Great Article "Thick Skin".
My comments are based on the following article by Brynneth over at The Pagan and the Pen:
Posted on June 24, 2010 by brynneth
It’s one of the first pieces of advice new authors tend to hear – you’re going to need a thick skin. I watched with interest a facebook debate yesterday, talking about harsh criticism and a tough industry, stinging knockbacks, and critiques that rip your work to shreds. A surprising number of folks saw these…CLICK TO READ MORE.
I have had some time to think about this one because it’s the world I live in. And while this topic keeps coming up among authors or anyone struggling in this business, I do have my own opinions.
I do think people need to grow a thick skin if they are going to be in the Publishing Industry, but not because of publishing itself, but because of those who are mingling in the circle as well.
I was warned when I got into this business of two things…
First, forget about making a decent living anytime soon. And second, that I needed a thick skin.
I even joined HUGE writing groups that claimed their focus was to help Writers figure out the business AND to show or share some of the ropes, do’s and don’ts. They’d have helpful exercising, critique groups, and even had us submit pieces of our work just so they could go through our words and suggest corrections. However, the plan was, and they would warn up front that they wouldn’t be ‘NICE’ about it and would be doing their corrections IN A SNARKY, HORRIBLE way, because THEY claimed this is what would happen to us once we were professionally published or once we started submitting to agents, etc. Their goal was to give us that ‘thick skin’ in which Brynneth at The Pagan and the Pen spoke about. And they even claimed, in their experience that they had submitted to pubs and or magazines and had their own work ripped and insulted left and right. So this was ‘their way’ of preparing us for that. And I thought, this must be catching on because more and more Authors are now taking that attitude in other critique groups. When a writer would submit something, they’d get tackled with a short or long, but very snarky reply.
Hmmm, maybe there is something to this?
WRONG. Least not in my universe. Although like every other writer out there, I fell for this one too. Heck, I am from a generation that worked mundane jobs where the bosses would yell and scream at us, even verbally abuse us and we, the employee, took it because we thought this is what we have to deal with in order to get our paychecks.
WRONG AGAIN. And sooner or later, we wake up, tell them where to shove that job and quit.
It’s no different in publishing. No matter how much or how little you are getting paid, no one has the right to rip you a new one. The Employer that doesn’t, actually gets better results. A happy Employee is a productive one.
In all honesty, I have submitted to thousands of places and I have had thousands of rejections like everyone else. You do need a thick skin for that . But not ONCE did a PROFESSIONAL Agent or Publisher rip me to shreds as to WHY they refused to accept my work. Sometimes it was a very formal rejection and then sometimes, I got lucky, and someone took the time to explain WHY. But not once were they ugly about it. And you know what? If they did, then I’d be the one rejecting them, blogging about them, and telling every other Author why they SHOULDN’T submit their work to them. lol I won’t work for a boss that degrades me… anymore…period. Those days are long gone and people are beginning to realize that they don’t have to work for the DEVIL either. lol
And once I stopped believing the bad advice out there, my career started to change. You see, I fell for a lot of the BS. I began to believe that I needed to be thankful for whatever Publisher decided to take a risk on me. And I needed to take any crap that they dished out just so my written words could be published.
WRONG. And when I got that through my head, and started to research publishers down to the bone, and got picky about who represented ME, that’s when things started to change.
Right now, and concerning all future projects of mine, I am with Noble Romance Publishing (Dare to be Different) . I have to be honest, when I first submitted and was accepted, I was shaking in my shoes. I wanted them because they were tough, thorough, and dedicated to putting out the best, most professionally polished products out there that they could get their hands on. They wanted different (as their logo is Dare to be Different) and I believed we were the perfect mesh.
I heard Jill Noble carried a whip with salt-dipped razors (concerning edits etc) and that by the end of the day she’d have me dizzy because she didn’t play around. Well, part of that is true. She doesn’t play around. She walks a strict line when it comes to editing, promoting, and so on. She finds out what WE, the authors are good at, and then she demands it. She doesn’t let us sell ourselves short.
