get in the deal. Still, I can't wait to get there.

angie Brooksby-Arcangioli said...

I'm happy for the OP Janet says this is a learning experience and not a career crusher.

Currently I'm reading Gangsterland by Tod Goldberg. I know it's going to one of the best books I'll read in 2016. His website mentions he was published in the 2013 edition of The Best American Essays in 2013. I suppose this is the kind of anthology worth appearing in.

Fingers crossed for Julie.

Unknown said...

Every Day Fiction used to put out anthologies of their most popular stories for that year. I thought I had a good chance one year of getting in there and, wouldn't you know it, they didn't put one out that year. Or any year since. Such is my luck.

SinC are taking submissions for their anthology- actually two, because their Guppy group also has one - but you have to be a member. Which is a good thing to consider. They have critique groups.

Donnaeve said...

Ah, well. In the close to four years I've had my agent, I've referred exactly one thing to him - and that was recently. :) (Just so ya'll know.)

As to OP's situation - man oh man, that do sucketh. On the good news side - what QOTKU said. (btw, I've developed this sort of typing hiccup. For some reason lately when I go to type QOTKU I type QOTKY. I have no idea why I feel compelled to confess this)

I was invited to contribute to an anthology of sorts recently. Actually, I'm not sure why - it wasn't for Southern Fiction. It was an invite to write an essay on "Being White In America." Because I tend to steer clear of any hot button topics, I didn't respond. In a way, I wish I had. Had I referred this to my agent, I suspect he would have been thoughtful in his approach as to how I would go about contributing so the work might be considered a component of influence on my writing. In a way (now) I wish I'd checked it out further.

Anonymous said...

All of my published work is, thankfully, something I would be happy for an agent to look at. My middle son wondered why I wanted to keep boxes and boxes of old magazines my stories were in. If need be, I can scan some of the articles as part of a resume. Tear sheets are usually a good thing to have.

Good editors are also a bonus.

I beta read an opening for someone a while back and it had a lot of problems, but I assumed it was first draft. I made a few notes. I didn't want to pile on, so I just pointed out a few problems sandwiched between the positives.

I was dumbfounded when the person wrote back and said they were getting ready to query.

I suggested it needed a few passes of revisions first.

No need, the version I read had been professionally edited.

I don't know who took the person's money, but they were robbed. There were spelling errors everywhere. Tense changes. Awkward sentence structures. Fragments that didn't work.

I know a lot of very good editors. Then there are cases like these where the person is assured they are good to go and that's the farthest thing from true. It just makes me want to jerk a knot in someone's tail.

Colin Smith said...

Donna: Queen of the Known Yuniverse. Isn't there some kind of New York/New England accent that sounds like that? Forgive me, I'm not from round these parts--what do I know? :)

Brigid said...

Jennifer—one could even say, "We badly want to be published. We don't want to be published badly."

Julie—what joy!

Theresa said...

Just weighing in OT to extend congratulations to Julie on her full. 2016 is starting off very well.

LynnRodz said...

OP, I'll bet you wish you had left the misspelling of your name alone. It's a good lesson for all of us.

Fingers and toes crossed for you, Julie.

Susan said...

I love anthologies, and I'm so sorry that this situation left a poor taste for them for the OP. I hope they take this advice and continue to submit elsewhere.

If there's one thing I've learned here (and there's not--it's more like a thousand things), it's this: contracts, contracts, contracts.

I've had my fair share of contract snafus when I was young and naive and editing a book for someone my senior year of college. One of my professors had passed along my name to a man who'd lost his son, and now he was writing a book in his memory. He wanted to pay for a semester of school, but I was already graduating by then, so we agreed to a payout that would also be significantly cheaper than school (go up not down in negotiations--Lesson #1). He was, as OP calls it, a non-writer, and it showed. He had illusions of grandeur--Oprah! NYT! Book tours!--but the writing was terrible. I felt bad because I knew he was grieving, and at the very least, his book would be catharsis for him. At most, it was a memorial for his son. I ended up ghostwriting half the book for him (Lesson #2: outline your terms and responsibilities and stick to them). The work took months. I graduated, moved back to my hometown, and started a career by this time. I never saw any money. I contacted him several times, telling him I wouldn't be able to deliver the final copy until I saw payment, but...crickets.

