A&A The Official A.C. Crispin Discussion Thread

Any advice for beginning freelance writers?

I'm hoping to write for magazines like Asimov's, Tales of the Talisman, the Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy, etc.

 

My best advice for those hoping to write for specific short story markets is to READ those magazines, so you can get a feel for the kinds of stories they're looking for.

That way you won't go sending Dr. Schmidt at Analog a funny fluffy unicorn story.

Read and research the markets, then you can target sending the stories you've written to the appropriate publishing venue.

-Ann C. Crispin

 

Come on now... EVERYONE loves a good funny, fluffy unicorn story!

 

In your experience Ann, is freelancing a reliable way to sustain an income?

 

Not many writers can depend solely on their writing income these days to support themselves and their families.

Most tend to be married to someone who has a steady income, plus benefits like health insurance. Many writers work part time and write part time. Or work full time and write in their spare time.

I wouldn't advise anyone to plunge into trying to live off freelance writing income unless they'd been able to make a good living solely off their writing for a period of several years.

Best,

-Ann C. Crispin

P.S. Writer Beware has just posted the new "unlucky thirteen" Two Thumbs Down publishers list on Writer Beware's blog.

 

How much could a starting free-lancer expect to make in a month?

 

I've had a look at magazines that publish short stories and I've found that a lot of the ones published in the UK tend to only publish those types you find in womens magazines - it's kind of difficult when they're all NOT Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror and that's what you write. Do you have any advice on which short story magazines which publish SF, Fantasy or Horror, so that I could take a look at them?

 

Writers don't really receive a salary, so it's impossible to give a figure for how much they earn in a month. Novelists basically only get paid when they sign contracts, turn in books, or when the books are published, plus twice a year if the books earn royalties.

If a writer had a steady output of articles, I suppose that he or she might be able to count on receiving a check or two each month.

There is generally a lot of lag time between when a writer submits a story, article, or book and when he or she can expect to receive a check.

Keep in mind that writers don't get any benefits that most people who earn a regular salary can expect: no health insurance, life insurance, 401K's, etc.

-Ann C. Crispin

 

Space Wolf:

Get a copy of Writer's Market and/or a copy of Novel and Short Story Writer's Market. I think these sources may also have content online.

They will tell you about hundreds of magazines that buy short stories worldwide, by category.

 

When will the next set (2008's editions) of the 'Market' books come out?

 

Uhhhh ...

Uhhhhhh ...

I don't know.

The answer may be on the website someplace ...

*goes to check*

Edit:

Well, I don't see that info online, and my hubby is asleep in the next room so I don't want to go in there and grab the book.

But it should also be available in the library, so if you want to wait for the 2008's, you could just use it there instead.

 

OK, I've got a question.

How are you? But, no, besides that ...

So I'm surfing the net the other night, reading agency blogs, and there's this one where an agent has people writing in trying to come up with a good five-word logline for their book. And folks are struggling and struggling, and most are getting shot down.

Now, I understand the need for a good logline, but I thought that in most cases a sentence was allowed at least! The agent kept writing, "Sorry, doesn't give me a good feel for the characters or what happens." How the ... are you supposed to do that in only five words?

So if you are trying to come up with a logline for your book, are most ppl really expecting less than a full sentence these days??

Hope your life is going well.

 

Are you having fun writing the Exiles of Boq'urain Trilogy?

 

Ann, come back! I love your writing. The Han Solo trilogy was the bomb. Perfect tone and the best Dark Times work out there. And you wrote it before the prequels! I bet LFL gave you a lot of insight into that period of SW lore.

Any chance you'll be writing another SW title?