So if a hardcore Publisher is out there that demands that their product measures up to all standards professionally, yet doesn’t slaughter their Authors left and right, then maybe, just maybe that’s not WHY we need a thick skin.
I think the only time Authors need a ‘thick skin’ is when dealing with other authors, certain writing groups, and certain editors that should NOT be editing. Then there are contests where people feel that you have paid them your 25 dollar submission fee, so they have now been paid to rip you a new one??? lol
Its because of that, that writers need a thick skin. Because THEN you need to see through it and turn your back on what has been said.
As far as review sites, which Brynneth also skims, my best advice is to research them up and down. Read past reviews. If they are KNOWN to be negative, take note as to HOW they are negative. Are they being smart asses about it? Or are they trying to give constructive criticism as a reader and what stumped them personally??? Do they ALSO STATE THE POSITIVE of the book? Is it well balanced? Who are the reviewers?
See, that’s the hard part. We don’t know. A lot of times Authors take secret names and review. Now some of those Authors do a great job, but then others, well, they attack books for the flaws they see or fear in themselves.
And then Authors need to step back and CALMLY look at the negative while ALSO processing the positive. I’ve seen authors so wound up, so paranoid that a review site is going to slaughter them, so mentally prepared that they don’t even see the positive. We do that to ourselves, you know. We have a tendency to drag our feet on our flaws but forget so easily what makes us great. And we also forget one important thing…obviously we deserve to be here because WE made it past the SLUSH and REJECTION piles.
I have also seen review sites who seem to make their fame by being sarcastic, horrible reviewers.
So my advice is…people…stop submitting your work to them. And if they BUY your book and review it, just never fly over and look and be happy that you made a sale. And if you DO LOOK, think of it as ALL publicity is good publicity.
So yes, I believe we need a thick skin…but usually only when it comes to dealing with our own. And as I said before, Authors need to take back their places in the Food Chain. Don’t let anyone tear you down. Choose your circles wisely, and choose the pubs YOU want.
The article is great and as I said before, got me thinking on an issue that keeps coming up.
Wishing you all the best of luck,
C.H. SCARLETT
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www.chscarlett.net
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Wyntress Nyght’s Supernatural Crack :
Published by Noble Romance Publishing–Dare to be Different!
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Wyntress Nyght’s Supernatural Crack Has A Publisher!!!!
I tell ya, I am jumping up and down. Now earlier, this was an incredible thing, but now, its bad since I need to get to bed lol.
Anyway, I just wanted to shout that Wyntress Nyght, my Paranormal, Dark Satire, has found a publisher. I suppose her voice was strong after all.
I submitted to ten agents, and three pubs a week ago? Anyway, one agent rejected me thus far. I didn’t even have a chance to hear back from everyone because this morning, Jill from Noble Romance Publishing asked me if I was willing to make a few changes and ah, YEAH!
She didn’t need to ask me twice. Maybe I should have waited for the others to get back to me but I have researched Noble Romance left and right. I have spoken to their authors, checked P&E and everything I saw impressed me to no end. Then, when she sent me a contract to look over, that also rocked my world. Very professional, protecting not them but also ME. I even got an advance…my VERY first advance.
*sighs* Its a good day.
I suppose I should throw forth a blurb and all that but my excitement has wore me plum out. So I am off to bed, if I can sleep, because I am so wound up but I need to at least try. Because tomorrow, oh yes tomorrow, I have to start making changes to my manuscript.
Skips off singing *Merry Christmas to me, Merry Christmas to me…..
Interview with Rhiannon Rhodes of Dark Roast Press
ust so I would have something to bring to the table –I decided to interview my publisher Rhiannon Rhodes of Dark Roast Press. Now I am not in the business of interviewing but I did attempt to ask her questions that hopefully will give others an inside view of what she is all about. For all writers, I checked and Dark Roast Press is open for submissions.My questions are in bold and her answers are in Italic. And before I forget, you can check Dark Roast Press out for yourself by clicking HERE.