A few years later, my name popped up in a Google Alert. He'd finished and self-published his book on his own and thanked me as his editor. Many people asked me why I didn't go after him for the money that was owed--we did have a written contract--but I'd already put it behind me and the experience taught me how to handle future contracts, clients, and transactions. Besides that, looking back, I don't think he ever really had the type of money he wanted to pay me. Grief clouds things sometimes, and I think he was desperate to hold onto something of his son's. It's not an excuse, and it's certainly not acceptable, but I don't feel bad for having helped him--that one and only time. Sometimes you have to be young, naive, and stupid to learn your lessons. I certainly was.

OP: I'm sorry that something so exciting turned out to be so disappointing. I hope that you're able to use this experience to learn and that you keep writing and publishing. Best of luck to you!

Julie: Missed the news yesterday, but congrats on the full!

Her Grace, Heidi, the Duchess of Kneale said...

I've been published in several short fiction anthologies, including a "Best of". One bad, rather obscure anthology won't kill a career.

However, I am wondering if Opie's regretting having the spelling corrected on her name. *g*

There's invitation-only anthologies, hybrid anthologies, and open call anthologies. The open calls' guidelines are easily found by a yellow-belt in Google Fu.

I tend to have better luck selling to anthologies than magazines because anthologies tend to have very specific themes: "Black Dragon, White Dragon" or "Aphrodite Terra: Stories about Venus". (No bonus points for guessing what "Chicken Soup for the Knitter's Soul" is looking for.)

Magazines tend to go more on the gut feel of an editor. "I know what I like when I see it." Oh really? What the frack is that? (Come to think of it, agents work the same way. Botheration.)

There's plenty of anthologies out there. Pocket change, another entry in your bibliography and maybe a touch of whuffie isn't a bad exchange for getting published in one.

Anonymous said...

Y'all are so funny. Thank you for good wishes, but it's really premature.

I got my Snoopy Guide To Writing.

That will definitely keep your feet on the ground.

Donnaeve said...

Colin, could be. Typed out like that, I went to a Joisey state of mind with a youse thrown in. However, when my fingers type QOTKY, my brain only thinks/sees Queen of Kentucky. Which doesn't cover the T, but my brain also ignores that.

Can we say off topic? :)



InkStainedWench said...

Duchess, I don't know what "whuffie" is, but I know I want some.

Colin Smith said...

Donna: Queen of Taylorsville, Kentucky. No offense to residents of Taylorsville, but that's a bit of a come-down from Queen of the Known Universe.

I wonder if anyone in Taylorsville is putting together an anthology? :D

Carolynnwith2Ns said...

Hey, Colin and Donna-southerners. I yoused to live in joysey, QOTKU back then wooda endearingly been, the bit## from Brooklyn. It would not have been a bad thing.

Jenz said...

Congrats, Julie!

Colin Smith said...

2Ns: I laugh at being called a Southerner, but since I've now lived in NC longer than I lived in the UK, I guess I qualify, though my accent is a bit of a giveaway, no matter how many times I say "y'all."

Wow, that was a long sentence!

Unknown said...

Julie W-

I went back to yesterday's comments to find your post about the full request. Congratulations! I am so happy for you.

Colin Smith said...

I have a question for you, Janet. First let me set it up.

Let's say I get a story published in SciFi Stories Monthly, and a story published in Horror Nasties Quarterly, and a story published in AHMM (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Mag). I then query you with my mystery novel.

Question: Do I only mention my AHMM story, or do I mention all three?

Follow-up Question: Even if I don't mention the other two, the chances are your Google super powers would soon discover them. Would the multiple published genres bother you, or would you only care about the novel submitted? I'm guessing it wouldn't bother you, but I've been wrong before... :)

OK, I know I've commented a lot, but that was a question, not a comment so it doesn't count! :D

Dena Pawling said...


The Army analogy reminded me of what my father told me many years ago when my husband and I were looking to buy our first house. He told me we wanted to be the smallest/cheapest house in the neighborhood, not the biggest/nicest. That way the other home values would pull ours up.

Julie – congrats on the full request!

Colin – your “please refer to my agent” bit reminded me of “I'll have my people get with your people.” This is actually part of my job, altho I'm one of the “people” and not one of the muckety mucks. Maybe some day.............

For those of you who've been praying for rain in CA, thank you. We had some flooding and mudslides yesterday [nothing too major, thankfully], and the canyon just south of my canyon was evacuated for several hours. One more major storm coming thru today, one this weekend, and I think two next week. My area is still under flash flood warning thru Thursday.

Happy New Year.

Carolynnwith2Ns said...

Hey Dena, I love the Army anthology too.
I often say I am a minnow in a mud puddle that would like to swim with the big fish in the big pond.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Julie - congratulations!

Amanda - I had a story in one of those EDF anthologies waaaaaay back in 2008. It might even have been their very first one. :)

A question for Janet - I was under the impression that a number of those big "Best of" anthologies are made up of stories already published. How do those anthology editors decide what markets, what magazines, etc to look at in the first place in order to find the stories?

BJ Muntain said...

Great advice, Janet. I guess that contract is pretty important, isn't it? I've seen a couple calls for anthologies with a first-time editor. I've been leery, and I see why. I might just stick to the tried-and-true for awhile.

You can find anthology calls just about anywhere you can find market news. You might check Ralan.com if you write mystery, fantasy, horror, science fiction.

I know other places to find science fiction and fantasy calls. If anyone's interested, let me know. If you write other genres, go wherever they have markets and calls for those. I'm sure there are Romance sites, and probably others. Or I might be able to find a good site for you, if you ask nicely. :)

And best of luck to Julie! Here's hoping!

BJ Muntain said...

More on the topic:

Last summer, I attended the Cascade Writer's Workshop in Kent, Washington. I met a wonderful lady named Alex (Camille) Renwick. She's published short stories under the name Camille Alexa. Her husband is one of the most experienced anthology editors in Canada.

She was very excited about writing and selling short stories. She considered it a great way to get into the business and to get known. She says that she, her husband, and a friend have monthly competitions between themselves: they pick current market - anthology, magazine - and write a story for that market. And then they have to submit that story to that market. And her stories often get published - if not in that market, then in another.

She's a very enthusiastic lady, and that enthusiasm is catching. I've started submitting short stories again.

Note that some anthologies pay pro rates (5-7 c/w, I think it is now), some less, and some only token and copies. Some only pay in royalties, but unless it's a famous anthology or there's a really famous author involved, there are very few royalty cheques sent out for these anthologies. I suggest submitting to those that pay something up front - unless you have a good reason to think the anthology will do very well (Stephen King is writing a story for it, for example).

Janice Grinyer said...

Dena, hope your area is able to dry out safely!


Recently I had the pleasure of meeting a freelance journalist over the holidays. They were gracious enough to give advice concerning the non-fiction book proposal I am working on (considering they were published in the Atlantic, New Yorker and Outdoor Magazine, I listened!)

They suggested I write an article concerning wildfire on a personal basis/experience and submit it to certain magazines for publication. This way I would be able to add these caveats to my proposal, strengthening my writer's credentials. The problem is it would take time, postponing querying. As with all things, the question is, "Is this the right thing to do?"

Anonymous said...

I have a serious question: do people read/buy anthologies? I ask this because after several years of working in a library, I found that we regularly withdrew anthologies from the collection because they never circulated, no matter how much we promoted them. Perhaps it was just our population of readers?

John Frain said...

Janice,

My thought: Yes, it's the right thing to do. I don't come armed with the credentials of the person you met over the holidays, but I do come with this thought (that I have all the time like you're having right now).

I'm guilty of trying to take the easy way out sometimes because we don't even know if the hard way will be worth it. But the hard way is always worth it. If you succeed, it'll be because you took the hard way. And if you don't succeed here, the hard way will prepare you better for the next time.

The reality is that you'll have a better presentation for having submitted an article to those magazines. If they publish, you'll have a MUCH better presentation. And a year from now, you'll look back and be glad you did it.