The Interview
A big hello to Rhiannon Rhodes–owner and creator of Dark Roast Press Publishing. First, thank you for doing this interview. Second, here’s hoping I do you justice lol.
Third, tell us a little about yourself.
Hey C, thanks for having me! Oh wow where do I start… I am a 32-year-old college student by day and an Erotic publisher in between homework and family. Born and raised in Chicago, I grew up reading books and loving Sci-Fi TV. I may have a slight obsession with Star Trek and Star Wars and little TV show called Supernatural. I mean just a slight obsession **whistles innocently**. When I am not working towards Dark Roast or doing schoolwork, I am usually reading fanfic from the various fandoms I love. The mentioned above of a part of those fandoms I am a part of. I am somewhat boring really.
This interview was posted on another blog I share. To read the rest of the interview, click HERE
Epublishing—The facts from someone who knows.
Lynne Connolly is a great writer. She made a bold choice concerning her writing a very long time ago and hasn’t regretted it since. If any writer out there knows the ups and downs concerning Epublishing, it would be Lynne. She recently wrote an article which pretty much updates all other information out there concerning Epubs.
So if you are a writer and want to stay up to date concerning things…
Have a look.
The State of Epublishing Today
Quoted from the article:
I write for three of the biggest epublishers – Ellora’s Cave, Samhain and Loose-Id, and my income is – well it’s in five figures, which is what a midlist New York author can expect. This is not unusual for an author for the largest epub houses, and it’s no longer confined to the erotic only. My Samhain historicals are highly sensual, not erotic, and I’ve featured in the Samhain list of top ten sellers several times, as have other non-erotic authors.
I am fairly prolific, but a lot of that is reissues. My editors are as exacting as you’ll find anywhere, sometimes more so, and I have at least two for each book, and extra editing for print releases. I’m not showing off, I’m just tired of people saying that epubbed authors earn miniscule amounts, and then quoting someone from one of the smaller epubs. The majority of sales don’t lie there. Authors write for them for various reasons – to get into the market, because they’re friends with the owners, because they’re happy with the editing and cover art the house offers or because they expect the house to grow and want to grow with it.
Rhiannon Rhodes & Dark Roast Press
I guess this article is long overdo. After all I promised to say things as I learned them hopefully to help other writers who were just getting their foot in the door, etc.
Over the summer after a car accident and then my house burning down, I took a real clear look at my life and my writing. Not to bore you with details but I made the decision to back off from submitting my novel Bound By Blood: The Awakening to anymore publishers and decide what was really best for me and the book. Basically, I needed a break. Too much was going on at the time and I wanted to research more into my options as a writer and so forth.
A friend of mine and published author contacted me about a publisher he had been working with called Dark Roast Press. Since my book has romantic elements but does not revolve around it, has a strong story line which does revolve around Fantasy and Paranormal and a very active imagination, he suggested that I send it in to DPR.
I did my research on DPR (Dark Roast Press) but I was really weary. It wasn’t about them, my weariness, but was focused more on where I was in life. I was going through physical therapy, trying to move, dealing with lawyers (which I normally avoid as much as doctors) and everything else that comes from basically trying to live and breathe. Chris wouldn’t take no for an answer. He believed that my novel was ready to be read and despite the bumps I was trying to drag myself over, bugged me until I submitted it.
So I did and I really didn’t expect much to come out of it. I went on with the things that were going on in life, lost my Internet service for awhile because of the move and things went on as normal. Then one night while I was cooking supper for my family, I get a phone call. Its Rhiannon Rhodes, owner of Dark Roast Press. She explained that her publishing house usually published erotica (of no discrimination) but she was expanding into other types of fiction. Now during this phone call I realized a few things….
1. She had read the book in great detail. I know this is probably what all publishers do but to me, it showed she was legit. I mean can you imagine how many books these people have submitted in a day? Well its a lot. So for her to know actual details, small and large impressed me greatly. And the fact that she never confused my story with any other submission, impressed me even more. She also knew my characters in great detail as if she was intimate with each and every one. Now that saying something since my book is rather thick with plenty of characters…each complex or on their way in becoming so.