Take your time. Submit your best work. That shortcut? Give it the finger and move on.

DLM said...

Janet may be the greatest force in my contemplating short form histfic (or anything else). My problem with short stories is that I never know how they end; I have two that have had BIRTHDAYS (one has had quite a few) without ending. And I used to think of historical as a long form genre, but I do know better. Perhaps I should be inspired by some sort of ending and just write the story that gets there!

Diana Staresinic-Deane posted less than an hour ago, and I am falling in love with her blog. Anyone who's lost their marbles? Take a look there; she has some. :)

Janice Grinyer said...

Thank you, John. I needed that. A good reminder that there is no shortcut to quality.

So onto querying magazines while working on Book Proposals.

This is our down time, no work in the woods. I almost think Timber Cruising is easier then writing :D, deadfall, lightning storms, rattlesnakes and cliffs included!

Elena said...

OP, that sucks and I'm sorry that happened to you! But as Janet and others have said, try not to let it stress you out. The internet is a big place, and at the query stage I don't believe you'd have to go out of your way to bring an agent's attention to it. Take heart--this experience makes you a more mature, aware author.

If you haven't pitched/submitted any short work since The Anthology That Shall Not Be Named, take Janet's advice and do so. You might not be able to get published this very instant, but maybe even the exercise of submitting other work to open calls could lift the psychological cringe factor for you.

@Julie M. Weathers--Congrats! =)

@Her Grace--how cool that you landed a "Best of" anthology! That's awesome, I love reading those =)

And this: "There's invitation-only anthologies, hybrid anthologies, and open call anthologies. The open calls' guidelines are easily found by a yellow-belt in Google Fu."

Definitely. Here's a few links I know of. There are all kinds of anthologies out there--as today's post definitely illustrates, some may be better fit for folks than others. Always, always research--and follow Janet's advice!

WritingCareer.com lists calls for assorted anthologies, as well as a lot of other types of outlets.

I think of Duotrope as more of a search for short fiction/poetry/essay outlets, but you can also search for anthropology opps as well. There is a monthly subscription fee--if you're someone who submits a lot of short stories the five bucks a month may be worth it; YMMV and all that. I think there's a free trial?

Duotrope's free counterpart is Submission Grinder.

Ralan's been mentioned already, there's also Dark Markets for the horror-inclined. They have an anthologies section.

Craig F said...

I have been drawn to many anthologies. I do believe they are better for the reader then they are for the authors. There are even more horror stories about them and bad publishers then most other forms of publication.

Here is one such: www.allisonmdickson.com/2016/01/when-publishers-completely-suck.html

Maybe it is because so many un-Agented authors get sucked into them. It might also be that many small publishers try to put them together.

Be very careful if you are considering submitting for one.

Anonymous said...

This is great info, Janet, thank you. Wish I'd had it a couple years ago when I was asked to submit to an anthology of writing advice -- or "advice," in my case (I was definitely among the corporals and privates) -- my RWA chapter put together as a fundraiser. I knew several other savvy, big name writers with reputable agents were submitting and, even though my lack of experience made me nervous, I figured they wouldn't be involved if it were something shady.

We did sign a short agreement giving permission to use our work and confirming that all proceeds went to benefit the chapter. And we all were given the opportunity to review the entire thing, not just our pieces, and approve any edits to our work before publication.

It was a good learning process, in which I learned that I never want to be the one responsible for compiling an anthology (ie, herding cats).

Janice, I agree with John about submitting quality work to reputable magazines, but maybe for a different reason. Think beyond whether this might impress an agent. You're building name recognition and, if your work is good, a base of readers who will want to read more. I'm already hooked, just from your comments here.

Colin, still smiling about you referring family members to your agent. There are several people in my life I'd like to refer to an agent. Maybe just the threat of it would be sufficient...

Janice Grinyer said...

Thank you for the feedback, KD. You are right; long term is important, and good writing is what counts when it comes to name recognition. Also, with just the reading I have done today on this topic, the amount of note taking has reached enormous proportions. If anything, I can become a professional note taker if my writing suffers :).

What I am taking away from OP's question today is that you must be cautious when selecting any anthology to be published in, have a good contract in hand, and buy the smallest house on the block, not the rich fancy mansion :D Or in other words, don't be a top dog, be published alongside seasoned authors.

Her Grace, Heidi, the Duchess of Kneale said...

If I may be so bold to answer a few questions, as I do have some experience in this field:

Colin asks: Do I only mention my AHMM story, or do I mention all three?

In my cover letters I say, "I've had several short story publications including a story in Very Impressive Magazine."

With short stories, if you're spread out across several genres (like I am), it's not a bad thing. It's not like you need to rebuild your fanbase with each genre switch, like you would have to with novels. The question editors ask is not, "are you a Romance author or are you a Sci Fi author or are you Cozy author," but rather, "Can you tell a story, and does that story fit in my current editorial view?"

If I, a Fantasy Romance author can write an Historical Cozy short story that hits an editor's sweet spot, huzzah. If I, a Fantasy Romance author, wrote an Historical Cozy novel, my agent (whoever she may be) would raise an eyebrow and give me the third degree.

Madeline asks: I was under the impression that a number of those big "Best of" anthologies are made up of stories already published.

Yes, they are. Reprint rights are essentially free money. Best Ofs are free money and serious whuffie.

How do those anthology editors decide what markets, what magazines, etc to look at in the first place in order to find the stories?

Depends on the editor and the anthology. For the "Best of" I was in it was the best of a single magazine. The editors went through all issues and chose their favourites.

Magazines that plan Best Ofs often have a reprints rights clause in their contracts. Yes, they offer more money if this clause is activated. (At least, mine did.)

Other Best Ofs, like "Australia's Best Fantasy of 2015" a call for subs goes out, with the caveat that your story had to be published in a qualifying market during 2015. This reprint requires a separate contract, natch.

So yes. A clever short story writer can land a few Best Ofs if they keep their peepers peeled for the sub calls. This can be a career booster.

dianastaresinicdeane asks, do people read/buy anthologies? Yes, but it's got to have mass appeal. (Chicken Soup is a good seller.) The Best Ofs tend to sell well enough to make them worthwhile. Most other anthologies' sales tend to be tepid. I don't sub to "royalty only", because I know just how much royalty I won't get.

Also, having spent decades working in libraries, I noticed anthologies tend to become dusties destined for LB-55. Library patrons are loyal to authors and genres, something that anthologies can't quite deliver regularly.

------
Whuffie: a sci-fi term for ego-boo, street-cred or brownie points. Everyone wants whuffie.

Anonymous said...

Janice, you're welcome. But keep in mind that my "advice" is inexperienced, at best. :)

Not sure I made my point clear in the first part of my comment above, but it was basically pure dumb luck that the anthology I'm a part of went as expected and wasn't a disastrous clusterf*ck for me. Because I had no idea what I was doing. Next time, if there is a next time, I won't be such a naif. I hope.

Eve Messenger said...

COLIN: "Y'all" with a British accent. I would pay to hear this.

Anonymous said...

I got published in a few anthologies last year and agree with all of Janet’s advice. #3 is especially important. Follow up with the editor and do some basic proofreading/copyediting yourself as well and not just for your piece alone if possible.
This is a good resource for anthology markets:
http://www.angiebenedetti.com/blog/

Anonymous said...

I had a similar situation to this several years ago for a fiction anthology. I, however, was the editor and 3/4 through the editing, I was asked y the publisher to take off my editing hat, and the antho would go to print "as is". My name was on the cover as 'editor' and one of my favorite shorts I'd written dwelled within. I learned my lesson the hard way and I don't lay claim to the book. Since then, my short that was in the antho was picked up by a very small press and republished in another antho. This one I'm very happy with and am glad my little paranormal story found a good home at last.

I lived and learn from my mistake, and it is one I will never repeat. I have since been picked up by a well-respected YA publisher. My 1st novel comes out in Sept. and the second book has been contracted, so no, mistakes don't keep you from getting published. I'm proof. :-)

Janice Grinyer said...

Congrats Jenny! And thank you for sharing your story - so glad it ended on a positive note.