2. Her honesty and straight forwardness. There was no sugar coating with her which made any praise she gave me seem golden and priceless. She also understood and took a interest into what was going on in my life…she wasn’t demanding. Meaning, she didn’t tell me, Ok if you want to published with me, I want three complete manuscripts of the next in line of this series. She seemed to know me and my style of writing better than I knew myself. She had vision AND she was professional about it which reflected her experience concerning her field.
3. By recognizing my books potential and mine, she saw ahead as far as my novel went and the series that would follow. You know as a writer it is very important for someone to ‘get’ you and your skill and that’s what I got from Rhiannon. She got me and she didn’t seem to mind the length of my novel either which is a big problem with many first time writers being published. My story supported the length and the plots and characters carried it, in her eyes. (And believe me, she lets you know how keen of an eye she has when you talk to her, not by telling you or bragging but by showing you with facts and experience– she knows what makes a successful book and career)
I could list more but those were the top three that impressed me the most. So by the end of that conversation, I decided to go with Dark Roast Press and so far I haven’t regretted it.
I get one on one attention there which I think is very important. Meaning, if I have a question and I email her, she is right on it with an answer. She demands quality, not quantity. She knows what her writers are capable of and she won’t let us sell ourselves short of anything less than the full potential of our talent. I never got brushed under the rug because I was the new kid on the block. She treats me fair and equal never allowing me to become lost in favoritism or numbers.
My editor, Helgaleena is also that way. Now this lady blew my mind when it came to my first edits. She could have focused on grammar, punctuation and format alone but instead she went a mountain or two further. She saw that I wasn’t pushing myself as far as my talent goes which is a very active imagination lol. So, she demanded that I take everything a step further . She worked out my genre’s and challenged me. She is kind of a mother hen who runs a tight house who basically says, “Ok this is good but I know you can do better.” Or “Your selling yourself short Kido, now you know you are capable of more.”
If it doesn’t make sense then she challenges me to rethink and rewrite it. THAT’s what I needed. I needed someone who could recognize in me what I didn’t in myself. So I consider myself VERY lucky there. She isn’t the kind of editor who says, “This won’t work.” and it ends there. She lets me explain why I wrote it in the first place and then she says, “Ok well if this is going to work, we need to do this, this or this.” Or she throws the whole, “Ok this is good but I know that imagination of yours can do better.” at me.
I have a trust and a respect for her because I know she has my best interest at heart. She also doesn’t spend her time trying to make me write like the next Nora Roberts or Steven King. She wants me to write like C.H. Scarlett and zero in on what makes me different as a story teller.
That’s a true gift. Period.
It should also be noted that Dark Roast Press isn’t the typical publisher. They aren’t into the commercial aspect of writing. Meaning, they want a strong story and plot and not the next Harry Potter. That worked for me because even though my book has romance in it, the story does not focus on just two characters hooking up. It revolves around a world filled with characters which is made of Fantasy and Paranormal. A ‘High Epic’ Fantasy as my editor calls it.
My publisher puts out E-books but sometime this year she is going to do print as well. That was VERY important to me. Let’s face it, as a writer I have to think ahead concerning my future so it meant a lot to me that my publisher was thinking ahead as well. It didn’t matter to me that they were small and starting out because so am I. I needed someone to believe in my work so it wouldn’t kill me to believe in their determination for success as a publisher.
They do not discriminate either which I discovered to be a big deal in trying to get published. I had an agent refuse to read my manuscript because it had characters which were something like vampires in it. It was against her religion to read something like that. I had a publisher refuse me because it was too much of a story, too much magic and too much imagination and not enough sex. She flat out told me that the only works she published were quick reads that focused on the relationship between two characters. That’s great if it works for her but was a problem since my book didn’t fit that cliche.
Dark Roast Press doesn’t seem to care if your writing about gay love, erotica, romance, fantasy, horror or whatever else. They have an open mind concerning submissions. As long as the writing is of its own style and flare and the story stands out. They want stories that shine on its own. They do not want another version of Lord of the Rings simply because that’s the latest craze. They want something NEW—told in a way that blows the other out of the water. They want a NEW story even if it is something daring. They really give their writers a chance to be different.
Anyway, I am very happy with them and am thankful that they took a chance on me and my work. They are fairly new but the owner and staff have plenty of experience. They are still working out the kinks but given time, I am sure they will be a name everyone will recognize.
Don’t take my word for it though…go hunt down their writers and ask them. (they would know better than anyone) That’s how I got started.
C.H. Scarlett
Lay Offs in the Publishing
I found this interesting site that listed some lay offs in the publishing business.
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For complete article click HERE
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Now this article only lists the highlights and was published December 16th. So for those who, like me, have a career in writing or publishing, it seems it is being affected in the same way as every other business.
Times like these, I am even more thankful that I went with a smaller press. This doesn’t mean my publisher can’t fold but thankfully I have a smart one who knows how the economy is and thinks wisely before every step she plans to take. My publisher is Dark Roast Press, owned by Rhiannon Rhodes. I feel for those losing their jobs. I feel for the writers who are being affected by this. Its hard enough to make it in this business and once you get there, it doesn’t get any easier.
I hear writers asking all the time, “what is going to happen with the publishing world?”
Hang in there…I am trying to. I am also hopeful. I believe that something great always comes from something bad. DON’T give up! We knew the odds of us striking it rich in this business was zero to none. We would have had better luck hitting the lottery right? So the money was obviously NOT the reason we worked so hard for our careers. Keep writing. Keep at it. Someone, somewhere NEEDS your book right now…they need an escape!
The Future of Publishing
I would have embedded this video but sometimes the screens ends up so big that it bleeds over into my menus.
I thought it very important to post this though and I think you will agree, reader or writer because it explains what will be come of the publishing industries that are crumbling.
Its a positive video though so you will be very surprised I am sure. The Agent explains the importance of BLOGS, Ereaders, Ebooks and how buying a book from your local book stores will change.
So for readers, I say watch it so that you have some idea of how things will change (for the better) for you.
For writers, I say watch it so you know where your profession is heading and that you are given some hope this Christmas…from me to you.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
‘If the fat lady sings then we will just stuff a cork in her cuz it ain’t over until we are damn good and ready!’
C.H. Scarlett
Hard Times For Writers
Every single writer, published or unpublished, knows how hard it is to make it in this profession. Even when someone does make it, they quickly learn that the money they make, isn’t nearly close to making the rent. Sometimes it isn’t even enough to put gas in the car.
How many times have you heard someone say, “The professional writing industry is one of the lowest paid out there.” In fact, how many writers can even lay claim to making something as low as minimum wage if they make anything at all? Not many.
What was difficult before is now bordering on the impossible. ‘Getting published’ makes writing the book seem like a trip to the candy store. And now that the top publishers are in trouble, well now may very well be the time that writers search out other options. And with that being said, there are plenty of them out there.
You would think that given the bad times the world is facing that people would want to escape into a book much more so than ever before. There exists the break in the ice though. They are too busy working, trying to make those bills and what little money they earn, something so small as the cost of a book is too much of a splurge for now.
The answer? I really don’t have one and I don’t think anyone does. I can say that for those writers who are trying to get their foot in the door or for those who have, hang in there. Your not only facing the challenge of selling your work or having it accepted but you are facing the challenge of surviving a recession. Don’t give up, don’t give up. The world needs your story and your imagination…even if they don’t know it yet.
C.H. Scarlett
Layoffs at Random House, Simon & Schuster
NEW YORK — The economy has crashed down on an industry once believed immune from the worst _ book publishing _ with consolidation at Random House Inc., and layoffs at Simon & Schuster and Thomas Nelson Publishers.
“Yes, Virginia, book publishing is NOT recession proof,” said Patricia Schroeder, president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Publishers. “It’s a sad day.”
At Random House, the country’s largest general trade publisher, the man who helped give the world “The Da Vinci Code” is in talks for a new position, while the publisher of Danielle Steel and other brand-name authors is leaving altogether.
Stephen Rubin, who released Dan Brown’s blockbuster thriller in 2003, is negotiating for a different job after Random House eliminated his position as president and publisher of the Doubleday Publishing Group. Bantam Dell head Irwyn Applebaum, whose many authors have included Steel, Dean Koontz and Louis L’Amour, is departing, effective immediately.
Random House, under the leadership of chief executive officer Markus Dohle, announced the changes Wednesday as part of a “new publishing structure” that will “maximize our growth potential in these challenging economic times and beyond.”
Spokeswoman Carol Schneider would not say whether Applebaum, 54, was leaving voluntarily; Applebaum and Rubin, 67, have more than 40 years of combined experience in publishing. She said that layoffs are possible as the company’s many imprints and divisions are shifted and split up.
“There may be difficult decisions to make and if layoffs are necessary they will be done as fairly and as quickly as possible,” she said.
Simon & Schuster has been helped by President-elect Barack Obama’s embrace of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals,” but not enough to save some 35 positions, about 2 percent of the staff. CEO Carolyn Reidy said in a company memo Wednesday that “today’s action is an unavoidable acknowledgment of the current book-selling marketplace and what may very well be a prolonged period of economic instability.”
Reidy added that “the entire publishing industry is coping with these truly difficult circumstances.”
On Tuesday, a top executive at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt resigned as the publisher faces a credit squeeze and possible sale. Meanwhile, the head of Thomas Nelson Publishers, a Nashville, Tenn.-based company that releases religious books, announced that about 10 percent of the staff, “54 of our friends and co-workers,” had lost their jobs.
“This will affect nearly every department in our company,” CEO Thomas S. Hyatt wrote on his blog, . http://www.michaelhyatt.com
An overhaul has been expected at Random House ever since Dohle was hired last spring by parent company Bertelsmann AG, a German-based conglomerate, and began a planned months-long review of the publisher.
Last month, Random House said it would freeze pensions for current employees and eliminate them for new hires.
Under the new alignment, Random House will reduce the number of its principal divisions from five to three: The Random House Publishing Group, the longtime home to E.L. Doctorow and Maya Angelou; the Knopf Publishing Group, a literary institution that includes Toni Morrison and John Updike; and the Crown Publishing Group, known for such political authors as Obama and Ann Coulter.
Applebaum’s Bantam Dell Publishing Group and Rubin’s Doubleday Publishing Group will be dispersed among the three divisions. Bantam has long been in trouble as sales for mass market paperbacks dropped, while Doubleday has been hurt by the absence of Brown’s long-awaited follow-up to “The Da Vinci Code” and by disappointing sales for a highly publicized debut novel, Andrew Davidson’s “The Gargoyle.”
Dohle said Wednesday that he is hoping to “create a new role” for Rubin at Random House, working directly with the CEO.
“As you know, Steve has successfully led Doubleday for almost two decades and is universally respected and admired throughout the industry for both his publishing expertise and management skills,” Dohle said in a company memo.
Rubin, through a spokesman, declined to comment Wednesday.
Applebaum said in a statement he had been “honored to work with a long-standing team of extraordinarily skilled colleagues at Bantam Dell who, book by book, year after year, consistently have brought to the marketplace more top-level best-sellers than any other group of Random House.”
Asked if he had been offered another position at Random House, Applebaum declined to comment.
Dohle is retaining at least one Random House tradition _ allowing the divisions to bid against each other for books, a practice far more welcomed by authors and agents than by those worried about expenses.
“I want to stress the fact that all the imprints of Random House will retain their distinct editorial identities,” Dohle said Wednesday. “These imprints and all of you who support them are the creative core of our business and essential to our success.”
Also, Wednesday, The New York Times announced its 10 best books for 2008. Nine of them, including Toni Morrison’s “A Mercy” and Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Unaccustomed Earth,” were published by Random House Inc.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/03/major-reorganization-unde_n_148264.html
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HILLEL ITALIE | December 3, 2008 06:40 PM EST | 
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